To wonder how long the no heating brigade will last when it turns cold?

[womaninatightspot]

I’ve been contemplating how much I can reduce the heating and electric throws. It’s chilly here today, sixteen degrees, but grey and drizzly. I’ve lit the wood stove, I do have a cold so maybe I feel more susceptible to chills.

I feel like I’ve fallen at first hurdle. Definitely going to be keeping one warm room in the house so it’s not just really unpleasant for the dc. I’ve recently paid 365 for four cubic metres kiln dried wood but it’s going to cost 1K to fill the oil tank for 1000 litres. Was a third of that last year.

No central heating on yet, although we do light the wood burner in one room.
This is the same as I had growing up as a kid in the 1960s when we didn’t have central heating.

When we do eventually need the heating on it will be on a room-by-room basis using the radiator valves.

You'd have to look at the cost once it's on for longer. It won't be 'on' the whole 5 hours once up to temperature unless it's very cold outside and your house is poorly insulated. Though, 5 hours in November will use less gas than 5 hours in January if it's colder outside in January.

Looks like the house stayed at 18c overnight as we haven’t used anymore gas than normal not bad considering the met said a low of 6c overnight.

Dropped to 15 degrees here today. Still not put the heating on yet. Going to do laundry tomorrow as the forecast looks good but reckon we’ll have to put the heating on tomorrow night to air the clothing.

I’m worried about the balance between saving money and not damaging the house with damp.

We've just needed to put the heating on for short bursts over the last couple of days. Hoping for a dry day tomorrow to get the washing on the line for a bit though.

15 inside today and not put it on yet. Seems pointless heating the entire house when I can just use a heated throw as necessary. If DD was at home and cold I'd put it on but she was out after school today and so it wasn't worth it.

A combination of exercising and hot flushes means I'm also not feeling as cold this year as in previous years!

It is cold outside tonight though. Just did the final dog walk it’s 2 degrees and the gritters were out earlier salting the roads. I put the heating on for half an hour earlier to take the chill off the house and lit the woodstove for a bit.

Still 18 degrees inside my house so far. Hoping to put it off for another week or two.

I’m worried about the balance between saving money and not damaging the house with damp.

I worry about this when I read this thread and see how cold people are letting their houses get. Fixing damp damage might wind up more expensive than putting the heating on.

Still waiting here, south coast. Its been mild, we have a relatively new insulated house. I'm sure most years we would have had the heating on by now.

I'm sick of it. We have a really good income which is decimated by a mortgage and teenagers and general work commuting expenses.
I'm too scared to put the heating on so mornings are freezing. We treat ourselves to an hour in the evening at 18 degrees if it's really cold.
Still paying £300 a month by direct debit and I don't think that will cover it.

Yes our heating isn't on yet but hoping to finish installing by end of the month and the house feels slightly damper than usual. Luckily it's not been too wet but it's been wet enough to notice. We average 14⁰ inside so not awful and we have a fire in the worst room but it's at the point where if I could put heating on 2 hours first thing and then 2 hours at 3 i would be

This is a really good point. Plus warming up a house that has not been heated for a while might be quite costly?

I have my heating on for a hour or so in the morning same in the evening now. It costs around four quid a day I think, although my boiler is very old so more expensive to run.

My thermostat is set to 17c so I’m not worried about damp. I air the house every morning as soon as we get up. I’m not going to be one of those sitting at 14c the heating shall be on at some point. We dropped to 17.5c inside overnight so I expect it shall come on in the next few days unless temperature rises again.

Getting loads of washing on today as it’s Sunny to dry outside.

Also health issues if people let their houses get too cold. I lived one winter in a house with only wood heating, overnight it would drop to below 12, sometimes below 10. I developed asthma, found out some time after I moved out there was a bad mould problem because we let it get so cold and damp so that might have been the cause. That's an extreme case of course, but research says that below 18 degrees can have an impact on health, especially for more vulnerable people.

I put mine on if the temperature is in the house is under 17/17.5 in the day and 19 at night. I have never had my hearing over 19.5 as I feel to hot. Around 18 in the day when I'm
active doing things and 19 in the evening is perfect for me.

I've put mine on this morning! 2° outside & frost on the cars.

On the subject of damp I did notice this morning that all my windows along the back of the flat were soaking wet & I have a massive damp patch along my bathroom ceiling (been there since summer) - HA are supposed to be coming out today to look at it but they've fixed it before & installed a new extractor fan which is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard as even when on a 5min shower still leaves the bathroom like a bloody steam room!

I’m worried about the balance between saving money and not damaging the house with damp.

We installed central heating in our grade 1 listed local church on the advice of the quinquennial inspector. It is set to keep the temperature no lower than 12 degrees to prevent undue deterioration of the fabric of the building. Energy costs are quite high but it saves money overall.

Open the bathroom window for a few minutes (assuming there is one). Houses need ventilation, even in winter. You're breathing out moisture in your breath all the time, it goes into the air and has to go somewhere, so it condenses on the coldest surface (usually windows). You might need a dehumidifier, but that'll cost money to run as well.

@altmember my windows are all opened at 6am when I get up & closed when I leave for work at 8am to air the flat out every day - bedroom, bathroom & kitchen ones are still open as I'm WFH today.

The HA guy was in for less than 5 minutes - they'll send someone out to wash it down, put a coating on & repaint then I'm getting a new plastic type ceiling & they'll check the insulation in that area.

@JenniferWooley

Consider getting a window vac to remove the condensation. I had an old house and used to do this - it makes quite a difference.

I also had this which was quite good :

www.lakeland.co.uk/24546/the-scoopy-window-and-glass-condensation-squeegee

Cheap, and the condensation gets scraped off and drips into the handle.

The temperatures today are crazy. My conservatory is at 30 degrees C already.

This. Hence why now as colder putting on fir 30mins am. Sometimes 1-2pm. Then 30/60m in eve

It's down to 14C inside today and tonight I'm going to put the heating on for the first time. Giving it an hour in one room (up to whatever it achieves in an hour) with the dehumidifier and two loads of clothes that have been out on the line all day. I'll put the jeans and jumper on the radiator.

I'm thinking of putting the heating on one hour a day in one room, and alternating which room that is depending on who is in and what they're doing.

This is taking up far too much of my brain space.

13C in my sitting room so have lit the wood burning stove. Woke up to 14C and went to sleep in 16c which is apparently (according to the Sleepdoctor website) the optimum temperature for sleep.

I upgraded from my 2.5 tog duvet to 4.5 tog last night and was definitely warm enough and haven’t even needed a coat to walk the dogs today just a scarf added and we’re getting milder weather again from tomorrow so I am pleased with the mildness of autumn so far.

pleased with the mildness of autumn so far I find it hard to be pleased with watching climate change