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So who’s put their heating on yet ?

Put mine on yesterday for the day and per the new smart meter I spent £50

back to log burner tomorrow, gas price is nuts, I wonder if large old drafts housss like my semi will sell at all going forwards as I certainly can’t afford to heat the place as it’s mortgage level spend currently

New to the smart meter but I guess the rebate will reduce the price a bit

I don't think it is to be honest @DarrenW - Our house is a 1970's 3 bed detached, is fully double glazed, carpets not wooden floors, curtains and blinds on most windows etc. We have the heating on periodically throughout the day, but probably for now more than 3-4hrs and only getting to temperature of 16 degrees, and this still cost us £6. So, I would imagine if had it on all day would and warming to a higher temp it probably would rack up to that amount. We purchased some electric throws about a month ago and are making full use of those
 
If the humidity is kept under control though doesn't that decrease the likelihood of condensation to start with?
At 12'c the dew point will have a RH of circa 55%, but im guessing the actual structure where the condensation will be much lower in temp, just be aware and have a look at the graphs in the article linked to.
Condensation is what needs to be avoided, as it will turn to mould in no time.
 
I have a Vent-Axia dehumidifier system running through the flat. According to the manufacturer’s handbook it says ideal indoor humidity should be between 30-40%. In the summer my little humidity reader can show 60%.

The UK can get surprisingly humid..!
a dehumidifier manufacturer suggests that indoor humidity should be considerably below the UK outdoor norm. There's a surprise.
 
a dehumidifier manufacturer suggests that indoor humidity should be considerably below the UK outdoor norm. There's a surprise.

Indeed. So a quick google will find less biased information:

https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20271/guidance_for_private_tenants/1129/preventing_damp_and_mould

“A good range of indoor humidity for comfort and health is between 30-60% during cooler months of the year. Mould is likely to occur if the relative humidity indoors is 70% or more for long periods of time. Keeping humidity levels under 50% also helps to minimise or control dust mites. But it is also possible to live in a house that is too dry! Humidity levels below about 30% lead to dry skin and nasal passages, increasing the potential for respiratory illnesses.”

Current temp/humidity:

B01351-CC-B723-47-A7-9505-961-CBC8811-CA.jpg
 
a dehumidifier manufacturer suggests that indoor humidity should be considerably below the UK outdoor norm. There's a surprise.
Yes, spinning a yarn to make a profit is a common practice across many industries.
 
Back to logs today, heating one room really warm and letting the heat leach into the hall so when we go the loo we can’t see our own breath. Add in electric blanket for bedtime and it’s not too bad cost wise as the wood was free.

Christmas tree went up today and that makes it feel warmer with the twinkly lights on
 
Back to logs today, heating one room really warm and letting the heat leach into the hall so when we go the loo we can’t see our own breath. Add in electric blanket for bedtime and it’s not too bad cost wise as the wood was free.

Christmas tree went up today and that makes it feel warmer with the twinkly lights on
For a moment then, when you followed talk of heating one room really warm and then mentioned that the Christmas went up, I thought you meant it went up in flames!
 
Indeed. So a quick google will find less biased information:

https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20271/guidance_for_private_tenants/1129/preventing_damp_and_mould

“A good range of indoor humidity for comfort and health is between 30-60% during cooler months of the year. Mould is likely to occur if the relative humidity indoors is 70% or more for long periods of time. Keeping humidity levels under 50% also helps to minimise or control dust mites. But it is also possible to live in a house that is too dry! Humidity levels below about 30% lead to dry skin and nasal passages, increasing the potential for respiratory illnesses.”

Current temp/humidity:

B01351-CC-B723-47-A7-9505-961-CBC8811-CA.jpg
Here’s ours just now, in living room.

44-E5-A6-B0-7115-49-AD-91-D3-148-E804-AEF19.jpg
 
when was it 95% humidity?! :eek:
Not sure, perhaps overnight at lowest temperature, or maybe it’s off the back of cooking, kitchen is situated right next to living room. I’ll have a look first thing in the morning, I’m usually up very early.
 
We have the same RH/temp monitor here. Had the Gas C heating on for most of the day and the RH was around 55 -60 %. Cost a bomb to run so we put the electric fire on in the living room on one bar (old style element type - fan assisted - modern design) whilst she was watching the telly.

