Author Topic: Heating on?  (Read 60478 times)

Re: Heating on?
« Reply #50 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:28:36 pm »
Our house has two temperature zones - the one immediately around Lady Redlight and everywhere else.  The former appears to be considerably colder than the latter, hence the constant battle of her closing windows and turning up the heating and me doing the opposite. She will be huddled in a fleece and big slippers while I am in a t-shirt.  I'm told it's a male-female thing.
Ours is the opposite. There's a high-temperature zone around Mrs B, which she feels compelled to cool down by opening windows & doors, sticking legs out from under quilts, etc. She will occasionally grumble that it's getting cold, but this is usually when she's wearing t-shirt & shorts & I'm shivering in a fleece & thermal underwear.

I doubt that it's a male-female thing.


Interestingly, I discovered last winter that we have the coldest house on our street. When it snowed, it melted on all the roofs (of twelve identical houses) other than our house. We had a nice thick blanket of snow. Which froze. And the fell off one night, taking all our gutters with it.
Not necessarily the coldest. Maybe you have the best insulation.

Half our street lost gutters in the winter before last.

Heating went on last night. Minimum temperature -3.2, just outside the house. Light ground frost this morning.

1870s terrace house, 9" solid brick. Attic bedroom (original) & dormer, so roof insulation limited.
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Wowbagger

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #51 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:35:00 pm »
Interestingly, I discovered last winter that we have the coldest house on our street. When it snowed, it melted on all the roofs (of twelve identical houses) other than our house. We had a nice thick blanket of snow. Which froze. And the fell off one night, taking all our gutters with it.

That could mean that you have the warmest house in your street because less heat is escaping into the roof space.
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Jacomus

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #52 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:39:26 pm »
Our heating is off at the mo. Miss Emily also has the Personal Cold Zone which last night saw her sheltering under a Slanket, fully dressed, while I sat in a hoodie and shorts. In bed I put on a t-shirt to keep the chill off my shoulders (I don't like being tucked up to my chin). She chose to be nude, but with a blanket atop the duvet and obviously me radiating heat into the bed, creating the normal situation where I cover half my body up (so the cold doesn't get under the duvet) and have the other side of me open.

Window is still open at night, though I fear the nightly duelling will begin soon. Usually Emily waits until I fall asleep, shuts it, then I overheat in the night and open it, then close it when she complains in the morning. ;D
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #53 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:41:55 pm »
That's the other thing: while my fingers and toes will feel cold if it's even vaguely cool, I'm usually happy to live with that and add layers.  The real issue is Stupid Lungs, which tend to low-level object if the night time air temperature gets much below 16C.  Fuel used to fend off lingering chest infections is money well spent, IMHO.

I find that controlling the central heating based on the bedroom temperature works better than having an electric heater in the bedroom, as those tend to wake me up as they cycle on and off.

Re: Heating on?
« Reply #54 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:44:25 pm »
14.8oC in the lounge (coldest room in the flat) at 9pm last night.
16oC in the most of the rest of the house.

A single thermostat in the hall set to 15oC.

Those with central heating but with it switched off (or only switched on very recently):

1.  Do you have any supplementary little electric/gas heaters that you have been using a bit?

2.  Is your home very, very well insulated?

1. No, nothing.

2. Large detached house converted into flats. We have a flat above us and a flat below. Front windows are mostly double glazed, and behind thick curtains. Back windows are double glazed except the lounge which has drafty sash windows (next on the list to sort out) behind roman blinds.

We get a lot of our heat from the flats above and below us.
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #55 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:49:25 pm »
9" brick mid terraced
I try to avoid using heating until it gets to November, though may turn on the fire, not done it yet though, except when dad came for a visit (though that was May so mayn't count).
The key is not to sit in front of tv/computer etc but to be active - a nice warm bowl of washing up can help you stay warm!
I have been known to sit and knit old lady style with a blanket over my knees
Was able to leap out of my cosy bed OK this morning.

Back door will be open all day for the cat ha ha ha (though it's warming up again from last night's low (+ frost).  I will build it a nest outside and then needn't feel guilty if it's the wrong side of the door when I leave in the morning.

Still looking for a cheap heat camera so I can work out my cold spots and apply insulation sensibly.

Must find some thicker trousers, curent set all seem to be summer weight, I'm sure that wasn't the case in April ...
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #56 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:49:39 pm »
I only ever buy really cheerful bright coloured plastic ones like these

http://www.tts-group.co.uk/shops/tts/Range.aspx?search=datalogger

 :D

Just the ticket!

Pancho

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #57 on: 20 October, 2011, 12:55:25 pm »
Arabella's post has reminded me: blankets.

Am very glad to hear we're not the only family that uses blankets in the sitting room rather than cranking the heating up. A few years back we bought armfuls of fleecy-type blankets for about a quid each. They've been great.

Also reminds me of going to a restaurant last winter and, after our coats were taken, being offered blankets for our knees as "heating is unethical". As it was snowing outside, I did think ethics might allow a little bit of warmth. But the food was excellent and we felt like fine-dining arctic explorers.

urban_biker

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #58 on: 20 October, 2011, 01:02:42 pm »
Heating went on this morning. It was 0.9C outside and around 13 inside. I leave it on permanently once its on - but its thermostat controlled, mainly because the timer is rubbish (old) and the replacement programmable thermostat I have does a better job.
Owner of a languishing Langster

Majorbloodnok

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #59 on: 20 October, 2011, 01:17:36 pm »
I sat in a hoodie and shorts. She chose to be nude.  I cover half my body up and have the other side of me open.  Window is still open at night.
 

I fear the nightly duelling will begin soon.

