Not putting the heating on – how’s it going…?

I’ve no tank. I didn’t have space for a tank when I fitted my combi years ago.

Couple of extensions since and I’m forcing one in.

The PV charges my battery.

I can set it up to heat a water tank but I am running out of front roof space. Solar thermal is considerably more efficient at converting sun into hot water 80-90% Vs 15-20% for PV. But PV more versatile for most part and has proven that I have the sun coverage 9-10 months of the year to make it viable.

Put my heating temperature up about an hour ag, it was set on 16 degrees, it’s now on 18, it was just too cold to sit around even with warmer clothes on, my hands are really feeling the chill.

@trail_rat so you have PV that heats water on demand for a shower? Assuming a leccy shower then. That’s good going to get it working like that. Be interested to see a solar thermal system up and running doing a similar thing. FYI an invented tank doesn’t need a pump. Runs off main pressure. I experienced a thermal system on a campsite that had a very small panel and still heated a tank enough for half a dozen people to have a comfortable shower at tea time.

Relented and have switched the heat on at the wireless controllers. Gave it a boost on Friday morning as has someone coming round for a meeting. I don’t mind sitting down at the desk with a coat on but bit rough to expect someone else to do that too.

Then this morning lots of condensation inside the bedroom and in laws coming to stay meant it’s gone on.

Have to admit it is nice having the heating on.

We’ve flicked the electric convection fire on for a bit today at the static caravan. Not resorted to firing up the gas CH though – bloody gas bottles are £88 per 47kg bottle £60 a year ago) – our van has 4. Fortunately, we use maybe two bottles a year. The oil filled radiator is on low in the hallway as it keeps the chill off the bedrooms.

Back home to work in the morning !!!

Still nice and mild here in Cardiff. Tshirt weather out and about.

We’re saving loads*. Seeing as we’re in Spain, wife wants the air con on tonight.

*can’t remember how much this place is for the month we’re here though, probably 10X more than we’re ‘saving’.

We have a one year old, so the heating has come on. Set to 19C, on for three hours a day around the time we eat, just to take the edge off for the la’ll ‘un. I have also set the boiler to heat the heating water to 60C, down from the 75C it was set at. Not sure if it is saving money, but the boiler is firing less and the house is warming just the same. We are about to replace all our radiators with new larger, to make better use of the lower heating temperature. Wood burner has been going on too, it has been warming the house too much mind, so rationing that even though I have a free wood supply.

We’ve just caved and put it on an hour a day. Last week we had put it on a couple of times as it was 15* in lounge and just a bit too cold

Still not on yet – it has been down to 16.5 in the sitting room – luckily MrsF has been crocheting blankets for years which are great snuggling under

Still in shorts here in Cambs and no heating yet. It’s gone quite mild again.

Why do people think little kids need extra warm houses? I see lots of people worrying that their kids will be cold when the kids are not acually cold. We did this too at first.

Why do people think little kids need extra warm houses?

100% they are usually in t shirts from running around. Even our toddler (who last year was a proper baby) was not bothered by a house at 15-18 Deg c. Just had an extra body grow thing on.

Ok so my last post was inelegant, but your kids are probably much tougher and less bothered than you think.

My nephew likes to strip to his underwear and run about in the rain, whatever time of year. His mum was horrified at first but he’s fine.

My nephew likes to strip to his underwear and run about in the rain, whatever time of year. His mum was horrified at first but he’s fine.

His university house mates are getting used to it now as well….

Still in shorts here in Cambs and no heating yet. It’s gone quite mild again.

Compared to here where my shed lock had ice on following the dawn drizzle…

Yip, 5 degrees at 8am here so the heating got a boost for an hour. That will be in for the rest of the day as the heat keeps in the house well. Still trying to sort the account with EON which is frustrating.

first solid frost on the car this morning

was 2 degrees outside at 7am.

When I say comes on, it heats up for half an hour in the morning, then nothing for the rest of the day as the solar gain in the living room and the insulation keeps the house pretty much at temperature. Re the baby and heat thing, I guess it’s conditioning, I’ll maybe undertake an experiment. I’m still in shorts and, at best, a hoody. I’ve gone 2 years without wearing trousers consistently, but we had a very mild winter last year. We’re just south of the Lakes, so it’s usually grey and wet.

I guess it’s conditioning

A lot of it is, with adults as well as kids. Kids have lots of brown fat tissue, which generates heat. That’s how come they can play in the sea far longer than grown ups can. You lose this as you grow up but you can prompt your body to create more by making yourself cold more.

And a lot is perception. I keep thinking “oh it’s a little chilly, I should put the heating on” but this is because my feet might be a bit chilly whilst my core is fine. So I put thick socks on. You only need worry when your core is cold. I am tempted to put heating on because I can simply press a button and get a warm house. But I have to remind myself of the downsides of that.

