The Great British "not put my heating on yet" brag

Kim_13

It wouldn’t have been if it were up to me - but I do have a dehumidifier. Putting on neither would be a recipe for disaster in the home, even if you were comfortable without the heating for the time being.

debitcardmayhem

B0bbyEwing said:

Interesting what other folks comfort levels are. 
I used to set mine to 18c before prices went crazy.
Have since dropped that to 17c & find it acceptable for us. Radiators all got turned down a notch too.

Why turn all the rads down? I would be pleased if someone else could answer that one too.

Swipe

Chrysalis said:

B0bbyEwing said:

I'm sure you all know someone who says this. You may even say it yourself & while I can't say how everyone up & down the land intends to mean it, for those people I come across it's almost always said in a bragging puff the chest out sense.

But it made me wonder .... the knock on effects.

Last year I tried to hold off as long as possible & when the heating did go on, it went on later, came off sooner & it was set lower than previous. I used the fire (multi fuel stove) a lot more often since I get wood for free for the time being, but then unfortunately that only really heats the living room, even if I leave the hall & kitchen doors open. I suppose it'll impact them too but it doesn't feel like it does much. The living room though gets toasty, obviously. 

But what I noticed last year - black mould around the house, more than years gone by. 

Is this just something all the "not put my heating on yet" people battle or am I just unlucky that I was experiencing this mould more than usual?


Another thought that crossed my mind - is not having the heating on at all even good for the whole heating system? Go months & months, let's say April-October/November without putting it on because the temps are warm & then battle through December-March to not put it on or put it on very very little. Is that even good for the heating system? Maybe it makes no difference, I've really no idea - that's why I'm here asking these Qs.

I have mould, but I dont think my heating would fix it as the insulation is so rubbish in this property, that central heating just makes it not as cold, its not warm like when I feel in other people's houses.

The problem with heating is its performance and efficiency is so dependant on the insulation of the property as well of course the efficiency of the boiler.  I dont like the idea of running expensive heating in inefficient situations.  If I owned my home, there is no question I would have invested in insulation at this point, but I dont and am at the whim of my landlord.

Instead I focus on heating myself rather than rooms I dont use, and its far more efficient.  I settled on using an electric blanket, although if I feel the temp is really extremely cold that my health is at risk I will turn on CH like I did in the unusually cold spell last December.  Room temp is 15.8C which to me is way too high to run expensive CH. 

Now as I am getting older i cant tolerate late autumn and winter temps as much as I used to, my torso, arms and head is fine, but my feet are vulnerable now, they can get cold whilst the rest of my body still feels warm.  I am curious how much a device that keeps a bowl of water hot for feet to stay in would cost to run, kind of like a mini hot tub I suppose, or if it would be silly money like portable heaters.  After a hot bath yesterday my feet stayed warm for about 4 hours.

Seems such a product exists.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Massager-Vibration-Electric-Temperature-Removable/dp/B097NC68QM/

Like you, I suffer with very cold feet even when my body is warm. I have two of these electric foot warmers and can highly recommend them, plus they are on sale at the moment. They cost nothing to run and they have a built in thermostat so are not constantly on. I've never needed to run them on more than the lowest setting (30w I think).

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3443592

markin

But in a cold house adding humidity is a bad idea.

Turning down the radiator trv on unused rooms saved energy to a point but then you have to be careful on hidden mold growing behind furniture, and the boiler not getting in to condensation mode if it can't drop the return water enough.

FreeBear

markin said:

But in a cold house adding humidity is a bad idea.

Turning down the radiator trv on unused rooms saved energy to a point but then you have to be careful on hidden mold growing behind furniture, and the boiler not getting in to condensation mode if it can't drop the return water enough.

Cleared out a pile of DVDs that I had stacked against an outside wall in the lounge - As this is the main living space, it gets heated to a reasonable temperature (sometimes as high as 25°C if the fire is lit). Still found black mould in the corner behind the DVD stash. Air circulation in addition to heating are needed.

And if you have a fairly modern boiler, it should modulate the heat output to match the demand - Been logging data from mine, and as it modulates down, both the water and exhaust temperatures drop (most of the time, exhaust is well below 50°C) - This all helps to push efficiency up.

MultiFuelBurner

Definitely need airflow behind furniture don't slam it against walls that are outside walls.

Things you learn rather than taught.

