Winter Heating...Do you have rules about using it?

[LuvOrlando]

Never knew this was a thing until I moved to PA where it's very common to brag about how long the family could hold out to put on the heat, and they are also very proud about how much miserable heat they can stand in the summer. Makes no sense to me but it's a social thing here where people are inherently very frugal in all things all the time to the point that there is talk if too many boxes for new things show up in the trash, I have been known to flip boxes inside out or save boxes in the basement and throw them out over time. To me it's weird but when in Rome.

 

[mamamary]

No rules here. Just this past week I’ve gone from the a/c being on to heat and back and forth again. For some reason my husband never touches the thermostat so it’s pretty much what I want - luckily we all are on the same page with how we warm/cool the house.

 

[focusondisney]

My DH tried to make a rule about when the furnace would go on years ago. Our kids were young & I told him.... The furnace goes by temperature not the calendar, you’re gonna pay the gas company or the doctor. Since I didn’t want anyone getting sick, gas company it is. That was the end of any attempt at rules. We’re in Western NY, the furnace used to run end of September to early May. It was well into October til we turned it on this year & then it was just for a cycle to take the chill out. Probably only been running regularly for about the last 10 days. Definitely noticed a difference in our weather the last couple of years.

 

[RamblingMad]

I keep my house no colder than 75.

 

[bjscheel]

If we're cold, it goes on, no rules. DH and I are fortunately on the same page with temp.

However, I do find us more reluctant to turn on the a/c. We just have window ones and if we don't have kids sleeping upstairs, we can get along most days without it.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I try not to turn it on until November 1 not for any real reason other than I like to hold onto the illusion of summer/fall for as long as possible before I have to confront the cold reality of winter. I have to confess that this was much easier to do when I was not working from home - turns out it is easier to keep the heat off when you spend most of your day outside the house.

Anyway, it is snowing here today and the thermostat is reading 53 degrees in here but I am determined to make it to November 1 - it’s so close! I realize how goofy it is but I am stubborn.

 

[RUDisney]

I agree with @LuvOrlando. I live in PA and turned on the furnace 2 days ago. The house was 62 degrees, so I took pity on my DH and turned it on. The winter is so long, so I hate paying for heat. I don't mind running the AC all summer, but heat costs make me angry. Plus, I'm 54 yo and HOT all the time. The heat doesn't go above 68, except when my DH turns it up in our BR and I have to open a window when I go to bed to cool down the room.

Next week, it'll be in the 60s again, so the heat will be turned down again while I don't need to run it.

 

[Moliphino]

If we're cold, it goes on, no rules. DH and I are fortunately on the same page with temp.

However, I do find us more reluctant to turn on the a/c. We just have window ones and if we don't have kids sleeping upstairs, we can get along most days without it.

Our dogs need the AC more than we do (both very thick coated Norwegian elkhound mixes). I could do without it most of the time, the summer heat in MA isn't that bad most of the time.

 

[AlohaNow]

We keep the house at 70 degrees. I refuse to be cold in my own home, so when we need heat, it goes on. I lived in military housing for a while and no one could have heat before September 15, though some nights we needed it before then in upstate NY. We used to joke that that’s what we got for living in ‘public housing’.

 

[JenBush]

We turn the heat on when we get cold and usually have it set at 70-72 degrees. I see people on Facebook bragging about not turning their heat on in the dead of winter. I don’t understand why they brag about being cold haha

 

[Wendy31]

I try to make it until November 1st.

Like a previous poster, there’s no real reason, except I’m trying to hang on to the illusion of summer as long as I can.

So far, so good this year.

 

[HeatherC]

Not rules, no.
I can usually hold out longer than my husband with turning it on BUT it's only because - no matter how well we clean it or have it professionally done - I always seem to get a head cold when we first turn on the heat.
Usually he claims the dogs are complaining and saying they can see their breath, and that is when it goes on
In MD where we live, the weather can be 68 & sunny one day, and 49 & blustery and damp the next, so sometimes it is on and off a few times before it's on for good.
This thread reminds me, it's time to get a humidifier.

I just started our humidifier today. My plants will be happy!

 

[RUDisney]

We turn the heat on when we get cold and usually have it set at 70-72 degrees. I see people on Facebook bragging about not turning their heat on in the dead of winter. I don’t understand why they brag about being cold haha

It's not bragging for me. If I kept my house at 70-72, I would completely melt. I need 68 in the house and 65-66 in the bedroom. I can't sleep when I'm hot and my DH can put on extra throw blankets if he gets cold.

 

[kdonnel]

The rule is if you are hot turn the thermostat to make you cool. If you are cold turn the thermostat to make you warm.

We long ago decided we would rather the kids go hungry then be uncomfortable.

 

[Kittyblue]

I just turn it on when I'm cold. When I reach the point I just want to huddle up on the couch under a blanket, I figure it's time to turn it up or I'm never going to get anything done . But I prefer the house to be cooler when I'm sleeping, so it always goes down at night. My heating bill is never really big living in a warmer climate. It's the summer bills that kill me with the AC, but when I'm home all day I'd rather be comfortable so the expense is worth it to me.

 

[HeatherC]

The rule is if you are hot turn the thermostat to make you cool. If you are cold turn the thermostat to make you warm.

We long ago decided we would rather the kids go hungry then be uncomfortable.

We parents gotta do what we gotta do, right?

 

[BlueStarryHat]

We try to go until November 1st, but today it's rainy and pretty raw so we turned it on. It goes down at night when we're snuggled under blankets and up to 72 or so in the morning. We try to keep it as low as possible without turning into popsicles because our electric bills will be staggering otherwise. If I'm chilly I put on a hoodie or a sweatshirt.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I also try to wait until November 1 but today is so cold and we have had rain with more forecasted. I was freezing through my morning meetings so I gave in and turned it on.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you have strict rules about it and have you found the savings are dramatic by lowering the temperature a lot? Have you turned it on yet?

No. Wintertime the thermostat is set for heat (72 degrees). All day/night. We have 4 people living here and everyone works a different schedule, so someone is up at almost anytime of the day.

Can't answer about any savings as my husband monitors the bills.

Actually haven't turned on the furnace yet, it's still running in the 80/90s here.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think it's a control thing. People who are weird about losing control tend to insist on arbitrary rules like these because it makes them feel more secure. Never mind that often it's akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.

We do tend to follow a household custom of not putting the heat about about 73F, but that's because of the way that the house is built; it is narrow and tall, so if the downstairs is set to be comfortable in summer clothing, the upstairs will be an oven, complete with cracking wood if we leave it too long. We've come to understand what settings maximize comfort and minimize maintenance, and we do use them as guidelines, but it doesn't rise to the level of a rule.