Are you all warm enough folks??

[bramble]

I pull the Holland blinds down earlier than normal as our windows are really big which seems to attract the cold. I also pull over the drapes. they are usually just tied back but with the blinds and drapes closed early it seems to add to the cosy atmosphere.
We are on gas CH and it comes on at 7.30 in the morning and goes off at 11.30 at night when the weather is cold.

[selfraising]

At the moment my ch is timed to come on in the morning and off at 11p.m. but somebody told me yesterday that it uses less power if I leave it on the whole time so it doesn't have to fire up again in the morning. Has anyone else heard this?

[FionaH]

At the moment my ch is timed to come on in the morning and off at 11p.m. but somebody told me yesterday that it uses less power if I leave it on the whole time so it doesn't have to fire up again in the morning. Has anyone else heard this?

No idea if it's true or not but it's what I tell MrH! Stops him turning it off

[selfraising]

No idea if it's true or not but it's what I tell MrH! Stops him turning it off

That's okay then, I'll tell OH you said so

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Currently 21C in the living room. Kitchen is warmer as we are trying to dry it out. Hall, bedroom and bathroom are an okay 16C. Got furry slippers, fleecy top, and cords on so I'm quite toasty. My Frosty is zzzzing on the sofa under a fleecy blanket. Garden is frozen but we are not. Lots of hot drinks and a hot curry tonight - yummy.

Also need to admit I lasted two days without cakes or biccies - it's too cold to diet.

[Incy]

We also have an old house which gets cold pretty quickly, particularly at the front with the original sash windows. We have found a door curtain over the front door makes a huge difference to the ambient temperature. I made one a few years ago from some think calico, doubled and it works a treat
It is supposed to be true that it's more economical to simply turn the heating down a few degrees at night rather than completely off. I think that may be more true in older houses which take longer to heat up though. In any case it's what we do.

[Two_Sheds]

it uses less power if I leave it on the whole time

I believed that, until I started taking daily meter readings.

Last winter, if I left the heating on 24 hrs a day, cost �4 a day
If I had it on afternoons & evenings only, it was �3 a day


Take your own readings, and decide for yourself though

[dogsbody]

This year I have had my boiler and central heating ripped out and replaced, fire too. The central heating is now easier to control, the hot water far better and available than before, but regretably the fire is nowhere near as efficient as the one I had before (although that did have the added benefit of the back boiler).

Having said all that - I'm not cold.

[Nicos]

We too have had our boiler replaced- 20litres of fuel a day @61cents a litre = 12.20E per day (�12)...and that was before the snow!!!!
This new one should be 40% more efficient!

..and I'm still sat here in a fleece etc!!

we've had some strong gusts of wind today...the house is getting draughty!

[lettucegrow!]

I feel like a southern weakling now reading of all these abodes with no heating and temps indoors of 16/17 We leave CH on at around 22 and gets turned right down overnight but not off. I've always used that theory that if the house gets really cold you use more power as it has to work extra hard to get it back to temp.

[bramble]

Yes I agree Lettucegrow but do you not think 22deg is a tad high?

[lynda66]

I have an extra blanket on the bed and a hottie.

well i'm hoping i can find a hottie to come and warm me up ...

in the mean time i just remembered ..... my mum gave me some of those plug in bootees ... when she moved to spain .... you know, the all in one granny boot thing that you forget you have on, stand up to make a brew and fall flat on your face cos theres only one of em .... and a leccy blanket ... someones gonna be snuggly though a little bruised tonight lol

[Glutton4...]

Yup - I got halfway through reading that and already had a mental picture of you going A over T in a big bootie!

[lynda66]

I believed that, until I started taking daily meter readings.

Last winter, if I left the heating on 24 hrs a day, cost �4 a day
If I had it on afternoons & evenings only, it was �3 a day


Take your own readings, and decide for yourself though

mine last year cost 52p an hour to run, eventually i figured out why .... cos it never actually gets warm enough to reache the thermostat temperature ... even with cavity wall, and loft insulation, and double glazing etc .... this year i haven't dared look at how much it's gone up to, ... but having it on all day and evening the other day, the maximum temp it reached was 14 degrees ... so i've given up again.... it's only been in 18 months and is supposed to be efficient..... course it is ... i don't use it lol.

[lynda66]

Yup - I got halfway through reading that and already had a mental picture of you going A over T in a big bootie!

it's just far too easy to forget you have it on lol