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Cost of living

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Original poster

Can someone explain if I'm (not) heating my house wrong

50 replies

twoandcooplease · 14/12/2022 12:11

I have a top-up gas meter and it's costing so much but I also think I'm using my heating wrong. I've looked for a dummies guide to using your heating but I can't find the answer I'm looking for

I set the thermostat to 3 times and tell it to go to 20 degrees. The rest of the time it is set to keep the house no lower than 17 degrees and I have a boost option to put it on for 1hr too

Would it cost more to set it when on at 21.5 degrees?
Or would it cost the same as it'll still be on for the same time?
I'm just wondering if my family are suffering a cold house and I can turn it up? They are saying they're still cold. I'm saying the heating is on.

OP posts:

steppemum · 14/12/2022 12:18

well at the moment I think it is so cold that a lot of houses feel cold even when the heating temo is Ok.
17 all day and boosts to 20 sounds as if you shoudl be warm enough, but that will cost quite a lot if your house is not really well insulated.

I few things for cold
Make sure everyone is wearing a vest, long sleeved T or shirt and a jumper on top. Everyone in trousers (not leggings) socks and slippers/slipper socks/shoes.
When is just Pjs for example, they will be cold.

That does really make a difference.
Also, at night, you don't need to pay for it to be at 17. make sure everyone has good duvets etc.

Crazymadchickenlady · 14/12/2022 12:22

It will cost more to heat it to 21.5 degrees rather than 20 for the same amount of time as it needs more energy to get it to the higher temps so will use more gas. We have ours set to 18 not 20 as putting it on 20 cost a fortune and off at night. It’s ok with jumpers and slippers and a hot water bottle at night.

tabulahrasa · 14/12/2022 12:23

Is it reaching 20? Mine isn’t just now, too cold outside. If it’s not reaching 20 it’ll make no difference turning it up.

nannynick · 14/12/2022 12:24

Sounds fine what you are doing. It will cost a lot as it is maintaining at least 17 degrees.
Increasing to 21.5 may use more gas IF your boiler is turning off once it gets to 20 degrees now. Given the low temperature outside, you boiler may not be getting the house up to 20 degrees, so it is not turning off when in the timeslot for getting to 20 degrees, so changing to 21.5 would make no difference.

Oakbeam · 14/12/2022 12:25

I’d leave it at 20, or lower, and turn it off completely at night. They will get used to it. Ensure everybody is dressed appropriately for winter indoors. Jumpers etc.

Original poster

twoandcooplease · 14/12/2022 12:33

tabulahrasa · 14/12/2022 12:23

Is it reaching 20? Mine isn’t just now, too cold outside. If it’s not reaching 20 it’ll make no difference turning it up.

You're right actually I've noticed it's not reaching 20 so I thought turning it up would make it ... we're only getting 19.5 max at warmest times of the day

I manually turn it lower for the bed time heat as 20 is too hot in the night. I let it go to 19 but wondered after running out of gas a lot recently and numerous top ups if we were getting the most of the money put in and if turning it up wouldn't change the price. There is definitely a window installation problem and we need some carpets and better curtains and blinds too

OP posts:

Yabado · 14/12/2022 13:08

I have my thermostat set at 19 -20
it cost 5.50 a day at the moment for heating and hot water

Im prepay so I know it’s accurate

The house is a large 2 bed -2bath 3 adults and someone always at home .

I have a heated throw that I use sometimes at night as I do feel the cold more and I have always slept with a hot water bottle 😂 and I will wear socks when walking around the house or slippers but the house is pretty warm .

house is around 20 years old quite well insulated
wood flooring throughout
shutters and black out blinds on all windows including the bathroom window

Patio doors need to be replaced as they aren’t that good so I have blinds and curtains on them to help keep the heat in

still feels like I’m being ripped off

mrsm43s · 14/12/2022 13:12

If I'm understanding this correctly, you're heating the (poorly insulated) house to at least 17 degrees day and night? Plus also boosting it up to 19/20 for a few hours each day?

Of course that will be expensive, you're using lots of heating!

For contrast our heating is OFF (well we have a frost setting which kicks in at 5 degrees) throughout the day and night, except for an hour in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening where we heat it to 18 degrees. During the main part of the day, if we're in and it gets chilly (I generally notice if it drops below about 15), then I put on an extra layer. We're always dressed appropriately for the season - so in this weather that means vest/top/thick jumper with warm trousers, think socks and full slippers - oodies go on if we need that extra layer. House is usually still fairly warm when we go to bed, but we have electric blankets if needed.

CoffeandTiaMaria · 14/12/2022 13:25

Ours is set at auto for 19° during the day for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening and auto at night when it’s set at 12° (but hasn’t come on yet)
We have thermal lined curtains and blinds, wear layers of clothing and I light the wood burner several evenings a week.
We’re retired, in the house nearly all day and need to keep warm for health reasons.

NewBootsAndRanty · 14/12/2022 13:29

Mine's at a min of 18 night/21 day (health reasons) and costing about £8/day.

My bedroom was 14 when i turned the rads down in there the other day; it took hours to get back up to 18, and cost about £2 more than usual for the day.

FusionChefGeoff · 14/12/2022 13:30

Definitely turn it off overnight - that's bonkers to pay to heat a house when everyone is asleep under a duvet!

Talipesmum · 14/12/2022 13:34

You need to monitor what temperature your house actually is. If, during the time the heating is on (trying to reach 20) it doesn’t quite get there, then to make it warmer you need it on for longer at 20. That’ll give it a chance to get to the right temp. Turning it up to 21.5 wont heat it up more quickly - the heating is either on or off, and will switch itself off when it reaches the set thermostat temp. If it’s not reaching 20 in that time, it wont reach 21.5.

