What temperature do you have your house.

[Frnc]

I'm hoping for a decent rebate in January - in July I was £140 in credit. We just had an extreme cold spell, but I think December will still come in on target (under 61 kWh per day gas average). I'm still on fixed rates from Sept 2021. So, I expect my direct debit to go down, but we'll see. I'm not that bothered either way.
...
Thermostat is set to 17.5 for the first hour and evening, 17.0 during the day, 13 at night, ie off.

You're with EDF?

If you log in to the EDF website and view bill, you can see where you are currently in credit or debit.
https://my.edfenergy.com/myaccount/bills-payments Log in and 'Download my bill' Mine shows the situation as at 31 Oct

Don't expect them to sensibly reduce your direct debit. I've SLASHED my usage. I was already overpaying and in credit and they STILL wanted to increase my DD by 20%. But you can select your own DD amount and match it to your own anticipated usage.... At your own risk of under-shooting.

I've never had a squaring up rebate, but I believe you can request one if in credit.

Yes, EDF. You get an automatic one in January if you're over a certain amount in credit, I think £150 or thereabouts. Hopefully I will be, and will get the rebate. I'm hoping I'll be more like £250 in credit. Plus I'm on a fixed rate, so there's no reason they need to have me save money up.

[Ara]

During the day I'm happy with 16 in the living room as I'm fairly active but like it at 19 when watching tv in the evenings. When I get up, (usually before the central heating kicks in) the living room is about 14 if the weather's not too cold outside but was only 12 in the recent cold snap. Still trying to get the heating right here as once the curtains are drawn of an evening, the living room can go up to 20+ which I find too hot. The thermostat in the hall doesn't seem to have any effect. The open fire is usually on all day as the central heating only runs for a short time in the morning and then for about 3 hours in the evening. Looking forward to getting a stove for next winter. My sons share a house and there is a battle of the thermostat as the younger one sets it for 19 and the older one for 21. Guess which one has a jumper on.

[Medusa]

I have no idea what temp the lounge and dining room are at right now, probably too hot due to the log burners and I should really buy a thermometer. On the other hand we have only had the oil heating on a total of 3 times for an hour during the very cold spell a few weeks ago. We leave all the doors open so the heat goes upstairs, two of the bedrooms have the chimneys going through them which gives them some heat, my room is tiny and very warm anyway and the store room stays nice and cool which is how it needs to be. My cat is ill at the moment and needs to be kept reasonably warm, or at least that is my excuse

[jansman]

I have no idea what temp the lounge and dining room are at right now, probably too hot due to the log burners and I should really buy a thermometer. On the other hand we have only had the oil heating on a total of 3 times for an hour during the very cold spell a few weeks ago. We leave all the doors open so the heat goes upstairs, two of the bedrooms have the chimneys going through them which gives them some heat, my room is tiny and very warm anyway and the store room stays nice and cool which is how it needs to be. My cat is ill at the moment and needs to be kept reasonably warm, or at least that is my excuse

Your system is very similar to ours Medusa. We are quite comfortable with it. Right now I am in hospital ( again ) and whilst I appreciate the situation,it’s too damn hot! in fact it doesn’t do * me* any good.

[Nurseandy]

One thing I have noticed over Xmas is the residual/latent heat in the house from having the central heating on a LOT more
Ordinarily heating is on for a couple of hours in the morning and 3 or 4 in the evening and supplemented with a wood burner. Over Xmas with everyone being home all day we've had really quite extravagant ostentatious use of the central heating and whereas before the indoor temperature would plummet when the heating went off it seems to stay noticeable warmer for the (admittedly) short periods of the heating being off. It's also quite pleasant when I get up at 05:30 (ie before the heatings on). We're in an old granite house so I'm assuming the heat is being stored in the stone.
This is the first time in 20 years we've had central heating so it's all a bit of a novelty (as is the heating Oil bill......... )

[Frnc]

Am still getting used to turning the living room TRV to max the other day as you are supposed to, because the thermostat is in that room.

I turned the first period P1 to 17.5 for three hours every morning (was one hour).
P2 is 17, P3 (evening) is 17.5°, P4 is 13°. The reason I turned P1 to longer is because with the TRV on max, the room will reach temperature quicker and turn the heating off, and bedrooms might still not be up to desired temp. But this is still experimental. I'm on the verge of overriding it down right now. Living room is 17.5 and my room is 19.6 (8° outside).

Turned the hall TRV down* yesterday as the hall rad came on and the landing seemed warmer than our rooms! I put a thermometer there and it was actually about the same. The hall rad is big, so when it comes on you really notice. It's been off since then and the landing is still 17.9.

* was a bit nervous due to getting radiator hammer, but TRV is on inflow, and no hammer occurred.

[Frnc]

One thing I have noticed over Xmas is the residual/latent heat in the house from having the central heating on a LOT more

My landing got over-warm yesterday (so I turned the hall rad TRV down), and it's only cooled 1.0° in about 21 hours. Is unusually warm outside for the time of year though, 8° at 07.30.
Living room also cooled just 1° last night.

On those extreme days, -11° mornings, living room cooled about 3-6° during the night. Of course if the heating was off for days it would get down further.

Normal nights it cools about 2° at this time of year.

One lodger's room does cool a bit more at night I think, it's a north facing room.

[Nurseandy]

Still chilly up here, ~3 or 4 degrees daytime, minus 2 or three overnight & windy.
Return to work Wednesday so padlock will be going back on the central heating boost button

[jansman]

Mad innit? I cannot wait to get home to the rural cottage we live in ,with a cooler temperature. This hospital obviously has to be right,but it’s no good for me! Temperatures are very personal aren’t they?

[grenfell]

Over Xmas with everyone being home all day we've had really quite extravagant ostentatious use of the central heating and whereas before the indoor temperature would plummet when the heating went off it seems to stay noticeable warmer for the (admittedly) short periods of the heating being off. We're in an old granite house so I'm assuming the heat is being stored in the stone. )

Funny that , I was talking to a guy who fits woodburners and sweeps chimneys . He was saying pretty much the same thing. The sheer mass of older construction tends to hold the warmth once it's warmed up. Ours is a 1920's brick built cavity construction with the cavity insulated and the inner brick skin does seem to help keep the place warm.
Jansman I know what you mean about hospitals being warm at least from visiting anyway as I've not had a stop in one. I suppose it's a case of getting a cheaper price for larger volumes of gas and cutting back consumption achieves little. I also suppose the heat keeps some patients comfortable but saying that I do recall reading of casualties during the falklands war lying out overnight in low temperatures and the cold having a positive effect in that it slowed bleeding and so on so it would seem a cooler environment isn't always a bad thing.