What temparature is your house?

hamster58

Firstly let me say I feel so sad for anyone who will be struggling to pay their bills shortly. However, surely to pay for heating to be on but so low that you’re still cold is far more of a waste of money than spending a little more and being comfortable? The idea of being outside at 13 degrees without lots of clothes on is for me unthinkable, so to live at that temperature inside would be awful/miserable

Exactly my point...

Are your pipes alright MibsXX? I’m frozen just reading your post....and I’m usually warm to hot all the time!

The thermostat is set at 19 (first time I've ever looked at it!) but I have no idea what the room temperatures are. Regardless of what the thermostat says the heating doesn't come on unless we light the solid fuel boiler, which we do perhaps once or twice a week. The rest of the week the house holds the heat and stays warm. Electric towel radiators are always on in the bathrooms except when we turn them off in the summer. Bedroom windows are always open. The ground floor is a big open plan space and it's warm enough for me to wear a t-shirt today with no heating on.

Set for 22deg 24/7 in hall and living areas. Bedrooms are set at 18deg, but never come on, as the temp has never gone below 18. Keep the bathroom heating off unless we have anyone staying. The living areas rarely drop below the set 22 during the day, and if it’s sunny, the temp is often 24, even in winter, during the day.

Mapleleaf - The problem is, that if your rooms are set at very low temperatures for lengthy periods, there is a risk to your overall health and well being. In addition, there could be other problems developing in a permanently cold house - damp and mould, which would become expensive to fix and also lead to health issues.

I think this is very true. When my in laws moved out of their house (long story) one of the bedrooms had black mould all over one wall. It was a room that was no longer used. The radiator had been turned off and the windows were never opened. They only used to heat the room they were in e.g. living room, using a gas fire even though they had central heating.

I can understand why people do this for economic reasons but I don't think it is a good idea. Black mould can cause all kinds of health problems. Also having no ventilation can cause condensation, which leads to dampness etc. etc.

We have our heating on 19 in the day at the moment but turn it up at night (until we go to bed) to 21 or 22 if it is really cold. I knit quite a bit and find it really hard if my hands are too cold.

As another poster said, I would rather cut down on something else than have to sit in a cold house.

I never use thermostats. Heating goes on at 5pm for 3 hours for DH, he works and goes bed 9pm. I'm disabled and use a lovely heated throw (4p a hour) in the day.

What ever temperature I need to be warm. It varies between 18 degrees and occasionally 20 degrees if I am really cold. I seem to be coldest when the sun goes around to the front of my house as my living room is at the back. Quite often when its sunny I don't need to turn it on or up until around 4pm.
I have no idea why I am colder some days than others but I am.

Its also set to come on for two hours in the morning but only if it drops below 16 degrees.

MibsXX

2pm, currently 7 degrees indoors, went to -2 degrees last night and early this morning
No cash for oil at those inflated prices so no heating or hot water
Blankets are our best friends right now

Good grief! Where do you live with an indoor temperature of 7 degrees?

Do you have any family members who can help you, or neighbours who also have oil deliveries?

At my age, 99 next month, with poor circulation and arthritis and poor mobility, I have to keep warm no matter what the cost. I have Economy 10 electric storage heaters in living room, hall and dining room. When I go in the kitchen to get my meals I use an oil filled electric radiator. A fan heater when I go in the bathroom.
The electric company, EON, inform me that I am on the lowest assisted tariff.

By turning off heating for periods means one uses more energy to heat it up than leaving it on all the time. I proved this many years ago when we had a house with oil heating.

Bijou
With respect, at your age I wouldn’t give a stuff how much energy I was burning.

Bijou

By turning off heating for periods means one uses more energy to heat it up than leaving it on all the time. I proved this many years ago when we had a house with oil heating.

We too did the experiment years ago. I have to agree.

My thermostat is set to 22C 24/7 all year round. The system is balanced to ensure bedrooms are at an appropriately lower temperature. This means I never have to think about the heating and the house is always at a comfortable temperature. My current annual cost is just under £1200 for both gas and electricity and I will be interested to see how this is affected by the price increases. So far there has been no request to increase my monthly direct debit.

I have a thermostat on the mantelpiece which is hovering around 18 at the moment, which also accords with the Galileo thermometer. The house is well insulated. The heating was on for two and a half hours this morning and then went off of its own accord. I turn the heating up each morning to twenty even if it clicks on lower than that, as DH has health issues, but he is not at home at the moment so I don’t mind it a bit cooler. When the sun is on the conservatory, we take advantage of the heat in there.

We’ve dug out our smart meter screen and it showed a combined usage of approx. £5 yesterday, so - rough estimate - 365 x £5=£1,825. (Plus a standing charge). That was on a day when I didn’t use the washing machine. We have our thermostat on at 19 degrees mostly, during the day, and 16 at night. It rarely kicks in at night unless the weather is freezing.

19C. Used to live in a modern house with underfloor (water) heating - took 2 hours to get warm (20C) but was so well insulated that I paid £76 per month dual fuel - large sitting room, kitchen, hallway bathroom, 2 beds, landing only heated as only the 2 of us. I went through menopause in this house and couldn’t cope - it was so well insulated, stuffy and no air coming through even with the windows open. Used to feel as sweaty as plastic wrapped cheese.

