Is your heating ON or OFF?

euronorris

The need for heating very much depends on your location, property age, whether you have a damp/mould problem, age and health.

We aren't all the same, and neither our are circumstances. The need for heat in my home is going to be vastly less than an 80 year old asthmatic living in an old stone building in Edinburgh, for example.

arnoldy

euronorris said:

The need for heating very much depends on your location, property age, whether you have a damp/mould problem, age and health.

We aren't all the same, and neither our are circumstances. The need for heat in my home is going to be vastly less than an 80 year old asthmatic living in an old stone building in Edinburgh, for example.

Of course there will be specifics for more/ less heating. But in the round for the overwhelming mass of the UK populous the fact is we live in a very temperate climate. It is nowhere near Poland, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Central Europe etc and that is the huge blessing we have in the UK Winter. The number of fronts can often be in single digits in an average UK winter.

elsien

arnoldy said:

I think what is often overlooked amongst the media hysteria is we live in a mild, maritime climate - bathed by the gulf stream and with generally warmer westerly winds.

The hysteria amongst the press about heating costs is not helpful, there is little reason to have the heating on until well into November and then for limited times to take the "chill" off. The only exception to this is when we have northerly and easterly winds - which are not common.

Lets all get a grip and do what we can, recognising how lucky we are to live in such a mild climate. 

 I'm not a hoik the heating up full blast type of person, I stick to 18 degrees but my house is a cold one. I do wear layers but I still feel the cold if I'm not moving around. So I have to disagree about not needing the heating on until November just to take the chill off. I suspect your idea of chill and mine may be at variance. 

Longwalker

arnoldy said:

I think what is often overlooked amongst the media hysteria is we live in a mild, maritime climate - bathed by the gulf stream and with generally warmer westerly winds.

The hysteria amongst the press about heating costs is not helpful, there is little reason to have the heating on until well into November and then for limited times to take the "chill" off. The only exception to this is when we have northerly and easterly winds - which are not common.

Lets all get a grip and do what we can, recognising how lucky we are to live in such a mild climate. 

I would also say it really does depend where you live

Apart from a few good days this summer, our average daytime has been 17oC during the summer months. I often drive in to work with the heated seats on as it is ruddy cold and I could count the amount of days Ive not worn a fleece or jacket when out of the house on two hands. We never have trouble sleeping at night here because of the heat I can assure you

Yesterday and today its been roasting - for us - 22oC, shorts and t shirt weather at last, but come 8pm it will be cold enough to get the lap blankets on or a cardi 

Mr L even had a fire lit a couple of nights there whilst those in the South were melting

I think we have had a good summer if I get a full two months of no heating at all in one stretch

We have to remember that whilst huge parts of the UK do usually get good weather from April - October, theres huge parts that dont, we hope we get 8 weeks

euronorris

arnoldy said:

euronorris said:

The need for heating very much depends on your location, property age, whether you have a damp/mould problem, age and health.

We aren't all the same, and neither our are circumstances. The need for heat in my home is going to be vastly less than an 80 year old asthmatic living in an old stone building in Edinburgh, for example.

Of course there will be specifics for more/ less heating. But in the round for the overwhelming mass of the UK populous the fact is we live in a very temperate climate. It is nowhere near Poland, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Central Europe etc and that is the huge blessing we have in the UK Winter. The number of fronts can often be in single digits in an average UK winter.

I think there are far more people who struggle to keep their houses warm when outside temps are below 15, than you realise. And far more people with health conditions that will be adversely affected than you realise. And of course, it doesn't have to be as bad/cold as other countries for it to be too cold.

So I don't think it's media hype or scare mongering for this to be reported, and the scarily high costs we are facing this winter, together with the possibility of rolling blackouts.

tooldle

I do wonder if some of the stories are hyped a little, but this is based on knowing my own exact consumption and the current cost. A few weeks ago a single man was interviewed for the news and he reported current use age of £5 per day. It did make me wonder how this level of consumption was achieved and if it is typical. Our level of consumption is less than half of that, but perhaps we are not average, I have no idea. Everyone’s situation will be different. Best to focus on own specifics rather than headline figures.

Rosa_Damascena

tooldle said:

I do wonder if some of the stories are hyped a little, but this is based on knowing my own exact consumption and the current cost. A few weeks ago a single man was interviewed for the news and he reported current use age of £5 per day. It did make me wonder how this level of consumption was achieved and if it is typical. Our level of consumption is less than half of that, but perhaps we are not average, I have no idea. Everyone’s situation will be different. Best to focus on own specifics rather than headline figures.

That's £150 a month! Which to me sounds bonkers except prices have risen and if this chap didn't fix around this time last year I can see that it might not be that unusual. My spend was less than 1/3 of that, but I did fix and I really don't use much in the summer. Mentally my annual bill should be £700pa (with limited use of the CH) so I know I'm in for a shock come January.

tooldle

I'm not on a fix myself and our real use is just over £700 a year, with our payments in summer building credit for winter months. 

arnoldy

Ours (average expenditure) is about £70-80/month for gas and electricity in July and August- before the October increases. The big issues are the standing charges - to pay for the incompetence of the Ofgem quango in allowing the "Kitchen Table" energy retailers, and the green and social levies of £400 per household at a time when the Wind generators are coining it in.

But we can't control that so I'm concentrating on when the heating is used, to what thermostat setting, general energy watchfulness.

I have been surprised at the amount of people complaining about energy prices going up on the one hand & then buying coolers and air conditioners. The Spanish have banned air-conditioning that reduces the temperature bellow 27C.

tooldle

Quite a few examples on other threads of people buying alternate gadgets for cooking despite feeling said gadgets are expensive. I can see the overall cooking cost might be lower, but not convinced that laying out a good lump of cash is necessarily the wisest move to save a few pounds. Longer terms yes, but payback is not necessarily going to happen in one winter.