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Original poster

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

755 replies

womaninatightspot · 03/09/2022 13:39

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
etulosba · 03/09/2022 18:52

I was brought up with no heating in the 60s and 70s on an arable farm. It snowed heavily everyday. It was bloody freezing all of the time.

Where was this arable farm? The South Pole?

mizzo · 03/09/2022 18:55

@Doingprettywellthanks

Elderly parents living in a home with no heating source other than a log burner in one room.

yes, that would worry me.

presumably it doesn’t you

They aren't elderly. My Dad is still working and my Mum retired early. As pp said their log burner is toasty, often too hot and you have to go upstairs to cool off.

tune · 03/09/2022 18:56

A family member of mine went on holiday a few years ago in October and it was particularly cold, came home to a fully flooded house caused by the heating being off and the pipe freezing. I'm worried that everyone saying they won't be putting the heating on are going to end up in a similar situation! I've found it quite nippy the last 2 nights already but holding off turning it back on for as long as I can.

KhaleesiOfChaos · 03/09/2022 19:02

I'm really worried. I've had to put the lights on during the day today and I'm wincing at the thought of using the extra electricity.

I have a 4yr old and am a bit scared for the winter bills.

coldcaff · 03/09/2022 19:02

People who visit have commented in the past that our house is cold. Maybe because I make sure all the windows stay open just a tiny bit as we've had mold in the past. I'm hoping that's a good sign that we all tolerate the 'cold' quite well.

I tend to live in my dressing gown, sometimes under blankets, we all have slippers. The kids have 'oodies' already and I'll probably get one for myself and one for OH- easier than keep tying up the dressing gown belt.

LittleLottle · 03/09/2022 19:06

I'm in the North of England and would normally have had the heating on for an hour or so today but I'm trying to hold off as long as possible - October at least. However I really feel the cold, anything below 23 and I'm not comfortable. But I'm just going to have to learn to wrap up and toughen up!

etulosba · 03/09/2022 19:07

When our heating is “off”, it will actually fire up when the house drops below 7 degrees. That is the default frost protection setting on the Hive heating control system.

I can monitor the the house temperature and heating status from my phone. We are regularly away from the house for a month at a time in winter with the heating set to “off” and, so far, it has never dropped below seven degrees inside.

etulosba · 03/09/2022 19:08

It actually fires up when the temperature inside hits seven degrees, not drops below.

takeagamble · 03/09/2022 19:10

I grew up in liverpool with no central heating. We had a stove in the living room and hot water bottles. We had "skins" for under our fleece pyjamas, house coats and even gloves on the coldest night.

Some night we use have big family sleepovers in the livingroom and we use to heat our chosen tin of choice (beans/ spaghetti or burger in a tin) on the fire and even have a little bit of a bit of wisky in our hot milk to help us sleep. This was in the 90's.

I now realise thats we was piss poor and that's how we cope through the winter, living in one room.

The saddest part is this is how we will be living this winter too. We have a woodburner and I've bought some electric throws. Went to primark to get fake oodies. We will be ok, I was ok but it will be a culture shock for us all, we normally had our heating on for an hour in the morning and hour in the evening but that's definitely unaffordable now. My little ones share a bath anyway and my teenagers are on timers for the shower.

I will properly only put the heating on if one of get really sick (hospital admission sick).

It is what it is, we will all just have to get on with it.

Bumpsadaisie · 03/09/2022 19:11

We're going to try to rely on the wood burner in the sitting room.

ChimChimeny · 03/09/2022 19:15

coldcaff · 03/09/2022 19:02

People who visit have commented in the past that our house is cold. Maybe because I make sure all the windows stay open just a tiny bit as we've had mold in the past. I'm hoping that's a good sign that we all tolerate the 'cold' quite well.

I tend to live in my dressing gown, sometimes under blankets, we all have slippers. The kids have 'oodies' already and I'll probably get one for myself and one for OH- easier than keep tying up the dressing gown belt.

You could try a dehumidifier to get ride of the mould so you could shut the windows. We have a meaco low energy 12l which we use over night otherwise we get condensation. We use it to dry washing too and it's loads cheaper than. A tumble dryer

Ponderingwindow · 03/09/2022 19:18

I can tolerate a much lower temperature than my house. you can fight the damp from frost on the windows with diligent cleaning and heavy curtains. Frozen pipes are hugely expensive. Every time I read these threads about people planning to simply not run the heat, I worry that they are going to end up with burst pipes.

Original poster
womaninatightspot · 03/09/2022 19:20

Bumpsadaisie · 03/09/2022 19:11

We're going to try to rely on the wood burner in the sitting room.

I think I’ll be very reliant on wood stoves too. I know it isn’t properly cold yet but just having it on means that most of the house is pleasantly warm doors are open and curtains are drawn to warm through the bedrooms. Only used a bag for life full of kiln dried logs and another of sticks and big logs I’ve seasoned myself.

OP posts:
Nanalisa60 · 03/09/2022 19:31

The no heating brigade is not having the heating on by choice, it’s because they really don’t have the money to put it on, I would not have considered us poor by any means , but even we are turning the heating down to 18 and going to try and have it on from 12 noon till 7.30pm off to bed early with electric blankets and 15 tog duvet. I feel so sorry for people on low wages, or benefits this is going to be a very hard winter. I have also decided that my charity money this year will not be going to big charity’s but to small local food banks and home charitys that help people in the city I live.

BirmaBrite · 03/09/2022 19:38

I don't like hot houses and I don't like houses where you can see your breath or which are so cold it feels damp. Fortunately there is a middle ground where I can put the heating on for an hour and my house is neither.

