Is your heating ON or OFF?

Confuzzled

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

Got dressed in front of the fire in the living room this morning, ah happy childhood memories of the days when the bit of the lounge in front of the fire was warm and the rest of the house was freezing!

that reminds me of not quite so happy days in a croft house on skye. no central heating just two terribly inefficient open fires...always so toasty on your front side but your backside froze! brrrrr i don't even want to remember how cold the toilet seat was, that was no where near any fireplace...double brrrrrrr

my heat has been on low every night (storage heaters so i can't tell the temp or adjust times of day it goes on or off) for a few weeks now. we're staying about 17C (according to my room thermometre) most of the time which is fine with me, i enjoy snuggling under a duvet and my daughter loves wearing layers (it's starting to get comical now!) but i can't really turn it down anymore because i am self employed and we home educate so we need it warm enough for proper brain (and body!) functioning!

oh well all the money i'm NOT spending on going anywhere, or buying anything because i can't get out and they can't get to me should offset the balance :rotfl:

saveabobortwo

I don t think alot of people had central heating or double glazing in their homes not many people did who lived in out village not unless you was really well off just had loads and loads of blankets on the bed .and when people did have better insulation for example those double glazed windows that slid across everyone thought it was marvellous.I remember my parents having the bedroom windows done and we were so excited ,fancy getting excited about a window we kept opening and shutting them thought they were great. thirty five years later and im living in a little old cottage with single pain sash windows absolutely snatched but i do think everybody is even if you have a few bob and you have the best windows you still have to go outside in the cold .we have had mild winters compared to now Britain is not use to it being so cold best keep your chin keep smiling put the kettle on make sure you always have a bar of chocolate, i just think i don t think id want to live in real iced up parts of the world no definitely dont fancy an igloo .;)

dogstarheaven

whilst off work, i've been trying to keep warm in bed, tho' my chilblain-afflicted feet are still v cold (ok, not properly dressed). last night, our bedding got changed and using our flannel sheets, i soon got over-hot in the night (tho' it could be my feeling fever-ish??! but with a 10.5tog duvet and thick bedspread, maybe the flannel was a tad too much??)

but this morning, the bedroom UPVC window was full of condensation. i've read previous posts on MSE about this, but I'm surprised that the amount of water that ran off the window could be like this. it's not normally this bad. was it to do with both myself and OH sweating and breathing in our flannel-warmed bed and/or the fact that air-dried (clothes horse only) washing is in the other bedroom and finally, we didn't have any form of heating this winter until yesterday evening for an hour??? it's all v strange. pls note: the bathroom is downstairs where the extractor fan isn't being used but the window is open. that goes for the same to the kitchen too (no extractor fan) - only the window and door are open every time when cooking is done. i used to keep the bedroom window throughout the winter, but this winter has been v harsh, and i've had to close them.

btw, i've got two cracks in my right-hand and i think it's to do with the weather. has anyone dealt with this before? i bought some v greasy heavy cream from Boots, and hopefully, they'll heal soon. at work, i've had to plaster over them as it was too painful to work with them.

Caterina

Originally Posted by Caterina
The other day DD was standing in one room saying brrrrr this is really cold and only wearing a t-shirt! Is my family a bunch of softies or am I too spartan?

lostinrates wrote: »

Caterina, do I remember correctly that yu are Italian? I found a huge culture difference between heating etc when I was in Italy. Much more emphasis in dressing for the weather ...impressively and greatly so when it came to dressing children.

Ah lostinrates, then my Italian family of origin must be the exception! They always had the heating going FULL BLAST! I used to find it really difficult there and that's why now that I have some control (do I? Really? :rotfl:) I want to try and keep the heating down!

One thing with living in Italy is that because most people in towns live in apartments, the heating system is communal and it goes on and off by central control (so you cannot, say, switch it on and off at your leisure, but you can of course turn the radiators down - but not switch it on when it is off). This means that usually they switch on on 1st November and turn off on 1st April (at least in Rome) - perhaps in colder northern cities these dates change, not sure.

All the families I know in Rome have extra stoves (for cold Aprils) and air conditioning (for hot summers).

lostinrates

Caterina wrote: »

Originally Posted by Caterina
The other day DD was standing in one room saying brrrrr this is really cold and only wearing a t-shirt! Is my family a bunch of softies or am I too spartan?



