Yet Another Cycling Forum
Off Topic => The Pub => Topic started by: andyoxon on 19 October, 2011, 08:56:17 pm
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How long do you 'tough it out' without heating on in your house? We put the CH on today. I keep getting told off for wearing my fleece indoors as apparently it looks like I'm going out... ;)
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Heating on?! No (see grumble thread) :demon:
Still at least I was only putting it on to test rather than becuse it's particularly cold so that's something. Not to try and get it sorted (i.e. phone my Dad :))
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I am discovering the excellent side effect of living on the third floor of a block of flats. Received heat from flats below :thumbsup:.
Bit chillier today mind, probably around 18c, but didn't see the need to turn on the heating just yet.
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no chance, although I would have done if I was allowed.... We've had the fire lit for a week though.
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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.
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Since there was an air frost last night and tonight is threatening to be colder, ours is on now.
It's for Alfie, you understand.
I was at a Council meeting last night. Two people in short sleeved shirts, the others in fleeces. The cyclist and the person who works outdoors were the two.
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... while I am in a t-shirt. I'm told it's a male-female thing.
My first mis-reading of that was "at it in a t-shirt". :o
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Until last week when I woke up a morning and saw the thermometer showed 15oC in the livingroom.
Now I'm back up to my usual 18oC. :smug:
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On Monday, when it said it was 14C.
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Not yet, although its been a bit cool in the mornings. We were remarking earlier that this is the latest we've gone without heating for some years. A house move off the top of the hill has probably helped there.
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No, but the magic warm kitchen floor and woodburner have been brought out of hibernation.
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Heating goes on once I'm wearing all my jumpers, AND still cold.
Especially now I've had an email from $Thieving_Power_Company(*) to tell me that they're direct-debiting me more pounds even though I'm still in credit with them.
(*) That doesn't narrow it down very much.
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Not yet, but it's been a close thing this evening :-\
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7°C outside, 18°C inside. Still in shirtsleeves.
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Last week when two layers of clothes and a blanket wasn't enough to keep me comfortable. It's on a timer to not come on till 9pm which is when it starts to get properly cold. As the autumn progresses into winter, I'll set it to come on earlier.
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4.5C out/ 20C in - probably a tad warm <turns thermostat lower>
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Not yet. I don't usually consider it until there's been a few hard frosts. I've got warm jumpers and fleece blankets I can wrap up in while on the sofa.
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What's central heating?
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When the average temperature in the occupied rooms drops below 19C (16C at night).
23:13:30 <kim> heating status
23:13:31 <sian> Heating is on (thermostatic, threshold = 19.0). Average temperatures are: upstairs 17.8, downstairs 16.4, occupied 17.5, whole house 17.1, max 19.7, min 15.4
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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.
Sounds like a similar situation to the Nutty house.
The weekend was fun. Hot sunshine outside, house really cold inside (I blame all this excessive insulation - it's an absolute sauna in the loft above the 12 inches or so of fibreglass woollen stuff). Mrs Nutty wanted heating on - I told her to sit in the garden :smug:
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i generally don't have an issue with cold. lived in durham in a flat with no heating, and in france over winter in a house with no windows or doors and never really felt the lack of 'em. but the heating is now needing to be on for the odd occasion here and there otherwise the laundry festooning the house would never dry. i've currently set it to be on around boys' bathtime for hald an hour, and around dragging small children out of bed in the morning o'clock for half an hour.
and i even turned on the radiator in my bedroom when kim and barakta were staying. then i shut the window last night.
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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.
Sounds like a similar situation to the Nutty house.
The weekend was fun. Hot sunshine outside, house really cold inside (I blame all this excessive insulation - it's an absolute sauna in the loft above the 12 inches or so of fibreglass woollen stuff). Mrs Nutty wanted heating on - I told her to sit in the garden :smug:
We were cycling along the sea front on Sunday afternoon. The tide was in and there was one bloke swimming. I really envied him. It was lovely and warm.
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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?
Otherwise I think you're being too harsh on yourselves!
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I don't have any supplementary heaters. well, not that work. but we are a mid-terrace, so benefit from the neighbours as insulation and it's a small house with decent loft insulation and (dodgy) double glazing. put the oven on for long enough to bake a couple of sorts of cake and the whole downstairs gets toasty :)
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I live in a first floor flat and get heat from downstairs :)
Generally we don't put our heating on until December.
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16c inside, 9c outside. I'm comfortable in a sweatshirt & boxers at the moment, though I suspect you don't really want to know that !
Top floor of a purpose built 1930'sblock of flats (http://www.minstercourt.org.uk/myrtle_gardens_liverpool.htm) with double glazing & decent loft insulation.
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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?
Otherwise I think you're being too harsh on yourselves!
Mrs Nutty is away for the evening. The second she left the house I turned the heating off.
I hate having the place at an uncomfortable temperature. What is the point in heating the whole house when I'm only sat in one room watching TV?
Yes it got slightly cool around midnight, so I put a jumper on*. Perfectly comfortable. As opposed to when she's home and you get hot/cold spots through the house depending as to your proximity to a radiator (or that untraced draft).
* queue shock horror from those that know me. A jumper? In October?
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Heating not on at all, and no supplementary devices. Generally just get by with a T-shirt, sometimes a sweatshirt, and as it cools a long skirt. I'll put the heating on when it gets COLD.
At work, others in woolly pillies in fleeces, me in a short-sleeved shirt. I have started wearing a long-sleeved shirt for the commute, though, but still in shorts.
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Been getting down to 4/5 overnight, but flat hasn't been below 18. It was only Tuesday evening that I finally closed a window which has been open for months. The heating remains off and I continue to lounge about in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
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I've had the dehumidifier on for the last couple of weeks - helps to take the chill off.
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It was 2 degrees C here last night. I went to bed wearing my Superman tshirt and an hour later I was still awake and cold. So I got up and found my wheatbag and went back to bed after microwaving it.
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We have one of those new heating controls the instructions for which taught me the meaning of one of my favourite words: hysteresis. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteresis)
Under the controls the system is constantly on, striving to maintain our environment at a steady 18ºC. I did try to rewrite the instructions so they could be understood by someone less intelligent than Einstein but I failed and we now just leave the thing to do what it wants.
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Min Temp of 3.5°C here, at 6.59. It's now 4.4°C but 15°C inside. I'm still in my shirtsleeves but I have consumed a large bowl of piping hot porridge.
From 9 a.m. Dez will have the house to himself. I'd wager the heat goes on before very long. He's under instructions to check the header tank in the loft and bleed the radiators.
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This week we've reached a domestic compromise; boiler runs for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. This brings the sitting room temp up to about 19 for a while.
Basically, we start squabbling as a family at around 17.5 degrees.
Only the sitting room, kitchen and bathrooms have the radiators on.
Occasionally, we have a clothes drying crisis and have fire up the boiler to dry clothes (we are tumble drier free here). The maze of unlagged pipes, a hot water tank and the boiler itself ensure that the utility room (aka "boiler room") heats up pretty promptly and clothes are soon dry. Although a bit bonkers doing this on a wet summer day, I think we're on a sounder environmental footing than if we replaced our defunct tumble drier.
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No heating on here, I'm not saving the planet, I'm saving money :thumbsup:
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No heating on here, I'm not saving the planet, I'm saving money :thumbsup:
You're doing both. :thumbsup:
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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?
Otherwise I think you're being too harsh on yourselves!
No and no. We only have the central heating, and the house is an 1840's 9" solid brick construction end of terrace farm cottage with an empty property adjacent. Heating went on last weekend.
But we've recently had the back door replaced (it's in a 70's extension out the back) with a UPVC unit, and it's made a huge difference. We're managing with the 'stat set at 16 - though hysteresis means a range of 14-18.
This weekend we may well have our first log fire of the season (open fireplace - yes we know stoves are more efficient, we just don't like them very much). Cost of logs up from £75/load last year to £93 this, due mainly to huge consumption last winter running down stocks. Must order a double load soon. the fire means we don't have the heating on except for a short burst to warm the bathroom.
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Last night I felt the cold for the first time this Autumn as I waited for the call to go out and collect Miss P'wit after her trip to listen to that Dawkins chap. But I couldn't be bothered to go and get a jumper.
The other P'wits had the gas fire on in the living room one evening recently. Munching through 7kW for about three hours.
Methinks heating will be put on before the weekend. Must get bleeding and refreshing the inhibitor, checking which radiators we need to have on and balancing the system. Lots of running up and down the stairs, so I'll be warm enough not to need the heating.
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Logs are getting very expensive. If you have the room to store them and the wood burners to burn them (ie: not open grates), then heat logs from (eg) http://www.durhamheatlogs.co.uk/ are hard to beat for raw KWh/Tonne value.
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Three degrees outside? OH YES THE HEATING IS ON!!
I don't find being 'a cyclist' makes any difference to my temperature regulation - it is still set to 'cold'. I wish I was one of those people who is always warm, but since I've been cold for over 30 years, I don't think it is going to happen!
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No idea of outside temp, but heating is, or rather was, on last night.
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When I return to France in Feb to resume work it'll probably be around -6ºC and I will live in a 7x3m, draught-free*, windowless enclosure with one insulated wall and 3 50cm stone walls. The ceiling has 200mm of insulation.
Once the stone walls are warmed up (after 3 days) my small 3kw paraffin stove (http://www.dry-it-out.com/inverter-5006-3kw-liquid-fuel-heater-free-fuel)will easily keep the temp up to around 18ºC. Were I to insulate the floor and 3 stone walls (fairly cheap and easy) I would need hardly any heating at all. Frozen external pipes were the main problem last year but I spent a frantic few days fixing it. (Had to wake every 2 hours during the night to run the water :( )
Working outside, long-johns are vital!
*other than ventilation for cooking and heating.
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Three degrees outside? OH YES THE HEATING IS ON!!
I don't find being 'a cyclist' makes any difference to my temperature regulation - it is still set to 'cold'. I wish I was one of those people who is always warm, but since I've been cold for over 30 years, I don't think it is going to happen!
I feel the same. When I was single I used to sit in my lovely sleeping bag in the evening, but now we need the heating on to keep the damp away so that clothes dry and clarion can breathe so I mostly manage with a blanket. I seriously considered a hat in bed last night though.
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I closed the window in the bedroom yesterday because it was a touch nippy.
My neighbours will continue to heat our house for a couple of months, then we'll probably have to run ours for a couple of hours a day December to February. Our energy bills are still eye watering though, so our neighbours must be paying thousands to keep their place so warm.
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We don't "put the heating on" as such - it works out for itself when it needs to come on, being operated by a zoned thermostat system, with timing bands to set different temperatures for different parts of the house for different times of the day.
So it stays off overnight and during the day, unless the temperature drops dangerously low (ie cold enough to freeze the pipes), but on days like today, it comes on in the morning to make the house warm enough that I can contemplate getting out of bed.
It actually works quite well.
d.
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I was trying to hold out till the end of the month. Last night was defeat. Thirteen degrees in the kitchen.
I work from home, but never have the heating on during the day (goes off between 8.30 and 5pm), but my office is on the second floor of a tall, thin house, so all the heat rises and makes itself at home in my office. If I make the mistake of turning on the thermostat in my office, it rapidly gets warm enough in there to roast a chicken.
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.
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We don't "put the heating on" as such - it works out for itself when it needs to come on, being operated by a zoned thermostat system, with timing bands to set different temperatures for different parts of the house for different times of the day.
So it stays off overnight and during the day, unless the temperature drops dangerously low (ie cold enough to freeze the pipes), but on days like today, it comes on in the morning to make the house warm enough that I can contemplate getting out of bed.
It actually works quite well.
d.
So just the North wing on so far..? ;)
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So just the North wing on so far..? ;)
The North Wing is my mother-in-law's quarters and she has her own heating controls. Being in her 80s, she has special dispensation to have the heating on in the middle of summer. ;)
d.
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The room I'm in is south facing with a large expanse of glass. The low sunlight is streaming in and warming things up nicely; temp now reads a perfect 18. As the room has lots of solid walls and floors, this sunlight tends to be absorbed and the room will stay warm (my definition, not Mrs P's) for quite some time into the evening/late afternoon. I do have to remember to draw the curtains (v thick and heavy) when the room loses the sun. It's a cheap and efficient form of solar heating; no need for panels or pumps.
This thread has me keeping glancing at the thermometer. In the interests of adding more complexity to my life, does anyone know of a datalogger thermometer? Or something I can plug into a PC? Or, even better, wifi into a PC?
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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
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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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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.
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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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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.
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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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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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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!
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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.
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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.
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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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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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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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Our heating doesn't go off because of the interesting way it is configured
Only an academic could write that....... ;)
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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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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.
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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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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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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.......
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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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We're occasionally turning it on for an hour. It has been 2 degrees outside the last couple of mornings.
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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.
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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.
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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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Hair shirts - the lot a ya.
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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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You got a polar Buff at York, what more do you need?
was thinking I might try a headscarf if I go out this weekend. I think I have a pink flowery one somewhere.
I have cheered up with the thought that even if I still had my lined woollen trousers they would have worn out my now. Maybe I should make some more.
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I've just switched the heating on at work. It is actually putting out some heat, which is a nice surprise. I was worried I'd have to find something to do that got the laptop CPUs working a bit harder.
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WFH, waiting for the boiler engineer to come and look at the boiler, glad it's not as cold today as it's been the last couple of weeks but just put a fleece on.
The bedroom is nice and toasty now from the heat coming out of the dehumidifier (I wanted to dry it out a bit before I tackle the mould on the window with a bit of bleach) but it's too noisy on full blast to work in there.
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So warm today that I've turned the heating off again. Should probably have done it last night.
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So warm today that I've turned the heating off again. Should probably have done it last night.
+1 warm here too. forecast says above 10oC next 5-7 days, so I seems like I can wait to turn the heating on until sometime next week :thumbsup:
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Not quite a year later and the heating's on again already. 13 degrees at 9am yesterday, I've winterised the kitchen (blocked the silly humonguous air vents) so it's quite a bit warmer now.
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I don't switch my heating off. My thermostat works fine and time switches mean the heating warms the place at the right times whatever the calendar shows.
I had warm radiators on some chilly mornings of the 'summer' that's just past.
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likewise.
It's never fully 'off'. It can magically sense when it needs to come on. It's called a 'Thermostat'.
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We turned ours on at half term. Then realised that 18 degrees was way too hot so turned it down to 16.
Promptly went to stay with friends whose wood burner made their living room 25 degrees. :facepalm:
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likewise.
Indeed.
Though today, for the first time this year, I stopped on a ride 10k from home and turned the heating on manually so the bathroom would be a sensible temperature when I got in.
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Good grief, near end of May and I just wimped out and put the heating on.
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The heating goes on automatically during low temperatures. Working just fine, right now.
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^ this.
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Wusses!
*sitting under 4 layers of fleecy blanket*
(This after me returning from 38C in Dubai to <8C yesterday)
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Hey, I'm about to set off on a night ride!
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Hey, I'm about to set off on a night ride!
Chapeau!
Wrap up warm.
The heating at work went on automatically this afternoon.
The heating at home went on manually this evening.
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2 degrees c last night and 5 degrees at mid day, I was mowing a lawn yesterday in snow, well hail but it it was still bloody cold :)
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^ this.
I don't switch the heating off.
My thermostat works fine and cares not what the calendar states.
Suits me fine.
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In a cavalier fashion, I'd turned the thermostat down too low, for the onset of Summer ::-) it seems. So it needed a tweak up tonight.
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this time of year always causes me angst;
having a combi-boiler I have no cylinder in the airing cupboard; so have installed a tiny rad to do the same job all year round. Also have a heated towel rail in the bathroom. At an appointed time I set the heating to come on for a couple of hours a day just to heat the above (TRVs stop any of the other rads coming on)
still waiting for that appointed time....
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We I have the heating set to 16°C and it has come on automatically in the last few days.
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Not on. Absolutely no need. We posses jumpers.
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and you are all ill ;D ;D ;D
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So will you be in a couple of days :demon:
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I did think about putting the heating on last night. Then I remembered the recent electricity bill. However, the heating is gas! But instead, I shut the little vent thingies on the bedroom windows. TBH, this place is always cold, even in the middle of a hot summer.
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I'm with Kim and Helly. The reason heating has controls is so it, erm, controls it.... If its cold, my heating comes on. I don't have to fiddle with it. Can't afford to run it, then get your house insulated, its a lot cheaper than more heating fuel. I will stop short of suggesting the Green Deal, though. There are limits...
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I don't switch the heating off.
My thermostat works fine and cares not what the calendar states.
Suits me fine.
Same here!
(but not everyone in this house agrees - so it's been mostly OFF for about a month until last night, when we both got home wet and cold.)
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Our boiler crapped out again this morning so it's a moot point. Yesterday it was 2 deg C when cycling to work, though.
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I don't switch the heating off.
My thermostat works fine and cares not what the calendar states.
Suits me fine.
Same here!
(but not everyone in this house agrees - so it's been mostly OFF for about a month until last night, when we both got home wet and cold.)
David's away so I've turned the heating down.
He needs at least 21C or he moans.
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Wow - I don't think I've been indoors at 21C since I left India! :-\
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It comes to something when on 30th May at 11 a.m. you can see the moisture in your breath condense every time you exhale.
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It comes to something when on 30th May at 11 a.m. you can see the moisture in your breath condense every time you exhale.
I've just said this to my wife and she told me to stop moaning :D
I went out with a beanie on the other day because my solar panel was freezing!
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We put our gas fire on last night.
But we are in a tent, on top of a hill, at the edge of the Peak District.
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It's time now for a Heating off? thread. I have unblocked the air vent, uncovering the dread words IMPORTANT DO NOT BLOCK THIS VENT DANGER OF DRAGONS. They're exaggerating about the dragons, they were only small, like the one in Ivor's firebox. Spring is here.
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It's time now for a Heating off? thread. I have unblocked the air vent, uncovering the dread words IMPORTANT DO NOT BLOCK THIS VENT DANGER OF DRAGONS. They're exaggerating about the dragons, they were only small, like the one in Ivor's firebox. Spring is here.
I've been turning mine off from time to time over the last few weeks so that it doesn't come on in the morning - was a bit chilly this morning with no morning pre-heat but entirely bearable.
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I just let the timer and the thermostat turn it on and off ...
Admittedly in summer I do turn off the "heat the entire 300litres" function on our heat store as the central heating will hardly ever run.