Nanalisa60 · 03/09/2022 19:50

FayeGovan

yep you are correct rain for the next even days , I have done loads of washing today started last night and had first Load out at 10pm last night, so completely up to date on the washing just going to let it build up this week and stay in laundry basket and hope for better weather the week after. The BBC weather app will be my washing best friend this winter unless it says dry and hopefully windy my washing won’t be getting done. Don’t for get to double spin really helps (when wash finished put on a second spin again at the highest spin the machine does mine does a 1600 loads more water comes put)

what a way to live!! But I’m really trying not to use the tumble dryer, but I might just have to finish stuff off in mid winter after it been on line. Another tip if you finish off stuff in dryer for 5/10 mins put the drying balls in plus a clean hand towel for some reason helps to finish drying quicker.

CateringForThree · 03/09/2022 20:05

mizzo · 03/09/2022 14:57

My parents haven't had central heating or double glazing for over 30 years, just a log burner in the living room.

My PIL don’t either.
However they also have a back boiler linked to the woodburner. The house is warm, often warmer than ours.
Theyve had the same system for the last 50 years - even though before they had an open fire instead if the wood burner….

People were warming their house before central heating. They also had a Rayburn/aga which was also put a lot if heat in the house. 50 years ago people weren’t living in the cold with no heating at all - which is what we are talking about….

CateringForThree · 03/09/2022 20:09

Btw having a wood burner on IS having the heating on.
We’ve been using our wood burner to heat the house for years now. The house is very toasty, too hot for most people really.
Bedrooms are cooler butbthen just right to go to bed.

If you have a wood burner, you already are in a much better position than most people.

GalesThisMorning · 03/09/2022 20:38

CateringForThree · 03/09/2022 20:09

Btw having a wood burner on IS having the heating on.
We’ve been using our wood burner to heat the house for years now. The house is very toasty, too hot for most people really.
Bedrooms are cooler butbthen just right to go to bed.

If you have a wood burner, you already are in a much better position than most people.

I agree. We are lucky to have a wood burner so we don't need to rely as heavily on gas as some. We can essentially leave the central heating off most of the time and just keep the stove burning. However, wood isn't cheap either. Cheaper than gas I suppose, but still expensive. I expect to get through more wood this winter in order to keep my heating 'off''

limitededitionbarbie · 03/09/2022 20:47

It's going on for an hour on the morning whilst my Dd is getting ready for school then I will just layer up whilst she's at school.

I will put it back on for an hour when she get back and then for an hour for bedtime routines etc.

Not sure what else we can do really

limitededitionbarbie · 03/09/2022 20:49

takeagamble · 03/09/2022 19:10

I grew up in liverpool with no central heating. We had a stove in the living room and hot water bottles. We had "skins" for under our fleece pyjamas, house coats and even gloves on the coldest night.

Some night we use have big family sleepovers in the livingroom and we use to heat our chosen tin of choice (beans/ spaghetti or burger in a tin) on the fire and even have a little bit of a bit of wisky in our hot milk to help us sleep. This was in the 90's.

I now realise thats we was piss poor and that's how we cope through the winter, living in one room.

The saddest part is this is how we will be living this winter too. We have a woodburner and I've bought some electric throws. Went to primark to get fake oodies. We will be ok, I was ok but it will be a culture shock for us all, we normally had our heating on for an hour in the morning and hour in the evening but that's definitely unaffordable now. My little ones share a bath anyway and my teenagers are on timers for the shower.

I will properly only put the heating on if one of get really sick (hospital admission sick).

It is what it is, we will all just have to get on with it.

Same! Our windows used to ice up on the inside.

I remember one year I had been collecting the body shop soaps when they did them in all different shapes, fruits animals etc.

One year I put them on the windowsill and the condensation ruined them all at the bottom.

Flackattack · 03/09/2022 20:52

People can’t and should on don’t have to live like this.

it’s no bad thing for people to consider their usage but sone of this is shocking.

I think the torques are waiting for truss to come in and so called save the day - whatever that looks like - we will still pay more than last year and are people forgetting the cost of petrol???

Original poster
womaninatightspot · 03/09/2022 20:53

CateringForThree · 03/09/2022 20:05

My PIL don’t either.
However they also have a back boiler linked to the woodburner. The house is warm, often warmer than ours.
Theyve had the same system for the last 50 years - even though before they had an open fire instead if the wood burner….

People were warming their house before central heating. They also had a Rayburn/aga which was also put a lot if heat in the house. 50 years ago people weren’t living in the cold with no heating at all - which is what we are talking about….

Show quote history

That’s true. I’ve got an old farmhouse and originally it had five fireplaces plus a bread oven in the kitchen. Three of them upstairs in the bedrooms. I’ve got an old photo with a pissed off looking maid who probably had to keep them all going.

The tricky thing about stoves is you really need to be there to feed them. I might get some long lasting briquettes to keep them going when I’m at work. Otherwise it takes a good while to churn out some heat.

OP posts:
Always4Brenner · 03/09/2022 20:54

Oil based heater electric one will be used lower temperature and cosy throws etc.

GettingOutOfTheWay · 03/09/2022 21:09

I live in the North West of Scotland, I am dithering about what to do over the winter. Heating always costs a good bit anyway.... I have a studio (I'm an artist), and it may come down to heating that OR the upstairs.... I might consider moving my bed into the studio as a win-win. But then I think I am being ridiculous. I can afford the higher bills, but it means less money elsewhere. As it does for everyone!

I also feel the cold and it gets very, very cold here!

One day I'm like fuck it I'm putting it on as usual, the next I'm like No! Wth are you thinking of!

Some good ideas on this thread - gave me something to think about - thank you!

And the washing is going to be a pain, I usually dry that in a spare room with a dehumidifer, but that is just daft heating a room for that. I will close off the room and dry in the (small) living room probably.... my house is going to look like a laundry!