ArbitraryRandom

The only time I think I've mentioned if my heating is on or off is when I've been comparing to other years and how 'unseasonal' the weather has been this year. You can take that as 'bragging' if you will, but you'd be being silly... 

I have a well insulated house and ensure good ventilation around furniture/the walls. Most years I'd turn the heating on later this month, with a fire in the lounge when it's been cool in the evenings before then, but I put the heating on last week when the builders started work in the garden (making it more difficult to bring in logs etc) and it's probably now going to stay on.

I've got the thermostat set low (16) as it tends to be colder in the hall, which results in the most comfortable temperature for me in the rooms I spend most of my time; plus being on the cooler side actually encourages me to get up and move around when I'm working from home. 

MattMattMattUK

B0bbyEwing said:

I'm sure you all know someone who says this. You may even say it yourself & while I can't say how everyone up & down the land intends to mean it, for those people I come across it's almost always said in a bragging puff the chest out sense.

But it made me wonder .... the knock on effects.

Last year I tried to hold off as long as possible & when the heating did go on, it went on later, came off sooner & it was set lower than previous. I used the fire (multi fuel stove) a lot more often since I get wood for free for the time being, but then unfortunately that only really heats the living room, even if I leave the hall & kitchen doors open. I suppose it'll impact them too but it doesn't feel like it does much. The living room though gets toasty, obviously. 

But what I noticed last year - black mould around the house, more than years gone by. 

Is this just something all the "not put my heating on yet" people battle or am I just unlucky that I was experiencing this mould more than usual?

Black mould is not cause by low temperatures, it is caused by damp, one could have a cold but well ventilated home and that would mean no black mould issues, or one could have a hot but damp home and that would mean a lot of black mould. The issues arise because some people choose to block up all the vents, not use extractors when cooking, turn off bathroom fans, dry clothes indoors etc. There are ways to combat that, dehumidifiers being the most effective, but an element of ventilations is stull required. 

B0bbyEwing said:

Another thought that crossed my mind - is not having the heating on at all even good for the whole heating system? Go months & months, let's say April-October/November without putting it on because the temps are warm & then battle through December-March to not put it on or put it on very very little. Is that even good for the heating system? Maybe it makes no difference, I've really no idea - that's why I'm here asking these Qs.

Normally for wet systems the boiler or heat pump is linked to the hot water as well, so it will still be cycled, the only part that might not is the heating circuit and those valves/solenoids so in theory they could stick a bit, but in general with a properly used and maintained system it should not be a problem. 

As for the comment/boast about not having the heating on, there is first an element of stoicism about it, but it also can demonstrate an element of common sense, turning the heating up to 24 and walking around in just shorts is an extravagant waste of energy which falls into an element of conspicuous consumption which is always a bad look, not to mention being awful for the environment. Putting on a jumper or just being sensible is always something that reflects well on the individual. There is also the part that it varies from property to property, with windows closed my flat has not yet dropped below 19.4c, of course it can go lower if I open windows, other people might find it significantly closer to ambient temperatures, but apart from in the North of Scotland it has not yet got particularly cold for a sustained period so the vast majority should not have yet had a reason to put the heating on. 

dealyboy

@MattMattMattUK said:

B0bbyEwing said:

I'm sure you all know someone who says this. You may even say it yourself & while I can't say how everyone up & down the land intends to mean it, for those people I come across it's almost always said in a bragging puff the chest out sense.

But it made me wonder .... the knock on effects.

Last year I tried to hold off as long as possible & when the heating did go on, it went on later, came off sooner & it was set lower than previous. I used the fire (multi fuel stove) a lot more often since I get wood for free for the time being, but then unfortunately that only really heats the living room, even if I leave the hall & kitchen doors open. I suppose it'll impact them too but it doesn't feel like it does much. The living room though gets toasty, obviously. 

But what I noticed last year - black mould around the house, more than years gone by. 

Is this just something all the "not put my heating on yet" people battle or am I just unlucky that I was experiencing this mould more than usual?

Black mould is not cause by low temperatures, it is caused by damp, one could have a cold but well ventilated home and that would mean no black mould issues, or one could have a hot but damp home and that would mean a lot of black mould. The issues arise because some people choose to block up all the vents, not use extractors when cooking, turn off bathroom fans, dry clothes indoors etc. There are ways to combat that, dehumidifiers being the most effective, but an element of ventilations is stull required. 