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I just let the timer and the thermostat turn it on and off ...
Admittedly in summer I do turn off the "heat the entire 300litres" function on our heat store as the central heating will hardly ever run.
I don't bother turning the heating off either.
If it's cold enough to trip the thermostat, it's cold enough to have the heating on.
Even if the calendar informs me it's July.
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I disagree, because (say) 13 degrees in July does not feel as cold as 13 degrees in January. But mostly because our thermostat does not appear to do anything whatsoever.
I am now thinking I might have unblocked that vent a bit early though. Have to get the dragon breathing!
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At present we do not have heating set on in the mornings but it does fire up at 17:45 to toast the house before Mlle PB returns from her day labouring building roads. Each room has a radiator thermostat and some are even set to off.
I leave her to decide whether to keep it on or not though it is nice to get out of the bath into a warm bathroom.
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Our heating's still on, pretty much, btw.
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Unfortunately yes I am usually melting by the time I enter the bathroom. I am not unanimous in my temperature opinions however. God created man and then set to work on the Yang bit.
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Whereas David needs a warmer home than I do...
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Until very recently, Mrs P and I used to fight over temperature control[1]. For the past couple of months, however, I've been on these damn beta blocker pills - a side effect of which is to turn me into the human fridge. I can't feel my toes and it's 20 degrees in here. I feel ashamed at my new weedyness and environmental vandalism. However, Mrs P is snug, warm and happy.
[1] Did you know you can get spare thermostats that would be entirely disconnected from the central heating system. But not everyone in the house would know this fact. I have never done this - but have been seriously tempted.
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We did – well actually, I did – put the heating on for a while on Wednesday evening, not because it was cold but in an effort to combat the damp.
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Yes, and no shame in doing so.
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It was either switch the heating on last week or have Mrs B nail my balls to the sideboard.
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It was either switch the heating on last week or have Mrs B nail my balls to the sideboard.
Some on here would probably pay good money for that.
I ran the heating for a couple of hours yesterday.
Stops all the mirrors in the bathroom steaming up. Y'see.
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24h ago we were all set to go camping this weekend. Now called off due to the downpours forecast, but it does kind of suggest no heating on yet while enjoying an insulated dry house over the weekend instead.
The 13 tog duvet + blanket is out though.
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Yes, I shall be digging out the heavier duvet at the weekend as well. Recent nights have required pyjama thingies.
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Yes, I shall be digging out the heavier duvet at the weekend as well. Recent nights have required pyjama thingies.
Arg
Pyjamas. Ball tanglers. :(
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My elderly parents, with whom I live, have had the heating on for a while. It's currently set to a temperature somewhere between Nairobi and the Gates of Hell. Needless to say, I am still walking around the house in shorts and a t-shirt.
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I dont get this when you should turn the heating on thing.
I just have the thermostat set at 18c and if it gets colder it comes on. It never get turned off but there again if its over 18c in the house it doesn't come on.
If we are feeling decadent we turn it up to 19c.
If the log burner is on all bets are off as the house rapidly climbs to the mid 20s.
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My elderly parents, with whom I live, have had the heating on for a while. It's currently set to a temperature somewhere between Nairobi and the Gates of Hell. Needless to say, I am still walking around the house in shorts and a t-shirt.
My elderly parents had a new fangled combi boiler installed last year & can't make it work properly. I guess I'm going to have to RTFM.
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My thermostat knows time of day and which day of the week it is.
It does not know, or need to know, the month.
The heating switches on automatically should the temperature drop below limits set for the time.
It switches off once set temperature is reached.
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My elderly parents, with whom I live, have had the heating on for a while. It's currently set to a temperature somewhere between Nairobi and the Gates of Hell. Needless to say, I am still walking around the house in shorts and a t-shirt.
My elderly parents had a new fangled combi boiler installed last year & can't make it work properly. I guess I'm going to have to RTFM.
My parents had a new boiler installed earlier this year, due to the old one failing some sort of check. Broke my father's heart having to pay for a new boiler (well, for the house - if it was his steam roller he'd cough up without question!) even though the boiler was originally installed before we moved in sometime in 1981 and was probably the original from the 1960s!
Thankfully I have yet to be called upon to sort out the heating! I only fix bikes, computers, televisions and other electronic devices around our house (and increasingly for the surrounding neighbours as well!)
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Long trousers for the first time this weekend, and long sleeve base layer, but it is grimly windy here.
Still sleeping under a sheet, and heating not yet on
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Long trousers for the first time this weekend, and long sleeve base layer, but it is grimly windy here.
Still sleeping under a sheet, and heating not yet on
If your avatar is a picture of you, I can understand
why you're not cold yet.*
*Why the big pause ?
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Long trousers for the first time this weekend, and long sleeve base layer, but it is grimly windy here.
Still sleeping under a sheet, and heating not yet on
If your avatar is a picture of you, I can understand
why you're not cold yet.*
*Why the big pause ?
It is my nickname in the house. Sitting here in a pair of shorts while the other denizens are in dressing gowns under a blanket
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I dont get this when you should turn the heating on thing.
I just have the thermostat set at 18c and if it gets colder it comes on. It never get turned off but there again if its over 18c in the house it doesn't come on.
I'm sure we've done lots of reasons to use and not to use thermostats. Reasons I can think of not to use a thermostat include:
Absence of thermostat
Broken thermostat
Temperature is above your setting but you feel cold.
Temperature is below your setting but you don't feel cold.
Wanting heating for a specific reason, eg drying clothes.
Not wanting heating even though it's cold because eg the house is empty or everyone's fast asleep.
Enjoying variation in temperature.
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We use the thermostat controlled approach, coupled with timed on and off periods. But my wife (who is retired and therefore home during the day frequently) can easily turn it on/off/up/down as she sees fit.
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I've actually put some socks on today.
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Our neighbours beneath us have their flat so warm that we have a constant 22° without having to turn our heating on.
Yeah, I used to live above a cannabis farm as well! There was an added element of excitement not knowing when or if the whole place was going to go up in smoke due to the electrics being plumbed into the street light. ;D
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This post refers:
Ours decided to come on properly a few days ago (red is daily minutes of heating, blue is daily average indoor temperature, green is daily average outdoor temperature):
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/heatinggraph1year.png)
(Let's disregard that pixel of heating in August. Stupid BRITISH weather.)
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Our neighbours beneath us have their flat so warm that we have a constant 22° without having to turn our heating on.
Similar to my first downstairs neighbours. Our landlord - originally from Jamaica - often remarked to me that their flat was too warm for him.
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This post refers:
Ours decided to come on properly a few days ago (red is daily minutes of heating, blue is daily average indoor temperature, green is daily average outdoor temperature):
(http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/heatinggraph1year.png)
(Let's disregard that pixel of heating in August. Stupid BRITISH weather.)
What do you use to record whether your heating is on?
I was just going to ziptie a DS18B20 to the inlet pipe of a radiator (or the CH outflow from the boiler) and graph that. (When I eventually get around to doing a 1-wire notwork.)
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What do you use to record whether your heating is on?
When the system decides to turn the heating on or off, it makes a note of the times, does a bit of arithmetic and throws the result at RRDtool. *handwaves*
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Ah, right, it's because the system decides when to put it on, not a thermostat on the wall or anything else.
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Ah, right, it's because the system decides when to put it on, not a thermostat on the wall or anything else.
Yep. It's controlling a relay in parallel with the thermostat (set to 5C for frost protection) over 1-wire, so logging the times is trivial.
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Can't be that cold yet if there was a wasp in the Estate Office this afternoon!
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A wasp headbutted my window repeatedly yesterday afternoon. Can't say I blame it.
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Our bedroom window has the perfect shape of a large bird with wings outstretched on it, like the most hapless angel. Probably better a wasp.
I missed this one, though the occasional incidental thump seems to be a thing, I presume the angle of light reflecting off the large pane of glass convinces them that they can fly straight on. They can't.
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I've succumbed. All that merrily burning fossil fuel heating up the planet.
Yet again I realise I haven't sorted out an infrared/thermal camera to identify the spots most in need of tackling - probably the whole house as it's victorian 9" brick etc.. If I knew what I was doing I could probably make one myself. But I don't.
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You could make yourself what: an infrared camera or a Victorian 9" brick? If the former, they might be available to hire with operator attached and interpretation of results, advice, etc. We have cheese locally https://cheeseproject.co.uk might be something near you?
If a brick, then you need to start with clay and cheese will only encourage mice. :D
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Yes, but it goes off the minute my wife goes out for the weekend/evening playing Bridge.
I only put the shorts away last week for the winter.
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13C in my flat tonight so I've had the big storage heater on for a couple of hours & have donned the hairy cardie.
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Cold here. 6 degree atm. Heating very much on.
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Not right now. Boiler FUBAR.
Ah well. Replacement being fitted tomorrow sez builder.
Given it should have been done while we were in France in August, along with the remodelling of the bathroom and we haven't actually got a shower yet, I'm not holding my breath...
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Heating on today. Thermostat dipped below 17.5oC.
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Yes I hate to be cold
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Yesterday would not have been a good day for the boiler to fail. So of course it did.
Astonishingly, not only did I manage to contact the famously impossible to contact plumber/boiler chappy, but he actually came within the promised 2 hours.
All good now.
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Heating's been coming on in dribs and drabs since the end of August, but it's been getting going properly as the indoor temperature's taken a dive over the last couple of days.
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I put mine on this week, swapped from shorts to jeans and had a blanket over my lap in my office garret.
Wood burning stove's not been on yet though (but I did make some kindling today).
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Also, how long does it take for the stink to burn off a new oil filled radiator?
I bought one for my garret which I have had turned on full in the wash house (so I don't stink out our flat) a couple of times for 2-3 hours in total and it still stinks. Don't really want to be stuck in my tiny loft with that until the stench has gone.
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6°C this morning woke me up.
Turns out that according to Ventusky it 'Feels like' 2°C.
No wonder it woke me up.
Summer weather windows now shut and the CH is on.
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MrsC and I have just been discussing turning the gas fire in the living room on this evening.
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Warm radiators this morning, poo :-(
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I normally try to leave our heating off until November. Sod that...
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Warm radiators today, yesterday and at the end of August.
My thermostat decides, I observe.
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Not yet, but I am wearing a fleece top & trousers.
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Ours stays “on” year round, governed by the thermostat in the living room. Started coming on in the mornings on Thursday.
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Who thought installing a "nest" stat, and putting the app on Mrs ham's phone was a good idea? Own up now.
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You're either all lightweights or I'm 'kin hard because the most I've had to do on a few days so far is put a jumper on.
I'm still in shorts, I WFH*.
Rides are a different matter; it's getting cold out there.
*I also live alone. That might be a factor.
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I'm still in shorts.
I also live alone.
Other than the voices in my heads.
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Some of us have bidey-ins we can blame for our high thermostat settings...
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I'm thinking that the heating might be a good idea.
I feel the cold too much, and today I went back to bed in the middle of the day, as the allure of a warm duvet appealed more than fighting with bleeding radiators...
J
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Yes, the boy's just asked for it. Claims to be a bit ill. Of course he's only wearing thin cotton clothing (serious point even if made in grumpkin style). Also, we had it on yesterday evening for a short while. Then it was me who put it on. Well, it makes sense to test it before winter gets here (new boiler this spring).
Riding in shorts today though. But with a jacket too.
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[checks calendar] No.
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[checks calendar] No.
[checks thermometer] Yes.
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Half the house just has sheets of OSB nailed over the windows and doors, so we’ve got the wood burner lit.
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I’ve been wearing socks with my sandals for a week or so now...
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Ours stays “on” year round, governed by the thermostat in the living room. Started coming on in the mornings on Thursday.
Same here. Ours kicked in this morning for the first time since whenever last winter stopped.
I put the heating on manually on Friday during the day because my office was f-f-f-f-freezing.
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MrsC and I have just been discussing turning the gas fire in the living room on this evening.
...but in the end we didn't.
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Jumper, trousis, socks, Proper Shoes. Even the conservatory at Fort Larrington is resolutely refusing to warm up today.
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I’ve been wearing socks with my sandals for a week or so now...
... in that case you're very much "on trend" from what I've seen in a couple of press articles today - even David Beckham was pictured in sandals and socks so you're in good (??) company.
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Yes. 2 days ago.
My wife, who has some Italian heritage, also has cancer, and is a bit down atm. Normally (and before she was ill), she'd want the heating on in late August, so well done to her for hanging out for so long.
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Not yet. Socks with sandles :o :facepalm: ;)
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[checks calendar] No.
[checks thermometer] Yes.
[checks YACF]
[sets thermostat to 25 degrees and timer to December]
[sells boiler for scrap and emigrates to Barbados]
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Turned the radiators on in the living room today. Made everything much more comfortable.
J
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We had a noticeable frost last night.
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Fingerless gloves: On.
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So the people on the ground floor are heating the whole block? :demon:
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WFH with a hot water bottle this morning. Window fitters are here, working hard to get the outside on the outside.
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It doesn't seem to be. The other WFH person warms himself with banks of servers but my measly laptop is not doing enough for my feet. Thick socks and merino underthings are not helping enough.
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So the people on the ground floor are heating the whole block? :demon:
I don't know what they do in Slovakia where road-runner is, but in Poland when I lived in a flat, there was a complicated system whereby different flats paid different rates per unit of heat. Discounted rates for being on a corner, for instance. We were on the second or third floor IIRC, definitely not on a corner, and the whole building was clad in some sort of polystyrene, so I'm not sure if our heating bill was reduced from not very much to even less or increased to still not very much.
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MrsC and I have just been discussing turning the gas fire in the living room on this evening.
...but in the end we didn't.
We did this afternoon.
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Too hot for this Unit in the Fort Larrington solarium this morning ???
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Ours has been on since the end of last week.
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Ours was, but I dropped my wife off to the care of the NHS for a week or so this morning, so I've turned it off. The dog does not care and I can put a jumper on if needs be.
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My heating is on. I am sitting here wearing a t-shirt and short trousers (the uniform of covid lockdown). However I always obey my 85 year old mother so I pressed the buttons on the central heating.
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I finally got round to switching on the heating today.
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I'm still holding out, though I've used the 'leccy fan heater in the Estate Office to warm my krutty shins until the Babbage-Engine up there has warmed the room a bit. It only ever sees the sun first thing in the morning, and then only in the summer. And it ent summer any more, because the plumbing has stopped howling when the cistern is refilling.
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Not only has our heating been on for some weeks (my wife feels the cold - around 3am she got up to put her dressing gown on over her nightie, despite our sleeping under a TOG 9 duvet ::-)), I suspect we'll be having our first fire of the season on Saturday evening. And possibly the addition of the TOG 4.5 summer duvet.
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Been on for weeks, though I've nudged it up to 20 degrees a few days back. It's been cold at night for the last few days – I can judge the temperature by the condensation I have to tediously wipe off the windows (ginormous 60s-era picture windows with crappy double glazing makes for an efficient dehumidifier).
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Been on for weeks, though I've nudged it up to 20 degrees a few days back. It's been cold at night for the last few days – I can judge the temperature by the condensation I have to tediously wipe off the windows (ginormous 60s-era picture windows with crappy double glazing makes for an efficient dehumidifier).
I have the same problem with my windows (although I have asked a trusted tradesman mate to price up my house for modern double glaze windows). I may use my dehumidifier (but it is a bit noisy).
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It usually means the temperature outside is below 5 (and we don't run the heating overnight, so the temperature drops and helps the process along). I have idly contemplated having the sealed units replaced (but I'm not sure the energy-saving, or my effort with a cloth, would justify the cost and hassle) – we did have the window in my office done when we moved and that's the only one that remains condensation-free. That said, the gardeners did have the unit in one of the patio doors replaced when they strimmed a stone through it, and that's still a bit shit (but I suspect they bought the cheapest unit possible).
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In the urban heat island of the Isle of Dogs we haven't cracked yet but tonight might be a test... On the other hand only a few more days until December!
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Still holding out in E17 but it's a bit nippy in here atm…
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Stuck it on last night. It was -2⁰c this morning.
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Just succumbed. If you can see your breath in the living room, it’s probably time.
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As I've got a bit of a sniffle & a koff I put the storage heater in the bedroom on for a few hours last night. First time it's been on in several years so it stank the place out. It made the bedroom a bit warmer , which is probably why I had strange dreams & overslept.
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Cuddling with the portable oil radiator in my office, I fought the cold and the cold won. I suppose I should be generous and just turn the central heating back on, I think there's someone upstairs. But cold builds character, ask Capt Oates.
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Trousers on!
This week in my unheated office, I have had to transition from short to troos
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Not only do I have the heating on today, I also have two hot water bottles.
Don't know why I'm feeling the badly so much today. Probably a sign of impending illness...
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As I've got a bit of a sniffle & a koff I put the storage heater in the bedroom on for a few hours last night. First time it's been on in several years so it stank the place out. It made the bedroom a bit warmer , which is probably why I had strange dreams & overslept.
This year I actually remembered to run the fan heaters at full power aimed out of an open window for a minute before using them in earnest.
Not so practical with a storage heater, unfortunately.
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Not only do I have the heating on today, I also have two hot water bottles.
Don't know why I'm feeling the badly so much today. Probably a sign of impending illness...
Hasn't the outdoor temperature in SE England dropped from about 10C last week to 3C today?
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Not only do I have the heating on today, I also have two hot water bottles.
Don't know why I'm feeling the badly so much today. Probably a sign of impending illness...
Hasn't the outdoor temperature in SE England dropped from about 10C last week to 3C today?
3C?
It has been 0 or lower here for a few days.
No heating in my 'office'.
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Still in shorts.
Last night's foray to the Co-Op was errrr.... character forming.
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Trousers on!
This week in my unheated office, I have had to transition from short to troos
I made the switch from non-lined Craghoppers Pro Stretch to the fleecy winter lined version several weeks ago - and that's with the heating on!
I've discovered the window beside my desk is not totally draught-free...
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Not only do I have the heating on today, I also have two hot water bottles.
Don't know why I'm feeling the badly so much today. Probably a sign of impending illness...
Hasn't the outdoor temperature in SE England dropped from about 10C last week to 3C today?
3C?
It has been 0 or lower here for a few days.
No heating in my 'office'.
I think we're Souther than you...
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I think we're Souther than you...
And in an urban heat island too...
