How cold do you let your house get before turning on the heating?

[naturelover]

And how many hours a day do you have your heating on at the moment?

I'm just curious to know if I'm particularly stingy! Ours is on 1hr at morning and 2hr in the evening at the moment. The thermometer currently says 15 degrees downstairs. DD and I are wearing 3 layers and thick socks - that's ok, right?

Ours is set to about 17. We have the heating set to come on for 1 hour in the morning and 1.5 hours in the early evening. Yesterday evening was the first time it came on - ie it got cold enough - but it has been coming on every morning for a while.

TBH I am of the opinion that most thermostats are inaccurate.

Oh forgot to add we live in a detached house built in 99.

Have to have mine on daytimes as I childmind and can't have the wee oneys getting cold, costing a fortune though and only get a % back to claim tax on.

Bozza, I agree with you about thermostats being inaccurate. Ours is in the warmest room of the house and has to be set to 21, but in reality upstairs is only 19/20.

We don't have ours on yet. Trying to save money, plus we're sad greenies. We have two duvets and always wearing woolly jumpers. We have thick curtains and blinds too, trying to keep heat in (can't afford full double glazing). The thermometer in my baby's room currently reads 18.4; it never dips below 17.

When I go round other people's houses I am always surprised by how warm they are (especially childminders TheOtherMary!).

Also, we live in a flat so I think we are benefitting from everyone else's heating.

We don't have ours on yet. Our rule of thumb is not before November unless it is really Arctic!

25 deg - I would swelter!

When we do put the heating on, we usually have 1 or 1 1/2 hours in the morning and another 1 or 2 in the evening. Despite two of us being at home most of the time!

That thing about it being cheaper leaving the heating on all day isn't true unless you have the heating on lots at different times during the time - if you only put it on in the morning for a bit and in the evening for a bit it is cheaper to turn it on and off. I have checked this by using meter readings!

We are in the south west and haven't turned it on at all yet - although I do put the boost on for an hour if it is really chilly - 4 times so far since the summer... We are in a victorian mid-terrace with 2 flat tenement roofs so not by virtue of brilliant insulation properties, more by virtue of wearing warm clothes!

We are not considering it until 1 November (when we have people coming to stay ), but my rule of thumb is that I light a fire if the kitchen thermostat goes down to 16, or if it stays at 17 for the whole day. Now it seems to be 17 first thing, but heat up to 18 fairly quickly.

We have ours on for an hour in the morning at 16 degrees to take the chill off for getting up and dresses, then 3 hrs at 17 in the evening. It is off in the daytime though I am at home most of the time - we would be bankrupt trying to heat this old place.

Ours hasn't gone on yet - the gas fire in the lounge has been on once or twice, but bedroom windows still slightly ajar. We are in a 1930's semi-detached with lined curtains all round and a new front door which is much last draughty than the original!

That might change when this baby arrives though - tried the baby monitor the other day which has a thermometer and it had the temp as 16c which is apparently the lower end of ok - and that was in the early evening. Don't like the idea of having the heating on overnight though.

Mildwest - ds's old room used to go down to 15degrees at night and was really chilly. We bought an oil radiator from B & Q with thermostat and timer for his room at night so it stayed nice and warm - he used to wake up if too cold. It meant we didn't have to heat the rest of the house - I don't think they are expensive to run either.

Thanks for your replies, everyone. I see I am not alone in being frugal with the heating.

I grew up in a very cold draughty house and hate the cold, but now that I'm paying the bills, guess what, I put up with it a lot more than I used to!

Mind you, at my parents' place last Christmas it was 11 degrees in our bedroom and that was deeply unpleasant. No wonder our poor baby kept waking in the night.

Since drying nappies and laundry has become my obsession, I am considering one of these: airer Has anyone used one? Do they cost a fortune to run? My logic is that I would put the heating on less if I could be sure to get the laundry dry (and not have all the radiators covered in nappies)

We just put ours on last night...getting cold at night, but not so bad in the day...but with storage heaters i have no choice as heat keeps coming out constantly!

Our house is old and single glazing..we've just been adding layers and socks..but last night was just too cold (especially after coming in at 5 soaking wet from footie match)

brrrrrr

Am at all you frugal types.

Our heating is regulated by the thermostat all day - I set it to 20 in the evening.