In and older house now I make sure my feet and legs are as warm as possible, have a gel filled hottie, keep my neck and shoulders warm, and wrap myself in a fleece blanket for the evening.

Moved here 10 months ago and am so grateful I signed up to a (then)more expensive 2 year fixed tariff .
This rise in energy costs is a bommer, there will be another scandal of the vulnerable dying in under-heated housing.

Take care everyone

Nannashirlz

I also have arthritis and I don’t have my heating on and I use a electric throw so saves loads. I don’t have a upstairs I’m in a bungalow. I only have a walk in shower and have bath if stop in hotels etc

Gosh, I would hate to have a shower in the winter if my house wasn’t heated, I’d feel very cold getting out.

But I guess it’s what we get used to, my bungalow is built in a damp area ( formerly mossy land hence why only bungalows were built) and although much of my garden is very sunny, I don’t get any direct sun into the rooms so without heating my house would be cold and damp.

Buttonjugs

I keep mine at 20c. It’s important to remember that temperatures under 16c can lead to hypothermia, and it’s not just body temperature that’s affected. Breathing in cold air is irritating to the respiratory system.

Indeed, my chest often feels tight if my house get too cold. If I needed to make financial savings, I’d try to cut back on food and eating out rather than my heating.

Well, I’ve got a cold nose now, I’ve been baking but am now sat down to catch up with some recorded tv programmes so will knock my thermostat up from 18 degrees to 20 for the rest of the day.

I was upset though reading the post from MibsXX, no one should be living in an unheated house because they don’t have the money to pay the energy bills. I just hope you will benefit from the rebate on council tax ( I don’t as I am in a band B house) and the government loan so that you can put the heating back on. I wonder if you should check if you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to?

I don’t like it above 18 as I suffer with sinus troubles, and my head fills with rubbish if it gets over warm. My husband likes it 21/22 and I really can’t stand it. So bedroom is my haven…. I turn radiator of and as soon as I’ve given him his dinner …. put the tv on the football channel and disappear into my room. Window open all night …. no heating. … just my 5 tog duvet! Bliss! He washes up!

www.gov.uk/guidance/council-tax-rebate-factsheet

Teacheranne, you should get the rebate according to the attached. It is paid to those living in Bands A to D.

Keep off as much as possible but try to keep to 18/19 if really cold.
My mum has reynauds and when imgomto her house in the am about 9am it is usually 25 she normally turns it.down to 20-22 about 10am but.sure it is.25 ish in the.evening.as.well feels like a but she is miserable if cold.
She does the go out each afternoon for a couple of hours and heating gets switched off then!

Feels like a.sauna

Franbern

I am amazed as to how many people on here actually keep their heating on virtually all the time.

It that suits their life style and they can afford the bills then that is their choice.

I am fortunate that my flat is quite warm, very warm when the sun shines through the large windows. My heating has actually been switched off at thermostat for the past three weeks. In the evenings when I am watching tv, I have on my warm fleece dressing gown and a knitted throw. I note that even the temperature gauge rarely goes below 18*.

I detest any heating in bedrooms whilst I am trying to sleep. Went back into my normal short sleeved cotton nighties a few weeks back and only have on my bed a 4.5 tog duvet. I am very snug in bed.

However, when my daughter visits me, I always turn the heating on - at 20* - not just for her personal benefit, but otherwise I get a long lecture from her about the dangers of old people (like me) not noticing the cold etc. etc.

We also live in a flat now and are not using any heating at the moment. The radiators have individual thermostatic valves and the rooms are warm enough to stop them turning on now, the temperature is around 22 but I'm happy down to 18.5 - or less if I put on a jumper.
I can't understand why people say they turn their thermostats up when it's cold
there's really no need for this as they keep the temperature constant.
I also like a cool bedroom and have a 4.5 tog duvet, winter and summer. Apparently it is recommended that bedroom temperatures should not be higher than 18.5.
I really hate being too hot, anything higher than 23 simply stops me from sleeping

I was brought up in a Victorian House with no central heating and my late husband hated being too warm - he was known to wear shorts even in winter. I think I must have become accustomed to living in a cold house which is just as well as I live in an old plan Barn conversion with heaps of glass. In fact I worked out that my heating was only (in just the sitting room, kitchen and bathrooms) for three hours a day, set at 19, in Dec, boiler broke down early Jan and no central heating till mid Feb, then on again for two weeks (same setting as Dec). . It is now off and will remain off probably till late Nov. I have a woodburner but that hasn't been on the last few wks. When it is sunny the house heats up beautifully and if I am feeling chilled I would put on an extra jumper and fill up my hot water bottle before I turned on the heating. If anyone is visiting I will make sure I light the fire and flick the heating on as I do appreciate they might not appreciate the temperature! My bedroom windows are always slightly open and although I love a warm bed I struggle to sleep in a warm bedroom. One of my friends has her heating on 24/7 and her family wear teeshirts even in the depths of winter. Her heating bills are horrendous. Each to their own.