I like your style.....then if her husband unexpectedly comes home, you can make a run for it!  Good planning is essential.

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #60 on: 20 October, 2011, 02:06:59 pm »
Absolutely no use of the CH until the end of BST.  No auxiliary heating save a blue IKEA blankie which serves to keep bare feet toasty even when it's well below freezing outside.

Whisky helps, obv.
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #61 on: 20 October, 2011, 04:33:49 pm »
Our heating doesn't go off because of the interesting way it is configured. The CH circuit is variously connected to the secondary circuit for the hot water tank (on one zone valve and thermostat and the other for the radiators.

The main house thermostat is set to around 18 degrees (when I control it). All radiators have their own thermostatic valves except the one in the downstairs hall (which is below the lowest living level of the house)
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Majorbloodnok

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #62 on: 20 October, 2011, 04:40:47 pm »
Our heating doesn't go off because of the interesting way it is configured

Only an academic could write that.......  ;)

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #63 on: 20 October, 2011, 07:29:13 pm »
I've had the heating on since Tuesday evening, but I would have liked to hold out a little longer, only I was feeling rather lurgy-ish. However, there it is, now it's on a timer mornings and evenings, about child bed time and getting up time. There's a thermostat in the hall and I just twisted its knob (what you might call a Wowbagger moment  :) ) about an hour ago before the heating came on. On the basis of that it seems the air temperature in the hall is 12-13C, but that's probably the coldest part of the house. I've now set it to 18 but I'm not sure that it actually controls anything. Turned off the radiator in the kitchen since it's pointless - there are two huge air bricks so all the heat escapes anyway, and it's only used for cooking - we don't eat in there.

I think I should go and buy some blankets.
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ian

Re: Heating on?
« Reply #64 on: 20 October, 2011, 07:33:38 pm »
Interestingly, I discovered last winter that we have the coldest house on our street. When it snowed, it melted on all the roofs (of twelve identical houses) other than our house. We had a nice thick blanket of snow. Which froze. And the fell off one night, taking all our gutters with it.

That could mean that you have the warmest house in your street because less heat is escaping into the roof space.

Nah, twelve identikit newish houses. Rooms in the roof-space, which I haunt. They've all got the same insulation. Having visited a few of the neighbours' houses, they're toastier than toasted sandwich on a beach in Bermuda. "Oh, we don't turn ours off," apparently.

Re: Heating on?
« Reply #65 on: 20 October, 2011, 07:53:03 pm »
We have ours on all winter, though we tweak the thermostat down at night and when we're out during the day and up a bit in the morning and evening. I've been told this works out cheaper as the heating doesn't have to spend the first however long heating the structure of the house up before the rooms start to warm.

Does this make sense or should it be off-off when we're both out?
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #66 on: 20 October, 2011, 08:37:52 pm »
I was curious to know what temperature it is in the flat without the heating on so I took the fridge thermometer out of the fridge, warmed it up between my hands (which are actually very chilly) to give it a start and then sat it on the sofa next to me. It seems to have settled at about 13C. I am looking forward to the heating coming on at 9.
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #67 on: 20 October, 2011, 08:47:42 pm »
Don't worry the Beatles had it right all along. Trillions of cubic feet of shale gas in Lancashire, the big holes will belong to.............. Blackburn.......
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #68 on: 20 October, 2011, 09:12:44 pm »
I am discovering the excellent side effect of living on the third floor of a block of flats. Received heat from flats below

Likewise. With temperatures here dropping to -25, my flat has yet to drop below +19.5 so in 4 years I have yet to turn the heating on.
Not only did we find exactly the same in Poland (similar weather, similar housing, similar indoor temperatures) but here the coldest part of the flat is the newest, which has no neighbours on any side, above or below. It has double glazing etc. In contrast, the old bit - part of a 19th century house - has draughty sash windows but the neighbours keep it warm. Penguins know about this, when they do it, it's called huddling. House huddle ftw!
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #69 on: 20 October, 2011, 09:14:41 pm »
We're occasionally turning it on for an hour.  It has been 2 degrees outside the last couple of mornings.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Heating on?
« Reply #70 on: 20 October, 2011, 10:02:32 pm »
Not the CH yet. Had the stove on for a couple of hours for the last 3 nights. Nice and toasty in the living room - ~14 elsewhere.

Re: Heating on?
« Reply #71 on: 20 October, 2011, 10:08:39 pm »
Mrs Dan has a sewing project on the go, so the iron is on quite a lot, otherwise no heating still. It is chilly outside though, won't be long.

Steph

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #72 on: 21 October, 2011, 04:41:27 am »
9" brick mid terraced
I try to avoid using heating until it gets to November, though may turn on the fire, not done it yet though, except when dad came for a visit (though that was May so mayn't count).
The key is not to sit in front of tv/computer etc but to be active - a nice warm bowl of washing up can help you stay warm!
I have been known to sit and knit old lady style with a blanket over my knees
Was able to leap out of my cosy bed OK this morning.

Back door will be open all day for the cat ha ha ha (though it's warming up again from last night's low (+ frost).  I will build it a nest outside and then needn't feel guilty if it's the wrong side of the door when I leave in the morning.

Still looking for a cheap heat camera so I can work out my cold spots and apply insulation sensibly.

Must find some thicker trousers, curent set all seem to be summer weight, I'm sure that wasn't the case in April ...

You got a polar Buff at York, what more do you need?
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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #73 on: 21 October, 2011, 06:07:24 am »
Hair shirts - the lot a ya.

Andrij

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Re: Heating on?
« Reply #74 on: 21 October, 2011, 07:06:17 am »
Hair shirts - the lot a ya.

So, you've seen me topless.

There's at least one benefit to being furry.
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