Have you put your heating on yet? 15 October 2012 at 10:54AM edited 15 October 2012 at 12:58PM in MoneySaving polls 42 replies 5.5K views

Former_MSE_Debs

Poll started 15 Oct 2012

We're heading to winter, the energy companies are announcing price hikes. So have you turned your home heating on yet?


Have you turned your heating on - which of this week's options is nearest to your situation?

Vote in this week's poll

Did you vote? Why did you pick that option? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below. To see the results from last time, click this

smu95rp

The question always seems a little odd to me.

My heating is controlled by a thermostat as is by far the majority of people's. The heating is also controlled by timers. Most people's will only actually operate during certain times (morning and evening, say).

So if the temperature drops below a pre-set level (my thermostat is programmable so it varies depending on the time of day) then the radiators will warm up.

Now, throughout summer the temperature will never drop below my preset value therefore the radiators will not come on. I set the temperatures to ensure that the house is never uncomfortably cold, certainly not hot. What benefit would I get from turning the heating off in summer, whatever that would actually mean?

Gizmo247

Turning the heating on and off manually does not seem very MSE to me; you maybe be turning it off too late in the year or turning it on too early. My view is that the heating should be turned on all the time but controlled by a 24/7 digital thermostat at the minimum. This allows the heating pump and actuators to be exercised for a very short period once a day (and radiator thermostats once a week in my case) to keep them from seizing up, so there are no surprises in the autumn. So, as the cross -over between Spring, Summer and Autumn is very variable, you only get the heating on when it is needed.

catmonkey85

smu95rp - but you could set your digital thermometer to only turn the heating on if it's colder than 5 degrees, or as mine is set 16.5degrees. So if your heating is turned on all year but controlled by the thermostat, you could interpret the question as "have your radiators come on yet because it's been colder than your min temp?"

That's the way I look at it, and yes my radiators have started coming on daily.

Sharon87

I'm sitting here in my house with my heating on for a couple of hours. I only put it on when I feel really cold even with a jumper. My house needs a lot more insulating, no double glazing in my house!

tigerpatch

We're heading to winter, the energy companies are announcing price hikes. So have you turned your home heating on yet?

We have no choice. My 66 year old husband has COPD and has already been affected by two bouts of pneumonia this year. I have arthritis which is also affected by inconsistent weather. We have to keep the house temperature warm and fairly constant. We live n a stone cottage with double glazing and recommended insulatio


I am not surprised at the results. We have gone through a fairly cold summer and now reaching the season where everyone it seems has a cold. Fuel accounts for the biggest portion of our expenditure with high costs of electric, gas and fuel for our car. The rise of these also seems to account for the rise in consumer and service costs.

Torry_Quine

No my heating isn't on yet but I suspect it won't be long. That said I haven't put my heavy jumpers on yet and wonder how some will manage when it does get cold.

It surprises me that so many have the heating on and yes I appreciate that those with health problems or with young children or the elderly are more in need.

vreemt

how about turning it on for half an hour three times in the past month to get the chill out of the air because I could see my breath? when I'm still cold wrapped in more layers than I wear to go outside in, it's time to have some warmth inside (;

tanith

Ours is on for 30 mins early morning and an hour in the evening at the present... I don't leave mine on all year either... I turn the thermostat down to zero in the summer

torbrex

Why is england split into 3 regions but none of the other countries are?

There can be huge differences in the weather in Scotland between the west and east as well as between the north and south of the country.

Marvel1

I put in for in the evening and morning 2 weeks ago only because I had my 5 year old nephew sleeping over.

I have had it on most on the day Saturday, yesterday and today = drying clothes.

Tomorrow it will be off again, maybe in the next month or so I will have it on daily for 30 mins in the mornings only, unless I have my nephew over.