Is your heating ON or OFF?

dogstarheaven

I've had my OH parents' round yesterday from lunch till evening and found over the course of the day, they had put their coats back on. I did explain about my recent money saving tactics and thought they might appreciate where I was coming from. As they live on a narrowboat, they were used to working on the boat in cold weather and obviously being really toasty inside. Whereas for me now, I've always been v sensible about the clothes when I feel the cold and dress accordingly if I were to go out for the day, and strip off layers when the occasion arises. But to see guests wearing only a thin top underneath a thin coat (not winter warm), you'd start wondering why they're cold as it's obvious that some ppl like to turn up the heating in their homes/or if they're in the car. Ok, i'll hold my hands up and admit that it is a strange to not have the house warm if I got guests visiting, but it didn't warrant enough justification to have it on all day for their benefit. Some of you may find that I was cruel and selfish of me to put my guests through that, and there were times, when I thought about their comfort. Thankfully, OH hadn't said anything to me about it, or else I might have relented for fear of losing face in front of them.

Has anyone been in this situation before about guests visiting your cold house?

Just to let you guys know, the only thing I look forward to each night is having a long hot soak in the bath (water's recycled for my OH's bath too) and after about 15mins or so, I'm that hot and tired I have to force myself out and lay flat on my bed for about 15mins so that I can cool down and reenergise again. It's the only time when I'm really warm, unless I'm all wrapped up in my winter layers or in bed (windows still open! and no, I don't have electric blankets). If I'm in a building, I get that hot and bothered I have to strip off. It's blooming awful having to go into a shopping centre in winter when I have to carry my thick coat and cardi's/jumpers over my arm...

there's a tip I'd like to offer you all re. keeping warm in bed and that is using fleece sheets. Mine are from Land's End and L.L Bean (American brands, the latter there is a UK catalogue and a shop based in Rutland, Leics., only sells clothes) where they have really good quality clothes, coats, bedding and boots for cold winters as their winters can be minus 30. hope that helps.

roosterpotatoes

I suppose you will have to count me in too
Not because of choice, i simply cant afford it. We just go out instead to a relatives house lol
Bought the boys thermals, two pairs reduced to £3 in asda yesterday!!

NualaBuala

Sunnyday wrote: »

I found it NualaBuala - it was further back than i expected.

Thanks Sunnyday :A I guess there's no harm in me posting it again.

puddle96 wrote: »

-from a warm and well cardboard thermometer
All temperatures degrees C
Below 9 -risk of hypothermia
12 - too cold increased- risks of heart attacks and strokes
15 Discomfort - risk of respiratory illness
18 Comfortable house temp
21 Ideal house temp
24 plus (we should be so lucky) Hot ,reduce heat stay warm.
Babies may overheat
HTH
Puddle

Dogstarheaven, I know what you mean. I don't have many visitors but last year I was really embarrassed when a friend visited last winter. She was wearing a thin top that I would wear in autumn.

I don't feel cold without my heating on even though it was down to -1C last night because I am wearing 5 thin layers, woolly socks etc. Now I don't want to start telling people how to dress, that's their own business. But it did get me thinking about public places - shopping centres, offices, libraries etc being kept very very warm - much too hot for me. It costs a fortune financially and of course there is the environmental cost. If people dressed for the seasons there would be no need for it.

alec_eiffel

I understand about the visitors things too. We've had people to stay for the past couple of weekends. This week was fine as our friend likes to keep his heating bills down too so the heating was off virtually all the time and we were all fine. But the previous week our mate kept saying he was freezing to death - walking round in jeans and a t-shirt - no jumper and nothing on his feet!

Sent all visitors home with the idea of using ikea fleeces as curtains though.

Quasar

Sunny and clear sky here but this morning at 6am when I went out it was bitterly cold and I wrapped up well. Back home at 11, I opened all the windows to let fresh air in and was able to keep them open until now. The usual fleece and hot drinks are still keeping me warm.

Rebekah24

Mine is staying off!

the under 9 limit seems very high!! .. unless there is snow mine is staying off... £1500 a year isnt doable for me....that is very bad for my health!! LOL

Got my giant wheatie bag, slipper socks, slipper boots, long dressinggown at the ready!! washed my long wool cape..so that will be going on tonight!

keicar

Feel ashamed, we caved in on Friday, after our north facing kitchen temperature went down to 11deg, although the gas CH has only been on for 30 mins in the morning, set at 16deg.

We have been using a 1kwh convection fire in the lounge for two spells of 30mins in the evening, thats keeping it quite warm, coupled to the heat of the oven from the evening meal, we didn't even feel the need to put it on last night.

I note that it dipped to -1.8 here last night, from my records (sad I know!) it did not dip that low until the 18th of December last year, and we all know what happened after that.

Hey but chins up its set to be much more mild for the rest of the week, with overnight lows staying in double figures, and daytime temps as high as 16deg, but unfortunately wet.....

Making the most of the sunshine today and getting all those south facing window blinds/curtains pulled right back and letting all those rays in! Keeping the doors shut it can raise the temperature quite a bit!

NualaBuala

There's no shame in staying warm Keicar. You've just given me the idea of looking up last year's temps so I can compare. Thanks!

nuttybabe

Hi

Ours is still off (although dh did say he wanted it on today - NNNOOOOOOOOO) and its roasting in the living room as the sun is blaring in the windows! Dh is working from home today and he got up, went into living room and turned light on! If he had opened curtains providing light he would not have been cold as it was sunny and instantly felt warmer when i did open the curtains. Men!

I have a quick question about the temperatures. Obviously people have their heating on during the day/evening etc. But what if the temperature dips to 9 at night. Do you all have the heating on throughout the night?

I have never had heating on at night no matter how cold it got but according to that chart I should have. But then the doctor at A&E when I had to take ds2 into hospital told me not to have central heating on in the evening/night as it sets off my sons croup and that he would be better off with extra blankets. So am a bit confused now?

NualaBuala

I never knew people used heating at night Nutty, it just never occurred to me. Once I have enough covers and warm PJs, bed socks etc I'm fine. I hate the stuffiness of centrally heated air so prefer it that way even if I could afford heating on at night.

Edit: I have a feeling that chart is for people who are just sitting there. Blankets, duvets etc keep our body heat from escaping when we're in bed so we don't get hypothermia.