Ah lostinrates, then my Italian family of origin must be the exception! They always had the heating going FULL BLAST! I used to find it really difficult there and that's why now that I have some control (do I? Really? :rotfl:) I want to try and keep the heating down!

One thing with living in Italy is that because most people in towns live in apartments, the heating system is communal and it goes on and off by central control (so you cannot, say, switch it on and off at your leisure, but you can of course turn the radiators down - but not switch it on when it is off). This means that usually they switch on on 1st November and turn off on 1st April (at least in Rome) - perhaps in colder northern cities these dates change, not sure.

All the families I know in Rome have extra stoves (for cold Aprils) and air conditioning (for hot summers).

lol. Yes, the communal heating is very far removed from a UK understanding..but of course there are controls when it can be on, a good step IMO. Since I left Milan there are also new car restrictions but not sure what we used to turn our rads to the lowest/off. In Milan IIRC it came on in October...understandably. Also, shutters really help keep heat in as well as the sun out.

A french friend who lived much further south in Italy and I were once told off for the way her child was dressed, (shirts and T shirt) in late march. He should have been in his ski suit because it was STILL MARCH, but it was an unusally warm sunny day and he was running about like a loon and asking to go paddling!

Caterina

Oh yes I understand "il bambino prende freddo!!!" (the child is catching a cold!) refrain! I took my kids to Sardinia when they were babies, in the tropical heat, and my parents used to torment me that I was not covering them well enough, that their poor little feet were freezing etc etc...

Not to speak of the ultimate No-No in my family: walking barefoot on marble flooring! That is surely going to cause DEATH BY PNEUMONIA!

I know, they mean well!

marmiterulesok

lostinrates wrote: »

lol. Yes, the communal heating is very far removed from a UK understanding..but of course there are controls when it can be on, a good step IMO. Since I left Milan there are also new car restrictions but not sure what we used to turn our rads to the lowest/off. In Milan IIRC it came on in October...understandably. Also, shutters really help keep heat in as well as the sun out.

A french friend who lived much further south in Italy and I were once told off for the way her child was dressed, (shirts and T shirt) in late march. He should have been in his ski suit because it was STILL MARCH, but it was an unusally warm sunny day and he was running about like a loon and asking to go paddling!

I live in a rented flat and have 'communal' heating.It came on at the end of October (I think).I can have the radiators on all day from about 6am to 10pm if I want (I don't!).However I do find it ridiculous that I can't have the radiators on at night if I wish.

Also it can still be chilly in October and April and then there is no heating.Unfair!It's not as if I don't pay for what I use.

Anyway,the heating is off just now.I'm cosy enough wearing various layers.

debtmess

haven't caught up yet sorry x

anyway ours is OFF , had at £115 vets bill today, thought my kitten had broken/fractured his leg/paw (vet did 2 xrays) he is very lucky that its soft tissue and only needed anti inflammatory injection and oral ones for a week, just what we needed before xmas

lostinrates

debtmess wrote: »

haven't caught up yet sorry x

anyway ours is OFF , had at £115 vets bill today, thought my kitten had broken/fractured his leg/paw (vet did 2) he is very lucky that its soft tissue and only needed anti inflammatory injection and oral ones for a week, just what we needed before xmas

Oh debtmess,I'm sorry. FWIW I feel your pain. One of the ferals cost me £150 in the vet's on Friday, the leak we sprung in the yard turns out to need a plumber, the joint would be simply replaced...but its not made anymore:() and we've had a huge batch of bills come in for various professional services. I've got most of Christmas in the freezer but I'm so glad we don't have children...with readies not ready yet and various decisions we've made its going to be full of love but not terribly ''glossy'' here at christmas. edit: we could do it glossy but are simply not prepared to put stuff on the CC to go over to next month,even though its interest free. It would be too easy a habit to fall into regularly when there is so much demanding our money here ATM.

guccigoo

debtmess wrote: »

haven't caught up yet sorry x

anyway ours is OFF , had at £115 vets bill today, thought my kitten had broken/fractured his leg/paw (vet did 2) he is very lucky that its soft tissue and only needed anti inflammatory injection and oral ones for a week, just what we needed before xmas

aww poor kitty hope he's ok, vets are a total rip off, i think i would have fainted forking out that much right on top of xmas.