Around the Vale of Aylesbury it was somewhere near 0 in the fog from Thursday pm until mid-morning today. My Sunday morning ride was definitely cool.
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Twice this week the frost protection feature on our boiler has kicked in, which has puzzled us. It took a while to work out what it was, partly because it's new for us – this boiler was new in spring and the old one didn't have it, but also because, being activated by water temperature in the tank, it bears no relation to the room temperature. Last week was much colder than this week but it never come on. Maybe the cold water takes a week or two to make its way down from the Mendip aquifers, but you'd think then it would warm up as it enters the reservoirs.
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Been having a lot of issues with the bleed valve on one of our radiators being seized. The radiator has been full of air for months. Which has meant over driving the other one in the room to compensate. After soaking the valve in WD40, and a bit of a brute force, I managed to get it open. It took 17 minutes for all the air to come out. I think this was the last go of the valve, as it was a complete bitch to close it again. The plumbing is technically maintained by the building mangelement company, so I have to wait for them to come and fix it. I've been waiting for weeks. But with -10°C - -13°C on the forecast, I needed both working.
Temp has gone up 0.7°C since I got it working.
J
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I don't have the heating on at all in my flat most days. It stays 18-20 degrees anyway.
Presumably the downstairs neighbour has their heat on roasting...
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Been having a lot of issues with the bleed valve on one of our radiators being seized. The radiator has been full of air for months. Which has meant over driving the other one in the room to compensate. After soaking the valve in WD40, and a bit of a brute force, I managed to get it open. It took 17 minutes for all the air to come out. I think this was the last go of the valve, as it was a complete bitch to close it again. The plumbing is technically maintained by the building mangelement company, so I have to wait for them to come and fix it. I've been waiting for weeks. But with -10°C - -13°C on the forecast, I needed both working.
Temp has gone up 0.7°C since I got it working.
J
Sometimes you can blow an air pocket through by turning off all the other rads and switching on the heating/pump.
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Sometimes you can blow an air pocket through by turning off all the other rads and switching on the heating/pump.
Unfortunately it's a communal system I only have access to the radiators themselves. The rest is hidden down in some basement somewhere, along with the heat exchanger.
The upside is that my heating is derived from waste heat from a local power plant, the pipework is routed under the cycle lanes, which helps keep them clearer of ice.
But the downside of being the top floor is that all the air for the apartments below me collect in my radiators.
The other radiator in the room is making a trickling sound. When I try to bleed it, water comes out. This has been diagnosed to: radiator not level any more. Hopefully if building manglement ever get a plumber out to me, they can fix that at the same time...
J
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But the downside of being the top floor is that all the air for the apartments below me collect in my radiators.
The upside of the being the top floor is that all the hot air from the apartments below you collects in your flat.
The downside of being the ground floor is that all the hot air from your apartment escapes to the higher flats.
Best to live on a middle floor and get other people's heat while all your air escapes!
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Talking to my housemate, she points out that the the reason there's a stack of paper under one end of the radiator is because it was sagging... I added some more cardboard to lift it up a bit. But that wasn't enough. I ended up using a lever to lift it up and bleed it. Not pretty. From what I can tell both brackets on that end have bent.
I got some air out, the trickling sound has reduced a lot. I'll give it another go in a bit.
Am glad I have welding gauntlets*. These radiators are hot now!
J
* I use them as oven gloves, as they are more effective as oven gloves than any thing sold as oven gloves!
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Heating's turned on. 11C out, 20C in. Probably need to turn the stat down really. When do we get some warm weather..?
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Heatings not been off. It was switched from “all day” to morning and evening about a month ago. Profligate perhaps, but my wife is an 8st 77 year old, and feels the cold. Stat set to 18C.
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Mrs A asked if why the heating was not on but Alexa says our sitting room is 21.5C.
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Ah nothing like the smell of the heating turning on, on summer solstice
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Yep, ours came on this morning.
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Yup.
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Mine switched on this morning.
Thermostat is the judge.
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I have just, in the past few minutes, pulled out of a planned skinny dip with a pal of mine. She's a hardy perennial and has been swimming throughout the winter, including when the water temperature was 2°C and the air temperature -2°C. She was perfectly understanding.
High tide is at 10.23 this evening, which would have been perfect had we been enjoying last Monday's weather instead of this. We haven't got the heating on, but are are dressed in more clothes than usual. 13°C outside at the moment, 19°C inside.
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I think the heating would probably have come on by now if I hadn't disconnected the interface for the benefit of the landlord's elec-chickens and failed to get round to reconnecting it because heatwave.
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Nope as house is still over 18c
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12°C outside here.
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Fired up here, the hallway dropped below 20 degrees, which is a rare occurrence in the summer months owing to the natural heat from the Hell portal below. Not sure if it came on this morning, I was busy sleeping. If there's one plus, the bedroom is cooler.
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Heating isn't on, but I forgot to close the window last night, so it got down to just over 18°C this morning, it's now back up to 22.6°C. Heating is disabled for the summer. It's been cloudy and raining all day, so not sure where the heat is coming from...
J
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No, 12c outside 20 inside. Went big on insulation last spring.
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Haven't heard the boiler fired up for a while.
Room with the heating has been well over the set 18C for a while, despite being north facing and the outside temperature having varied in the teens the last few weeks, garage is also warm and holding heat which might be due to lack of roof insulation and getting sunlight on the tiles most of the day (wonders what that might be useful for...)
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To my mind this just shows the silliness of letting your heating be controlled solely by a thermostat, taking no notice of factors like time of day, how long it stays at that temperature, humidity, sunshine and so on. YHMV.
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To my mind this just shows the silliness of letting your heating be controlled solely by a thermostat, taking no notice of factors like time of day, how long it stays at that temperature, humidity, sunshine and so on. YHMV.
My thermostat does all that. (Except for humidity)
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Indeed, so does mine, and it's cold so it came on. I think the only other variable is the fact I'm determined to wear shorts till October.
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Down from ~27°C to 17 this morning. It's pissing down. Still 25° indoors, though.
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I was regretting the switch to my summer weight duvet at audax o'clock this morning.
(For clarity, the regretting was happening in the early hours. The switch from Many Togs to Few Togs happened a couple of weeks ago)
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Mine didn't come on.
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To my mind this just shows the silliness of letting your heating be controlled solely by a thermostat, taking no notice of factors like time of day, how long it stays at that temperature, humidity, sunshine and so on. YHMV.
My CH controller has settings for what I define as 'night' and different settings for Mon-Fri and Sat/Sun.
I'm happy with the temperature in the house come rain or shine.
Dehumidifiers are in action and have humidistats too.
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Heating still not on. But have dug out an extra wool blanket as my duvet isn't warm enough.
J
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To my mind this just shows the silliness of letting your heating be controlled solely by a thermostat, taking no notice of factors like time of day, how long it stays at that temperature, humidity, sunshine and so on. YHMV.
Works fine for me, not been cold at all, and actually it's set to 14 overnight
The only improvement would be temperature controlled TRVs because in winter the north rooms are cold while the south rooms are warm and having the control unit in a north room means I'm fiddling with the trvs in the south rooms.
Relative Humidity isn't getting much below 80 round here until winter either...
4.5 tog duvet went on around the same time as the house started holding heat obtained from outside through the night rather than needing assistance from the north sea.
Even cooking I seem to struggle to use more £ worth of gas than my standing charge just now.
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This morning, the stat was within 0.5C of turning the heating on.
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Huh!
Mine came on briefly a couple of days ago but only because I had changed the controller and overlooked the fact that the new default settings would be different to those on the old one. :facepalm:
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The cat’s coat is starting to grow thicker.
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Mine was on briefly yesterday, but only to test the new boiler. Though I wouldn't be surprised to see it kicking in soon - it's been a bit chilly in the mornings recently.
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Mine came on for a few minutes the other day, because I had all the windows open due to using degreaser, and forgot to tell the heating not to come on until I heard the boiler.
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Our boiler (the heating part) just gets switched off completely for the summer and into Autumn so it can't start.
Annoyingly the motorised valve that controls the HW jammed yesterday at some time and we'd run the tank down to cold . . . simple remedy to waggle the little lever about to free it and (another) note to self "Replace motor in valve with the new one that's in the box on top of the tank" . . . . tomorrow never comes
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I need to program it not to run the heating while windows (other than the bathroom) are open, really.
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Temp has dropped inside my flat to 22°C. Even with my big thick hoodie on I'm cold.
Figured as it's almost October, and past the equinox I can forgive myself for turning the heating on.
Except...
There's no heat coming out the radiators, even with the valves turned up to max. Tried bleeding the radiators. No air comes out.
So I guess the building wide system hasn't been turned on yet :(
J
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22C is a warm summer day. Do you feel cold when the temperature is 22 in, say, June or August? Genuinely curious.
By coincidence I bumped into my neighbour today and she asked if I had the heating on. We don't, nor does she, but I think she said some parts of uni (she works there in some sort of para-academic capacity) have and she suffers from the excess heat.
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22C is a warm summer day. Do you feel cold when the temperature is 22 in, say, June or August? Genuinely curious.
By coincidence I bumped into my neighbour today and she asked if I had the heating on. We don't, nor does she, but I think she said some parts of uni (she works there in some sort of para-academic capacity) have and she suffers from the excess heat.
Indoors, in June-August, 22°C means it's night time... My flat is south facing, it's averaged over 24°C for the since about June...
J
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I think the difference is that when the thermostat reads 22 in June, the air in the room is mostly at 22. When it reads 22 in September, the air at thermostat height might be 22, but at floor level it's a lot colder.
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I agree there's a difference in how 22C feels between summer and autumn, or for that matter winter and spring (which is why I don't think controlling the heating by thermostat alone is particularly good [especially if you don't have a thermostat!]) though I'd always put it down to the effect of sunshine, which is probably as much psychological as strictly thermal. Different layers of temperature within a room is a good point; it's a good (possibly) argument for either underfloor heating or living on the ceiling (with or without Blancmange).
22C is a warm summer day. Do you feel cold when the temperature is 22 in, say, June or August? Genuinely curious.
By coincidence I bumped into my neighbour today and she asked if I had the heating on. We don't, nor does she, but I think she said some parts of uni (she works there in some sort of para-academic capacity) have and she suffers from the excess heat.
Indoors, in June-August, 22°C means it's night time... My flat is south facing, it's averaged over 24°C for the since about June...
J
Okay, so do you feel cold when it's 22C at night time in June? And what about outside?
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I think the difference is that when the thermostat reads 22 in June, the air in the room is mostly at 22. When it reads 22 in September, the air at thermostat height might be 22, but at floor level it's a lot colder.
Temp at shoulder height (sat at desk) - 22.5°C
Temp at ankle height - 21.8°C
53.7% humidity.
I agree there's a difference in how 22C feels between summer and autumn, or for that matter winter and spring (which is why I don't think controlling the heating by thermostat alone is particularly good [especially if you don't have a thermostat!]) though I'd always put it down to the effect of sunshine, which is probably as much psychological as strictly thermal. Different layers of temperature within a room is a good point; it's a good (possibly) argument for either underfloor heating or living on the ceiling (with or without Blancmange).
The control for heating here is a valve on the radiators, with a scale from * to 5. Set, and hope.
Okay, so do you feel cold when it's 22C at night time in June? And what about outside?
Yes, and don't know. I don't have temp measuring stuff when outside. I also don't tend to sit outside, I'm either walking, or cycling.
J
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You are spending insufficient time in outdoor cafes!
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I think the difference is that when the thermostat reads 22 in June, the air in the room is mostly at 22. When it reads 22 in September, the air at thermostat height might be 22, but at floor level it's a lot colder.
Temp at shoulder height (sat at desk) - 22.5°C
Temp at ankle height - 21.8°C
53.7% humidity.
It's not a big difference in fact, but that might well increase later in the year I suppose.
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You are spending insufficient time in outdoor cafes!
There's a plague...
and I don't like crowds...
J
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Jumper on.
Currently showing 12°C indoors, 17°C outdoors, with a stiff breeze and a cloudless sky.
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Our old flat we were on the first floor and the lounge was south-ish facing. In the new Pingu Towers my office is south facing with GBFO windaes and the lounge is North facing. So I'm spending all afternoon in a lovely warm room (now, it was a bit too hot a couple of weeks ago) and then coming down and sitting in a freezing cold lounge.
I popped up there for something at 6pm today and it was 20°C, in the lounge it's 14.8°C. Brr! I guess this would be a case study for one of those zonal heating control thingies.
Ninkasi keeps voting with her paws and staying at work late too...
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Heating has not yet come on.
Partner is moaning.
Thermostat is set for 21.0C
Display on CN controller reads 21.7C.
Too bad...
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Our old flat we were on the first floor and the lounge was south-ish facing. In the new Pingu Towers my office is south facing with GBFO windaes and the lounge is North facing. So I'm spending all afternoon in a lovely warm room (now, it was a bit too hot a couple of weeks ago) and then coming down and sitting in a freezing cold lounge.
I popped up there for something at 6pm today and it was 20°C, in the lounge it's 14.8°C. Brr! I guess this would be a case study for one of those zonal heating control thingies.
Ninkasi keeps voting with her paws and staying at work late too...
This was a problem when I lived in the garret, only one big east facing window but all the heat liked to collect up there.
Yesterday I discovered that Bob the thermostat-boiler control unit had crashed at somepoint during the summer and wasn't responding to either app, thermostat or even whacking the button on the control unit. The app also still isn't working.
Anyway this morning the temperature was 18c in the room with the thermostat when I woke up, and that is the trigger temp, whether the heating had been on while I slept I do not know.
I then put the fire on last night because I was reading and felt like it, after all I have cheap gas until either February or when shell collapse...
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I'm trying to hold out until 1st October, though it's been chilly today (14-15°C in my "office" all day).
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Thermostat set for 18.5°. Heating has come on three nights running.
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Thermostat set for 18.5°. Heating has come on three nights running.
Same temp. On the last three mornings (06:15), plus this early evening (but wife had left the back door propped open to facilitate my returning with the week’s shopping.
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First log burn of the year, tosty
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I raised the thermostat to 20C when barakta came home from hospital (she's living in the dining room for the next few months until she can climb stairs safely, and the downstairs is usually a couple of degrees colder than upstairs). It's come on a few times in the last couple of days, and I ran it manually at one point to overheat the room before washing her hair.
My feet are now in their not-summer state of perpetual coldness, but it's my fingers that are really suffering on account of the extra hand-washing.
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D's hands are cold. D is cold.
I'm OK sitting in my polo shirt.
I don't really want to heat to more than 21C.
That's nnot TOO mean, is it?
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I raised the thermostat to 20C when barakta came home from hospital (she's living in the dining room for the next few months until she can climb stairs safely, and the downstairs is usually a couple of degrees colder than upstairs).
I was cold in your dining room last January! This is pointed out in the spirit of irony rather than criticism. I was also a bit tired, having got up at earlier than normal o'clock, skimped on breakfast to do so, then sat inactive in a car for a couple of hours, so it wasn't entirely due to the temperature of your dining room.
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A week ago it seemed that getting to the end of the month without heating would be easy! The gas heating is still off but I'm cheating: I kept a storage heater that can keep 2 rooms warmish all day (I added insulation, so none of this 25+ going down to FA left in evening).
Not walking much today, so trousers methinks. Yesterday was breezy in shorts but I was just getting hot after about 3 miles.
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We will definitely make it until tomorrow.
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16°C in my living room this morning. I've put a 2nd layer on & am contemplating closing the window transoms. The only heat source is a massive storage heater right next to my desk, if I put that on I'll be too warm all day!
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We will definitely make it until tomorrow.
Ditto - I'm wearing shorts .... Mrs robgul is wearing jeans and a fleece gilet. Raining but not cold here . . . . some of the garden furniture will be put in the shed today.
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It doesn't seem to be. The other WFH person warms himself with banks of servers but my measly laptop is not doing enough for my feet. Thick socks and merino underthings are not helping enough.
12 months later and the same sitch.
I'm trying to work here but am too blimmin cold.
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14°C at my desk and I'm freezing. My resolve may well crack today...
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My late wife would have had the heating on several days ago, but I'm trying not to. Jumpers just been dug out and the shorts may have had their last outing for this year.
I did have a hospital procedure yesterday though and was feeling very sorry for myself last night so put the lounge gas fire on for a couple of hours and shut the doors. Does that count?
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CH heating on today with thermostat ~19C, but on control timer & adjusted to the new post-bust-energy-company saver regime...
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My heating came on briefly earlier.
Southern softie.
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Shorts and jumper. In transition mode.
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Shorts and jumper. In transition mode.
I can identify with that approach...
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I've been wearing shorts with a fleece the last couple of weeks but this morning I was thinking the shorts will be going away soon. I've got to be in the actual office all next week so it'll be proper trousers (boo) then anyway.
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Two fleeces and a gilet here. Temperature in this room is about 19º. I am probably a wuss.
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Three fleeces here, 18C.
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Wearing a beanie hat* to help keep body-heat in. :thumbsup:
*and other bodily clothes.
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I did shorts right up until Xmas eve last year.
Going to go for the same if poss.
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
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16°C outside, 18°C inside at the moment. I haven't contemplated putting the heating on yet, and tomorrow we are off to Crowborough for 3 nights' camping.
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...and I've just turned the heating on.
@slugbait Our house is probably not that well insulated. We do have fairly new double glazing, but the loft was sort-of converted to an extra room so there's not much insulation up there. I don't think we have cavity wall insulation.
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No insulation please, we're BRITISH.
The 1841 house part retains warmth fairly well due to the thick walls, despite the rattly sash windows, but the 1970s flat-roofed "granny annexe" is a thermal sieve.
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
Yes. I find homes in .NL to be warmer than those in the UK. Most Dutch homes I visit are much more modern, which helps.
I got home from work to find the radiators have started working and are pumping out heat.
So it's now 21.8°C at schoulder height (seated), by my desk, and 20.4°C at ankle height...
Think I need to kick them up a bit further.
J
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
What is this "summer warmth"? ???
My flat is fairly cool all year round, but is definitely lacking in insulation (and also has old sash windows, which probably don't help).
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No insulation please, we're BRITISH
My previous apartment (in a typical 1930s Dutch building) was also horrible. The wind blew straight through it. The current house (built in 2008) is a massive improvement. I didn't realize that I would appreciate insulation this much.
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
What is this "summer warmth"? ???
My flat is fairly cool all year round, but is definitely lacking in insulation (and also has old sash windows, which probably don't help).
