Heating - Who's either not putting any heating on or barely?

charl1980

Can I ask why i15 mins I have one hour just to air rooms , keeps kinda warm

WhatThe

Yes, if there's water ingress then even more ventilation and/or a dehumidifier is needed until the problem is fixed.
Damp and mould doesn't grow on a building's exterior when it's cold and wet outside.
Hot air holds more moisture - fact.

WhatThe

Where there's water ingress, more ventilation and/or a dehumidifier is needed until the problem is fixed - heat will dry surfaces but circulation of air is critical to control damp and mould if it's present. 

Maintaining a constant temperature in the home is the ideal so sustainable, renewable energy should be built into every new home now not sometime in the future.. 

Crazyone

No heating on here yet, when I put the thermostat up (which will be in December), it will be set to 14 degrees...unless the cats fiddle with it as they did at times last winter.

I can't afford to pay for anymore than that right now. I do feel the cold, I'm one of those who is seen as one of the lucky ones in summer as my body temperature is lower than average and so I don't over heat unless it is very very hot (by which time everyone around me is collapsing from the heat) but it's not so great in the winter.

I know it isn't healthy (I have viral pneumonia and an asthma exacerbation at the moment ) but the stress and anxiety from not being able to pay or pay the bill and not really eat or pay for other things is not either.

Paul1957

If its a choice between paying your rent, buying food or keeping warm them heat comes last. I Just wear more layers use electric throws and blankets which are low energy and occasionally put the boiler on for half an hour or so. 

Middleton

charl1980 said:

Who's either not putting any heating on or barely? Interesting, if u do how much is it costing you, I'm in a small flat only have four radiators on turn spare room off,
We worked it out useing Google £2.06 per hour we use one hour a night on 18 degrees to take chill off no more

I havent turn on CH this year at all. Last winter when I showered(worst times to feel the cold when wet) I turned it on for a quick30-60mins,no more than 5 times the entire winter,and then a few hrs once, literally once! 

CATP

I live in a supported living apartment and am the total opposite to most humans, my autism (classic,complex) makes me struggle to process body temperature and what is mild heat to some is agonising to me. I’m also on 5 meds that affect body temperature regulation. the heat also triggers off my trigeminal neuralgia and it shows the classic red streak down my face,the pain is super super intense and the support staff think I’m choosing to dislike heat because they’ve got heat on in my flat all the time.
it frustrates me because while my support staff need warmth, my medical conditions and health make me physicaly unable to tolerate it 24/7, its one of the triggers of my epilepsy.
management here are only seeing it from the staffs point of view though and don’t seem to care that my issues are medical, not a choice to hate heat.

I know the point of the thread was to do with cost of living, I owed 10 grand to EON at my last care home as I was the first person to be moved in there and my best friend came second and an ableistic individual came third, I was paying there electric for years as the care company had put there bills into mine. They told me “we managed to get £5000 knocked off but you’ve got to pay the rest” -it was the care company’s fault I was paying there bills in the first place as I’ve always been under appointees. I actually didn’t mind paying my best mates bills, it was the other person I took issue with. He was anti learning disability so bullied me and my mate.I didn’t want to pay for someone whose attitude to me and my mate was the r word, threatening to stab vulnerable people and aiming catapult ball bearings at my rabbits in the garden,plus telling staff to pick up whatever rubbish he had on the floor, glad he’s out of my life.

Strawberry1

I wake up every morning and open my windows to let air I and de mist the windows . There has been the odd occasion the heating has gone on in evening.  For about 1 or 2 hours.  We are on Gas central heating. Last year we used a halogen heater for the really cold days like temps of 5 or so during the day for a few hours just to keep the main room.  Then in the evening gas for about 2    2 and half hours . It will be similar this year . Just wearing extra clothes.  Find myself wearing a hat to keep my head warm .

honestjon

poppy123456 said:

66Mustang said:

PS I am not an engineer but I presume you would get increasing returns on the expense if you used the heating for longer. By this I mean, if it costs you £2.06 for the first hour, it will cost far less extra if you keep it on for a second hour. Maybe less than £1. This is because the property is having to warm up from very cold in the first hour, but it's already warmed up at the start of the second hour so you are just using a bit of fuel to keep it stable.

So, might worth having the heat on for a bit longer, don't think it will double the cost if you have it on for double the time.

Apologies if I am stating the obvious!!

Exactly. It always costs more to heat from cold because the boiler has to work harder to reach that temp. I did an experiment last year when the cost went through the roof because at first i was scared to put the heating on. After the experiment, i realised it's much cheaper to keep on under control of the thermostat than it was to keep turning it on and off.

My house is 1930/40 so quite cold and i won't be cold for anything as it makes my health conditons much worse.

In 2023 nobody should be cold because they can't afford to put the heating on.
A few years ago when it was only old aged pensioners who couldn't afford to heat there homes we all should have kicked up a fuss but we didn't.
Now most people are in the same boat

Kaala

I can't afford to with the rate of PIP I get plus what my husband can afford to give me each mnth
So we have to sit under throws plus wear xtra layers & try to keep warm that way

charl1980

I feel your pain weput a oil filled radiator on 500 Watts for afew hours when it's bad on a evening as I worked it out at about 15 p a hour times 5 hours 75 p a day around six quid a week 

charl1980

We too use big blankets

charl1980

It's hard noone ones to get in debt but trusts won't help unless u are so we are left to freeze

Albus_Scope

I agree with using oil filled radiators. They're proving to be very cost efficient for heating currently. 

skyesr

We've only just started to put the heating on.  I'm not sure whether it's more cost effective to leave it on constantly or to turn it on when it's too cold.  I understand that it takes longer to warm up all of the cold water each time that we put it on, and I keep saying that on a very cold day we should leave it on all day and see what it costs, thanks to Mr (or Mrs) SMART. 
Other than that, I'm wearing a couple of layers, such as leggings under trousers, and will use a blanket and hot water bottle if needed.  Between my other half and I, we live off a couple of private pensions, PIP and carer's allowance - we're not "broke" but we are very careful.  (I have budgets for everything!)

tink13

I do worry about my gas and electric bills, but I need my place to be warm otherwise my pain etc gets worse and it’s a never ending cycle. I can’t use electric blankets which don’t help either 

JessieJ

I pulled the fuses on my heating in Feb 22 after the eyewatering cost then, so they won't be going back in at all, I just can't afford to. I fare badly in the cold & amongst other issues, I have Reynaud's & arthritis, I'm sat here layered up, then a thick plush blanket pulled up round my chest & compression gloves for my hands. It's 16° in here & going down, feels about 10° when I have to move. I s'pose you could say, I'm doing my bit for the planet!!

charl1980

Bless you all feeling the pain this year I was diagnosis with fibromyalgia and I feel cold much more, currently electric is around 80 to 100 gas 25 per month I only put heating on for a hour a night to air flat, and I use dehumidifier for laundry( cannot peg out no garden)
I never thought I'd ever have to be like this, but I remember as a child we did it's just getting used to the old ways again, gloves fluffy tops layers and blankets on sofas xx

charl1980

Oil filled radiator on lower 500 watt setting we use also around 4 pm just to take the edge off and we open all windows in a morning and wipe down any condensation for half a hour to air flat, doing this always stops mold and touch wood old flat is prone to damp! I feel sorry for those that have kids it's unbearable 💗