It’s now October and it feels like Summer is officially over. We had a few bonus days of warmth in September, but today it has been raining and it feels all dark and autumnal. Unsurprisingly I’ve already seen a number of comments on social media from people who have turned their heating on. I always try and hold out until after Halloween because I know that once I turn the heating on I’m trigger happy with that boost button until April or May.

When you are used to wearing tops without a jumper or cardigan a chill in the air makes it tempting to turn the heating on when really we should be getting the winter clothes out. My thermostat says the temperature in my house right now is 21.9 degrees. I have cold feet. Over winter our heating is set to come on if the temperature falls below 21 degrees so I know it means it’s too warm to put the heating on right now. I know that, but I’m still tempted. 

Part of the problem is it’s easier to turn the heating on than to get a pair of socks. Even if it was just a case of walking across the room versus going upstairs for socks, putting heating on would be easier. Our heating can be controlled by an app on my phone (we have Hive) so all I need to do to turn it on, turn it up or check the temperature is pick my phone up, and lets face it my phone is normally in my hand already.

These ‘smart’ heating systems are meant to save you money. The idea is that you can turn your heating off when you are out or it’s not needed, but from experience I’ve found I’m more likely to use it to turn the heating on when I’m in bed and it’s too cold to get out.

They probably aren’t the sort of system you should have if your partner likes to save a bit of money. My partner can also access the app on his phone. Where ever he is he can see whether I have the heating on and how warm the house is. He can even turn the heating off. I can see some families having a bit of a battle, but fortunately we got it when Little was born so I’ve always had the excuse of a small person to keep warm.

I decided instead of sitting on the sofa feeling chilly I would get outside and take a walk. Taking photographs for this post was my main motivating factor. We saw conkers and brown leaves on the floor, but surprisingly most of the trees were still covered in green. Autumn is on it’s way, but it’s still warm enough that I didn’t need to wear socks and a light fleece was enough to keep warm. Now instead of sitting inside feeling chilly I feel much warmer. I also feel slightly virtuous for saving money on heating and for having had some exercise. Yay me.

Of course, if it was still raining I doubt I would have got my bum off the sofa.