It's that time of year--turning on the heat?

[Miss Cellane]

We usually have a thread somewhere about when you make the decision to finally turn the heat on as the days get colder.

So it's been getting down to the 40s at night here, but the inside of the house is staying around 59, so I've just been layering on more clothes.

My yearly goal is to wait until at least October 15 before turning on the heat, although there have been a few years where I haven't made it. And once I hit October 15, I try for November 1.

This year, I think I'll get to the 15th, but it's been so chilly, I may just have to turn the heat on in the evenings before we get to November.

What's the weather like where you are?

[rodeosweetheart]

We have already turned on the heat in northern Michigan where we are, but that's because the cold air aggravates my asthma at night. Otherwise, we would be fine, it's just not worth waking up three and four times a night gasping for air.

But it has been warming up during the day, and won't begin to need it in earnest until late October/early November.

[Alan]

I've turned on the heat twice over the last 10 days or so. Both times my wife discovered my actions within an hour and turned it back off, but not before my toes had warmed.

[catherine]

Our temp inside the house has gotten down to 61 a couple of times and I posed the "Should we do it?" question to DH both times and he vetoed me and went to the garage to get the little electric space heater to tide me over in my tiny office. So, we still have not turned on the gas heat, but I've given myself a few blasts of heat when I've needed it from the little space heater.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Turned the heat on, (down to 30's at night a week or so ago), turned the air back on a couple of days ago. Nothing on right now; after storms pass probably back to heat. It is SO changeable right now.:confused:

[ToomuchStuff]

I've already turned it on, mainly due to checking it all works (age of furnace verses trying to get a service person when it starts to get busy). Only a couple of nights have been down to around 40, but at this point, better safe then sorry.

[awakenedsoul]

It's still warm here in Southern California. It's been in the 90's during the day. The nights and mornings are cooler, but not cold. I am finishing up an alpaca/merino wool throw to use in the living room while I'm knitting. I am wearing my thick wool socks and Uggs slippers again. Winter is my favorite time of year! I probably won't need to use the heat until November. (We have very long, HOT Summers!)

[Gardenarian]

Hot up here in Northern CA too. If I had AC, I'd have it on!
85 degrees out and they're repaving all the roads in town.

[mamalatte]

Every year since moving to Maine I try to make it to Nov. 1st but haven't made it yet. It has been down to 58 inside in the mornings but warming up during the days and next few days are supposed to be warm, so maybe this will be my year!

Heating oil is my fourth biggest expense for the year, after health insurance/health care, mortgage and property taxes. Yikes. House is old and poorly insulated and I think I could do much better if I got a woodstove installed, but have trouble deciding whether the up-front expense would be worth it . . . Also concerned about woodstove safety -- I am going to start a separate post on that!

[dmc]

I noticed the pool heater kicked on yesterday, it's a heat pump, I like to keep the water at 87.:) Since I've moved down to SW Florida I'm looking forward to winter.

[RichLife]

Thermostat is set to 21C but despite it being 13C outside the heating hasn't had to kick into action yet. I am honestly glad we are well into October and I've not needed the heating yet.

[Florence]

Thank goodness we can finally turn the a/c off.

[cindycindy]

Using woodstove occasionally to "take the chill out", but only if it's below 60 degrees.

[Tradd]

I usually make it until at least mid-November if not later.

[mschrisgo2]

Oh WOW! I'd be happy if I could just turn off the air conditioning!! 90 degrees again here in Northern California today, where we have not had any measurable rain for more than 8 months now, and most of those days have been 85+ degrees. and it is not really cooling off at night either, 65 at midnight last night.

[Miss Cellane]

Well, after a very chilly weekend, during which I almost broke my resolve and turned on the heat (long johns to the rescue!) because the house stayed around 58, today it got up to 74. And the rest of the week looks pretty balmy as well. I may just make it to Nov. 1.

[Float On]

So far I haven't turned on the heat yet. Yesterday I came close but just decided to go to bed early instead.

[catherine]

It is a beautiful day today--a t-shirt day, in the Northeast at 7am on October 15! So, still no heat for us.

[Spartana]

Still in shorts and tee shirts here in coastal SoCal. Sleeping with all the windows and doors open and with a fan on but it is getting cooler in the mornings and evenings and I'm in the fog-zone so stays temperate almost all year long. Heat for maybe a couple of weeks in winter during a cold snap but otherwise could leave it off year round. Just got my natural gas bill (heat, hot water, stove) and I used 15 therms last month and it cost me $16.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Weather now actually needs very little to be turned on. Not using the A/C or fans much anymore though occasionally. Definitely not using heat yet. But have been using more blankets on my bed (3 last night - these are fairly light blankets mostly) as it's chilly at night sometimes now.

[pinkytoe]

We are having our Chamber of Commerce weather right now - high in the 80s, low in the 50s-60s. I am guessing it will be a couple more cold fronts before the heater goes on - about the time the pecans start flying off the trees.

[frugal-one]

Here in the north .. has been cold! We have had our heat on since September. Hope that is not a harbinger of the winter to come!

[RosieTR]

We had a pretty cool summer so I was expecting an early and cool fall, but so far it's been great. Covered the tomatoes 3 times so far this fall (2 nights each) but each time the forecast was for the weather to bounce back to nearly summer temps and they are still going strong. No snow at my house yet, though some areas nearby got a little snow in mid-Sept! As for heat, I think DH broke down one evening and turned on the furnace, but then we were back on with the evap cooler. Finally DH drained it completely and covered it for winter last week.
Anyway, it's been fantastic: no need to water the yard so the water bill was very low, and now no need (yet) to run either the furnace or the evap cooler so electric/gas should also be cheap. Kind of amazing because usually we get lots of wild swinging from 30s to 80s and back, week after week in the fall.