Are you living on the Shetlands? I'm talking about those days in July and August when the thermometer occasionally hits 25 degrees.
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
What is this "summer warmth"? ???
On the contrary.
Your draughty sash windows, likely as not, will reduce the likelihood of condensation forming.
My flat is fairly cool all year round, but is definitely lacking in insulation (and also has old sash windows, which probably don't help).
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Yes, but as I'm still in shorts and T-Shirt, I'm in the sitting room with windows open and radiator off
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
What is this "summer warmth"? ???
On the contrary.
Your draughty sash windows, likely as not, will reduce the likelihood of condensation forming.
My flat is fairly cool all year round, but is definitely lacking in insulation (and also has old sash windows, which probably don't help).
I get plenty of condensation, too - have noticed it the past few days (yay for my new toy, the Karcher window vac!).
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Had to tweak the radiators a bit. Temp now 23°C at Shoulder height (sitting), but still 20.9°C at Ankle level.
I'm guessing it's going to take a while for things to circulate properly.
J
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No insulation please, we're BRITISH.
The 1841 house part retains warmth fairly well due to the thick walls, despite the rattly sash windows, but the 1970s flat-roofed "granny annexe" is a thermal sieve.
This is a description that resonates here.
Last year we had the sash windows renovated, so they have better draught proofing (and the actually open!!)
The 1980 casement windows have dun a bad rot and are awaiting replacement.
The wall they are in are of poor quality and cannot have much dine to them.
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No insulation please, we're BRITISH.
The 1841 house part retains warmth fairly well due to the thick walls, despite the rattly sash windows, but the 1970s flat-roofed "granny annexe" is a thermal sieve.
This is a description that resonates here.
Last year we had the sash windows renovated, so they have better draught proofing (and the actually open!!)
The 1980 casement windows have dun a bad rot and are awaiting replacement.
The wall they are in are of poor quality and cannot have much dine to them.
It amazes me how awful a lot of the UK housing stock is from an energy efficiency point of view. And in many cases it's next to impossible to improve it without either demolishing it, or essentially adding an extra house over the top of the existing one.
Not to mention the planning committees that stop many a house being improved because it would change the character of the building...
It's gonna be a tough one esp in 10, 20, 30 years time when climate change really starts to bight, and the ability to burn dinosaur farts for warmth is no longer an option.
J
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What QG says is true.
It is a little-known fact that some years ago, one D. Amess, MP for Saarfend West, "won" the ballot to get parliamentary time for a private member's bill. The result was something called the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. I've never bothered looking at this act, but my guess would be that it's pretty useless. Amess is generally quite useless at everything he does.
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No insulation please, we're BRITISH.
The 1841 house part retains warmth fairly well due to the thick walls, despite the rattly sash windows, but the 1970s flat-roofed "granny annexe" is a thermal sieve.
This is a description that resonates here.
Last year we had the sash windows renovated, so they have better draught proofing (and the actually open!!)
The 1980 casement windows have dun a bad rot and are awaiting replacement.
The wall they are in are of poor quality and cannot have much dine to them.
It amazes me how awful a lot of the UK housing stock is from an energy efficiency point of view. And in many cases it's next to impossible to improve it without either demolishing it, or essentially adding an extra house over the top of the existing one.
Not to mention the planning committees that stop many a house being improved because it would change the character of the building...
It's gonna be a tough one esp in 10, 20, 30 years time when climate change really starts to bight, and the ability to burn dinosaur farts for warmth is no longer an option.
J
Several factors at work.
The housing stock will generally be older on average than a young country's stock.
Replacement isn't necessarily a good thing, if you look at overall carbon cost. Check out the news items on Architects pushing developers to refurb rather than destroy and rebuild.
I went on a fact finding mission to Belfast in the 1990's. There was a lot of regeneration. They were blowing up the Divis flats (1960s?) and building sensitive, community-type developments.
The Housing Person (cannot remember how important he was, but fairly) said that at the current rate of replacement, it would take 1,000 years to replace all the housing stock in Norn Iron.
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1st October, and the boiler has been fired up. :thumbsup:
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1st October, and the boiler has been fired up. :thumbsup:
I too gave in and switched it all on this morning (actually last night adjusting all the Hive controls ready for today) . . . . bleeding radiators will be the job for today.
Mysteriously the Smart Meter monitor isn't showing any gas consumption despite the boiler running for CH (the HW that's from the boiler has shown on the monitor since the SMs were installed in July) - monitor is off now pending a re-boot later this morning.
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Don't restart, since you have you found free energy ;)
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Unlikely that our CH will be turned on until the temperature drops consistently. It's not cold here in Rugby and as seasoned campers we are used to putting on an extra layer if the need is felt.
I'll perhaps run the boiler up to test it in a week or two.
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Several factors at work.
The housing stock will generally be older on average than a young country's stock.
Replacement isn't necessarily a good thing, if you look at overall carbon cost. Check out the news items on Architects pushing developers to refurb rather than destroy and rebuild.
I went on a fact finding mission to Belfast in the 1990's. There was a lot of regeneration. They were blowing up the Divis flats (1960s?) and building sensitive, community-type developments.
The Housing Person (cannot remember how important he was, but fairly) said that at the current rate of replacement, it would take 1,000 years to replace all the housing stock in Norn Iron.
Exactly the embodied energy of the housing stock is considerable. If you have a house that costs you €1500 more per year to heat, than if you demolished it, and rebuilt it to the highest modern standard, but that rebuild is going to cost €150000 to do, then it's hard to argue in favour of it when that's a 100 year pay back time. Esp as the person occupying it now is not going to see that 100 years.
In many respects the UK pays a massive price for being first. First with the railways, we pay the price of a stupidly small loading gauge. Very early participant in the industrial revolution, we pay with a fuck ton of very shitterly built housing stock. etc...
One thing we should at least be doing is making sure all new builds are as energy efficient as possible. But of course that's not happening cos all the developers have found it's more efficient to spend the money on bribing the tories, rather than making their product better...
Ironic that in a future governed by global warming, a lot of us are going to be much much colder.
J
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We haven't put the heat on. Currently 12°C outside, 19°C inside. That will probably have dropped to 17°C in the morning.
I'm probably in better physical condition than I have been in the autumn for at least 7 years: I'm doing a lot of walking, cycling and sea swimming so presumably my muscle mass is rather higher than it was (>11000 paces or equivalent a day over the year so far) and keeping me warmer. Jan hasn't complained. She's been walking a bit as well but hasn't been cycling or swimming.
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Currently 24.3°C at shoulder height, 22.7°C at ankle height. A very comfortable temp for working at my laptop. I may turn the radiators down a little tho, it feels a bit excessive.
Went into the bedroom last night to find it at 20.1°C, and I couldn't turn the radiator on as I'd piled a load of junk against it. Have now fixed it. Hopefully tonight I will be a more comfortable nights sleep.
J
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One thing we should at least be doing is making sure all new builds are as energy efficient as possible. But of course that's not happening cos all the developers have found it's more efficient to spend the money on bribing the tories, rather than making their product better...
I believe this is a factor in ghastly people blocking motorways and Making It Difficult for Hard Working Families.
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Dunno if I've posted one of these before, but I found that plotting daily average temperatures[1] alongside heating use was quite informative. Victorian houses are all thermal mass, no insulation.
(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/random/heating_on_2012.png)
[1] Mean of hourly readings from all rooms.
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Nice graph.
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Dunno if I've posted one of these before, but I found that plotting daily average temperatures[1] alongside heating use was quite informative. Victorian houses are all thermal mass, no insulation.
What software/gubbinses do you use to log these?
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It amazes me how awful a lot of the UK housing stock is from an energy efficiency point of view. And in many cases it's next to impossible to improve it without either demolishing it, or essentially adding an extra house over the top of the existing one.
It's worth remembering that differing qualities in housing has always existed in the UK.
I live in a 1890's flat, that is part of a terraced house, originally designed for the workers of a mill opposite.
It's single brick and as regards building quality - utter shite.
Elsewhere in Chesham you can find beautifully built, thick walled houses of the same era that are worlds apart in terms of quality - and so much versatile to adapt and improve
in line with modern standards.
The council houses/ flats built after the war during the late 1950's were all internal solid wall construction and some of the best social housing we've ever built.
Then the 1960's arrived followed by the 1970's and a bit like the car industry [gotta love British Leyland, cracks me up] we managed to lower the standards alarmingly. Compared to what went before, some of the garbage that was built is shameful.
And onto today.
As regards insulation though, it's a slippery character, you have to be careful what you're doing with it. People wonder why that stuff the loft full on insulation, block up the air vents of suspended floors and then wonder the roof is dripping with condensation and the floor joists are starting to rot. If you've got a lot of timber in a house....it HAS to breathe. You can still insulate but it's important to respect how the building works. In an odd way a house is a living breathing thing!!
Anecdotally, my flat is flying freehold, suspended over an alleyway. I replaced all the old lathe and plaster ceilings with 100ml celotex and plasterboard some years ago.
In the winter, I can return home and it feels like the central heating has been on low all day [even though I have no central heating] but in the summer, when it's hot [sometimes] it's created a whole loads of other issues - once the heat gets in it's a bloody nightmare trying to cool the thing down again!! I don't want a heat box in the summer! [closes all windows and doors] .
Double-edged sword. Insulation can make a house much colder too. But that's what insulation is supposed to do, right? It works both ways. So now, with the celotex reflecting heat away, on those sunny spring and autumn days, I'm not getting the sun radiating through a poorly insulated ceiling, and I've made the place cooler than it was before.
It's a slippery beast.
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Dunno if I've posted one of these before, but I found that plotting daily average temperatures[1] alongside heating use was quite informative. Victorian houses are all thermal mass, no insulation.
What software/gubbinses do you use to log these?
It's a vastly complex and fairly expensive homebrew system based on an assortment of Raspberry Pis, ESP microcontrollers, Dallas one-wire sensors and the usual Linux applications. The primary function is to provide visual alerting and communication for barakta, but heating/lighting control and environmental monitoring are a useful spin-off (it being relatively easy to add sensors once you have a micro in every room). If I just wanted to do heating control, I certainly wouldn't start from here.
If I handwave the hardware and assume that there's something spewing temperature readings and boiler status to MQTT, then the answer in this instance is "a hacky Java application that collates the data and RRDtool to plot the graphs".
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I have resisted approaching the radio controlled device which fires up the boiler.
I have, however, closed the window in my office/studio/workshop.
It'll probably stay that way until mid May next year.
The bedroom windows remain open.
For the moment.
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When we rejigged the Grand Bedchamber of Larrington Towers into a split-level creation we installed a new “ceiling” attached to the whatever-you-call-those-sloping-wooden-beams-that-support-the-roof, molished from Celotex. The vast majority of it faces more or less west, which means that in the summer it's fighting a losing battle with the black slate roof :-\ It's probably begging to have solar panels installed on it, but that would involve disagreeable Stuffs like spending money and laying waste the triffids in the front yard.
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When we rejigged the Grand Bedchamber of Larrington Towers into a split-level creation we installed a new “ceiling” attached to the whatever-you-call-those-sloping-wooden-beams-that-support-the-roof, molished from Celotex. The vast majority of it faces more or less west, which means that in the summer it's fighting a losing battle with the black slate roof :-\ It's probably begging to have solar panels installed on it, but that would involve disagreeable Stuffs like spending money and laying waste the triffids in the front yard.
How about an Archimedes-style lens, to slay the triffids (also sqrls) from a distance using solar power?
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Thermostat meant heating fired this morning for a short time.
His Nibs was too cold when he came down for breakfast and put heating on for MOAR WARMTH but has now reverted setting to 'Auto'.
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I've been in the loft and checked the header tank. It's the first time I've been up there for a while and it's significantly easier since I've lost weight. There was no water in the tank so I bunged 3 or 4 litres in and turned the heating on. The radiators are warming up and only one (so far) had any air in it. After tea I will check everything again.
I don't think we will keep it on for very long, but it seems like a good idea to test it on a "borderline" sort of day like today.
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When we rejigged the Grand Bedchamber of Larrington Towers into a split-level creation we installed a new “ceiling” attached to the whatever-you-call-those-sloping-wooden-beams-that-support-the-roof, molished from Celotex. The vast majority of it faces more or less west, which means that in the summer it's fighting a losing battle with the black slate roof :-\ It's probably begging to have solar panels installed on it, but that would involve disagreeable Stuffs like spending money and laying waste the triffids in the front yard.
How about an Archimedes-style lens, to slay the triffids (also sqrls) from a distance using solar power?
I'm not sure, but I think the Hillyfield Primary Academy might take a dim view of the installation of such a device on their roof ;D Also, we've only got one sqrl around here so they ent a problem. Now if it could be used on pigeons, or — better — the terrible git who keeps feeding them…
Down below 20 C in the Estate Office for the first time since Bog knows when. I may have to start wearing long trousers in the next few weeks.
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Talking of terrible gits who keep feeding things, a friend told me the other day that his landlady's daughter goes out every night to feed the foxes. ::-)
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Some totally FREE! heat to keep the damp off, courtesy of the cherry prunings from last year.
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I've been in the loft and checked the header tank. It's the first time I've been up there for a while and it's significantly easier since I've lost weight. There was no water in the tank so I bunged 3 or 4 litres in and turned the heating on.
Isn't there supposed to be a ball valve for that sort of thing?
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I've been in the loft and checked the header tank. It's the first time I've been up there for a while and it's significantly easier since I've lost weight. There was no water in the tank so I bunged 3 or 4 litres in and turned the heating on.
Isn't there supposed to be a ball valve for that sort of thing?
Quite possibly. But, given that apart from the cold tap in the kitchen, all of our water is softened, it's just as well there isn't. I have been told by a plumbery-type heating engineer that softened water had a tendency to dissolve heat exchangers.
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Whereas hard water just scales them up...
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Hard or soft water doesn't really matter in a sealed system as it never changes and the inhibitor sorts out most variables in the water.
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Is it just me or is everyone here just living in poorly insulated buildings? Today and yesterday the outside temperature was 12/13 degrees at most and my living room is still at a comfortable 20 degrees. My house usually retains the summer warmth well into October, early November the heating is triggered. (It does help that 17 degrees is room temperature for me.)
What is this "summer warmth"? ???
My flat is fairly cool all year round, but is definitely lacking in insulation (and also has old sash windows, which probably don't help).
Are you living on the Shetlands? I'm talking about those days in July and August when the thermometer occasionally hits 25 degrees.
Even as far south as the Isle of May, 20c is a heatwave.
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I'm coaxing the log burner through its first fire of the season.
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WE are trying to avoid using the gas central heating. We have an oil filled radiator which has kept warm the two rooms we spend most of our time in. I don't think that will be sufficient in the depths of winter though.
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I switched the heating from off, to 18C for a few hours earlier. I'm not sure it's actually kicked in yet, but it's there for when it's needed.
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I'm coaxing the log burner through its first fire of the season.
They can be buggers to light when the grate is empty, as the heat is sucked away through the base of the fire. Much easier with half an inch of ashes.
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I'm coaxing the log burner through its first fire of the season.
They can be buggers to light when the grate is empty, as the heat is sucked away through the base of the fire. Much easier with half an inch of ashes.
Quite, plus the danger of a cold air plug in the chimney which results in smoke leaking from the door seams and vents instead of going up the chimney. Burning a sheet of newspaper first before lighting the kindling usually sorts this. Plus ours has a back boiler which feeds the heat store but its a pumped up and over system rather than a gravity loop so we also have the fun of bringing it up to temperature whilst listening to make sure the pump kicks in after a summer of slumber and that it doesn't start boiling the water in the pipes instead.
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Still not cracked yet... But it is double jumper time now. Partly resisting in order to gauge how effective our new double glazing is.
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Still not cracked yet... But it is double jumper time now. Partly resisting in order to gauge how effective our new double glazing is.
Respect!
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With the weatherman* – who knows which way the wind blows – predicting a daytime high of 3 C tomorrow it may soon be time to turn all namby-pamby.
* actually it was TV's Sarah Keith-Lucas but she wasn’t born when His Bobness wrote Subterranean Homesick Blues
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Temp inside my flat has dropped by about 1°C. Am feeling it despite being in theory "thermostatic" radiator valves, they seem to be unable to keep the room at a set temp, but rather a set ratio between in and out. Might have to fight through the triffids to fettle the valve.
J
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I find wearing a scarf in the house helps to keep me warm.
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Yep, I'm into scarves indoors. Have been for a few weeks cos wheelchairing it is much colder than being mobile.
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My underfloor heating is broken.
Aka my downstairs neighbour is on holiday for a month.
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My underfloor heating is broken.
Aka my downstairs neighbour is on holiday for a month.
For years we have had a warm bit in our house that we attributed to our downstairs neighbour having their heating on quite a lot, eventually we worked out it is where their hot water tank is. We do definitely get heat from downstairs when they have theirs on as well!
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Succumbed this evening and now head-hight in the Great Hall is luvverly'n'toasty. Unfortunately, I don’t habitually keep my feet at that altitude.
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You lasted one more day than we did!
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51707639011_345a6dfc64_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mMeaBr)20211127_082311 (https://flic.kr/p/2mMeaBr) by rogerzilla (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41286375@N07/), on Flickr
Feline hearthrug as usual.
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I do like my Shell Energy app. It tells me that on days when I have a bath, I pay an extra £1.50 for my gas. But using my electric fan oven on baking days doesn’t cost very much at all.
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Our heating has been on all day (well 7am-9:30pm) for several weeks. A matter of a not very mobile 77 year old and a house that leaks like a sieve. Todays wind being from the North means it hits the (solid 9” brick) gable. The heating took until 1pm to make it to the set point of 18C.
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The igloo shaped cat bed that we bought for the previous kittehs that was ignored and has only seen occasional interest from Ninkasi until now has suddenly become the place to be.
@rafletcher sounds like you could do with a girt big wood burning stove.
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The igloo shaped cat bed that we bought for the previous kittehs that was ignored and has only seen occasional interest from Ninkasi until now has suddenly become the place to be.
@rafletcher sounds like you could do with a girt big wood burning stove.
We have an open fire that’ll see it’s first use of the year this evening :). Get the chimney breast storage heater stoked up and keep the bedroom warm.
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Off as the boiler started playing up on Sunday.
The plumber has it in bits at the moment.
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During our power cut the kittehs found that laps were the only great sources of heat in the house.
