Turning on the heat

Dickens

I don't believe anyone is actually criticising anyone else for being thrifty with their heating. I'm certainly not and am being careful about the temperature setting on the CH... and not wandering around in a T shirt as if I'm in the sub-tropics of California - like my two teenage grandsons...

I'm simply dismayed that in a comparatively wealthy country, so many people, both old and young, will have to economise with one of life's essentials - for some, to the detriment of their health.

Of course, we will all do what we have to do - but it shouldn't be like this.

we will all do what we have to do - but it shouldn't be like this

Indeed.

We're happily cosy with 2 large fireplaces - hold heat well.

That should everyone be cosy and content.

^Looking at octopus charts today, much of the daily cost is fixed standing charge, cannot do anything about that
^

I think fixed standing charges are a swindle. They may not be, but it feels like that to me.

I volunteer for a charity, I may have said before, half our electricity cost is the standing charge.

We dont use a broker for that specifically, but I have found that even brokers do not[or choose not to] work out accurate figures taking a standing charge into account. They seem to guess, and guess wrongly. They go more by daily rates, when a change in a standing charge can skew the end figure more than the change in daily rate.

The warmth that was held in walls, floors and flooring is rapidly disappearing, even in my insulated new build house. I think I have reached an uncomfortable temperature, which depends very much on the day, dull and rain seem to zap the temperature, the downside of patio doors and lots of windows

Looking at octopus charts today, much of the daily cost is fixed standing charge, cannot do anything about that

I use my electric blanket every night now and bedding has been changed to wool winter duvet with a welsh wool blanket on top, I am cosy all night but need to tweak the living room temperature. 19 is not enough for me now, it is true about feeling the cold as we age. Seeing the finger tips becoming white due to raynauds, it is a reality check

I am upping my downstairs thermostats by half a degree at a time from now, underfloor heating here so this will be for 24/7, it takes a very long time to change temperature

God help the poor and those who need to economise further, to try and get through the lack of winter fuel payment

Oh Dickens so with you on this! I have a father who wanders around his house looking like Steptoe bundled up in five layers because he refuses to light his Aga!

Mr PG insists that CH doesn’t go on until end of the month regardless …

Then there’s little me saying allow for the day, not the season…🤦‍♀️

I don't believe anyone is actually criticising anyone else for being thrifty with their heating. I'm certainly not and am being careful about the temperature setting on the CH... and not wandering around in a T shirt as if I'm in the sub-tropics of California - like my two teenage grandsons...

I'm simply dismayed that in a comparatively wealthy country, so many people, both old and young, will have to economise with one of life's essentials - for some, to the detriment of their health.

Of course, we will all do what we have to do - but it shouldn't be like this.

Oh no!
That's almost as if you have lost double the amount if you do that.

Well, I've decided not to have my heating on until I have replaced the money I stupidly lost to a workman. Good job I don't have visitors . I wonder how long I can stick to it.

Mines on, but have bad chest and feel the cold.

Allira

Norah

MissInterpreted

Marydoll

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

I appreciate that, but as I've said, it is what it is and I have no other option. Some people do sound extremely critical when they have no idea of other people's circumstances.

I understand. And I'm sad it is what it is.

When I ski I wear a nose/mouth covering. Balaclava neck nose gaiter (Amazon sells). Have you tried that?

Why would someone go round indoors in their own home dressed as if they're going out on the ski slopes? 🤔

To take warm air in their nose. I wear nose/neck gaiters on dog walks and whilst skiing. Why is that inappropriate if one can't afford heat?

I m like bluebird must be the blue in our names
If I m cold I wear more clothes and have a few lovely hoodie blankets as warm as warm ( Sherpa blankets etc) for when sitting around and my lovely hot water bottles
I have one gas fire which throws out a good heat but not in use yet
I keep the windows in the rooms I don’t use, slightly opened and the doors shut to stop them getting damp
I m pretty healthy for my age and don’t need anyone to feel sorry for me not having a hot house to live in, mine is quite adequate for me. I totally understand some of you with poor health have no choice and if I had unlimited money I d probably join you but we all have to live with what we ve got and make the best of it

What do you think to my hoodie ? It’s a snuggle for sure

I've no central heating in a well insulated double glazed 1950's bungalow. When it's cold I put on a layer: wool or light quilted jacket. Colder and I hug a hot water bottle if I'm sitting down.

Colder again and I put on an oil-free radiator in the room I'm in. Warms quickly and is cosy, no awful running costs.

In the depth of winter I light the wood burner and with the door ajar the heat circulates around the property. I only burn kiln dried wood, no smell or vile smoke [that's only when people burn rubbish and/or unseasoned, treated, varnished or painted wood].

I try not to dry clothes indoors anyway, it's asking for trouble especially when people don't open a window. I can dry washing in the garage with the door/s open on damp but blustery days. When it's brought inside I run the dehumidifier.

If there is a mist on the inside edges of the double glazing on freezing mornings I run a dehumidifier. No problem.

I'm perfectly happy with this [don't like the atmosphere in homes where central heating is on too high, feel like I'm drying up!]. I have never had heating in a bedroom, like it cool. And I definitely have no mould, no damp - anywhere - either.

I don't like being cold any more than anyone else but have no health issues at the moment and have always felt much more discomfort when too hot. I find heat in the summer far too much sometimes.

