When are you putting the heating on this year and what temperature and general heating advice

Saga

I forwent all intentional room heating last year – even then I was on a fix at half the October tariff! – and will have do a repeat. It's certainly doable even in the 'wind tunnel' I live in. Heating was restricted to warming the bed for 30 mins with a electric underblanket before retiring, and repurposing a new seat warmer as a feet warmer when I felt the need.

Of course this is impractical for anyone who, or has vulnerable dependents who cannot physiologically tolerate temperatures down to 8 -12 celsius at its coldest.

si_74

griffb said:

Ultrasonic said:

griffb said:

Woke up this morning to find the CH had switched on. I know we have the thermostat set high (18 overnight, 24 daytime) but still a bit of a surprise. Think I might try dialing it down to 23 to see if anyone (ie wife) notices

I'd switch it OFF until anyone notices. 23 still seems very high, although you may have health issues that dictate this. Do you have warm clothes on at this temperature? 

No health issues, and no I don't "layer up" to stay warm - short sleeve polo all year round. Tried running the house cooler and wearing a jumper once and just felt so uncomfortable. My daughter always complains that we have the house too warm, and tbh I would prefer a few degrees cooler, but wife will start complaining if the temperature drops below 23.9999

My theory is that the temperature the thermostat needs to be set at will, in part, depend on where it is situated. If it is in a warm location then it will need to be set higher to bring the rest of the house up to where it needs to be...and vice versa. You could have two identical houses set at the same temperature, but if the thermostats were in different places then the ambient temperature in the houses would also be different.

ariarnia

Trynsave2 said:

I worry that too many people are following the media's headline 'heating or eating'. I understand that heating is a seasonal cost and that other energy usage, apart from extra lighting perhaps, is pretty constant throughout the year. However, as electricity is way more expensive than gas, people should be being encouraged to switch off appliances, especially the energy hungry ones, as a priority before being frightened to not put on the heating when it gets cold.

The narrative needs to change.

there are people who have already cut everywhere they can and still wont be able to afford to adequately turn on the heating all winter. 

Alnat1

Thermostat is set to 16C between 7am and 10pm and the heating will come on at whatever date it happens to get that cold.

Thermostat is kept handy by "my" chair (hubby rarely feels the cold, I'm quite nesh) and I'll boost it up to 17-18C if I'm still cold with my blanket around me in the evenings.

FreeBear

Mstty said:

mark_cycling00 said:

just to point out that:
- hot water temp less than 60 degrees creates a risk of getting legionnaires disease
- room temperature less than 14 degrees risks mould

True if you have a water tank in the loft but not with more modern systems where you can legionella burn once a week or less. Less than 250 cases a year I believe and most of those are from foreign travel. It really has been blown out of all proportion.

You should also caveat it doesn't apply to combi boiler a as well if you are going to advise people what to do?

If you have a hot water tank with a temperature maintained above 50°C for an hour or two, the Legionella bacteria will be killed. Above 60°C, it is minutes. BUT, this assumes you have a steady supply of the bacteria in your cold water tank in the first place. In reality, the risk is insignificant - There are plenty of other diseases circulating that you are at much higher risk of contracting, e.g. measles, mumps, or monkey pox.

Mstty

Trynsave2 said:

I worry that too many people are following the media's headline 'heating or eating'. I understand that heating is a seasonal cost and that other energy usage, apart from extra lighting perhaps, is pretty constant throughout the year. However, as electricity is way more expensive than gas, people should be being encouraged to switch off appliances, especially the energy hungry ones, as a priority before being frightened to not put on the heating when it gets cold.

The narrative needs to change.

Agreed the frenzy being created isn't helpful.

Mstty

FreeBear said:

Mstty said:

mark_cycling00 said:

just to point out that:
- hot water temp less than 60 degrees creates a risk of getting legionnaires disease
- room temperature less than 14 degrees risks mould

True if you have a water tank in the loft but not with more modern systems where you can legionella burn once a week or less. Less than 250 cases a year I believe and most of those are from foreign travel. It really has been blown out of all proportion.

You should also caveat it doesn't apply to combi boiler a as well if you are going to advise people what to do?

If you have a hot water tank with a temperature maintained above 50°C for an hour or two, the Legionella bacteria will be killed. Above 60°C, it is minutes. BUT, this assumes you have a steady supply of the bacteria in your cold water tank in the first place. In reality, the risk is insignificant - There are plenty of other diseases circulating that you are at much higher risk of contracting, e.g. measles, mumps, or monkey pox.

