The 2016 "is your heating on yet?" thread

[rogerzilla]

Out of interest, Roger, where exactly were you pulling the trunks out of? 

Hot young twinks, obviously.

[andyoxon]

Andy it was 4'c last week, as I think you know perfectly well

Indeed, but probably with higher diurnal temp range, and so residually warmer inside the house overnight...   

[mattc]

It was 16 degrees in the living room when I got home so I lit the stove for an hour and a half.  I enjoyed burning some of the prunings I took from the garden in March, including some trunks that were an absoute bear to pull out.  There's a nice mixture of hardwood and softwood and it's all been kiln-dried to a crisp in the conservatory over the summer, so it goes up like a torch.

AKA the
"Have I mentioned my wood-burning stove? I chop the wood myself."
thread.

 

[Andrij]

As I don't believe any of you live within the Arctic Circle or in the Carpathian Mountains (which have had much SNO this week) I can only assume you're a bunch of naturists so just crank up the heat instead of putting on some clothes.

[Wowbagger]

I have turned an electric oil-filled radiator on for Phyllis a couple of times, what with her being 97 and not running around so much as the rest of us.

So far as the central heating is concerned, we have run the boiler a couple of times when the sun hasn't done its job and heated the water in the tank and we have wanted showers, but since there have been only two mornings when temperature has dipped below 10°C, and by the time we were up between 8.30 and 9 the sun was warming everything up nicely, no. I don't anticipate putting the heating on before November. Saarfend has a very benign climate as a rule, so there isn't a lot of point.

It has been quite interesting talking to my daughter in Melbourne. They tend not to have double glazing or central heating down there, because it's generally lots warmer than here, but they do get occasional cold, miserable days and I think she tends to suffer on these. They are well and truly into spring at the moment though so she is quite happy.

[Chris S]

I noticed the heating had stirred itself into action on Monday morning, when we had an air frost (first one of the "season") - but this being a new-build house, it's pretty much all on auto-pilot, so I don't think we're really aware of what it's doing.

FWIW the thermostats are set to 16'c overnight and during the day, and 20c (downstairs), 18c (upstairs) during the evening. Every radiator has a thermostatic valve too, which are set permanently to OFF in my office (three PCs are more than enough to keep that warm) and the room that is notionally "The Gym", where we provide a more sweaty form of heating of our own.

[ian]

Still holding out, but it was touch and go last night. It's technically on thermostat but we turned off the heating when we went on holiday (I've seen 2012, imagine the bills) and only turned the hot water back on. Although the Asbestos Palace is supposed to have cavity wall insulation etc., it's a detached house from the 60s with giant picture windows in every room. It probably shows up on thermal imagery taken from high orbit.

If it's sunny I can probably hold out a few more days, we catch the sun on the side and front of house as it clings to the side of the valley, which turns those walls into giant storage heaters (and steadily cracks the rendering, of course). If it's sunny.

[Mr Larrington]

Not yet, but I may have to road-test my new hand-knitted and much-travelled socks before long.

[hellymedic]

Mine stays on the thermostat pretty much all of the time*. That's surely the point of a thermostat to heat the house when the temperature hits a set point, rather than when the calendar/your pride etc. allows you to turn it on?


*Along with the timer stopping the house heating when I'm out at work/asleep where there's no real need for it.

+1

I have had the heating on in July if we've been cold.

[ian]

I work on the principle that if it's cold, I put more clothes on. Of course, in the giddy heights of summer this might involve those large picture windows and a man in just his underpants. I have no idea who this man is, mind you, but I'm calling the police if I see him in my house again.

There's a threshold when the weight of cats and clothing makes moving difficult. At that point, I shamble to the cupboard and ignite the boiler.

[Jurek]

Not I.
But the man currently fitting my bathroom clearly ran the CH yesterday - not sure why - maybe to cure adhesive / plaster / whatever.
Whichever way you cut it, when I walked in at seven yesterday evening, it was all a bit sauna.