Those in old cold houses ie with a chimney, will naturally have good ventilation and may well never get full-on mould as there are no points of air stagnation

You don`t need to see mould to have `dampness`. Any air, laden with moisture, hitting a cold surface will give its moisture to that surface. Warm air holds much more moisture, hence likelihood of damp and mould is decreased when air and surfaces are warm and the air can circulate

Dew point is the temperature at which water will condense. That temperature may well be reached in a cold home, if the walls/windows are cold. You can often see inside condensation on windows when the air outside is very cold. Dew point was reached

Moisture is silently added to air by cooking, drying items indoors, steam from any source eg kettle, hot water, shower. Breathing adds a lot of moisture to the air

When I said being chilly did no harm of course I didn’t include people with medical conditions.
Our local children walk to school without coats all year round so clearly don’t feel the cold when I’m wearing coat, gloves and hat and it’s clearly not doing them any harm.

Marydoll

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I'm certainly not being critical of those who don't - or can't afford - to keep the heating at a comfortable level, rather countering posters who insist that a chilly ambience doesn't do anyone any harm, when clearly it can.

It's a sad state of affairs that anyone old or young - particularly those with medical conditions affected by cold air - might not be able to afford the level of heating required to keep them safe or comfortable.

... and the escalating conflict in the Middle East looks like it's going to affect the supply, distribution - and price - of crude oil, which will inevitably result in higher energy costs to the consumer.

Not good.

MissInterpreted I am like you I live in a old, cold, big house
I don’t have any central heating and use one gas fire in my main room in the winter about mid November to mid March I grew up without central heating and although for some years I lived in the tropics there is NO way I could afford for it to be put in now and it’s a case of what you get used to I m not unhappy with my situation at all and can keep equally as warm as most people in the cold weather Yes I get Jack Frost inside my windows in full on winter days but that’s not a problem is it ?
I m sure I have damp parts in the house but I don’t have any mould anywhere
I have no means to alter my situation and as it’s my norm I have no problems with it at all I ve lived like this for 40 years now and I m as happy and healthy as the next man

Allira

Norah

MissInterpreted

Marydoll

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

I appreciate that, but as I've said, it is what it is and I have no other option. Some people do sound extremely critical when they have no idea of other people's circumstances.

I understand. And I'm sad it is what it is.

When I ski I wear a nose/mouth covering. Balaclava neck nose gaiter (Amazon sells). Have you tried that?

Why would someone go round indoors in their own home dressed as if they're going out on the ski slopes? 🤔

That would certainly finish me off! ⚰

Norah

MissInterpreted

Marydoll

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

I appreciate that, but as I've said, it is what it is and I have no other option. Some people do sound extremely critical when they have no idea of other people's circumstances.

I understand. And I'm sad it is what it is.

When I ski I wear a nose/mouth covering. Balaclava neck nose gaiter (Amazon sells). Have you tried that?

Why would someone go round indoors in their own home dressed as if they're going out on the ski slopes? 🤔

MissInterpreted

Marydoll

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

I appreciate that, but as I've said, it is what it is and I have no other option. Some people do sound extremely critical when they have no idea of other people's circumstances.

I understand. And I'm sad it is what it is.

When I ski I wear a nose/mouth covering. Balaclava neck nose gaiter (Amazon sells). Have you tried that?

Marydoll

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

I appreciate that, but as I've said, it is what it is and I have no other option. Some people do sound extremely critical when they have no idea of other people's circumstances.

MissInterpreted

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

I don't think people mean to sound critical, just that some of us couldn't bear living with that temp.

I cough constantly and breathing in cold air would just finish me off. Even at 18°C my lungs protest.

Whatever...it is what it is. I live in a cold (not damp!) house. My problem...

MissInterpreted

M0nica

MissInterpreted

Just checked the temperature in our house. It's 15 degrees. But no dampness here. We're just a hardy breed.

How do you know? Dampness in its early stages is invisible. no condensation, no streaming walls, all that happens is that the walls, furnishings( sot and hard) absorb a surprisingly amount of water. This makes the house more difficult and more expensive to heat.

Because we had a survey carried out not that long ago which specifically looked for signs of dampness.

But that will be looking for a different type of dampness, that caused by structural or other problems. The intrinsic dampness of a cold house is not going to be sufficient to trigger a response on a dampness survey, but it will be enough to encourage the growth of mould, and make the house harder and more expensive to heat.

Out heating is set at 20 and I have a bad chest and feel the cold. So it’s going on.

Dickens

rocketstop

watermeadow

I’m surprised no one has asked yet. Here in the south the rain has stopped today but we had a full-on frost last night and I switched on my heating for a couple of hours this morning.
A ‘heating expert’ has said our homes should be 18 to 21 degrees for health and comfort and manageable fuel bills.
My thermostat is rarely above 15 in winter and I couldn’t afford to have it higher. I don’t believe being chilly does us any harm, it’s just uncomfortable.
Modern houses are much warmer. Is your heating on and how high?

I beg to differ re being 'Chilly' If you are fit and healthy and can zip around ok, I'd agree that you can chuck another layer on and it won't do you harm. I have long covid and lots of other health problems and if the temperature is low I start to struggle for breath which then causes my heart to beat too fast .It's dangerous for some people to get cold AND it doesn't matter how many clothes you put on , it's the cold AIR that you are breathing in that causes the problems.

I beg to differ re being 'Chilly'...

Absolutely.

It's obvious that some posters don't understand that being "chilly" can do you harm.

Cold air narrows blood vessels and arteries. That means the heart is under pressure (literally) to pump harder to push it around the body. For anyone with a heart problem, high blood pressure, who's had a stroke, or has diabetes... it's not good. At all.

Exactly.

With COPD, heart issues and other conditions, if I had to live in a house which was constantly at 15 degrees, I wouldn't last very long.