You lose this as you grow up but you can prompt your body to create more by making yourself cold more.

wife swims in the sea and lochs year round for extended periods.

Can still detect the house dropping below 18 degrees instantly.

Dwtecting it is one thing, solving it by putting on the heating is something else 🙂

well if you wanted to be a complete and utter **** about it ….

Man installs fake thermostat to let family think they’re putting the heating on

But to her credit shes usually under the blanket before the heating goes on …. shes just runs cold.

As a result i end up in shorts and tshirt most of the time.

Why do people think little kids need extra warm houses?

Eee, when I were a lad………..
I grew up in a council house up in Durham. Coal fire but no central heating & we’d often wake up to frost on the inside of the single glazing.

Thermostat showing 17.5° in the home office, heating comes on at 17.

Feet are toasty warm in the new hut slippers, legs requiring a blanket. Might go and make a cup of tea in a minute…

But to her credit shes usually under the blanket before the heating goes on …. shes just runs cold.

Ok, fair play, as long as she makes an effort.

As an aside, I’ve been feeling much warmer since I got back on Zwift.

21.8 in my room according to my Garmin, heating not been on. That’s all residual heat from us having slept in here. Quite impressive.

we’d often wake up to frost on the inside of the single glazing.

Yup I remember that too – no CH until I was about 10 years old IIRC and single-glazed draughty windows.

And we haven’t put our heating on yet either – I haven’t really felt cold enough to actually WANT it on.

A bad winter round 1981 was -15C in Glasgow. I returned to my flat after a couple of days away to find the water off as the lead rising main was frozen and a layer of ice in the toilet bowl

No CH in that flat.

Not on yet here in HD6.  Bit of a chill last night but still reasonably mild really.  It’s ~18 degrees in my home office (dining room), sp perfectly pleasant at the moment.  I have got a woolly hat on though, but that’s because I’m a baldy who likes a warm head 🙂

I have also set the boiler to heat the heating water to 60C, down from the 75C it was set at.

Blimey!!!
The thermostats on my immersions max out at 60c and that needs mixing down to make it useable!

I’ve not had to light the stove for 10 days or so but it’s looking like it could be on tonight and then that’s it, it’ll be lit every day for the next 6 months.

I’ve started turning the shower off while I lather up to save hot water, that’s easy currently but as it gets chillier that could prove more challenging. I’ll see how I get on.

Why do people think little kids need extra warm houses?

Eee, when I were a lad………..
I grew up in a council house up in Durham. Coal fire but no central heating & we’d often wake up to frost on the inside of the single glazing.

I worked in a Scandinavian nursery who sleep the kids outdoors, including in sub zero, and the measure of ‘too much’ snow was if the kids are shorter than the snow is tall…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21537988

Agree a lot is conditioning – if you live in CH house, work in CH office or school, sit in heated car etc, then your body does loose it’s ability to physically respond, and your brain certainly finds it a shock.

We cracked this weekend and put the central heating on. What did it for me was the curtains. The dampness in the house meant that the curtains wouldn’t slide on the rail!

Those of you not putting the heating on:

A) How much are you actually saving?
B) Is it worth it?

I have also set the boiler to heat the heating water to 60C, down from the 75C it was set at.

Blimey!!!
The thermostats on my immersions max out at 60c and that needs mixing down to make it useable!

Not just me who was surprised at that then? 😀

My hot water is set at around 40ish, and the plumber told me not to increase it for fear of scalding an unwary hand-washer. (Just googling reveals that over 48degrees is considered unsafe.)

I read it as “heating water” as in the water in the radiators; a lot of people have recommended lowering the temperature of this recently as it can be quite a bit more efficient.

85 degree domestic hot water would indeed be crackers.

Still in shorts here in Cambs and no heating yet. It’s gone quite mild again.

Yes, very mild down here, I just reseeded the lawn yesterday afternoon!

My hot water is set at around 40ish, and the plumber told me not to increase it for fear of scalding an unwary hand-washer. (Just googling reveals that over 48degrees is considered unsafe.)
Posted 19 minutes ago

Ours is set at 70+ as we have a very small HW tank and won’t have enough HW for showers, esp in winter when the CW temp is low.

I solved the scalding problem by fixing mixer units under the sinks, so the HW feeds is thermostatically controlled mix of HW and CW.

I read it as “heating water” as in the water in the radiators; a lot of people have recommended lowering the temperature of this recently as it can be quite a bit more efficient.

Of course. That would make more sense.

Those of you not putting the heating on:

A) How much are you actually saving?
B) Is it worth it?

A) Whatever running my heating for 45mins-1hr costs x however many days I haven’t had it on
B) *ANY* money saved when you don’t have much is worth it. As I’ve said further up the thread, it hasn’t been remotely cold enough for me to even think about putting the heating on and isn’t likely to be for a fair while yet. I try and limit my heating use to the 3 coldest months of the year and then for a max of 1 hour per day.