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

I don’t turn my heating on. I have this technogical marvel called a programmable thermostat that works it all out for me 😋

That being said, the heating has popped on for a couple of mornings now, only for half an hour. Hasn’t come on in the day or evening yet, but it is sunny and the wind is low. Will be different when it’s grey and windy.

tall and thin end terrace on sunny manchester, its colder inside that it is outside ffs.
been holding off but it was on at the weekend to test everything.
we are absolutely on the limit now, so i expect to be burning money for the next 6 months 🙁

Hang in there Ed, these are tough times but you’ll get through it

2nd for speaking to your mortgage Co.

They despite what people think don’t want to kick folk out.

Off to pit it on…

Was doing ok heating wise but got home this evening to it had come on for an hour.
Thermostat at 17 left at that all year so it must have been a bit cold for it to kick in.

I think I will be lighting the fire this evening for the first time and heating will be on from now, just need to figure out a more austere heating programme 🙂

20 yr old 5 bed detached house in a windy high part of west central Scotland. Ours is on a Hive and I’m working from home 3/4 of the time. It’s been kicking in mornings and evenings for the past few weeks and on most of the day so far this week. It’s set at around 21 during the day and 22.5 evenings.

Energy bill projections looking quite scary, wife and teenage sons seem to feel the cold, though boys rarely wear other than shorts and T-shirts in the house 🙄

Nope. I feel the cold but love the cold weather as well.Shir, fleece and quilted gilet for me at the moment. Came in warm from the ride home.

It’s set at around 21 during the day and 22.5 evenings.

Crikey, ours would be on in the middle of summer where we are.

Temps have barely been above single figures here most days for a while now. House isn’t much warmer. Put the heating for about 15 minutes the other day just to take the edge off, but I’m determined to hold out until next month at least.

I’ve moved out of shorts and t-shirts in favour of joggers and jumpers – not quite got to the fingerless gloves and woolly hat stage… I’ve had the wood burner lit every evening this week mind. The heating came on automatically this morning for about 20 mins as the thermostat was still set to 19. I’ve rectified that now so it won’t come on again unless it’s in danger of freezing up! Shame the wood burner doesn’t heat the whole house – just makes the room it’s in the temperature of a furnace. Had the bedroom window closed the last couple of nights but still got the summer duvet on… I expect we’ll cave by the end of Oct at the latest….

Most I’ll wager are southern based and live in well-insulated houses.

Northerner here so heating doesn’t go on until it’s really cold.

@edward2000 This might seem heartless but please don’t take it personally, I’m just trying to be objective, I know nothing about your circumstances so I know fine I’m making a lot of assumptions here.

Point the first, how can you have been earning £100k+ between you but not now be able to pay the bills? I realise that implies one partner has quit to stay at home but even then worst case you are still earning £50k assuming the main earner wasn’t the one that quit. If you are worried it may be time to bite the bullet, find a good nursery and go back to work (bearing in mind there is a tax benefit to childcare vouchers even if they’re not as great as they once were). Ours was two when my wife decided to go back to work but there were plenty of younger kids and babies in the nursery.

If it’s the mortgage that’s the issue and you borrowed the max against your previous earnings then, well, that’s a tougher call. As said you need to speak to the lender but it may not be the worst idea to look at downsizing if possible.

We’ve caved last night and this morning. It was 12*c in the lounge/dining this morning when I came down.

Although we’re on a (cheap) 2 year fixed rate with Octopus, so I’m tempted to make the most of it…

Not putting mine on yet, and when I do it’ll only be set around 16 degrees for as long as I can get away with it. Perfectly happy putting on thicker fleeces, etc. My monthly standing order is going up £20 compared to the last year, so I’m not panicking yet.

Not likely to put the heating on anytime soon with the energy prices the way they are.

Mind you have just splashed out on some loft insulation and fitted today so hoping that’ll recoup it’s investment quickly.

Just getting the autumn duvet out the loft whilst up there today too.

Still wearing the shorts but have succumbed to putting a hodie on now.

Living down south so warm’ish i guess, but then I am a ‘shandy-drinking-soft-southerner’. 1930’s non cavity wall semi.

We as a rule dont have the heating too high, and tbh I dont think the house and heating would get it there. split zones upstairs and downstairs, plus the back of the house is underfloor running off the boiler.

Thermostats are set so normally they just kick in and we override if it gets a bit cold.

I have turned all the zones on each programme down by a degree and left the back of the house as is and we work in here if wfh. Door closed to the rest of the house. We are going to try not to overide at will.

downstairs front of house 17.5 then 18.5 until 5pm and then 19, upstairs the same until evening and then 19.5 (it just feels colder up there). We have a ribbon flame fire in the lounge (tiny lounge), but this has not been on this Autumn.

Lets see if we can keep off the overide, and how long for

Still off in Cardiff. A bit chilly in the mornings in the kitchen and in the evening watching telly. But in both situations it soon warms up.

Ours has to be on as we have 11 month old twins.

I know no-one wants parenting advice especially when you are at a low, but I don’t think this is the case. Whilst it’s true that newborn babies can’t regulate their temperature well, they soon gain this ability and I think at that age you can put them in warm clothes and they really should be fine.