I think monkey pox can be taken off the list for me🤔🤣

ariarnia

Mstty said:

FreeBear said:

Mstty said:

mark_cycling00 said:

just to point out that:
- hot water temp less than 60 degrees creates a risk of getting legionnaires disease
- room temperature less than 14 degrees risks mould

True if you have a water tank in the loft but not with more modern systems where you can legionella burn once a week or less. Less than 250 cases a year I believe and most of those are from foreign travel. It really has been blown out of all proportion.

You should also caveat it doesn't apply to combi boiler a as well if you are going to advise people what to do?

If you have a hot water tank with a temperature maintained above 50°C for an hour or two, the Legionella bacteria will be killed. Above 60°C, it is minutes. BUT, this assumes you have a steady supply of the bacteria in your cold water tank in the first place. In reality, the risk is insignificant - There are plenty of other diseases circulating that you are at much higher risk of contracting, e.g. measles, mumps, or monkey pox.

I think monkey pox can be taken off the list for me🤔🤣

really? 

Current NHS guidance says that monkeypox can be passed from person to person through:

• Close physical contact with monkeypox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands)
• Touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with monkeypox
• The coughs or sneezes of a person with monkeypox when they're close to you

https://fullfact.org/health/moneypox-child-cases/

Mstty

ariarnia said:

Mstty said:

FreeBear said:

Mstty said:

mark_cycling00 said:

just to point out that:
- hot water temp less than 60 degrees creates a risk of getting legionnaires disease
- room temperature less than 14 degrees risks mould

True if you have a water tank in the loft but not with more modern systems where you can legionella burn once a week or less. Less than 250 cases a year I believe and most of those are from foreign travel. It really has been blown out of all proportion.

You should also caveat it doesn't apply to combi boiler a as well if you are going to advise people what to do?

If you have a hot water tank with a temperature maintained above 50°C for an hour or two, the Legionella bacteria will be killed. Above 60°C, it is minutes. BUT, this assumes you have a steady supply of the bacteria in your cold water tank in the first place. In reality, the risk is insignificant - There are plenty of other diseases circulating that you are at much higher risk of contracting, e.g. measles, mumps, or monkey pox.

I think monkey pox can be taken off the list for me🤔🤣

really? 

Current NHS guidance says that monkeypox can be passed from person to person through:

• Close physical contact with monkeypox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands)
• Touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with monkeypox
• The coughs or sneezes of a person with monkeypox when they're close to you

https://fullfact.org/health/moneypox-child-cases/

Yep definitely the risk for me is much much lower than Legionella(this was the base for the start of this off shoot) based on that advice, info and the numbers in the UK, so can measles and mumps as I had them when younger. I hear shingles (pox) is making a comeback in adults though.

ariarnia

Mstty said:

ariarnia said:

Mstty said:

FreeBear said:

Mstty said:

mark_cycling00 said:

just to point out that:
- hot water temp less than 60 degrees creates a risk of getting legionnaires disease
- room temperature less than 14 degrees risks mould

True if you have a water tank in the loft but not with more modern systems where you can legionella burn once a week or less. Less than 250 cases a year I believe and most of those are from foreign travel. It really has been blown out of all proportion.

You should also caveat it doesn't apply to combi boiler a as well if you are going to advise people what to do?

If you have a hot water tank with a temperature maintained above 50°C for an hour or two, the Legionella bacteria will be killed. Above 60°C, it is minutes. BUT, this assumes you have a steady supply of the bacteria in your cold water tank in the first place. In reality, the risk is insignificant - There are plenty of other diseases circulating that you are at much higher risk of contracting, e.g. measles, mumps, or monkey pox.

I think monkey pox can be taken off the list for me🤔🤣

really? 

Current NHS guidance says that monkeypox can be passed from person to person through:

• Close physical contact with monkeypox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands)
• Touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with monkeypox
• The coughs or sneezes of a person with monkeypox when they're close to you

https://fullfact.org/health/moneypox-child-cases/

Yep definitely the risk for me is much much lower than Legionella(this was the base for the start of this off shoot) based on that advice, info and the numbers in the UK, so can measles and mumps as I had them when younger. I hear shingles (pox) is making a comeback in adults though.

200 cases of legionella in the uk last year and half of those linked to foreign travel.

3300 cases of monkey pox in the uk last year.

the 'average' person has a significantly higher chance of catching monkey pox from close contact with an infected person than they do legionella from a domestic water supply.