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Off as it's unseasonably warm here. Which is both good and disappointing. Disappointing cos I thought I'd cracked the secret of being warm after the previous couple of days cold, but no, it's just gone really warm.
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It was seriously cold yesterday, with lots of heating used overnight as I had to stay up because barakta was ill. And then today it's been unseasonably warm and we were out for a couple of hours.
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Turned all the radiators up a smidge as it was getting cold and i was becoming non functional. Only turned them up a quarter of what ever the 1-5 units are on the valve. And it's made a massive difference. Feeling much more productive.
J
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My sis-in-law's heating most certainly isn't on. They have been without power for 4 or 5 days, courtesy of Arwen, 1000 feet up in the hills near Burnley. Word is that it will take a fortnight to fix.
S-i-l has long covid and an African grey parrot to support.
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"How could you walk round the house barefoot?" my son said to me this morning. I pointed out that though he had fluffy socks on, I had three layers on my top half whereas he had only a t-shirt.
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Mine was playing silly bugger for the last few days not going above 18c
Fixed and money is back to burning as normal.
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So far this year I haven't put the heating on and I'm trying not too, I'm lucky that the flat has cavity insulation and double glazing and up to now the temperature had not dropped below 15c and that was during the night.
Day time it around 17c and I find that OK.
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We've been pretty frugal this year. I'm acutely conscious of the damage our gas boiler is doing to the livelihoods or person or persons unknown and I'm keen to reduce that as much as possible. I have a suspicion that we will have a heat pump for next winter. Whenever possible, I've been keeping the gas boiler turned off and heating a couple of rooms with an oil-filled radiator.
However. I was most surprised by the massive bill we received for the past month's energy. The electricity cost per unit has risen from 14.32p to 25.63p (December 2020/December 2021). The gas price has also risen markedly: 4.53p to 7.53. This is with Ecotricity.
How do others compare?
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16.90p per kwh leccy fixed Feb 2021
There is now a 1.5kw electric heater in the conservatory, it's set to frostat except for heating to a comfortable temperature for eating for 2 hours since its the only place there's space for a table.
That the temperature has risen the last few days is v. Welcome while I work out how to reduce heat loss further.
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Large drop in our heating demand over the last few days coinciding with a) the current warm spell and b) barakta conquering the stairs. Will be interesting to compare when it turns cold again.
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I've come close to turning the desk fan on in the Estate Office the last couple of evenings as a combination of warmth seeping through the floor from the kitchen and the Babbage-Engine doing Hard Work has raised the temperature into the high 20s in spite of the radiator in there being in a state of long-term not-workingness.
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However. I was most surprised by the massive bill we received for the past month's energy. The electricity cost per unit has risen from 14.32p to 25.63p (December 2020/December 2021). The gas price has also risen markedly: 4.53p to 7.53. This is with Ecotricity.
How do others compare?
My 2 year fix deal on electricity (no gas here) runs out in early 2022 so I have been looking at options. We are fairly heavy users due to the heating being a heat pump, people being at home 24/7 and teenagers that have yet to discover switches can also turn things off when you leave the room. I like to go for truly green tariffs to help my environmental credentials.
I settled yesterday on a fixed deal offered by my current supplier Scottish power until March 2023 at 23.6p per KW which is up massively but due to my previous direct debit being a little too high and a bit of success in reducing our consumption slightly, we have a credit balance on the account so no change is needed in the monthly payment and I won’t feel the effects of the increase for a while.
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We've been pretty frugal this year. I'm acutely conscious of the damage our gas boiler is doing to the livelihoods or person or persons unknown and I'm keen to reduce that as much as possible. I have a suspicion that we will have a heat pump for next winter. Whenever possible, I've been keeping the gas boiler turned off and heating a couple of rooms with an oil-filled radiator.
However. I was most surprised by the massive bill we received for the past month's energy. The electricity cost per unit has risen from 14.32p to 25.63p (December 2020/December 2021). The gas price has also risen markedly: 4.53p to 7.53. This is with Ecotricity.
How do others compare?
Ecotricity, Good Energy and Green Energy UK have a derogation from the Price Cap mechanism due to their business models. They can up their prices as much as they like although they probably have to tell you.
The wholesale market is at record highs. January power traded over 40p/kWh yesterday and that's before all the supply costs are added.
My fix with Ovo rolls off in a couple of weeks but they just offered me a 3 year fix which looks incredibly good value. The exit fee is £120 so in the unlikely event that the wholesale market returns to its old levels I can unpick pretty easily.
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I just checked last month's bill: the leccy price jumped from 17.38p to 25.63p. That's 50% as near as.
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Large drop in our heating demand over the last few days coinciding with a) the current warm spell and b) barakta conquering the stairs. Will be interesting to compare when it turns cold again.
(https://nzhistory.govt.nz/files/may-29-1953-hillary-tenzing.jpg)
Congratulations also richly deserved by Sherpa Kimzing Norgay.
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We've been pretty frugal this year. I'm acutely conscious of the damage our gas boiler is doing to the livelihoods or person or persons unknown and I'm keen to reduce that as much as possible. I have a suspicion that we will have a heat pump for next winter. Whenever possible, I've been keeping the gas boiler turned off and heating a couple of rooms with an oil-filled radiator.
However. I was most surprised by the massive bill we received for the past month's energy. The electricity cost per unit has risen from 14.32p to 25.63p (December 2020/December 2021). The gas price has also risen markedly: 4.53p to 7.53. This is with Ecotricity.
How do others compare?
Is this actually more eco-friendly? I thought burning oil was substantially more "emissive" than gas.
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We are with good energy and our electricity price is just about to go up around 50%.
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We've been pretty frugal this year. I'm acutely conscious of the damage our gas boiler is doing to the livelihoods or person or persons unknown and I'm keen to reduce that as much as possible. I have a suspicion that we will have a heat pump for next winter. Whenever possible, I've been keeping the gas boiler turned off and heating a couple of rooms with an oil-filled radiator.
However. I was most surprised by the massive bill we received for the past month's energy. The electricity cost per unit has risen from 14.32p to 25.63p (December 2020/December 2021). The gas price has also risen markedly: 4.53p to 7.53. This is with Ecotricity.
How do others compare?
Is this actually more eco-friendly? I thought burning oil was substantially more "emissive" than gas.
An oil-filled radiator burns electrons, m'lud.
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Well, that's another tick in the no column of my considerations of whether to get a stove at the new Pingu Towers
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/17/wood-burners-urban-air-pollution-cancer-risk-study
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Our rates which I fixed (rightly or wrongly, but this was a week or so before Martin Lewis said don't fix) in September are:
Lectric: 22.59p/kWh
Gas: 4.81p/kWh
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We've been pretty frugal this year. I'm acutely conscious of the damage our gas boiler is doing to the livelihoods or person or persons unknown and I'm keen to reduce that as much as possible. I have a suspicion that we will have a heat pump for next winter. Whenever possible, I've been keeping the gas boiler turned off and heating a couple of rooms with an oil-filled radiator.
However. I was most surprised by the massive bill we received for the past month's energy. The electricity cost per unit has risen from 14.32p to 25.63p (December 2020/December 2021). The gas price has also risen markedly: 4.53p to 7.53. This is with Ecotricity.
How do others compare?
Is this actually more eco-friendly? I thought burning oil was substantially more "emissive" than gas.
An oil-filled radiator burns electrons, m'lud.
So it does. I blame my recent excursion with the paraffin-burning Tilley lamp enthusiasts for confusing it with an oil-fired device.
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January power traded over 40p/kWh yesterday and that's before all the supply costs are added.
57.5p this morning.
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Our rates which I fixed (rightly or wrongly, but this was a week or so before Martin Lewis said don't fix) in September are:
Lectric: 22.59p/kWh
Gas: 4.81p/kWh
That’s pretty good. Mine (from April) are 18.1 and 3.15.
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Next door had theirs on today. Southern* softies!
* South Indian/Sri Lankan ancestry, I think.
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Leccy full bore here is just under 60p kWh. This from a company that does not use oil or gas.
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Our heating is temperature controlled with four periods you can set for each day. Yesterday it briefly kicked in as the house temperature dipped below the minimum for early evening. But it didn’t come on today as house has stayed above minimum without heating on.
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The heating came on in advance of the alarm clock for the first time this morning.
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I've just prodded mine into fiery life.
And been running it at full chat.
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Cottage heating install finished - first time the heating's been on for 3 years (photos taken during install) :)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52477559850_186289e612_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nXgdfE)IMG_20221102_080633_456 (https://flic.kr/p/2nXgdfE) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52477372239_11117c7317_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nXfftZ)IMG_20221102_080706_573 (https://flic.kr/p/2nXfftZ) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
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How exciting
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Due to suffering bad back and neck pain, I haven't moved much today and so got pretty cold.
Override button hit at about 4 o'clock.
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Heating still off, except in the bathroom where turning it off means no hot water either. Still in shorts too. Well, sort of below-the-knee shorts. Cropped trouser like, but not cropped.
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Was a bit nippy in the Great Hall this pm in spite of the sun pouring in all arvo. But I shall hold off until at least Monday, because I'm away this w/e.
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We've just come back from an unwanted 3 weeks in Majorca where daytime temperature is regularly >27°. So we're feeling the chill a bit, and the heating is most definitely on.
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It's bumped itself on a little bit in the mornings the last two days.
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Last night I swapped my Summer Tog 4 quilt for my Winter Tog 10 quilt. Lovely and snug. Last night I decided to not get out of bed until Springtime. Damnit I got up at 7am. After shopping I noticed the thermometer in my living room was showed it went down to just 10 degrees. That's cold enough for me. Heating now on. Not much for me but I plan to have half a nice bottle of wine and 10 degrees is not the room temperature I think it needs.
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We cracked yesterday based on having made it to December. Although last week we were in a friend's house in the Hebrides enjoying the benefits of the air source heat pump!
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Used the 'leccy fan heater in the Estate Office a few times until the PC gets warmed up but still not fired up the dodgy boiler :thumbsup:
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We've turned ours up a bit. Jan has had a couple of asthma attacks today, and there's a strong correlation with those and cold air.
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Stroke risk is much higher if you're cold. Yes, in t'olden days there was no CH, but people sat round the living room fire or the kitchen range. They didn't shiver in a home office.
If it's really because you can't afford it, fine, you have to take the risk, but a hairshirt approach is probably not sensible.
A good rule of thumb for middle-aged and older people is that the living room, assuming that's where you are sedentary, should be 21 deg C. That is still jumper territory if you're doing nothing.
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Pingu would be sitting about in his pants if it got to 21C! That was wood stove territory at the last place.
I seem to have a cold nose until about 18.5 and then by 19.5C I'm quite warm.
Pingu's always telling me I have a very narrow operating temperature window.
When the plumber comes to service the boiler I'm going to ask him to quote to put a larger radiator in our bedroom. I don't think it's big enough. (In an ideal world (one where I had money to burn) I'd be getting the flat roof on the dormer replaced with an insulated one and internally insulating all the walls but that's not happening).
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Despite the heating being on, and having been on for well over a month. When I got home last night my flat was cold. The temp sensor by at about waist height on the shelf was showing 21.5°C. Even with a jumper on. I was cold. Really cold. My feet were really cold too, despite having on my expensive merino wool socks. I moved the sensor from the shelf to about 100mm off the floor. 19.0°C. A 2.5°C temp gradient over about 1m. The Radiators are warm, the area immediately around them is warm, but it's not getting into the room. I think I'm gonna rig up the fan to move some air from around the radiators to the rest of the room. Thermostatically controlled radiator valves are a great idea, but when the sensor is 200mm from the radiator, yet the humans are nearer 3000mm away, it doesn't make for a representative view of the room's temperature.
Currently my bed is about 300mm off the floor in the bedroom, where it was also about 19°C. I slept with a cloak over the top of the duvet last night cos I was so cold.
J
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I got really cold while concentrating on some programming stuff the other day. Unusually for me, this involved a GUI, so lots of mousing to test things, and my hands got really cold. In spite of my usual September-June habit of keeping whichever hand I'm not currently using clamped between my thighs, or around my shoulder/neck for warmth.
Room temperature in the 21-22C range. Which is perfectly comfortable for everything between my knees and wrists; any hotter and I'd be sweating.
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Our ‘stat isn’t calibrated of course, although it was in close agreement with the readout on my redundant travel alarm clock. We’ve set it to 17.5C at around head height. Seems to be ok for both of us (65 and 78) to stay feeling warm, even sitting watching tv. When we have a fire (as we will tonight, the first of the season) we’ll try and keep it below 20C otherwise it’s uncomfortably warm. The fire is around 4m from the ‘stat.
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I got really cold while concentrating on some programming stuff the other day. Unusually for me, this involved a GUI, so lots of mousing to test things, and my hands got really cold. In spite of my usual September-June habit of keeping whichever hand I'm not currently using clamped between my thighs, or around my shoulder/neck for warmth.
Room temperature in the 21-22C range. Which is perfectly comfortable for everything between my knees and wrists; any hotter and I'd be sweating.
Last year the mgmt put a new heating/air con system into the lab office at work. But only in the open plan area, not for the small offices dotted round the perimeter of the building which are shittily insulated and also contain radiators which I recently found out are heated by ASHP (which explains why they are always tepid, especially given as they don't seem to have them set to run early enough).
So the mini office I timeshare with my absent boss is freezing in winter.
One particularly bad day last year I found myself Googling for heated fleecy mouse pockets. Like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heated-Mouse-Warmer-Wristguard-Winter/dp/B018V7WYIY
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That's ridiculous! I love it!
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A mouse pogie!
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Beating is on and is working well as always. The hot water seems to have started to run mor would warm than hot recently. Turning the temperature control on the boiler to max indicates 80 degrees but the food thermometer shows 35 degrees.
Appointment with engineer booked for tomorrow morning. I was surprised to be able to just get an appointment without declaring it an emergency and incurring a whacking fallout or standby charge or whatever they call it. We'll get a boiler service and a repair hopefully.
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Finally caved in after the midday temperature in the Estate Office was below 13C. 12.8, according to the thermometeroid, which is its coldest ever :jurek: Kitchen and Great Hall rads hot to the top; bathroom one required some attention from my old mucker Mr 22mm Socket.
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Beating is on and is working well as always. The hot water seems to have started to run mor would warm than hot recently. Turning the temperature control on the boiler to max indicates 80 degrees but the food thermometer shows 35 degrees.
Appointment with engineer booked for tomorrow morning. I was surprised to be able to just get an appointment without declaring it an emergency and incurring a whacking fallout or standby charge or whatever they call it. We'll get a boiler service and a repair hopefully.
My hot water takes an age to heat up these days. The cylinder (1989 vintage) is probably full of scale but the next owner can change the bugger. Likewise the boiler - BG keep trying to sell me a new one as some inconsequential and non-failure prone spare part is unavailable now, but it's A-rated, condensing, and it is only really used for hot water, so it doesn't have a hard life. Also, it hasn't gone wrong and I bet a new one would!
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Finally decided to give the heating a blast tonight - it's getting cold now (and supposed to be colder in the coming days).
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I gave it a rare run this morning because I'm going out later, so no point in lighting the stove.
I was amazed that the conservatory radiator worked. It has one of those 1980s Danfoss TRVs that jams in summer. Despite egg-frying temperatures this summer, it hasn't stuck!
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Just realised the heating is on. Checked the magic thermostat. 14C.
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We have a wireless thermostat, that gets moved about sometimes. Yesterday I spotted that it was sat in the afternoon sun claiming 24C :rollseyes:
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Heating off for now. -5.5C outside atm - looks like coldest in UK; Benson reg'd -6C earlier.
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My smart meter ihd was in a reboot cycle, it is working again, I wish it wasn't...
Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
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My central heating turns itself on a lot outside of the two programmed set-up times.
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My central heating turns itself on a lot outside of the two programmed set-up times.
Frost stat?
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My central heating turns itself on a lot outside of the two programmed set-up times.
Frost stat?
What do you mean?
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A separate thermostat, usually set to a little above zero, that overrides the usual controls and forces the heating to come on when it gets cold enough that there's a risk of pipes freezing. Normally the sort of thing that you have when the boiler is installed in an outbuilding.
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A separate thermostat, usually set to a little above zero, that overrides the usual controls and forces the heating to come on when it gets cold enough that there's a risk of pipes freezing. Normally the sort of thing that you have when the boiler is installed in an outbuilding.
Ahh, that is probably it. Thanks for the explanation. Mind you, I'd rather have that and the extra
heating cost* than having to deal with burst pipes.
*As noticed on the smart meter.
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Mine was turning itself on outside the prescribed time too. I had a gander at the app which has half hourly data such as desired temperature, actual temperature and percentage boiler activity. A bit surprised to see the night time desired temperature was a whole lot higher than that shown on the time slot. I tweaked the nighttime temperature by 0.5 C to force a rescan and all was well
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Broken again....
Frostat is usually 7 or 8 I thought
Googled it, 5 on a TRV
Frost setting on my 'lectric thing is 7
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Heating is not on today, as spring has sprung, though I expect it might go on in the evening. It might have been on early in the morning as well, but I was not awake. The new improved (ie now extant) insulation seems to be helping. Tomorrow we shall see.
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Tonight and tomorrow evening are set to be chilly, so it was with some relief that I saw the oil tanker pull up to the house. As usual I'd cut it rather fine and was on the verge of banning showers and disorganised washing up. Phew!
So yes. Heating will be on this evening. [I think you have misspelled 'This Afternoon', dear - Mrs B]
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Tonight and tomorrow evening are set to be chilly, so it was with some relief that I saw the oil tanker pull up to the house. As usual I'd cut it rather fine and was on the verge of banning showers and disorganised washing up. Phew!
So yes. Heating will be on this evening. [I think you have misspelled 'This Afternoon', dear - Mrs B]
Presumably you didn't get to the stage I did when selling a house . . . jacking up the back of the tank to get as much oil as possible and avoid having to buy any! (Tanks are set up with a slight downward slope from the outlet tap to allow for any water/condensation to gather and not get into the boiler)
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I had to order more wood. At March sale prices, it's the same kWh as gas, and a bit more efficient in terms of where it puts the heat.
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Still not put the heating on this winter. It's actually a degree warmer indoors today than it's been the past week. 14C.
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I got really cold while concentrating on some programming stuff the other day. Unusually for me, this involved a GUI, so lots of mousing to test things, and my hands got really cold. In spite of my usual September-June habit of keeping whichever hand I'm not currently using clamped between my thighs, or around my shoulder/neck for warmth.
