kate1
member
Reged: 18/08/2008
Posts: 6802
Loc: Leicestershire
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When it's this cold, do you leave the heating on day and night?
We are doing that this winter, and the house is really cosy 'cos the walls don't get cold and then have to be heated up again.Some people say it's no more expensive, so we're trying it.
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jessie_1
member
Reged: 07/03/2006
Posts: 1846
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I do it as well, at night I just turn it down lower than I would have it on in the day
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Help one another, is part of the religion of sisterhood. ~Louisa May Alcott
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oopsidaisy
member
Reged: 08/10/2008
Posts: 211
Loc: Belfast
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Hi Kate.I have it on timer overnight and during the day.But at the minute I tend to leave it on most of the day.I have an Aga in my kitchen which also has a living area,so it is always boiling in here thank goodness!We tend to stay in here most of the day.Roll on the warm weather! Oopsi.
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xxxSummerxxx
member
Reged: 29/03/2008
Posts: 10524
Loc: Billericay,Essex
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On the whole i dont and to be honest i often leave the heating on lower than i really need if im the only one in the house.I think it stems back to living in a rather large cold house as a Child when mY mother was always short of cash. awwwww
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kate1
member
Reged: 18/08/2008
Posts: 6802
Loc: Leicestershire
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Jessie,
And do you find it's no more expensive?
I just hate a cold house.
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chilla
member
Reged: 05/09/2008
Posts: 6188
Loc: runcorn
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No i put mine on timer for 4a.m., well I do get up at 5.15 and then it goes off around 10 p.m. There's always abattle between Mr chilla and me because he likes it distinctly tropical and I'm far more temperate!
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I have the talent of single-minded determination and foc....hey, look, dog!
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JustJules
member
Reged: 10/03/2008
Posts: 324
Loc: Lancashire
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Hi Kate, yes I do! My OH thinks it comes on at 4pm again but the house is freezing if that happens (sometimes of a weekend if I can't get away with it) so for years I have let him think that it goes off once we leave the house but I leave it on as a heating engineer once told me that it was more economical to leave it on low as the furnishings store all the cold and the house thus takes longer to heat up again. Our thermostat is not allowed to go beyond 15 or he moans and threatens to turn it off so it's my way of getting my own back.
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kate1
member
Reged: 18/08/2008
Posts: 6802
Loc: Leicestershire
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Chilla,
yes but you are at work all day, so I see that, but what if you were home all day in temperatures this low?
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Tigerfeet
member
Reged: 29/10/2008
Posts: 1707
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Yes, I do - otherwise the house gets really cold and takes ages to warm up.
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Chestnut
member
Reged: 07/10/2008
Posts: 456
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We control the heating by the thermostat. I'm told its better to do that than to switch on and off as more expensive to fire up every time and to heat the house from scratch. We have always done it that way and we pay our bills monthly by direct debit so not really sure if its cheaper or not.
Rainbow.x
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chilla
member
Reged: 05/09/2008
Posts: 6188
Loc: runcorn
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Mr chilla works from home, so it's on between4 a.m. and 10p.m. I just don't like it on in the night.
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I have the talent of single-minded determination and foc....hey, look, dog!
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jessie_1
member
Reged: 07/03/2006
Posts: 1846
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Kate it is no more expensive to run permanently as if you have it on timer and then when you come home put the heating on, it then has to start heating the house all over again, which could turn out expensive, & anyway I would rather be warm than cold!
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Help one another, is part of the religion of sisterhood. ~Louisa May Alcott
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Secret
member
Reged: 02/10/2008
Posts: 1239
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Yes Kate, it is on continuously at the moment, although I do turn it down at night. It dosn't help that I have to sleep with the bedroom window open either...I feel I can't breath if I don't have it open (physcological). But I never ever have the heating on in the bedrooms.
My last heating bill was £400.00, which I have just paid....outrageous..
I'm almost starting to wish my hot flushes would re-surface....but no just had them in the summer instead. Typical!
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' I mean what I say, and say what I mean '
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Lisianthus
member
Reged: 02/02/2008
Posts: 1375
Loc: Sussex
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Yes, I do at the moment, as it is SO cold!
Janine XX
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My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. (Edith Wharton)
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dbverycherry
member
Reged: 24/02/2007
Posts: 6503
Loc: Kent UK
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You bet.
Have had it on for the last few days and all day and all night at that.
I did turn the thermo down a bit.
I think it makes the boiler work twice as hard if one turns the heating completely off on such cold and freezing day as today. I feel for thsoe up north and those who have been having bad weather across Europe and also here in Kent UK.
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dbverycherry
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ChrissiFi
member
Reged: 28/06/2006
Posts: 2621
Loc: Somerset
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Ours has been on constantly since Christmas eve but normally it's just between 6:00 and 7:30 and then 17:00 and 22:00. I've got a few days off this week (one day back at work yesterday was enough... truthfully we've got builders 'doing' our roof so need to be here if only to keep dogs quiet) so the heating's on but low. I'll light the fire this afternoon and probably curl up with a dvd but this morning I'm twiddling.
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Cowleygirl
member
Reged: 02/09/2006
Posts: 151
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We control ours by the thermostat, also. Rainbow. Always have done, mostly because my parents have always done it. Ours is a cold house. There is not enough insulation in the loft and walls, so I am going to investigate the offers we keep receiving from British Gas etc. I don't think we will be entitled to a grant.Does anybody know about this? We were away over Christmas, and despite leaving the heating on low, it was absolutely freezing when we got back, and took ages to warm up. What a shock, 80 degrees Florida heat to Frosty England. I'm still trying to warm up a week later
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Mollymandy
member
Reged: 01/08/2008
Posts: 1511
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I turn the thermostat down to 15 at night and it rarely comes on. Keep it at 20 when we are home: The house is very well insulated and our fuel bills since moving here have been the lowest we have ever had.