RH dropped to 40% within an hour and the wife started sneezing and her eyes were itching (worn contact lenses for most of her life)

So we bit the bullet and put the heating back on. Heading towards £15 for the day on gas. Heyho. Whatever.
 
Sunny cornwall but put the main single storage heater on a month ago. It’s in the stairwell. Occasionally supplemented by a double-skinned open fire in the living room historically. This year wifey is really feeling the cold, particularly in her legs. Some merino leggings for a cool ton didn’t fix that so bought another storage heater that’s right beside her chair. 2.5 kw but she is still doing the occasional HWBottle and a blanket.
 
What is considered a normal humidity level?

I don't have any trickle vents and it is too noisy here to have the windows on the latch. The bathroom has an open vent for the extract fan and I regularly leave that window either open or on the latch, the bathroom door doesn't close fully so I expect that is doing some venting. Even so, I open all the windows upstairs and downstairs once a week for a couple of hours and I notice the worst room for humidity (front room) drops from about 60% to 50% depending on relative humidity obviously. Having the heating on doesn't seem to make any difference, maybe it doesn't get warm enough to dry the air.

Thinking of getting a dehumidifier and just running it in the front room for an hour or so a day to keep anything at bay, seeing as that is the hi-fi/music room.

I bought a dessicant dehumidifier. I have read that up to 70% is comfortable for people but in the winter time 30%-50% is the target . I read that 60% will stop mould but you need 50% or under to stop condensation. That seems to be my experience. All dehumidifiers I think use a fan to blow the air onto a water removing surface and that can be very noisey at full pelt in a small room.I got mine, as last year I suffered chest issues due probably to mould spores in the air. You can get them either with just dust filters or with filters that will remove other stuff. At the moment I am removing 1-1.2litres of water a day from my living room at low temperatures. I am not sure there is any point in running a dehumidifier like a fire just occasionaly they are meant to run all the time and when they reach the required humidity go to sleep then wake up now and then sample the air

I bought a Meaco DD8L Junior Dehumidifier
 
I haven't any means of separating out it's running cost, but the old 'bathroom heater' here will get switched on when I go to bed tonight, given that I've just got home and it's snowing outside. It's full of bricks and will keep the whole upstairs pleasantly warm, running only on off-peak electricity. Wish I had one in my holiday place - cutting, carrying and splitting logs is bloody hard work, they need to dry out properly before they're any use, and burning them seems to be becoming socially unacceptable. (I used to think the £100 winter subsidy should go to someone who really needed it. This year it's £500 and I may well feel less undeserving. Then again, the footage from Ukraine is pretty grim.)
 
We have the same RH/temp monitor here. Had the Gas C heating on for most of the day and the RH was around 55 -60 %. Cost a bomb to run so we put the electric fire on in the living room on one bar (old style element type - fan assisted - modern design) whilst she was watching the telly.

RH dropped to 40% within an hour and the wife started sneezing and her eyes were itching (worn contact lenses for most of her life)

So we bit the bullet and put the heating back on. Heading towards £15 for the day on gas. Heyho. Whatever.

Thats very strange data. I would have thought when you turn the heating off and just use an electric fire the RH would rocket as the rooms cooled down
 
be interesting to hear what part of the country people are in when they reply

so no heating, summer duvet and in the heart of Herts

it’s a starting point but their’s more to it than that. For one thing you adjust. When my wife was doing her nurse training at Bodmin, students from Scotland would swan around in slacks and tea shirts in the middle of winter. By the next year they were swaddled up like everyone else. In my forties I surfed all year round. Now I freeze over at just the thought of it:)
I know you pride yourself on your immunity to cold but just wait a few more years and you’ll be examining the tog rating on the duvet like the rest of us:)
 
it’s a starting point but their’s more to it than that. For one thing you adjust. When my wife was doing her nurse training at Bodmin, students from Scotland would swan around in slacks and tea shirts in the middle of winter. By the next year they were swaddled up like everyone else. In my forties I surfed all year round. Now I freeze over at just the thought of it:)
I know you pride yourself on your immunity to cold but just wait a few more years and you’ll be examining the tog rating on the duvet like the rest of us:)
rong
 


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