[Kim]

Mine stays on the thermostat pretty much all of the time*. That's surely the point of a thermostat to heat the house when the temperature hits a set point, rather than when the calendar/your pride etc. allows you to turn it on?

Yeah, but some people are obviously nostalgic for the great BRITISH public-sector building tradition of no heating until the central boiler is fired up at $date, regardless of conditions, and all subsequent fine control achieved by opening the window.

[Kim]

As I don't believe any of you live within the Arctic Circle or in the Carpathian Mountains (which have had much SNO this week) I can only assume you're a bunch of naturists so just crank up the heat instead of putting on some clothes.

I work on the principle that if it's cold, I put more clothes on.

Yes, yes, we've heard it all before.  How lovely for you not to have Raynaud's or asthma.  I bet some of you also live in houses less than 100 years old, with the freedom to install luxuries such as double-glazing and insulation.   

[matthew]

I fired up the ch for an hour when I got in last night and for an hour when I hung out my laundry this morning.

[ian]

It was about me. Which ought to be obvious.

[hellymedic]

Mine stays on the thermostat pretty much all of the time*. That's surely the point of a thermostat to heat the house when the temperature hits a set point, rather than when the calendar/your pride etc. allows you to turn it on?

Yeah, but some people are obviously nostalgic for the great BRITISH public-sector building tradition of no heating until the central boiler is fired up at $date, regardless of conditions, and all subsequent fine control achieved by opening the window.

I believe the Magic Dates were 1 April for 'Off' and 1 October for 'On'.

ISTR that the Shops, Offices and Railway Premises Act specified a minimum of 60^oF, which is a fairly parky 15.6C.

[Canardly]

Interestingly, in England, the heating season defined within housing tenancy legislation is between 31 October and 1 May and of course the thermal comfort range is slightly different for women and menfolk.

[perpetual dan]

We installed carpet in our bedroom recently, which has really helped. I suspect the thermostat will switch it on for us soon. I ought to add checking the pressure to my list of stuff to do.

[Jakob W]

Briefly - new boiler was installed this week, so it's come on in the mornings. I need to jibble the thermostat settings, mind - it's installed in a room that seems to run colder than the rooms we are mostly in, so can safely have the temps reduced a bit.

[Feanor]

Mrs F ordered the first firing of the woodburner tonight, on account of feeling a little chilled after our family expedition up Clachnaben.

The Oaves fought with each other to Play With Fire, and between them Fire was made.
( The eleder is home for the weekend. )

[phantasmagoriana]

Yes, because (1) the washing doesn't dry properly without it, and (2) it's cold in the mornings, and it's hard enough to drag myself out of bed when it's dark, without it being freezing too!

[ElyDave]

As I don't believe any of you live within the Arctic Circle or in the Carpathian Mountains (which have had much SNO this week) I can only assume you're a bunch of naturists so just crank up the heat instead of putting on some clothes.

I'm still walking round in shorts, heating off.

My only concession to the season is that I have a thin merino wool LS shirt, haven't even used a jumper today.

[FatBloke]

As I don't believe any of you live within the Arctic Circle or in the Carpathian Mountains (which have had much SNO this week) I can only assume you're a bunch of naturists so just crank up the heat instead of putting on some clothes.

I'm still walking round in shorts, heating off.

Still in shorts here too!!  Have resisted the temptation to fire up the central heating but I will confess to having lit the Gazco fire in the lounge on a couple of evenings.

[TimC]

I have tentatively tried a couple of my storage heaters to see how they work. Archaic things, aren't they? They're going to have to go, but I'll have to think carefully about what to replace them with - I'm not putting a wet system in.

[rogerzilla]

It's usually a damp feel to the air that makes me first put the heating on, rather than actual cold.   This house is modern (1989) and not inherently damp, but I bought it after it had been standing empty over a whole winter and half the wallpaper had fallen off in the living room (saved me a job).