You’d save money to turn it down more overnight if it’s set at 17 then - blankets and duvets. And is everyone in all the time? When could it be lower during the day? Your heating may well be working quite hard to keep the house at 17, cos it’s sooo cold outside right now.

Are the radiators working well? Getting hot all the way to the top? Worth checking that too.

Otherwise, yes you’re right, the heating is on, but it’s so cold out that people just sitting around in the house are likely to feel cold. Got to balance with the right clothes etc.

HereComeTheGrannies · 14/12/2022 13:36

FusionChefGeoff · 14/12/2022 13:30

Definitely turn it off overnight - that's bonkers to pay to heat a house when everyone is asleep under a duvet!

But if you look at other threads you’ll see screaming hysterics of “anything below 18 and you’re compromising your health, risking respiratory illness” yada yada yada.

NewBootsAndRanty · 14/12/2022 13:42

Yeah, I find the World Health Organisation are a bunch of hysterical fearmongers with their namby pamby recommendations. You'd think they had scientific proof or something.

Nolongera · 14/12/2022 13:49

I have to admit I was unaware that heating your house at night when you are in bed was even a thing, we have never done it.

No wonder some peoples bills are high.

MeJane · 14/12/2022 14:26

I manually turn it lower for the bed time heat as 20 is too hot in the night.
Ours goes off at ten and it drops to about 15 degrees during the night but it's never crossed my mind to keep the heating on all night.

They are saying they're still cold. I'm saying the heating is on.
I think most people are finding that their houses are cold at the moment.

AriettyHomily · 14/12/2022 14:33

We have never had heading on overnight. It goes off at 11 and on at 6. Don't have a thermostat we just turn it up and down manually depending on how cold it feels.

horseymum · 14/12/2022 14:39

Ours is on for a couple of hours morning and four hours afternoon/ evening. ( 18, that's fine for us, we like cosy jumpers and slippers) Rest of day is set to a minimum 14 just now so does kick back on as it's -7 outside. Nighttime set to minimum 12 so wouldn't normally come on at all but sometimes does just now. Unless you have health issues, 18 overnight seems ridiculous but each to their own.

FawnFrenchieMum · 14/12/2022 14:44

Ours is currently set at 12 over night, it has come on once or twice over last few days, and the at 16 for a couple of hours in the morning and evening. Last year we had it set at 14 overnight and 17 morning & evening but trying to keep costs down now.
We are all using blackets and oodies more before turning to the heating.
Last few days have been unusually cold though so not something to base it on.

NoMoneyForFancyStuff · 14/12/2022 14:52

It's not bonkers to leave heating on at night. I got a 13 tog duvet and I wake up cold if the room temperature drops too low. I have it at 16C during the night and 20C during the day. But my house must be more insulated because it reaches 20C according to my thermostat, and I can see when the boiler is on or off. It's not always on to keep it at 20C.

What it cost you to heat depends on how insulated your house is, sadly.

tabulahrasa · 14/12/2022 15:12

“You're right actually I've noticed it's not reaching 20 so I thought turning it up would make it ... we're only getting 19.5 max at warmest times of the day”

Yeah, sadly, that’s not how it works - it’s on until it reaches the temperature it’s set to, there’s no extra on-ness. Setting it higher just means I’d it ever reaches 20 then it’ll not switch off, but there’s no way of making it give off more heat.

“What it cost you to heat depends on how insulated your house is, sadly.”

I mean, yes, but also... the actual temperature makes a difference too, it’s been below freezing during the day all week and hitting -7 during the night here, last week mine was hitting 20 fine, this week it’s toiling. My house isn’t well insulated, it’s old and big, but even with good insulation really cold weather does make it colder.

Cactuses3580 · 14/12/2022 15:12

your heating should always reach the temp set, mine can reach 25. if you can't reach 20c in this cold weather you have a problem with your heating somewhere

The cheapest way is to set one temp all day turing it up and down from 20 to 17 isnt as efficient as leaving it at say 18c all day

BMW6 · 14/12/2022 16:44

My CH system is Worcester boiler, fairly new and serviced in September. Mine was running all the time trying to get to 19 and failing during the really cold spell. I turned it down to 18, which it can reach.

It must be the extreme cold, because we've had it to 21 before.

SmallPrawnEnergy · 14/12/2022 17:01

if you can't reach 20c in this cold weather you have a problem with your heating somewhere
I doubt we have a heating problem when all the rads are blazing hot. We just have a shitty house 🤷🏻‍♀️ Hasn’t gotten over 15 in here today and heating has been on since 730am .. dreading the next bill.

steppemum · 14/12/2022 18:22

if your heating is not coming up to temp, then it may be your heating, but it might also be poor insulation, drafty house etc.

I grew up in a house with no heating. You really don't need heating on overnight.
Bed was always warm even when we had ice on inside of the windows. We have lost the art of how to keep warm!
It is VERY expensive to keep your heating on at 17 overnight. If you have the money fine, but if you don't you don't need it, and it is the most comfortable way to reduce heat, because you can be warm in bed with heating off, and then use your money to heat the house during the day. A heated house doesn't lose all its heat overnight anyway.

We slept in beds with duvets and then a large blanket over the top tucked in all round so there were no drafts. You can do the same with a sheet over the top. We wore warm pjs, long legged and long sleeved and usually fleecy and sometimes bedsocks. We warmed the bed with a hot water bottle before bed, and it stayed warm for about half the night.
Small kids slept in fleecy onsies.

You do need to think differently about clothing and food in order to stay warm in cold weather.

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