Is heating the home to 18oC the new 20oC?

Mstty

So, like many others we are preparing ourselves for Oct/Nov when the ASHP has to be heat more than just hot water.

Now I still have a lot of learning to do on our Mitsubishi Ecodan as it was here when we moved in so lots of reading to so I suspect to make sure we run it as efficiently as possible over winter.

But to get prepared I have warned my partner to expect the house not to be as warm as previous years and am waiting for the personal electric heat blankets to come down in price over summer.

I suspect the compromise in our house will be 19oC after my partner's feet then blue early November.

From what I have read 18oC is a good temp to stop black mould and keep the house healthy but welcome others opinions as well as any time on the Ecodan.

We also have a multi fuel burner in the Lounge so any tips here on what is cheapest and gives best heat out put for 4 hours will be great.

Swipe

18C is perfectly comfortable for me to sit for hours on end with a fleece and my electronic foot warmer. I have bad circulation so if my feet are warm so is my body. I tend to keep the rest of the house around 16C and don't have mould problems.

Astria

I typically have the house at 18c and just put on a jumper or slippers if I get cold - it's best to cover up rather than turning the heating up!

A friend of mine has his flat at 16c 24/7 which means the heating barely ever comes on, as he's on the top floor and so seems to get all the heat from the below flats, prefers to use a throw if he gets cold.

theoretica

For cold feet I find ankle warmers are great - if I remember to put them on before my feet get cold, rather than after!

Effician

It's 16C inside here with doors & windows open, sitting around in shorts & T-shirt, in winter 16C can feel quite uncomfortable so i really don't tend to pay much attention as to how warm the house is supposed to be, too many variables.

As we don't have any form of central heating ( log burner only) we heat when we feel cold, manage when it's borderline & cuss when it's too hot as we've put  too much wood on the fire.

Not sure when it became a thing for the house to be at a recommended temp but i'm sure lots of folks feel colder if the thermometer say's it's below a certain degrees C.

RogerBareford

We never set the heating to a specific temperature, we just adjust the temperature depending on what the room temperature is currently and what the heating is set too so that we feel comfortable.

Some rooms we don't heat at all for weeks/months on end when they arn't used and we have never had any issues with mould.

Aylesbury_Duck

Mould is more about ventilation than it is about temperature, and 18C is not going to create conditions where mould proliferates if surfaces and rooms are ventilated.  In cooler temperatures, make sure furniture is not pressed right up against walls, same with making sure things aren't stacked against walls.  Don't dry washing inside, leave bathroom windows open after showers/baths and/or run extractor fans, leave lids on boiling pans and so on.  Trickle vents are good if you're not in a noisy area such as next to a road.  Although ventilation reduces a home's thermal efficiency, it keeps humidity down and makes the air healthier.

FreeBear

Mstty said: We also have a multi fuel burner in the Lounge so any tips here on what is cheapest and gives best heat out put for 4 hours will be great.

Well seasoned oak lasts a long time and one log will give off a decent amount of heat. But logs are going up in price, along with everything else....

I'll bung a few shovels of StoveHeat (smokeless coal) on the grate, and then light some kindling & small logs on top. Once going, a couple of larger logs lasts most of the evening. Downside is quite a bit of ash that can't be used on the garden.

markin

For many it seems going with 0 heating is the new 18c when 16c would be healthier.

The are plenty of threads in the sub forum and green board for the Eco dan and ASHP's

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/lpg-heating-oil-solid-other-fuels

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/green-ethical-moneysaving

Mstty

Swipe said:

18C is perfectly comfortable for me to sit for hours on end with a fleece and my electronic foot warmer. I have bad circulation so if my feet are warm so is my body. I tend to keep the rest of the house around 16C and don't have mould problems.

My partner likes the idea of a foot warmer, I think she has her eye on some usb heated slippers off fleabag👍

Mstty

markin said:

For many it seems going with 0 heating is the new 18c when 16c would be healthier.

The are plenty of threads in the sub forum and green board for the Eco dan and ASHP's

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/lpg-heating-oil-solid-other-fuels

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/green-ethical-moneysaving

Cheers I have started a thread about how to run our ASHP efficiently. It's a minefield of conflicting information out there.