The big heating debate...

[Osc]

In winter (i.e from November) our heating will come on for an hour in the morning. Otherwise we boost it for an hour when we feel the need. We have a gas fire which is pretty efficient if we come home in the evening and just need a quick heat up. I don’t remember feeling the cold when I was young - we had an anthracite fuelled central heating system at home. However, Edward’s family home was unbelievably cold. They would have a huge fire roaring up the chimney in the living room but when you went to the bathroom or bedrooms, it was arctic! We were only talking about this the other day and Edward was saying he could never understand why they never at least put in a back boiler and a few radiators instead of letting all that heat go out of the chimney.

[saundra]

We all seen to have lived in the ice ages cold boiling in the front room coal fire and the hot water tank ready to explode from the back boiler. And those metal window frames thick ice

[cruiser2]

I moved into a new house when I was five years old. It had ben built for my father so he was near his work.

It was in the country. There was a fire place in every room except the kitchen and bathroom. But only the main fire which was also
used for cooking was used. It also heated the hot water for washing and baths.
We had hot water bottles to warm the beds before we went to bed.
Like WM I can remember frost on the inside of the windows in winter.

Now I have a gas fired combi boiler. I only switch it on when I am feeling cold.

[Workingman]

We had a thing called a York Range in the living room. It was a big cast iron fireplace with an open coal fire, back boiler, a hot box (oven) and hot plates, plus a warmer compartment. It was the only heating in the house till dad got a paraffin heater for the landing to heat the bedrooms.

How things have changed.

[cromwell]

I lived in two houses growing up. The first was heated by a coal fire, and plug in electric fires.
The second had a coal fire in the sitting room and a stove in the kitchen, which heated our hot water and one radiator.
Another one here who can remember ice on the inside of the windows in winter!

[Workingman]

We once did this thing on the frosty windows.

Make a fist and plant the back of your hand on the window for the foot. Then use a finger to make the toes. Do it left and right and "walk" them up the window. They took seconds. Baby feet.

Today it would be all CGI with a bit of AI input.

[TheOstrich]

We once did this thing on the frosty windows.

Make a fist and plant the back of your hand on the window for the foot. Then use a finger to make the toes. Do it left and right and "walk" them up the window. They took seconds. Baby feet.

Today it would be all CGI with a bit of AI input.

Same as many, growing up we had a coal fire in the living room and a gas fire in the "posh" front room (I think). Electric fires elsewhere.
Fire guard in front of the grate, principally to stop Joey the budgie disappearing up the chimney.
Hot water bottles at bedtime ....

My father's childhood (he was fostered) was spent in a small Hampshire village. I remeber visiting "Nan" there when I was a kid.
It was a 2-up, 2-down with a kitchen at the back and an outside loo. The front room was strictly used only for visitors and for "ceremonial occassions" .....
In winter, it was so cold and so still outside. The peace was only shattered by the 3:00 am milk train, heading for Portsmouth, whistling for the local level crossing.

These days, we now have the central heating on in the evening, and we've set the thermo to 21 this year rather than 19.
And we still have hot water bottles .....