Funny that all of the people not putting on heating have made that decision using the first person singular, whereas those with heating on use “we”. Are you people with the heating off all single, or just old fashioned about who had control of the thermostat?

Heating on here though. Southern family just moved to the highlands. Feels effing cold even when it is warm outside. Two of us wfh most of the time as well 🫤 Tado is doing its best to only heat up the rooms we’re in.

Good advice to talk to mortgage and energy companies for @edward2000.

I closed the windows last week and have lit the wood burner 3 times in the last week. Once for drunkenness and twice to keep heating off. Usually we can get to Nov before turning on heating (East Coast Scotland) Wood burner is small but heats living room well. Kitchen gets hot after cooking tea and bedroom has electric blanket. Going to be getting warmer duvet, jumpers are down from the loft and sandals have been swapped for slippers. I’d love to get to December before turning on the heating. Don’t think that’ll work now in a semi cottage with concrete floors. Used to be great in a clad tenement with 2 floors of pensioners below us!

Northerner here so heating doesn’t go on until it’s really cold

don’t you live in England?

Heating went on today an autumn duvet will be this weekend. Still have the window open at night though.

No heating yet. Quite amazed as I keep asking my Wife if she wants it on, but she somehow seems fine.
Thermostat in the lounge showing 17.3deg which would normally not be tolerated.

We normally leave the thermostat on throughout the year, but when it was on the cusp of being too warm to need it, the Nest kept kicking in and over-doing it.
It really is crap. Tempted to chop it in for a better system.

To add to all the ‘I’m hardy’ comments.

On Sunday I put the 10tog duvet on.

The heating went on the past few days as we’re toilet training youngest and he’s running around half naked all day.

don’t you live in England?

Yes. Northern England.

So the the northern part of the southern half of the U.K. then. 😉

No, that would be Cowes.

Aye. Hes a southerner🙄🤣

Still in shorts in the balmy south east, although I do confess to sticking a blanket over my legs when working at my desk….

its currently 20C downstairs and 19.5C upstairs. Haven’t had the heating on yet. South East, modern, insulated house. Have shut most of the windows though

The simple thermostat here is still in ‘Holiday” setting, with a target temperature of 14C. Which means that so far, its not made a call to the boiler, even early in the morning when it’s read 17C a couple of times. And I’m hoping it’ll carry on like that for a couple of weeks at least. When that happens, I’ll probably set the warmest target temp to 18-19C for an hour or two early each evening.
Mrs Lawman is OK (so far…) putting on a cardigan when necessary, and having the flickering lights on the newish electric fire in the living room. That’s not actually been asked to throw out any heat yet either, although I suspect it’ll not be long. In the meantime, I’ve taken to wearing a body warmer most of the day.

Herself had run the heating for an hours boost yesterday with the windows open upstairs! Thankfully 2 of the open windows have sensors so no radiator heat in those rooms. Downstairs like an oven when I got home (I exaggerate somewhat).

Aye. Hes a southerner

But I live further north than parts of Scotland?

I boosted the house up for an hour to 20c today… just to test the boiler still worked.

Current indoor temp several hours later is 16.9c, relative humdity is 49%

I’m impressed that people are making an effort, whether in solidarity with Ukraine, concern for the environment budget considerations, or a combination of all three.

I’m reeling from two things:

– people have heating on during the day

– that they let a thermostat decide to put the heating on in September

Fire on tonight in THE north.

It was 8 degrees* on the house thermostat when I started but it’s still in frost mode.

*Had tradesmen in all day going in and out all day with the attic open so all the insulation was doing naff all as the wind whistles through the house like a chimney

But I do find it funny that people use calenders to measure the temperature.

It was 8 degrees* on the house thermostat when I started but it’s still in frost mode.

Above or below freezing?

But I do find it funny that people use calenders to measure the temperature.

To be fair, if it was November I’d have just stuck the heating on, but as it’s still September I refuse to give in.

8 degrees past August according to my calender

But I live further north than parts of Scotland?

They are southerners as well. Embra is where north starts and even thats the soft north🙄🤣

Ignore trailrat tho. Hes aberdonian. A breed all to themselves. Its the norfolk of Scotland

But I do find it funny that people use calenders to measure the temperature.

You talking about wor lass??
Right, that’s it, outside now! 😂😜

1980 detached 3 bed in North Somerset. It’s insulated with modern DG, 300mm loft and 85mm graphite polybead cavity insulation. I’d like to insulate the suspended timber floor, but thats a big job.

I’ve let the stat run our heating for years, but not this year.

I’ve dropped its threshold from 20 degrees to 18 degrees and reviewed the boiler flow temperature for the central heating and hot water.

I’ve been totally upfront with the kids and Mrs officer on our projected costs because I know the energy demand for our house and our new unit rate. I’ve asked them to put a jumper and long trousers on so that I can continue to pay their driving lessons.

It’s currently chilly in the house mornings and evenings, but warms up with a bit of activity, running the TV, cooker, etc…

Currently loafing in the living room and its 19.2°C. it was 18.1° when I got in at 18:15.

I’m going to keep the stat deactivated until I get some protestations from the family officer, which I suspect will be in the coming weeks…