Room temperature in the 21-22C range. Which is perfectly comfortable for everything between my knees and wrists; any hotter and I'd be sweating.
Last year the mgmt put a new heating/air con system into the lab office at work. But only in the open plan area, not for the small offices dotted round the perimeter of the building which are shittily insulated and also contain radiators which I recently found out are heated by ASHP (which explains why they are always tepid, especially given as they don't seem to have them set to run early enough).
So the mini office I timeshare with my absent boss is freezing in winter.
One particularly bad day last year I found myself Googling for heated fleecy mouse pockets. Like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heated-Mouse-Warmer-Wristguard-Winter/dp/B018V7WYIY
I bought one of those for MrsC
It lasted a week before the insulation wore through on some wiring and electrocuted her.
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The wood turned up and I stowed it during a period of very light drizzle, because otherwise there is no dry spell until Friday night. It takes three times longer when it's not in nets but it does look beautiful when stacked.
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To my eternal shame I, without prompting by Mrs Snake (who was out at the time) turned the CH on at about 1 pm today.
I must be getting old. :-X :-X :-X
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TBF It has been frikkin' cold, (Ok, not so much by Siberian standards).
I'm out all day so I do not run the heating while I'm out.
It goes on when I get in at about 17:00.
Today, it hasn't yet reached 18°C at this point of the proceedings.
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I am quite shameful. At this time of year I do not turn the heating on for myself but sometimes I want my red wine to acclimatise to a better temperature so it tastes better.
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The kids + granddaughter arrived home from the maternity unit this afternoon.
#2 son. "What time does the heating come on in the morning, dad?"
Me. Err, it doesn't. 6pm if it's cold enough."
#2 son, Mrs B and DiL. "WHAT TIME DOES THE HEATING COME ON IN THE MORNING?"
*Wanders down to futility room to sort it*
"6.20 - 8.00."
Thinks. "That child needs to get a Saturday job PDQ"
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Heating did go back on for a while yesterday. Or was it a couple of days ago? The day it got cold again. Not today.
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I am quite shameful. At this time of year I do not turn the heating on for myself but sometimes I want my red wine to acclimatise to a better temperature so it tastes better.
It is a bit much when you have to microwave it to get it up to room temperature.
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We've been away for a long weekend, but I notice that my weather station recorded 25 hours of non-stop rain to 6am yesterday, and more last night, when the temperature dipped to 2°C. When we arrived back at about 6.40pm today, the inside temperature was a mere 13°C. We've had the heating on since, and a couple of oil filled radiators and now it's up to a more comfortable 18°C.
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Mine's been on for a couple of hours in the mornings these past couple of days.
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Ours hasn't been off, because thermostats.
And because the new boiler does load compensation, I don't have a very good indication of the total runtime any more. Gas consumption graph is approximately inverse with outdoor temperature, as you'd expect.
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We've been away for a long weekend, but I notice that my weather station recorded 25 hours of non-stop rain to 6am yesterday, and more last night, when the temperature dipped to 2°C. When we arrived back at about 6.40pm today, the inside temperature was a mere 13°C. We've had the heating on since, and a couple of oil filled radiators and now it's up to a more comfortable 18°C.
You like to say that the Badlands of Essex are colder but drier than the Mild Wet Westlands, but on this occasion you've managed to be significantly colder and much wetter! Perhaps you brought an area of high humidity back from Pembrokeshire with you?
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We haven’t paid for gas since December. That’s because the smart meter stop working in that pre Christmas cold snap, and they still haven’t been able to send an engineer out to sort it out. Looks like it’ll be no time soon as well, given yesterday’s conversation in the ongoing email chain.
The actual gas, fortunately continues to work.
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We've been away for a long weekend, but I notice that my weather station recorded 25 hours of non-stop rain to 6am yesterday, and more last night, when the temperature dipped to 2°C. When we arrived back at about 6.40pm today, the inside temperature was a mere 13°C. We've had the heating on since, and a couple of oil filled radiators and now it's up to a more comfortable 18°C.
You like to say that the Badlands of Essex are colder but drier than the Mild Wet Westlands, but on this occasion you've managed to be significantly colder and much wetter! Perhaps you brought an area of high humidity back from Pembrokeshire with you?
The Family Fun that is “Rainfall Top Trumps” is generally won by my sis-in-law near Shrewsbury, but mid-Essex (my brother’s place) took pride of place in March. His son in Chelmsford recorded even more but he’s not on the “Sibling Plus” WhatsApp group.
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Midweek: heating on.
Today: desk fan on.
WTF ???
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Am seriously considering putting the heating on in my flat. It's been relatively cold (for June) outside the last few days highs of 14°, lows of 10°. And my flat's internal temp has dropped by 4 degrees.
Brrrrr
Kindly
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The heating came on yesterday in my house. It was the first day of summer.
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Ours is still "on" courtesy of the thermostat and timer. This morning the radiators were warm - probably got down to 17 vs the setpoint of 17.5.
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Ours is still "on" courtesy of the thermostat and timer. This morning the radiators were warm - probably got down to 17 vs the setpoint of 17.5.
Mine was looking like it was off for the summer until the haar came in up the eden yesterday, I thought I'd moved far enough inland to avoid that.
Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
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Our heating is off at the thermostat, & hasn't come on due it being set to 14C... :) Mind you, door open and it's 21C inside atm...
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There's "heating" here all year round. Hot water comes from a central boiler and goes into the flat into a hot water tank. The pipe is boxed in near the ceiling but I can feel it's hot. The cupboard next to it is now 38.5, today's temp is 31.
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Just wandered into the kitchen and discovered that the kitchen radiator has come on. Given I have the valve on that set to come on only to keep damp away, it's bloody cold. In August. Thermometer in the living room shows its colder indoors than I keep the flat in winter when the heating is on. Fortunately none of the other radiators have come on.
J
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We should think ourselves lucky. The World Scout Jamboree has apparently been hell on earth due to heat and is now closing early to escape an oncoming typhoon. It does sound as if they weren't prepared.
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Just wandered into the kitchen and discovered that the kitchen radiator has come on. Given I have the valve on that set to come on only to keep damp away, it's bloody cold. In August. Thermometer in the living room shows its colder indoors than I keep the flat in winter when the heating is on. Fortunately none of the other radiators have come on.
J
Seeing as you've said you like an indoor temperature something like 25C, it would have been on all summer in England!
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Needed the heater in the bathroom since yesterday and in the kitchen this morning. We're due 28° on Friday, though.
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Thobut, by midday the sun is shining on the roof and upstairs is too hot. So no heating in the morning. Anyway, 24 C forecast later this week in Lancashire; so, as you were; summer is back.
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We should think ourselves lucky. The World Scout Jamboree has apparently been hell on earth due to heat and is now closing early to escape an oncoming typhoon. It does sound as if they weren't prepared.
So lots of scouts with motivation to target their fighting global warming badge...
Seeing as you've said you like an indoor temperature something like 25C, it would have been on all summer in England!
Nice and comfortable tho 25° is. I actually keep the flat at 23° in the winter.
J
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It's barely been over 20 here all through July and (so far) August.
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It's barely been over 20 here all through July and (so far) August.
July has been very cold. August so far not doing so great either.
June was lovely. My flat was a nice 29° most of the time. Tho the 40 days without rain ewsjt ideal
J
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We have your rain and we'd quite like you to take it back again.
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Speak for yourself.
I am very much liking these cooler temperatures and cloudy skies thanks. 👍
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We have your rain and we'd quite like you to take it back again.
It's ok, June's rain was delivered in July... Along with July's rain, and a lot of May's...
It's rained every day of August too...
J
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Greece phoned... it wants its rain back. It sounded very annoyed.
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Greece phoned... it wants its rain back. It sounded very annoyed.
I think Slovenia got it...
J
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I note the heating's come on a bit for barakta while I've been away camping at a comfortable temperature. Some of that will be down to the traditional BRITISH thing of having completely different weather a hundred miles away, but I reckon the inherent coldness of the downstairs of Victorian terraced houses is also to blame.
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20C inside here - it's like a dry run (albeit hosing with rain outside) for winter with some heating on. Still, mini heatwave* Thurs/Fri...
*may contain traces of overstatement.
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23C in my little flat with the hifi on..... I'm currently shirtless & perfectly comfortable. It was noticeably warm in the sunshine when I was outside earlier.
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Leaves me wondering if the hifi is for music or "music".
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8 x EL34's keep the place toasty......
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*googles*
That's 75W just to run the pilot lights. To say nothing of power supply efficiency (which I'm betting will be fairly poor, as befits a low-noise linear design), or actually playing music...
Anyway, I've just been outside, where it's colder than indoors, but ludicrously humid. So I'm sweaty and shivering. Stupid BRITISH summer.
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17.7C and 65% humidity according to the cheap tat meter in our (north facing) lounge.
I'm sitting under 2 fleece blankets but no cats (bah) and my dose is cold.
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Matt cartoon...
https://twitter.com/MattCartoonist/status/1688957139820195869/photo/1
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It's barely been over 20 here all through July and (so far) August.
July has been very cold. August so far not doing so great either.
June was lovely. My flat was a nice 29° most of the time. Tho the 40 days without rain ewsjt ideal
J
I hate to disappoint, but July (in the Netherlands where both of us live) was slightly below the average for 1991-2020. It would have been a (very) warm month in any earlier decade. People forget just how bad Northern European summers used to be. I'm enjoying normal summer temperatures for as long at is lasts.
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Heating has started coming on.
Past 4 nights I've lit the living room stove. That meant we didn't need to heat the rest of the house.
4C overnight on Sat night.
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Felt the need to put the fire on three days ago, living room was cold, bedroom where the thermostat lives for the summer was warm.
Heating started coming on a couple of days ago,
I moved the thermostat to it's winter position in the living room yesterday (Coldest corner of the house)
Attic hatch pole relocated from resting on the pipes this morning.
Someone needs to drop the journos paid by big oil to pump out anti-change messages on Islay where it pisses with rain most of the year and heat pumps are becoming ubiquitous because LPG...
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We were expecting visitors next w/e, so I suggested to husband that we should start up the unreliable central heating to check it was working OK before then.
Phone call this morning to cancel visit due to broken shoulder.
That's ruined my cunning plan to get the heating on for my benefit as well.
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I've had cool feet that last couple of nights, so time for a duvet change soon. The heating will come on as and when the 'stat demands which given we've lows in single figures forecast for thursday and friday nights I expect to be soon.
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Here heating 'on', but stat on 14C. It'll be a while before the stat goes up - estimate 5-6 wks. :)
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Here heating 'on', but stat on 14C. It'll be a while before the stat goes up - estimate 5-6 wks. :)
Same, but 15°.
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Heating !?!? - have the clocks changed earlier this year ;D
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Heating !?!? - have the clocks changed earlier this year ;D
A support ticket was raised on Monday and estates brought the switch to GMT based heating forward to lunchtime that same day.
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Heating !?!? - have the clocks changed earlier this year ;D
A support ticket was raised on Monday and estates brought the switch to GMT based heating forward to lunchtime that same day.
;D - no wonder it was dark so early last night.
Joking apart, I've just go the raceblades out to fit to one of the machines I'll be riding in the winter - depressing
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Heating !?!? - have the clocks changed earlier this year ;D
No, but my wife is 79 and as thin as a rake, so 17.5C it is.
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I lit the stove for two reasons.
(a) Dumpy Cat likes it and I've bern out all day
(b) More significantly, this apocalyptic rain has blocked my NEW guttering and water is pouring down the wall. Not the installers' fault - they couldn't use leaf/moss guards on the back because the neighbour's gutter runs into mine, and that would mean moss under the leaf guard where it can't be cleaned out. So there is just a balloon in the top of the downpipe (a blocked downpipe would be very bad) and that's clogged. I need to go up a ladder.
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It's that dread time of year when I contemplate the resumption of wearing socks.
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Heating !?!? - have the clocks changed earlier this year ;D
A support ticket was raised on Monday and estates brought the switch to GMT based heating forward to lunchtime that same day.
;D - no wonder it was dark so early last night.
Joking apart, I've just go the raceblades out to fit to one of the machines I'll be riding in the winter - depressing
You may laugh
My colleagues may have shivered
But I sat at home in the warmth under my control.
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We ran the heating a bit earlier, as we're both feverish post COVID vaccine and have no idea what a reasonable temperature is. It usefully brought the humidity down to the mid-70s for a bit.
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It's that dread time of year when I contemplate the resumption of wearing socks.
I may have to wear both socks and long trousers on Friday, depending on what the weather is like in London's famous London on Saturday pm. The heating is on in here* at the moment because it maxed out at 19 this afternoon but they still had the aircon cranked up to full blast before I took up occupancy of my room.
* GuestHouse Montesano, Montesano WA. They have a black and white cat called Figaro. His marital status is unknown.
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I may have to wear both socks and long trousers on Friday
Enquiring minds need to know. If you aren't wearing both socks, which one do you wear? Do you alternate on a daily basis to ensure even wear and tear, or do you have a drawer full of pristine left socks and hole riddled right socks?
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;D
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17C in my flat & I'm at the edge of my comfort zone in a pair of lounging pyjamas. I may decide to close the window transoms shortly. It's also time to rotate the light summer linen shirts & get the warmer stuff out of the boxes.
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Sorry Andrew, but you in lounging pyjamas is way past my comfort zone.
But yeah, seasons are turning.
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Back into the jeans and socks yesterday.
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Somewhat surprsingly the heating stayed off this morning - 18C in the living area. Helped I think by the lack of wind. Tonight is the last cold one for a while according to the forecast.
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Lowest so far in the last couple of weeks was 18 degrees overnight. Today looks to be the first day we've not had over 20 degrees at noon in the living room - though 19.8 is pretty close.
Heating not on at the moment.
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Currently it is 29degC in my air conditioned room. And 31degC outside. Egypt. Sandy but hot.
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17.7C and 65% humidity according to the cheap tat meter in our (north facing) lounge.
I'm sitting under 2 fleece blankets but no cats (bah) and my dose is cold.
16.4C now. I'm going to need to give those capped pipes a test...
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The battery indicator in my automatic thermostat suggested they needed changing, which I
duly did. This resulted in me having to reprogram the daily settings and try to wirelessly
re-connect it to the boiler. Despite me following the instructions on the Worcester Greenstar 30si
boiler documents I have not be successful in doing that. The heating kicked-in, so I had to
turn the c/h switch on the boiler to 'off'.
I'll try again tmw (tomorrow).
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Heating not on, but fire is definitely lit.
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Heating on.
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Dressing gown on. My office is claiming 21.3 degrees though. I did skip the offer of an outdoor swim earlier, wisely, as the water temperature was reported to be 19.6 degrees. I don't go in water that cold without a bathysphere.
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It's that dread time of year when I contemplate the resumption of wearing socks.
No, not yet, no heating, and I'm still sleeping under a single sheet.
My sole concession is long trousers. If it gets cooler ill contemplate a jumper. In the office on Wednesday with a stuffy train on the way in I was melting.
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Socks, yes. Long trousers today, cos I wasn't on the bike. Shorts yesterday. Thin sweater or fleece. Waterproof if raining (usually is). Got really warm today but nevertheless, you can feel autumn.
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Heating on.
I've taken my jumper off.
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Heating on.
I've taken my jumper off.
You two need to talk.
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We do. I'm already wearing a fleece, 2 fleecy blankets and a cat, it was time to put the heating on. It's only set to 19C.
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Sounds like you need to put on Mr Pingu's jumper too.
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Moar jumpers does not equal warmer nose.
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Heating on.
I've taken my jumper off.
You two need to talk.
We do.
Mrs P: I'm cold.
Me: I'm not.
Mrs P: That's the heating on.
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Hivebot claims 19.8 in the hallway so it would be on if I’d not turned it my off during the last cold spell. Booking somewhere warm for October hols.
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Just crisp here - I may contemplate changing to my winter-weight shorts! Cycling is year-round in shorts for me as I have a "secret weapon" . . . . .
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Heating clicked on for an hour or so this morning. The house has held steady at 17.5 since it turned off. Might click on this evening I suppose.
ETA First jumper-wearing day of this autumn.
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Suspect my heating will be triggered by the thermostat soon...
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It was 13.something in our bedroom when I got up to do kitty breakfast this morning.
Which reminds me I need to buy new batteries for the Shelly Death Star.
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20°C outside at the moment, 19°C inside. Off for a swim in the sea shortly.
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Larrington Towers was acceptably warm when I got in yesterday evening, and still is. No fan required in the Grand Bedchamber though.
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Time to close the windows, after the fresh air fan has been over keen. brrrr
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20°C outside at the moment, 19°C inside. Off for a swim in the sea shortly.
What temp is the water in Southend on mud atm?
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20°C outside at the moment, 19°C inside. Off for a swim in the sea shortly.
What temp is the water in Southend on mud atm?
Turned ours on this morning for our bedroom and the kitchen - both below 15. Primarily for Mrs S. Hasn't run all day though and it's 18 outside now
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20°C outside at the moment, 19°C inside. Off for a swim in the sea shortly.
What temp is the water in Southend on mud atm?
And what is the turd count?
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Suspect my heating will be triggered by the thermostat soon...
As predicted, my radiators were warm this morning.
I started wearing my cardigan yesterday...
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I've just had to take my socks off, I was overheating
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I was just saying to mllePB how warm September has been to date. In previous years we have usually had a chilly nip one evening prompting me to fire up the boiler and check radiators for cold spots and bleeding requirements.
Best put this on the list of jobs for next week.
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Still in T-shaped shirt, shorts & bare feet in
sunny dark E17.
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Still in T-shaped shirt, shorts & bare feet in sunny dark E17.
Luggage still in Seattle?
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Definitely still T shirt weather in E14, so sounds very likely it's the same in E17!
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Shorts here today – but several layers up top. The shorts will probably be put away for the winter this week, possibly next.
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Boozing outside a central London pub and not shivering.
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Changed the shorts for longs a couple of minutes ago.
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A little cool on the ride home, but that was probably the headwind.
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Not sure what we're going to do this winter as No1Daughter has filled the fireplace with plants. And the windows are generally open 24/7 for cat ingress/egress.
Wear more jumpers, I s'pose.
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Put a cat flap in the window or teach them to tap on the window/ring the bell?
