Turning on the heat

A temperature of 15° is not good for anyone with heart or lung issues. I have both and would never dream of having a temperature of 15° in my home. Ours is usually about 20°.

We've 2 wood fires burning, one at each end of our home.

Mt61

MissInterpreted

To me, if someone asked if we had had the heating on yet, I'd assume they meant central heating. We use our wood burning stove because it's a free source of heat and we only put the central heating on if absolutely necessary. We couldn't afford to have it on all the time like some people seem to do. Our house probably is very cold by most people's standards, but that's just how it is for us.

Thought I had seen somewhere that this government is trying to ban wood burning stoves, is that right?

Not in Scotland, no. We genuinely couldn't do without ours now. As I say, it's a free source of heat, otherwise I don't know how we'd manage.

Marydoll

A temperature of 15° is not good for anyone with heart or lung issues. I have both and would never dream of having a temperature of 15° in my home. Ours is usually about 20°.

That's all well and good if you can afford it. I'm not sure our house temperature ever gets much above 15 degrees.

I think one of the keys is to get dressed and get out in the mornings ( health permitting) And move a bit.
Miserable fail from me these past few days.
Must try harder.

Our heating comes on automatically if the temp drops below 20 degrees c. I can’t abide being cold, and we have made sure we have money aside for the inevitable heating bill. It’s also dangerous to your health to sit for too long in cold conditions, plus your house will become damp which could lead to all sorts of extra expense trying to put right damage caused by damp and mould (not to mention the harm to your health).
It’s a huge concern (or should be) that there are people who cannot afford to stay warm in their homes, this should never be the case in the 21st century, but sadly, it is.

MissInterpreted

Marydoll

A temperature of 15° is not good for anyone with heart or lung issues. I have both and would never dream of having a temperature of 15° in my home. Ours is usually about 20°.

That's all well and good if you can afford it. I'm not sure our house temperature ever gets much above 15 degrees.

There was no offence intended.
I am stating what I have been advised. I am well aware that not everyone can afford to have their heating at the recommended temperature.
However, at that ambient temperature, my chest hurts and it is detrimental to my health.

We are very canny with our bills, have insulated our home, take measures to keep our house at a reasonable temperature downstairs, whereas upstairs is much cooler. We don't go foreign holidays, due to my poor health and are happy to put any money saved towards our heating bill.

We have built up a biggish credit balance too Georgesgran. Not on purpose - it just occurred.

What a range of replies, but all our homes are different. I’ve got £400 excess in my account with Octopus but won’t get the Winter Fuel Allowance this year. The state pension has gone up a lot (Tories after the old age vote) ad gas prices have fallen from last year’s, so a better prospect than recent years.
With the heating on it’s lovely to be able to dry wet coat, gloves and dog harness after a walk.
It’s colder than usual here for late September, let’s hope for an Indian summer in October then the heating can go off again.

MissInterpreted

Marydoll

A temperature of 15° is not good for anyone with heart or lung issues. I have both and would never dream of having a temperature of 15° in my home. Ours is usually about 20°.

That's all well and good if you can afford it. I'm not sure our house temperature ever gets much above 15 degrees.

I would eat a bit less food, and cheaper food. I would go out less. I would not have a pet.
I would do any number of things personally, before compromising my health by being too cold.
But that is just me. Others have different priorities. Up to them.

My central heating clicked on this morning, it’s set at 20
I lit the woodburner about 5pm. Four logs, back of the house snug. It’s dying off now but will stay warm. I’ve no washing to dry tonight but if I had it would be dry in the morning despite the fire dying

I'd go without any heating whatsoever rather than give up my dog - he's as much a member of the family as any other!

No central heating here, just a pellet burner in the living room and a heater in the bathroom. Fortunately neither of us feel the cold too much and I'm much more uncomfortable when it's hot.
So far we haven't lit the pellet burner.

MissInterpreted / dogs keep you warm as well x

What heater do you have in your bathroom sodapop ? I don’t mean to sound patronising , but I hope it’s not a free-standing one.

