Central heating/open fires

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farriersmum

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As I was lugging in a load of wood for the fires I was just wondering if anyone else hase either lit their fires or turned on their heating (if they have it) yet? Or am I a wuss as I am freezing!
 
we have both too, the heatings been on for a while now but the open fire hasn't been used yet, still gotta get a delivery of logs in!
 
heating been on in mornings for about 3 weeks now - but its more to dry towels and wet coast etc - not on in the main rooms - just bathrooms, boot room and bedroom as i hate getting up in a cold room :o

log burners... on and off all autumn - but now the kitchen one is on 24/7 - its a pretty good one = can stock up with logs at 7.30am when i go to work and its still burning at 6pm when i get home :) same for over night

sitting room one - we put it on when we're in there - but often spend most of time in kitchen tbh

we're lucky though - a 2 up 2 down house so two log burners in two main bottom rooms heat whole house :)
 
I put our storage heaters on this week, I was hoping to last until november, but it was too cold.

I've only put two on on the lowest possible setting for now. The panel heaters aren't on, and the big heater in the lounge isn't on either, though I dug out a little portable fan heater the other day to take the chill off in the lounge as I was cold despite wearing, joggers, a sweatshirt and being wrapped in a fleece throw!!!

Whether you have an open fire or central heating feell smug and lucky and have a little pity for us poor souls trying to heat our homes with electric!
 
God yes, my central heating is now on and I'll probably light the open fire at the weekend. It was -5 here the night before last and thats plenty cold enough for me.
 
You're only JUST starting to use it?! I've had the log burner going for sometime...and when I'm really cold, I put the central heating on while I'm waiting for the log burner to heat up! My poor OH sits there sweating in his shorts
 
We don't have any central heating and haven't started to light fires yet - and yes its freezing - but not as cold as it was in Feb! :eek:
 
Katt said:
I put our storage heaters on this week, I was hoping to last until november, but it was too cold.

I've only put two on on the lowest possible setting for now. The panel heaters aren't on, and the big heater in the lounge isn't on either, though I dug out a little portable fan heater the other day to take the chill off in the lounge as I was cold despite wearing, joggers, a sweatshirt and being wrapped in a fleece throw!!!

Whether you have an open fire or central heating feell smug and lucky and have a little pity for us poor souls trying to heat our homes with electric!
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i can empathise - our last cottage had no heating, sash windows that were rotten and rattled and just a coal fire - at the opposite end to the cottage to the bedroom - and we'd wake up in the morning over winter with frost on the duvet :eek: so glad to be in my double glazed cottage now :o
 
Central heating not on as yet but the Rayburn is going 24/7/365 (or as near as I can get it) so the kitchen is always warm and the study which is above it is warm but that's partly due to having about a dozen computers all running.

Chimneys being swept on 28th so after that the log burner will be alight and the open fire if we venture into the dining room.

Central heating not intended to go on until November sometime - used to be December but we're getting old!
 
Why do so many people have open fires? Most of your heat (and money) is going straight up the chimney so why not use an inset fire or a log / multifuel stove instead? These will run at 80% plus effiiciency and even up to 90% for the best compared to 25% for an open fire. In other words you get more than 3 times the heat for the same amount of fuel. Apart from the money, it saves so much effort carrying fuel into the house.
 
I am counting down the days until I get home to my log burner and range cooker! :D Sad I know, but the wood carting is yet to be a chore!
 
We don't have central heating. We have a stove and that's been lit this week (would have been sooner but we've been away). Upstairs is cold but am still on one duvet....for now... when it gets really cold we'll light the bedroom fire too.
 
eriskaypony said:
Why do so many people have open fires? Most of your heat (and money) is going straight up the chimney so why not use an inset fire or a log / multifuel stove instead? These will run at 80% plus effiiciency and even up to 90% for the best compared to 25% for an open fire. In other words you get more than 3 times the heat for the same amount of fuel. Apart from the money, it saves so much effort carrying fuel into the house.
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I agree , multifuel stoves are far far better than open fires , cant beat them for heat .
 