B0bbyEwing said:

Another thought that crossed my mind - is not having the heating on at all even good for the whole heating system? Go months & months, let's say April-October/November without putting it on because the temps are warm & then battle through December-March to not put it on or put it on very very little. Is that even good for the heating system? Maybe it makes no difference, I've really no idea - that's why I'm here asking these Qs.

Normally for wet systems the boiler or heat pump is linked to the hot water as well, so it will still be cycled, the only part that might not is the heating circuit and those valves/solenoids so in theory they could stick a bit, but in general with a properly used and maintained system it should not be a problem. 

As for the comment/boast about not having the heating on, there is first an element of stoicism about it, but it also can demonstrate an element of common sense, turning the heating up to 24 and walking around in just shorts is an extravagant waste of energy which falls into an element of conspicuous consumption which is always a bad look, not to mention being awful for the environment. Putting on a jumper or just being sensible is always something that reflects well on the individual. There is also the part that it varies from property to property, with windows closed my flat has not yet dropped below 19.4c, of course it can go lower if I open windows, other people might find it significantly closer to ambient temperatures, but apart from in the North of Scotland it has not yet got particularly cold for a sustained period so the vast majority should not have yet had a reason to put the heating on. 

Hi Matt ... Is that strictly true? I can imagine that with external temperature in the low single figures and with high relative humidity (damp/rainy), good ventilation can soon equalise the RH and subsequently cause condensation.

MattMattMattUK

dealyboy said:

@ MattMattMattUK said:

B0bbyEwing said:

I'm sure you all know someone who says this. You may even say it yourself & while I can't say how everyone up & down the land intends to mean it, for those people I come across it's almost always said in a bragging puff the chest out sense.

But it made me wonder .... the knock on effects.

Last year I tried to hold off as long as possible & when the heating did go on, it went on later, came off sooner & it was set lower than previous. I used the fire (multi fuel stove) a lot more often since I get wood for free for the time being, but then unfortunately that only really heats the living room, even if I leave the hall & kitchen doors open. I suppose it'll impact them too but it doesn't feel like it does much. The living room though gets toasty, obviously. 

But what I noticed last year - black mould around the house, more than years gone by. 

Is this just something all the "not put my heating on yet" people battle or am I just unlucky that I was experiencing this mould more than usual?

Black mould is not cause by low temperatures, it is caused by damp, one could have a cold but well ventilated home and that would mean no black mould issues, or one could have a hot but damp home and that would mean a lot of black mould. The issues arise because some people choose to block up all the vents, not use extractors when cooking, turn off bathroom fans, dry clothes indoors etc. There are ways to combat that, dehumidifiers being the most effective, but an element of ventilations is stull required. 

B0bbyEwing said:

Another thought that crossed my mind - is not having the heating on at all even good for the whole heating system? Go months & months, let's say April-October/November without putting it on because the temps are warm & then battle through December-March to not put it on or put it on very very little. Is that even good for the heating system? Maybe it makes no difference, I've really no idea - that's why I'm here asking these Qs.

Normally for wet systems the boiler or heat pump is linked to the hot water as well, so it will still be cycled, the only part that might not is the heating circuit and those valves/solenoids so in theory they could stick a bit, but in general with a properly used and maintained system it should not be a problem. 

As for the comment/boast about not having the heating on, there is first an element of stoicism about it, but it also can demonstrate an element of common sense, turning the heating up to 24 and walking around in just shorts is an extravagant waste of energy which falls into an element of conspicuous consumption which is always a bad look, not to mention being awful for the environment. Putting on a jumper or just being sensible is always something that reflects well on the individual. There is also the part that it varies from property to property, with windows closed my flat has not yet dropped below 19.4c, of course it can go lower if I open windows, other people might find it significantly closer to ambient temperatures, but apart from in the North of Scotland it has not yet got particularly cold for a sustained period so the vast majority should not have yet had a reason to put the heating on. 

Hi Matt ... Is that strictly true? I can imagine that with external temperature in the low single figures and with high relative humidity (damp/rainy), good ventilation can soon equalise the RH and subsequently cause condensation.

It somewhat depends on the conditions, but it would need a high enough humidity and a cold enough surface to cause the moisture to condense from the air. That means that the internal surface would need to be colder than the incoming highly humid air to cause condensation. Normally condensation in homes is caused by warmer, highly humid internal air coming into contact with cold external walls due to poor ventilation and lack of warmth. In a properly ventilated space, damp from humidity should not be a problem and it is generally user error.