It's a 1960's semi on the very top of a windy hill oop north. It always seems cold, especially in the North facing living room. Despite cavity wall and loft insulation, double glazing and new radiators...

Our thermostat is at 18 and we heat up to that 1hr in the morning and 3 hrs in the evening.

Don't turn it on in the day unless we have visitors and only if they are not toddlers who run around all the time like my dd.

If its cold we bake (the extra blubber will help) or go outside for a bit then it is warmer when we get in.

When we used to complain that it was cold in the house growing up, my mum would always have a 'warm' job up her sleeve which normally involved coal scuttles, rakes or ironing.

Ps memory foam mattresses are v warm

naturelover, on your airer question: it uses 300W, so for us that'd be about 4p/hour. So if you left it on overnight it'd cost about 40p or so. TBH that's not that different from what most people say an hour in the tumble drier costs, so I'm not convinced by the saving.
We have a dehumidifier (100 W), and I use that on winter days when the nappies really won't dry, or if I've washed towels. Thin things dry really fast with it on - sheets, tea towels, pants will be done in about 3 hours (4p cost), but the nappies and towels take MUCH longer.
We have the dehumidifier in the utility room, where we also have the (super insulated so not very warm at all) boiler, with everything strung on a ceiling airer. Not super-eco, but practical, and a LOT cheaper than that airer (cost less to buy too - try Argos)

I leave mine set at 18 and leave it on all the time, it runs on a thermostat, surley this is better than trying to heat a house from cold twice a day, once the house has got to the right temp, it only clicks on now and again, same with hot water, I leave it on, it just heats what has been used, not heat the whole bloody tank from cold every time it gets switched on, anyway this works okay for me

Haven't put the central heating on yet. It hasn't been that cold.
Last year it was on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

I have used my halogen heater a couple of times in the morning more for the kids than me and may buy another one and put it between the kids rooms. They are cheap to use and very warming. Might avoid putting the heating on altogether. Can't afford it anyway!

I am a freezing soul who is also broke and am refusing to put the heating on whilst the children are still happy to run around in underwear or just jim jams without a dressing gown.I am typing this wearing 3 layers and a scarf but it is amazing how quickly you can adapt. Ex DH came in tonight and said how freezing it was and I felt rather smug in a aren't we hardy type way! Am interested re the it's cheaper to keep it on low all the time theory. Am not sure I could cope with it on at night and even with the radiators off upstairs the children would boil.

We have the heating on for an hour in the morning (to 18-19c), then about 1-2 hrs in the evening, depending on what we're doing. In the daytime at this time of year, the north side of the house (where the lounge is) is usually quite chilly, so we sit on the southside (the dining room/playroom & kitchen), which gets any sun. In the evening we often light a log fire in the lounge, and that brings the temperature up in the house to about 18-19c without any central heating.

At night, no heating, our bedroom is usually artic (DH likes it cold - I wear PJs and have another blanket!) and the DC's room are about 17-18c (above the kitchen).

I think we are probably a bit profligate with the heating - I know I should put on another layer etc., but I'm still breastfeeding the youngest, so sitting around with your norks out in the cold is no fun. Next year I will economise!!

I'll agree that thermostats are unreliable. We have a thermostat plus radiator thermostats. At the moment heating comes on for an hour in the morning and 1.5 hrs in the evening. The thermostat is set to 21 degrees because the actual temperature in the living room is usually 3-4 degrees cooler than the thermostat says.

We turn the radiators in the bedrooms down to 1-2 so they only come on at about 17 degrees and the third floor bedrooms doesn't have a radiator just rising heat from the landing radiator plus a plug in wlal heater that goes on if its very chilly.

We live in a huge 5 bed victorian house, new roof, double glazed windows, new insulation and its still draughty as anything and freezing cold most of the time.
I refuse to turn heating on until everyone has put a jumper and socks on and I go for hotties and duvets under sheets at night.

Turned the heating on 2 weeks ago,have it on lowest setting for an hour in morning then four hours in evening but only have four of our 8 radiators switched on. we in a three bed victorian mid terrace all single glazing sash windows and tend to start the evening heat about 7pm till midnight as DH and DS get cold whilst watching tv. am also v careful with watching bills and suppliers waiting to see what change will be for next bill

Have not had the heating on at all. Am in a short sleeved top at the moment.

Probably the only plus sign of being a meno monster!!!

(Wonders why dh and dd have got 3 jumpers on)!!!!!