Thank you Welbeck, I appreciate your reply.

petra

Our heating is never turned off
It is set at 21 so even if the temperature drops below that in July it would come on.

We are the same. The heating is on all the time, but the thermostat is set at 18.5 and comes on for 3.5 hours in the morning and 6 hours in the evening.

Occ asionally in very cold weather it needs a boost during the day, but very rarely.

watermeadow I hope you will heed all the health warnings from others on this thread

Helpful advice here www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/programmes/safe-and-warm/

Georgesgran, thank you. I’m off to Amazon to take a look.

I have a friend who lives with her DH in a house worth £1million + because of the land and the position and they do not turn their heating on until much later in the yrar...and seem so proud of it. But it is the coldest house I have ever been in. Last time I kept my coat on all afternoon. Another friend went for supper and had to have a hot bath when she got home to warm up.
The friend suffers from asthma, osteoporosis and heart problems so living in such a cold house cannot be doing her any good. It really is crazy. And those saying we grew up in cold houses. Yes we did, but we were youngsters as were our parents. Not in our 70s and 80s with not such good health.

When we grew up in cold houses life expectancy was much lower, only 71 in 1960. It is now 82. I am sure almost universal central heating and much warmer houses has played a major part in that increase, along with medical advances.

I can remember a time when there was an enormous seasonal variation in death rates, but the number of older people dying from respiratory diseases, has plummetted since around 1980, and respiratory diseases are the ones most caused and exacerbated by underheated houses.

We put the heating on as necessary. Try to hang on until 1st October but we have used it over this weekend. We do wrap up in fleece blankets and use hot water bottles if sitting about in the day but try to keep active and on the move.

Whatever I feel about temperature I am mindful of others in my house. This afternoon, I will be caring for a one year old grandchild. Tomorrow I am entertaining a friend who is unwell.
My heating will be on for them for the first time today and on Tuesday. Wednesday, tbc.

HelterSkelter1

I have a friend who lives with her DH in a house worth £1million + because of the land and the position and they do not turn their heating on until much later in the yrar...and seem so proud of it. But it is the coldest house I have ever been in. Last time I kept my coat on all afternoon. Another friend went for supper and had to have a hot bath when she got home to warm up.
The friend suffers from asthma, osteoporosis and heart problems so living in such a cold house cannot be doing her any good. It really is crazy. And those saying we grew up in cold houses. Yes we did, but we were youngsters as were our parents. Not in our 70s and 80s with not such good health.

Yes we did, but we were youngsters as were our parents. Not in our 70s and 80s with not such good health.

Not all youngsters were hale and healthy though were they?

I remember staying with my aunt in a cold house - the only warmth was around the coal fire in the sitting room. My two male cousins were thin and weedy with, it seemed, permanent chest infections - they coughed and sneezed throughout the winter months. Hardly surprising - when we went up to bed we had to cover them with coats to keep warm.

I'm not a fan of the nostalgia surrounding the ice-on-the-inside-of-the-windows-but-we-just-got-on-with-it mentality.

Pensioners can put on as many layers as they like and then cover themselves in a blanket on the sofa - but they will still be breathing in cold air, and if they are frail, immobile, or have asthma, cardiovascular or respiratory diseases - or diabetes - it is dangerous.

The WFA is not a princely sum, but removing it from those who are only just above the PC cut-off point will make a bad situation even worse. The energy price cap will rise again next month, and then again in January. And what about families with young children also suffering from various medical conditions?

I don't know how it was done, but France mitigated the huge energy price hike to consumers. Obviously, they will pay in the long run anyway, but maybe in increments that they can afford without freezing to death in the process? When our energy costs in the UK surged by, I think, 51% - France capped it at 4%. We should have done something similar. It's scandalous.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not getting all nostalgic about growing up with ice on the inside of the windows at all, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But for those of us who live in old, hard to heat houses, it's often simply not possible or practical to keep them at that kind of temperature. There were days last winter when I was genuinely so cold, even with layers and gloves on, that I could have cried, but I had to 'get on with it' because there wasn't really any alternative.

Just come out of hospital again and still not feeling too good. Oh how I wish I had a husband to share the heating expenses.