Log burner has been on twice, heating won't really go on much because I get home so late after dogs and horse sorted it's not worth the money to fire it up. Log burner will be put on early weekend mornings and kept going all day but otherwise I'll cope with being a tad chilly...unfortunately I don't have much time to spend at home so don't waste the money on oil for the central heating...although that said I do pop it on for an hour sometimes as I leave for work so the old dogs get a warming!!!:rolleyes:
 
no central heating, have stoves and open fires which havent been lit yet so far, but ive gone up to 2 duvets this week
 
eriskaypony said:
Why do so many people have open fires? Most of your heat (and money) is going straight up the chimney so why not use an inset fire or a log / multifuel stove instead? These will run at 80% plus effiiciency and even up to 90% for the best compared to 25% for an open fire. In other words you get more than 3 times the heat for the same amount of fuel. Apart from the money, it saves so much effort carrying fuel into the house.
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i do agreee with this - we have multi fuel stoves that sit in the room rather than in an alcove - so even more efficient ;)

However - many people live in rented properties so really have no choice - and to line a chimeny, and to buy and install a good wood burner is not a cheap exersise....
 
eriskaypony said:
Why do so many people have open fires? Most of your heat (and money) is going straight up the chimney so why not use an inset fire or a log / multifuel stove instead? These will run at 80% plus effiiciency and even up to 90% for the best compared to 25% for an open fire. In other words you get more than 3 times the heat for the same amount of fuel. Apart from the money, it saves so much effort carrying fuel into the house.
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Totally see your point, but sometimes having the lump sum to buy the woodburner isn't always available:(

As to the original question, we have central air heating (through vents in floors and ceilings) that is only on for a bit in the morning and a blast when I come in freezing (that would be no then;))

Woodburner is in the downstairs sitting room, as the house is pretty much open plan once that gets started it warms the entire (very tiny) house.

Logs, gah, I'm still hauling deadwood in from the forest! (No go area in summer - voracious mosquitos and deerfly) Then it has to be cut into lengths and split and stacked, I use the quad and a trailer to bring a load up to the house everyday. Huge saving on fuel, I use on average 400 gallons of fuel oil over 6 months of winter and that's mainly just for hot water.

I miss my rayburn SO much :( it used to heat most of the house in Wales, what I don't miss is the wretched coal dust and having to clean it out :D Couldn't afford the thousands of pounds to buy an oil one at the time.
 
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No double glazing brrr and gas central heating on a metre so costs loads. so only baby's room has an oil heater in usually find dog and OH in there too.
Brought up with open fires and our living room one heated the two bedrooms above it. But creapy crawlies in wood....oooooo! :eek:
 
We have a woodburner (multi fuel stove), it heats our water and radiators and does a fab job. It's been on for a few weeks now :/ my excuse is I need hot water ;) plus we had snow here 3 nights ago!
 
enfys said:
I miss my rayburn SO much :( it used to heat most of the house in Wales, what I don't miss is the wretched coal dust and having to clean it out :D Couldn't afford the thousands of pounds to buy an oil one at the time.
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oo yes, i have an aga as well, its a PITA!
its not on atm, i bought a regular cooker instead as keeping the aga fed and cleaned out is basically more trouble than its worth.
I wish it was oil fuelled not solid, much easier!
 
Central Heating is now on but as I use LPG (no mains gas in the cillage) I use it sparingly as it is VERY expensive. The fire was lit for the first time last night as the chimney was swept yesterday. My cottage is single glazed and pretty cold most of the time. I had saved up for a multi fuel stove but as I am currently out of work I suspect I will end up dipping into that money before long :( yes they are much more efficient, but to buy and install a decent one is not cheap, I will not have much change out of £2k to get the one I want.
 
Jane_Lou said:
Central Heating is now on but as I use LPG (no mains gas in the cillage) I use it sparingly as it is VERY expensive. The fire was lit for the first time last night as the chimney was swept yesterday. My cottage is single glazed and pretty cold most of the time. I had saved up for a multi fuel stove but as I am currently out of work I suspect I will end up dipping into that money before long :( yes they are much more efficient, but to buy and install a decent one is not cheap, I will not have much change out of £2k to get the one I want.
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My lovely dad bought me mine cos I couldn't afford to buy fuel for the heating last year, I'm on LPG too no mains in my village either. Its a cracking little burner that gives out more heat than I'd have ever thought for the price!! Not sure this is theplace he got it from but this is the one I have.

http://greymetal.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=149&osCsid=hur1o6dh2fj9h5ejlcrgri89c0
 
I have oil fired central heating and a wood burner - due to changing jobs I can't afford the oil at the moment so it will be the wood burner for a while - still it keeps the sitting room toasty and it's only a small cottage which is now double glazed and the roof replaced and insulated which helps. I have a small fan heater in the bathroom which keeps that warm enough and an electric blanket on the bed.:)

I will get oil asap to keep that cold damp feeling away.:)
 
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