heating (on/off) argument, was 3v1, now 2v2 ...

Maybe she isn't short of money, maybe she just doesn't want to waste money on the heating when she doesn't mind just wearing an extra layer or two to keep warm, and saying that she is short on money is the easiest option.

What happened in our house when there were three of us who really didn't want to spend money running the central heating, while the other two wanted the heating on quite a lot of the time, was that we stopped splitting the bill evenly. The three of us who didn't want it on continued to pay the gas bill at the rate we were before it was cold enough to need the heating, while any increase due to the heating is covered by the other two.

If you're so adamant that you want the heating on then you should be the one to pay for it, as at the end of the day it's not fair to force somebody to pay for something which they don't want any part in, just because you do.

Cool.

I'd heard of this story, and found it suspiciously incredulous. I figured it was just one of those myths that gets passed around the net.

OP, to save on ur heating bils get some thermal undies.

Maybe agree that you have it on between <n> times when the temperature in a communal room drops below a certain temperature? You can get room thermometers on ebay for about a quid.

For god sake, just stop complaining and man the hell up.

Last week there was one night where the thermometer in our kitchen (yes, we're incredibly sad!) was showing the house to be at -2 degrees at about 10pm.

You know what we did? We all just threw an extra couple of blankets on our beds, a couple of my housemates wore a hoodie in bed, and surprise surprise, we all survived the night.

It's a little bit chilly, so put on a couple of extra layers and stop bloody whining about it.

Cool.

I'd heard of this story, and found it suspiciously incredulous. I figured it was just one of those myths that gets passed around the net.

OP, to save on ur heating bils get some thermal undies.

We turned the radiators off/down in the kitchen, bathroom and living room so that we're not wasting money heating them up.

That doesn't help when my hands are numb and I physically can't do my homework. It's ridiculous, the gas isn't that expensive seeing as how little we had it on. And I was compromising as it was, I would have happily had it on for much longer/higher.

It's not that area of me that's the problem. I sometimes shiver all over and my hands and feet go numb. I should be able to feel at least comfortable, if not warm in my own home.

It's not that area of me that's the problem. I sometimes shiver all over and my hands and feet go numb. I should be able to feel at least comfortable, if not warm in my own home.

If one person cant afford heating, shouldnt mean everyone else has to suffer in a cold house.

Depends really what sort of property you are in. If it was me, Id be fine in winter with no heating if I was in a modern property with cavity walls and decent insulation, but if I was in a pre-1940 ish property with solid walls and single glazed windows, Id probably get hypothermia with no heating.

Do your radiators in your house have TRVs on them, if so you can control which rooms of the house are heated?

Aww, I see. You could get wooly slippers and socks. I can kind of understand if you don't want to wear gloves in da hose though.
If you got something (onesieish) to wear at home then you could keep your hands warm in the pockets.

Well one person can't afford, they have something like £5 a week after rent, although their parents give them money, and this other person all of a sudden realises they might struggle to pay a bill without going into their overdraft. Like I said, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but it's not my problem if they can't manage their money and waste it on things they don't need. I'm not going without heating because they'd rather spend their money on shoes and handbags. I'm not sure how well off the other housemate is, they're not British so don't receive any money from SFE, although they're happy to pay their share to have the heating on for a few hours a day and I think they would've happily had it on for longer to.
It's a bog standard Victorian mid-terrace, with single glazing and no cavity wall insulation. There's also been some issues with damp, which don't make things any better. But I think having the heating off isn't going to help with the damp either.

A couple of weeks ago, the temperature was actually below freezing at night. We agreed to put the heating on and it was set to come on for a total of 2-2.5 hours a day and on the lowest setting possible. One housemate who we know barely has any money left over after rent said she would be happy to just wear extra jumpers, but it was 3 v 1. But now one of the other housemates has said they've looked at their finances and doesn't want to have the heating on at all now, especially as it's not as cold, but would have it on if it got colder again. And now the heating has been turned off. Hopefully it'll go on at least a couple of times next week. I pointed out that even when we had it on, it wasn't on for very long and I was still cold in the evenings. I don't want to assume anything/sound bitchy/be judgemental but ... What I find strange is that she was working for a year before coming to uni, so must have money saved up, plus she keeps saying how her family isn't very well off, so must also receive a fair amount from student finance, so i'm not sure where all her money is going, it's not like she goes out clubbing and she barely eats anything Plus the next bill isn't due until after we receive more money from student finance, so it doesn't matter if she's running out of money now. Plus she has a student account with an overdraft, but said she wouldn't want to go into it because of being short of money for bills. This person has said that we should have a house meeting about the heating when we come back in January. Any tips on how I should approach this? Should I talk with the housemate on my side first ?? I want be assertive but don't want to have a huge argument. She has no idea how I've been feeling lately and her moaning nearly caused me to flip out at her, but luckily i'm a calm person and knew that wouldn't help matters. But I don't want to let them walk all over me. ???

If the temperature drops below 0, and you don't turn the heating on, you may be liable for the bill if the pipes freeze, and then burst btw.

When 3 of us have had colds in the last week, being warm is needed. And 2 of us have bad circulation and I have other issues which are made worse by the cold. The day before we turned the heating on, my hands and feet were actually going numb in the evenings, but wearing gloves in impractical. You should be able to feel comfortable in your own home. Like I said, I was happy to compromise and have the heating on low and for not very long. We would've happily had the heating on for longer.

Get one of those blankets which fits with your body and you can walk around in............or get something like a oil-filled radiator which are quite efficient http://www.ebuyer.com/482222-warmlite-wl43003zb-1500w-tall-oil-filled-radiator-wl43003zb

Well it is her money after all, you don't want her to end up resorting to not paying all of her half because it would've been your idea, you could always buy a hot water bottle as well if you need to keep warm.

Well one person can't afford, they have something like £5 a week after rent, although their parents give them money, and this other person all of a sudden realises they might struggle to pay a bill without going into their overdraft. Like I said, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but it's not my problem if they can't manage their money and waste it on things they don't need. I'm not going without heating because they'd rather spend their money on shoes and handbags. I'm not sure how well off the other housemate is, they're not British so don't receive any money from SFE, although they're happy to pay their share to have the heating on for a few hours a day and I think they would've happily had it on for longer to.
It's a bog standard Victorian mid-terrace, with single glazing and no cavity wall insulation. There's also been some issues with damp, which don't make things any better. But I think having the heating off isn't going to help with the damp either.

Our landlady did email us to mention our pipes are prone to bursting. Which I pointed out to the housemate who's changed her mind about the heating.

In that case, I think your housemates are selfish, and I would seriously not stand for that. They might be fine with the heating off, but that doesnt mean everyone else is OK with it off.

Heating is just a part of the bills for the property, and if they can't afford it, then they should move out? What next, no electricity?

I would say that if they don't want to turn on the heating if the outside temperature is less than 0, then those who do want to turn on the heating shouldn't have to pay if there is a pipe burst.

haha, good idea, but from a legal point of view, we would probably all be liable.