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We've now been lighting the living room fire every night for over a week.
House is about 16-17C most of the time, which is a bit cool for comfortable relaxing in an evening.
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26.5 in the Estate Office just now, according to the cheap'n'nasty gadget in there. It seems to agree quite well with a clinical thermometer though, unlike its clock which gained twenty minutes while I was on me hols.
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Put a cat flap in the window or teach them to tap on the window/ring the bell?
I'm sure I've previously mentioned Postman Piers's cat[1] who worked out that - in the absence of a cat flap - the best way to get his attention was to take flying leaps at the window (which didn't quite have enough external ledge to accommodate a cat doing anything more dignified) by way of visual attention-getting. The noise scared the crap out of me the first time I encountered it, as it sounded like an albatross had flown into the window.
[1] Royal Mail standard issue black & white, naturally.
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My brother's first cat used to leap at the handle of the back door, which swung out, back in the days before burglars. So he put the handle on upside down, at which point the cat launched himself at the window in the door, dangling by the claws from the frame.
Our cats have a doorbell :smug:
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Ours do like the window in my wife's office as they can walk out to sojourn on the kitchen roof, surveilling their territory, safe from the curiousity of the foxes and where they can beat a quick retreat from their magpie nemeses. Alas, it's now time for the window to be closed, which results in a period of feline bemusement.
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Still 23° in my flat. Passive solar gain from the unseasonable sunshine is keeping it nice and comfortable in here.
Which is good. Cos I need to move the junk I have stored up against the radiators before autumn arrives properly.
J
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Put a cat flap in the window or teach them to tap on the window/ring the bell?
We rent. They shout. Mr Smith's office is downstairs, so he gets most of it.
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Which reminds me I need to buy new batteries for the Shelly Death Star.
Can I suggest:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143887826995
plus
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386144549277
Doesn't last as long as a disposable naturally but who cares when it's only 80 mins to recharge. Do you run them on hourly or daily updates?
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Which reminds me I need to buy new batteries for the Shelly Death Star.
Can I suggest:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143887826995
plus
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386144549277
Doesn't last as long as a disposable naturally but who cares when it's only 80 mins to recharge. Do you run them on hourly or daily updates?
Hmm, not sure if our charger would take them, will have to look. When you say updates, you mean how often it reports the temperature? If so I've got it set to wake and report with every change of 1C.
I do have a USB power hub for one of them but I've not got it working yet, suspect it might be precious about the charger used.
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When you say updates, you mean how often it reports the temperature? If so I've got it set to wake and report with every change of 1C.
:thumbsup: I'd forgotten you can do that, I have mine on periodic updates. Daily at the moment, hourly in winter.
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Heating properly on for the first time this morning. First fire of the season will be this evening.
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Yep. First time (other than preventative maintenance firings) since the Spring.
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I fired up our hearing yesterday evening to give it a check over. No issues so I have turned it off again until required.
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I enabled ours a month ago, mainly to check it's all ok before it's really needed. Since then it's only run 3 or 4 times first thing in the morning, and only for a short period (15 mins or so) as the temp has dipped just below the threshold overnight. This morning is the first time it's run for any length of time, and that was only 30 minutes.
Homeassistant is good for logging these things, so I know that enabling the heating hasn't cost me a fortune.
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I enabled ours a month ago, mainly to check it's all ok before it's really needed. Since then it's only run 3 or 4 times first thing in the morning, and only for a short period (15 mins or so) as the temp has dipped just below the threshold overnight. This morning is the first time it's run for any length of time, and that was only 30 minutes.
Homeassistant is good for logging these things, so I know that enabling the heating hasn't cost me a fortune.
Precisely. I don’t understand the “until it’s required” thing. We have a thermostat set to a modest (given my wife is a stick thin 79 year old) 17.5C. It comes on when that condition is met, simple.
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Do you never get the heating come on in the spring when the condition might be met but you feel like it's too warm to be on? This is why I set the heating to 'away' mode during the warmer months.
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All the time, because of the temperature difference between upstairs and downstairs. Feeding the thermostat the average of occupied rooms helps. But I still find myself jibbling the daytime setpoint over the year (it's currently 19.5, it'll go up to 21ish as it gets colder).
Heating came on properly when I got out of bed today, rather than a token 5 minute while I was in the bathroom. This time of year is really annoying: Too warm for much in the way of heating, but >70% humidity means nothing dries out.
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Today the heating is on at last..
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Heating on today. Not totally necessary, but to ensure it works tomorrow morning when temperature drops to almost zero. Outside temp now in west London is under 12C.
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*Wanders out to dip the oil tank*
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What is so difficult to understand about "until it is required"?
Our heating has no smart gadgets nor a room thermostat. The Vaillant pre-condensing combi boiler measures water temperature and all the radiators have trv valves. The boiler has off, on and timer settings for the hot water and the central heating circuits. It will heat the water to the preset max temperature and the pump will run whilst any radiator demands it.
I don't know the full technical operating detail but sometimes the pump is running whilst the boiler is not heating water, sometimes both are operating simultaneously and sometimes there is a minute of two of silence.
I generally don't need the heating at all and mllePB will simply get up, walk to the boiler and turn it to the timer setting and press override if it doesn't come on. It will run on radiator demand then until the next timer off which is already programmed into the boiler.
If she wants more heat she will simply repeat the above.
Hence my comment, "until it is required".
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I put the heating on last night, mostly in a vain attempt to dry my clothes which were soaking from getting caught in drizzle that turned into really heavy downpour. It didn't really work, of course.
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The Oodies have been taken out of summer storage.
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On for this morning, as only 4C and I need some warmth or I can get seriously chilled (~45% of circulation).
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I put the heating on last night, mostly in a vain attempt to dry my clothes which were soaking from getting caught in drizzle that turned into really heavy downpour. It didn't really work, of course.
We have a dehumidifier which deals with wet laundry on cold, damp days.
The heating at the Bear-o-drome has just been switched on.
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I have to check that there is water in the loft tank, which I shall do tomorrow. For now, I've switched on an oil-filled radiator in the kitchen, and we have the door into the lounge open. The temperature n this room is currently 19°C, but my fingers are quite cold. I feel age-related decrepitude advancing upon me rather faster than I would like.
I'm also heating up a saucepan full of beef stew which I extracted from the freezer yesterday.
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Talking of stew, make sure the loft tank has a good lid! As a student I lived in a house with an open loft tank when feathers started coming out of the hot tap..
Are those heated clothes driers worth having?
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Heating just came on for the first time this autumn. Thermostat is set to 15.
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Yes,
Are those heated clothes driers worth having?
I bought some last year. Almost always in use by my daughter (at her own home, where she also has a dehumidifier) and my wife (at ours), we don't get to see my son very often and he has never mentioned whether or not he uses his.
Cheap to run and no more obtrusive than a normal clothes horse.
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Heating just came on for the first time this autumn. Thermostat is set to 15.
Excellent. 1 degree lower than ours.
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Heating just came on for the first time this autumn. Thermostat is set to 15.
Excellent. 1 degree lower than ours.
Moved it up one degree, so same as you now. Fired up a couple of logs, so it's gone off again now.
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Not yet but cast-iron bathtubs don’t 'arf cool the hot water quickly when the bathroom is a bit nippy.
(Closes bathroom window)
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Not for long I am glad to say.
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Just woken mine from its sleep since April. It’s a smart electrical heating system, so it’ll decide whether any particular part of the house needs warming up. Essentially it’s set to 12° in the bedrooms and 18° in the living areas, so it’s not likely to do much just yet - especially as the bathroom has a dumb and unswitchable heated towel rail that keeps that room at 19-20° if it’s enabled at the fuseboard (it is!). My daily electricity consumption has been £2-3 over the last 5 months or so. It’ll quickly ramp up to £15-20 a day once it gets properly cold.
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I haven't turned ours on yet. 16°C in this room, but I'm at the north end of the house.
I really wish our gas boiler hadn't conked out in January. I felt the only option was to replace it with another. My longer-term plan was to install a heat pump, but I hadn't managed to research them properly, and I'm sure that it would have taken a lot longer to source and have fitted a heat pump, compared to a gas boiler manufactured by Baxi. The day it was fitted, the outside temperature was -3.8°C and there was ice on the top of the tank in the loft.
This boiler is guaranteed for 10 years, so assuming it lives up to its guarantee, it's got a fighting chance of outliving me!
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We had a rainy few days and I was cold, so I turned the radiators in the living room on. Took a while for hot water to reach them suggesting my neighbours have yet to turn theirs on. Since then the rain has eased up, the sun has come out, passive solar gain has done it's thing, and the radiator valves turned off. Yesterday it was 24°C in my living room with the heating switched off and all the heat coming from the sun. Probably won't need to touch the valves for a while.
J
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That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.
I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.
I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.
But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.
Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.
But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.
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Heating not on but, with the exception of the kitchen, all of the windows in the flat have been set into their default position, in which they will remain, until next April/May - closed.
Still managed to line dry a machine-load of laundry this weekend thobut.
Having said that, I was cat-sitting (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1241.msg2847323#msg2847323) for my favourite Aussie this weekend, and she managed to turn on the heating in her Rotherhithe house (where I and the cat were located), whilst she was in Cotswoldshire.
Witchcraft, I tell you.
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Yes,
Are those heated clothes driers worth having?
I bought some last year. Almost always in use by my daughter (at her own home, where she also has a dehumidifier) and my wife (at ours), we don't get to see my son very often and he has never mentioned whether or not he uses his.
Cheap to run and no more obtrusive than a normal clothes horse.
Thanks. We'll probably get one having dumped the tumble drier this time last year.. The normal clothes horse has gone a bit lame and wobbly.
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That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.
I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.
I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.
But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.
Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.
But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.
Stupid question, but if you've got a modern boiler why do you need to fill a tank in the loft?
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It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.
If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).
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Thanks.
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It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.
If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).
This ^^^^ Usually a four gallon tank.
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Temperature in Malta 27 degrees. Checked the temperature here. Turned heating on when we got on plane. This magic indeed.
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I have cracked.
Heating's gone on this evening.
Outdoor temperature a shade over 8°C and falling.
Indoors 16.7°C and rising.
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It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.
If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).
But, as mentioned elsewhere, our tank has no feeder pipe. It's a very ancient system that was originally a Servowarm one. Also, even though it seems to make sense to fit a feeder pipe, we have a water softener. Softened water (so I'm told) is Very Bad for the heat exchangers, so a dedicated pipe would need to be fitted from upstream of the water softener.
We've been in this house for almost 30 years and the central heating system was pretty old when we moved in.
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Liz has put the heating on here. Thermostat is set to 19c
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author=Wowbagger link=topic=52996.msg2847556#msg2847556 date=1697379797]
That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.
I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.
I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.
But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.
Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.
But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.
Solution?
Hand bilge pump length of hose from a bucket up through an 'ole in the ceiling - hide the pump and pipe in a cupboard?
Another, overflow length of hose back to the bucket to avoid overcharging the header tank!
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718diRXWjIL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Probably overkill as used these to recharge TV transmitter coolant header tanks with 100 litres of water
Maybe this would do?
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515J7qj2M2L._AC_SL1280_.jpg)
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It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.
If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).
But, as mentioned elsewhere, our tank has no feeder pipe. It's a very ancient system that was originally a Servowarm one. Also, even though it seems to make sense to fit a feeder pipe, we have a water softener. Softened water (so I'm told) is Very Bad for the heat exchangers, so a dedicated pipe would need to be fitted from upstream of the water softener.
We've been in this house for almost 30 years and the central heating system was pretty old when we moved in.
Assuming the boiler, rads and pipework are up to it, it's perfectly easy to convert the open system to a sealed one.
You just remove the fill and expansion tank, and associated pipework, and seal the system up.
You would need to install a fill loop somewhere near the boiler to keep the pressure topped up.
You would also need to find and fix the leak that is draining the tank, thobut...
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author=Wowbagger link=topic=52996.msg2847556#msg2847556 date=1697379797]
That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.
I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.
I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.
But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.
Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.
But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.
Solution?
Hand bilge pump length of hose from a bucket up through an 'ole in the ceiling - hide the pump and pipe in a cupboard?
Another, overflow length of hose back to the bucket to avoid overcharging the header tank!
Well if that's the solution we are going to adopt, why not remove all the tedious hand-pumping, and simply drape a garden hose-pipe through the ceiling and top it up like that....
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Feanor beat me to it, I was just about to suggest installing an external expansion vessel (like what we had to do when the obsolete internal expansion vessel failed on the venerable combi at the previous Pingu Towers).
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Feanor beat me to it, I was just about to suggest installing an external expansion vessel (like what we had to do when the obsolete internal expansion vessel failed on the venerable combi at the previous Pingu Towers).
The system boiler we have here ( not a combi, but a sealed system for the primary loop, so no F+E tank in the no-longer-existing attic ) has a similar problem. The built-in expansion vessel is really too small for the large system volume, and the pressure in the loop rises more than I'd like. Also, it has failed twice, but replaced under out BG Homecare policy.
I have got a large external expansion vessel screwed to the wall next to it, and the plumbing run down to where it will connect in.
But I've not gotten round to breaking into the loop and hooking it up.
I planned to do that over Summer, but it Never Happened.
Now that Winter Is Coming, I feel disinclined to fuck with it.
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I have just given in . . . switched on the heating through the Hive controls . . . and remembered to switch off the bathroom towel rail electric elements that only get used in the summer, opening the valves so water flows. Just got to make sure the rooms unused during the day have the doors kept shut (they have their own timed valves)
BUT still planing to ride in shorts tomorrow, and probably through most of the winter.
One small benefit is that B Gas have us on a "half-price electricity from 1100 - 1600 on Sundays until 31 December" deal - so washer, dryer, batch-cooking was going on today.
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No heating up to now, haven't got central, but SWMBO was shivering so I started sawing up the old fence wood and she has had a fire going in the living room today. I had the saw and a bench out to put the last of the replacement fence in place so it was convenient to make a few buckets full of warm as well.
All the activity kept me from getting cold :)
Plus donning a pullover, and socks.
Our loft header tank froze the first winter we moved in. Some twit had insulated the loft (minimally by present standards) and included the ceiling bit under the tank, instead of over it.
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Not yet but cast-iron bathtubs don’t 'arf cool the hot water quickly when the bathroom is a bit nippy.
(Closes bathroom window)
On bath night as a child, I was lucky not to be youngest of three brothers. Youngest's bath was run first and warmed the bath tub nicely before the next bath was run.
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Sheer luxury! One bath full for umpteen kids in my household.
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-1.6C right now. Heating on to “All Day” as my wife’s going to be home. Next weekend will see the duvet change from 4.5tog to 9. If I ever retire I won’t miss scraping the car of a morning.
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-1.6C right now. Heating on to “All Day” as my wife’s going to be home. Next weekend will see the duvet change from 4.5tog to 9. If I ever retire I won’t miss scraping the car of a morning.
I've just been informed by Mrs robgul that the seasonal duvet change will occur here later today.
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I want to turn the heating on...
...but Mr R decided that everything should be wirelessly linked to and managed by Hive. Which is all very well but the Hive thermostat has died and there appears to be no way to bypass it now and manually kick on the heating.
And it's OK for Mr R - he's sat in a nice warm holiday cottage on Anglesey, whilst I'm freezing my nut off sat at a desk at home. >:(
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I want to turn the heating on...
...but Mr R decided that everything should be wirelessly linked to and managed by Hive. Which is all very well but the Hive thermostat has died and there appears to be no way to bypass it now and manually kick on the heating.
And it's OK for Mr R - he's sat in a nice warm holiday cottage on Anglesey, whilst I'm freezing my nut off sat at a desk at home. >:(
. . . are you sure it's not just the batteries in the Hive thermostat - ours seems to be variable on battery life/duration
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I want to turn the heating on...
...but Mr R decided that everything should be wirelessly linked to and managed by Hive. Which is all very well but the Hive thermostat has died and there appears to be no way to bypass it now and manually kick on the heating.
And it's OK for Mr R - he's sat in a nice warm holiday cottage on Anglesey, whilst I'm freezing my nut off sat at a desk at home. >:(
. . . are you sure it's not just the batteries in the Hive thermostat - ours seems to be variable on battery life/duration
Yep. The batteries in the thermostat sensor are fine. It's the separate thermostat controller that has died on us.
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Not uncommon. I had to replace ours. There is a guy on eBay who will repair it and the you can sell it on
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Not uncommon. I had to replace ours. There is a guy on eBay who will repair it and the you can sell it on
Presumably you mean the bit that is next to the boiler? Replacement is dead simple if you take a photograph of the wiring before you start.
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And if it is just replacing a failed "receiver" (as they call it - the bit by the boiler) then a like-for-like replacement is just turn off the power, undo the two screws holding it in place, flip it up to pull it off the back plate, plugging a new one onto the old back plate, screw it up and power back on then sync it to your thermostat and hub. No touching wiring at all, that's screwed to the back plate that you aren't doing anything to.
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Well, the thermostat has come back to life - apparently it has an internal battery that needed to charge up.
But now the thermostat is working, there's an issue with the water pressure. The heating won't kick in as the pressure is too high. I've tried bleeding the radiators but to no avail. The pressure drops and then goes straight back up again. The hot water supply is fine but the heating simply won't work.
We have a ridiculously complicated heating system. The developers decided to stick in both a combi boiler system and an immersion system. They are linked together and it seems if one goes down it affects the other.
I'm going to have to get the heating guys in (the boiler could do with a service anyway). Hopefully Perry will be available - so at least I'll have someone to lust over whilst my wallet is emptied...
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Has the filling loop been left open, or is the pressure going up as it heats?
Our heating went on yesterday evening, as it was cold and Miss Dan the Elder was feeling ill.
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Has the filling loop been left open
I have no idea. I can just about cope with bleeding a radiator...
, or is the pressure going up as it heats?
This as far as I can tell. As soon as the boiler kicks on the pressure starts to rise.
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It seems cold mornings and generalized inflammatory pain go together so the heating was on ALL day since it’s my day off. This could be a long, expensive winter.
Why is it so bloody cold all of a sudden >:( >:( completely unacceptable >:(
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Mrs B arrived home this afternoon after a week away. Central heating is now nailed on.
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Has the filling loop been left open
I have no idea. I can just about cope with bleeding a radiator...
, or is the pressure going up as it heats?
This as far as I can tell. As soon as the boiler kicks on the pressure starts to rise.