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OzzieKez
member
Reged: 21/06/2008
Posts: 2759
Loc: Queensland, Australia
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We keep our cooling on all the time when it's hot. At night we turn it off in the main house and have it on in the bedrooms. It's mostly set to 26 degrees!
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annemari
member
Reged: 07/03/2008
Posts: 3102
Loc: Gloucestershire.
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A long time ago I jokingly said to my OH,"Make sure the house stays warm,or be prepared to send me abroad for six months!"
I think he must have taken me seriously though, as not long after he purchased a multi-fuel burner,and lights it somewhere around the beginning of October and keeps it alight until early April. 
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Annemari xx
 The Three Musketeers were together again at Cardiff. Summer, ChattyCathy and my 'Mum' Auntie Annemari"
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Mollymandy
member
Reged: 01/08/2008
Posts: 1511
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Agree Annemari - would rather go hungry than be cold... Apparently (according to SIL who is an architect) - there is a massive waiting list for woodburning and multi-fuel stoves at the moment with people changing to alternative ways to heat their homes.
Also a shortage of chimney sweeps apparently (no sending your GS up those chimneys please... lol
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cupcake
member
Reged: 15/02/2008
Posts: 6078
Loc: On top of the world!!
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Just found this on the moneysaving expert website:
Is it more economical to leave my heating on 24hrs in the winter?
Answer
No. It is a common misconception that it is cheaper to leave your hot water and heating on all the time. Boilers use more power initially to heat water from cold, however the cost of this is greatly exceeded by the cost of keeping the boiler running all of the time.
The best solution is to programme your heating system so that it comes on when you need it most (possibly early morning and in the evening), and goes off when you don't need it (when you are out of the house or asleep). There are a range of controls that can be used and your heating engineer will be able to provide you with the most appropriate solution.
Depending on your circumstances it may be necessary to keep the heating on all day during winter but it will cost more than if you turn the heating off when you don't need it.
Apparently it's all to do with physics and thermodynamics.. 
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BEL
member
Reged: 21/02/2008
Posts: 2480
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Wondered why so many chimney sweep vans on the M42 over
the Christmas period....must be doing a roaring trade!!!!
Maybe a business to start in credit crunch times...would
not be without a log burner now..have had them in various
houses since late 90s..heating on all the time...find it
v cold in Shropshire...first time I have ever needed a
radiator on in my bedroom at night!!!always slept in cold
rooms!!!!
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dec
member
Reged: 29/01/2008
Posts: 1753
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when it is abnormally cold like it is now I would say don't leave your house unheated as,apart from being cold it could cause problems that you wouldn't expect.
My ex husband was a heating engineer and years ago we had a cold spell rather like the one we are experiencing now.He was called out to a lot of places where their heating pipes had actually frozen overnight.He insisted we kept ours on constantly just turning the thermostat down overnight.I was sure our gas bill would be huge but it really didn't seem to have made a difference.
Dec
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kate1
member
Reged: 18/08/2008
Posts: 6802
Loc: Leicestershire
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Dec,
Thanks for that.I hope that's right, 'cos this winter we have decided to try it, 'cos people do say that it's no more expensive than having it on a timer.
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cupcake
member
Reged: 15/02/2008
Posts: 6078
Loc: On top of the world!!
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Hi dec. My husband is a plumber(Plumbers are also heating engineers..) I think pipes bursting has more to do with inadequate lagging. Also if your roof is really well insulated and you can get the cavity walls insulated it will help to keep the house from losing too much heat.
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Psyche
member
Reged: 23/01/2007
Posts: 2877
Loc: Bicester OXON
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I'm experimenting too. Normally have it on from 5.30 to 6.30 and 4 to 10 but it seems to take ages to get back to a comfortable level so now it's on from 5.30 to 10 straight through. At the moment they owe me money so I've got a cushion to play with.
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Psyche.
So many books...so little time!.
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ChrissiFi
member
Reged: 28/06/2006
Posts: 2621
Loc: Somerset
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The builders are stripping our roof tomorrow... I'm definitely keeping the heating on as even with almost a foot of insulation in the loft I think it's going to get rather cold.
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OL0212
member
Reged: 04/01/2009
Posts: 172
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Oh ladies,
Can i just ask what are we supposed to do when Russia turns off the gas .
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dec
member
Reged: 29/01/2008
Posts: 1753
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Cupcake, it was only 1 year that my ex had lots of callouts because of freezing problems.I can't remember which year it was now but we had really arctic conditions that year.He was working round the clock keeping schools,Rest Homes going.I think it might have been very early 1980's when that happened.
Hopefully this cold spell won't last long but I can't stand the cold so need the house to be warm.We do need to top up the loft insulation though ,we have the walls done but it's freezing under our floorboards but that seems difficult and expensive to remedy.
Decx
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cupcake
member
Reged: 15/02/2008
Posts: 6078
Loc: On top of the world!!
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Hi again dec! Yes I remember a couple of quite bad years in the early 80's when conditions were freezing.
I remember one year in particular we had just sat down for our evening meal when there was a knock at the front door....
A neighbour had a burst pipe could my OH just 'have a quick look' so , leaving his dinner in the oven off he went. 10 miutes later another neighbour knocked our door and I said he was already across the road so the neighbour went over and got him!!! This carried on and off most of the week!!!
So many neighbours...so many burst pipes!!!!
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Aprile
member
Reged: 28/07/2008
Posts: 523
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Well I would if I could but it's packed up and no sign of it being repaired before Friday, so please think of me huddled in front of our one log fire with the damp and cold now seeping into all the old stone walls  .
On the plus side it's a good excuse to eat off a tray in front of the TV as its so cold in every other room.
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