Expansion vessel sounds b0rked. It should accommodate the change in pressure due to temperature rise as the boiler runs. All of which is a bit academic I suspect as it sounds like fixing it isn't in your skill set.
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Has the filling loop been left open
I have no idea. I can just about cope with bleeding a radiator...
, or is the pressure going up as it heats?
This as far as I can tell. As soon as the boiler kicks on the pressure starts to rise.
Expansion vessel sounds b0rked. It should accommodate the change in pressure due to temperature rise as the boiler runs. All of which is a bit academic I suspect as it sounds like fixing it isn't in your skill set.
I’ve managed to sort the pressure out. Mr R had knocked a tap/valve putting something away.
The radiators still aren’t heating up though. Time to get the heating chap in.
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No heating yet, but the fleece trousers & top have been donned.
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MrsC is away, so I'm not running the heating as much as normal (we have it set to heat to 17C in evenings).
The dog is absolutely miserable. It's just under 15C downstairs and he's acting like he's been tortured and kicked.
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Ours is set to come on at 14°C overnight, and 18°C during the day. It was 19°C according to the thermostat this morning. Minimum outside temperature last night: 14.4°C, so still very warm.
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I've been up in the loft again this morning to check the tank. I took the precaution of taking 5 4-pint bottles of water up with me. It turned out there's still lots of water in the tank, but of course the heating has hardly come on because it has been so warm. I'm hoping there is no leak: the day we had the new boiler fitted, in January, there was loads of water in the tank, with a layer of ice on it. There had been no leak at that point. But of course the system was drained so that the boiler could be fitted, and it has had limited use since. Our system is full of potential airlocks and a couple of the upstairs radiators seem to need bleeding, but there doesn't seem to be much pressure from the loft tank. That implies to me that there is either an airlock or a sold blockage somewhere. All the ground floor radiators are full of water.
Today I have bumped the thermostat up to male sure the boiler stays on for longer, and forces the water to circulate. I'll keep on checking the radiators.
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It is possible for the header pipe to block. I have known two systems that this happened on. First, my own system where I currently live. Second an accommodation block at Basildon Hospital, where I was a heating engineer. The silt was so thick in both that the length of the pipe had to be replaced. Both had header tanks made from galvanised steel. The symptom was that the upstairs radiators would bleed for a couple of seconds, and then the air would stop coming out. As a temporary measure (until the systems could be conveniently taken out of use for complete drain down), I was able to use the expansion pipe to fill the system. Tricky though!
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Relented this morning and put the heating on, despite the management committee decreeing we wouldn't turn it on until January ::-)
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It is possible for the header pipe to block. I have known two systems that this happened on. First, my own system where I currently live. Second an accommodation block at Basildon Hospital, where I was a heating engineer. The silt was so thick in both that the length of the pipe had to be replaced. Both had header tanks made from galvanised steel. The symptom was that the upstairs radiators would bleed for a couple of seconds, and then the air would stop coming out. As a temporary measure (until the systems could be conveniently taken out of use for complete drain down), I was able to use the expansion pipe to fill the system. Tricky though!
That seems to be what is happening... that's a damned pain.
But, having said that, all the water that was in there in January must have gone somewhere...
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It is possible for the header pipe to block. I have known two systems that this happened on. First, my own system where I currently live. Second an accommodation block at Basildon Hospital, where I was a heating engineer. The silt was so thick in both that the length of the pipe had to be replaced. Both had header tanks made from galvanised steel. The symptom was that the upstairs radiators would bleed for a couple of seconds, and then the air would stop coming out. As a temporary measure (until the systems could be conveniently taken out of use for complete drain down), I was able to use the expansion pipe to fill the system. Tricky though!
But, having said that, all the water that was in there in January must have gone somewhere...
It is likely that the blockage is sediment that can allow very slow seepage of water, but will not keep up with the higher than normal flow demands of bleeding. If your system was drained in January and not used properly since then, it will take a long time to fill the system properly, through the blockage. It is probable that the blockage is in a horizontal run of the header pipe (before it enters the main system loop). If you can find where that is, you are half way to the cure. Gentle percussion of the horizontal section, while the header is full and a bleed valve is open, may be all that is required. That is a two person job. One to tap and the other to shut off the bleeding screw, if the blockage clears. I have known the copper pipe in old buildings to perforate though, so it could be worth enlisting a professional!
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Heating's been in in the living room for a couple of weeks. Finally caved and turned on the radiator in the bedroom. It got too cold to read in bed.
J
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No jumper required when cycling to Mr Sainsbury’s House of Toothy Comestibles this arvo so certainly no need to further enrich EDF.
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Has the filling loop been left open
I have no idea. I can just about cope with bleeding a radiator...
, or is the pressure going up as it heats?
This as far as I can tell. As soon as the boiler kicks on the pressure starts to rise.
Expansion vessel sounds b0rked. It should accommodate the change in pressure due to temperature rise as the boiler runs. All of which is a bit academic I suspect as it sounds like fixing it isn't in your skill set.
I’ve managed to sort the pressure out. Mr R had knocked a tap/valve putting something away.
The radiators still aren’t heating up though. Time to get the heating chap in.
Heating chap found that one of the pumps for the heating was jammed and the other was completely knackered. One pump unjammed and one replaced and, hey presto, working heating! He's also recommended getting the expansion vessel checked (as he didn't have time and the boiler is due its annual service).
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Thermometer downstairs in my house over the past few days vary between 15C and 16C. In my bedroom it varies between 16C and 18C. So no need for heating yet.
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Thermometer downstairs in my house over the past few days vary between 15C and 16C. In my bedroom it varies between 16C and 18C. So no need for heating yet.
Without wanting to sound creepy. But. What are you wearing?
16°C I'd be thinking about putting gloves on, as well as hiding under every blanket I own.
J
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A cotton traders long sleeved flannel shirt and thin long trousers. When I go outside I put a jumper on and a rain coat.
Last week I was still in short sleeved shirt and short trousers. I do not seem that sensitive to mild temperatures, but I hate drafts.
Remember the temperature setting of the thermostat on your central heating is not an accurate statement of the temperature. On some systems it can vary a lot around the set temperature.
Actually at the moment just pyjamas.
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Digital desk thermometer says 19.8, digital clinical thermometer says "L", though the latter agrees fairly closely with the former in the summer. Which is a surprise, because the clock part of the desk gadget is utter shite.
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Still wearing shorts - with a fleece . . . . but I have running bet/joke with a shorts-wearing neighbour to see who gives in first each winter ;D
Bike riding is shorts all year round for me, although I draw the line at snow.
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I've not worn longs since the start of the pandemic.
-5° C is the lowest I've exposed my knees to.
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It being November already I tried this evening. Nothing happened. Bummer or what? Maybe I should have tried earlier, but then complacency sets in at a certain stage in your life.
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Possibly this should go in the 'What have you fettled today' thread, but it's not it's here. I poked around rather unscientifically with the three way valve and the hall thermostat and to my great joy the CH started working. I'm not sure what made the difference but hey ho we are warm.
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Quite possibly the actuator on the 3-way valve is a bit dodgy.
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It is 24c in this place, so I want to know, wot is a one of these? (see picture)
Is it am early form of TRV, a tap or something else?
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231108/94860bc1fdc5dc29d3588dbcd8d85e23.jpg)
Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
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Looks like an old-fashioned tap-style valve to me. Not a TRV.
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Yeah. That looks like a simple tap. Control hear by adjusting flow rate only.
If you own the place, get it swapped for a TRV.
J
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Own the place
Nah I don't live in my health board of employment so can't even claim that.
Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
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I'm sorry I can't parse that.
J
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It's at work
It's belongs to the healthboard
The healthboard is made up by the councils whose areas it covers
I don't live in one of those areas.
Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk
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It's at work
It's belongs to the healthboard
The healthboard is made up by the councils whose areas it covers
I don't live in one of those areas.
Ah in which case I would suggest that instead of trying to replace it you set your goals on something more achievable
Like maybe world peace...
J
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Think we'll stick with raising the temperature with estates, they won't do anything, well actually they'll do the same thing as last time and tell us to set the TRV or room Thermostate appropriately.
At least now we can retort with "dinnae hae ain, eh!"
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If it is too hot in there, try closing the valve somewhat.
See how many turns to close it completely, and then close it half. See if that makes any difference. Adjust accordingly until teh flow is restricted to a leave that gives you a comfortable heat. Be prepared to open it a bit more when it is colder out.
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1) close the valve.
2) Open the valve 1/8 turn
That will give you either no heat or the right amount.
If no heat, open another 1/8 turn.
Leave it an hour between adjustments
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There's a problem there
The boiler room is turned off at weekends and night.
And we have direct sunlight at midday
So if we turn it down its too cold in the morning, and if we turn it up its OK in the morning and saunaesq from the afternoon onwards.
There's also 4 of them to manage, plus what ever is going on with the ones in the hell desk below and the ones in the corridor.
Basically management of them is beyond athe ability of the development team
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The additional info you have given = install TRVs
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Just put it on for the first time this season.
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We have the thicker duvet on. And daytime heating at 16˚
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Looks like I can hold out until the end of the month due to mild temperatures for the next few days and then being away for a couple of weekends :thumbsup:
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Not at Pingu Towers, but at my place of work.
Boiler (which heats the kitchen, toilets and lab in the R&D building) is being replaced over the next few days. Everywhere freezing.
R&D office - this is a mainly open plan area with offices round the outside edge of the building. This was all supposed to be heated with ground source heat pump (Ha). After much complaining about temperatures over many years, the big boss man got a new system installed in the ceiling of the open plan office, so that's all nice and toasty. Why did you not extend it to the offices on the outside (and therefore coolest) part of the building? (the ceilings are all connected).
I'm sitting with an oil filled heater under my desk. Cold nose, cold toes but warm lap.
Yes I know, this should be in the rant thread...
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We've cracked today.... but only for about 30 mins this evening as fhoot was alarmed by the speed at which the number on the smart meter was increasing! We have been spoilt for the last few months by hardly incurring any energy costs on account of the solar, reality is biting again now.
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Used the 'leccy fan heater in the Estate Office this arvo. Will probably fire up the dodgy boiler after I've et me dinner.
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Failed to switch it on the other day but the thermostat decided for me overnight in spite of being turned all the way down. Which is sub-10 degrees. Eeep.
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Finally popped it on. Don't really need it on as house tends to sit at about 17⁰ with 4 people in it using showers, oven, and the stove on for an hour or so. New doors have added to the excellent insulation of the house.
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Came home, and found the wonders of passive solar gain meant the heating is off, and it's 24.5°C in my flat.
Last weekend I was in the UK, the place I was staying was 15°C when I arrive, and quickly got upto 18° once the heating did some work. I don't know how you lot manage at such cold temps. 17°C or below I was unable to even use my phone cos my hands were so cold.
J
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We went to Birmingham to visit #1. When we got up in the morning, he'd already gone to work, so we wandered down to the new (to us) café on Bournville green. Very much to be recommended. 1
When we got back, the house was absolutely freezing. I realised that it would be set to come on for when son normally gets home. So I inspected the boiler for signs of an override, with no joy. Eventually found the remote in his bedroom but changing from auto to manual and raising the temp didn't help. I didn't realise that when fiddling with the boiler, I'd knocked a hidden touch switch that turned it off altogether.
It was really bloody freezing, and we had to sit wrapped in blankets until he came home.
Perhaps this should be in the Div thread.
1 very good grub. Including a posh, non-greasy 'Full English'. However get there at mid morning as the place suddenly completely fills with bournville yummy mummies weilding large pushchairs at 12ish.
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Came home, and found the wonders of passive solar gain meant the heating is off, and it's 24.5°C in my flat.
Last weekend I was in the UK, the place I was staying was 15°C when I arrive, and quickly got upto 18° once the heating did some work. I don't know how you lot manage at such cold temps. 17°C or below I was unable to even use my phone cos my hands were so cold.
J
I manually toggle between ~17°C and ~19°C.
Fuck thermostats.
I know whether I'm too warm or too cold, I don't need a 'stat to tell me.
This evening's duvet has been upgraded from 11 togs to 13.5 togs.
It was a bit parky last night.
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I have not mastered the dark art of remote thermostat control. I believe it can be done, but it requires a computer science degree or equivalent. Jan and I have been away for a couple of days and of course I turned the heating off.
When we arrived home at about 7.20, the inside temperature was 8°C. It has now risen to 13°C. We have the central heating on, a fan heater working and an oil-filled radiator.
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Time to reinvestigate them wireless thermostat wossnames coz putting the thermostat in the unheated hall was the act of a madman.
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Ha! Agree there...
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Never did understand why UK homes seem to put the thermostat in the hallway. Feels like very bad design.
That and having only one thermostat...
J
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Never did understand why UK homes seem to put the thermostat in the hallway. Feels like very bad design.
Ease of access from the telephone seat, obviously ;D
To be fair, it makes some sense to have it away from the kitchen and anywhere with a fireplace, which would have been most living rooms at the time that central heating was first a thing.
When my parents had some heating work done in the mid 90s, I persuaded them to install a separate zone with its own thermostat for the living room / dining room / kitchen, which was pretty unusual at the time. We then re-located the primary thermostat to the upstairs landing, which worked well for regulating the bedrooms.
These days, it's much easier to control each room separately.
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Never did understand why UK homes seem to put the thermostat in the hallway. Feels like very bad design.
Ease of access from the telephone seat, obviously ;D
To be fair, it makes some sense to have it away from the kitchen and anywhere with a fireplace, which would have been most living rooms at the time that central heating was first a thing.
When my parents had some heating work done in the mid 90s, I persuaded them to install a separate zone with its own thermostat for the living room / dining room / kitchen, which was pretty unusual at the time. We then re-located the primary thermostat to the upstairs landing, which worked well for regulating the bedrooms.
These days, it's much easier to control each room separately.
Our main Hive thermostat is on a step halfway up (or down!) the stairs off the hall - we have an element of "room control" in 3 rooms with Hive radiator valves that are used just as "time switches" - they are set for a temperature a couple of degrees above the main thermostat and timings for when we use/don't use those rooms (with an allowance for warm-up/warm-down) - works for us.
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With my new double-glaze windows and front porch (with composite front door) I set the heating
temperature to 19°c in my mid-terraced house*. This keeps it toasty-warm. Once it is switched to
a lower setting the house remains warmer for longer than before the home improvements.
*Built in about 1910 (no cavity walls).
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One of the advantages of not having wet heating is that electric heating is very easily and precisely controlled. Every room in my house has its own thermostat, with a minimum and target temperature which changes throughout the day. If I leave the house and go more than a certain distance away, the heating goes to anti-freeze mode, and is reset to heating mode when I pass that distance on my return. My hot water is also electric, and uses a Tesla immersion that learns when I need and don't need hot water, and also knows when I'm not in the house. The installation is cheap compared to a boiler and wet heating system, though electricity prices mean it most certainly isn't cheap to run just now!
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I put the stat in the kitchen to keep it away from the wood stove until I realised a 5kW wood stove can heat the whole house, so I never use the stove and CH at the same time (the CH is only used on office days). Then I moved the stat to the living room.
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We've got new doors replacing the 100 year old ones. We now have a (minor) condensation issue. Have finally put the heating on, although house has been sitting at about 17⁰ without it but an hour of wood-burner in the evening.
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I have a sneaking suspicion that the apparently-b0rked timer clock wossname on my boiler has unb0rked itself; this doubt planted by coming downstairs some time after midnight to cold radiators even though by the thermostat's reckoning the heating should still have been on ???
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Was rudely awoken the other morning by being cold, it now being below confirmation rt for the 4.5 tog duvet, 10.5 now in use.
Needs to get really cold before the heating wakes me up at night
Good 7cm of snow here so the leaks letting the freezing gale in the walls through into the room can be easily found today (why is it always behind furniture? )
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I don't know what the tog rating of my duvet is, cos I live in a metric world... But I've recently moved to having a double wool blanket on top of the duvet. Alas somehow in my sleep I keep managing to shed one of the 3 layers (blanket, duvet, double wool blanket), and then wake up feeling cold.
I do keep the bedroom a lot colder than my living room. Usually by at least 3°C.
J
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I don't know what the tog rating of my duvet is, cos I live in a metric world...
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rating expressed as m2.K/W (Rsi) But apparently 1 tog = 0.1 Rsi.
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rating expressed as m2.K/W (Rsi) But apparently 1 tog = 0.1 Rsi.
Agreed. Looking at the ikea nl website, they just classify them as
"light warm"
"warm"
"all season"
"cool"
Highly scientific...
J
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I don't use a duvet, they're too hard to wash and not very "adjustable". I just pile more/less blankets on the bed as appropriate.
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I don't use a duvet, they're too hard to wash and not very "adjustable". I just pile more/less blankets on the bed as appropriate.
I just stick an arm or leg out if too hot. My wife has never had such a problem (at 5’ 4” and 8st 4lb she has little thermal mass, and eats like a bird!)
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We sleep under a pile of cats so we’re never cold. If we plan to use the bedroom for anything other than sleeping though, like that other thing people do in bedroom, they’re seriously annoying.
Heating came on at 5pm yesterday and The Asbestos Palace was still not up to temperature when we came home from the theatre at 10.30pm. Currently claiming 19.4 degrees so probably much the same. Mind you after a six hour hike in zero degrees it feels warm.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63602501
I think I may have posted this link before, but seeing as it's once again in the top 10 most read on the BBC news website, it's probably worth sharing again.
J
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I don't use a duvet, they're too hard to wash and not very "adjustable". I just pile more/less blankets on the bed as appropriate.
I just stick an arm or leg out if too hot. My wife has never had such a problem (at 5’ 4” and 8st 4lb she has little thermal mass, and eats like a bird!)
I was introduced to the scandinavian approach to duvets by a similar (and differing) mismatch.
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The heating gor switched off a few weeks back. Been very tempted to switch back on. Thermostat which I'm sure over reads read 15 this morning and unlike yesterday when sun and cooking warmed up we had neither today.
Saying that I'm in shorts as clocks have changed but a BIG jumper
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Now it is April the heating is off until late October. I have TOG 4.5 Duvet on my bed. I am wearing shorts and T-shirt. If I go out I will wear a little more but still shorts.
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Can some of you never-get-cold bastards send some of that to me!?
Even without anaemia my thermoreg is teh shite.
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Heating is most definitely on. WTF?
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Yes. Of course. It's almost summer. WTF?