There’s no denying that the weather has gotten colder in recent weeks, so an American living in the UK has asked when people are turning their heating on – and it was met with wild reactions
An American woman living in the UK has asked Brits when they are turning the heating on. This is something on many people’s minds as the weather starts to get noticeably chillier.
Moving from the US to the UK is likely to come with a number of culture shocks and one of the biggest is the climate. Britain is generally colder than many places in America, so it’s not a surprise that Olivia Carney, who now lives in Manchester, is wondering when it’s acceptable to switch on the heating. Some Brits will have swapped their iced beverages for a steaming cup of tea or coffee and left their vests and t-shirts for long sleeve tops to try to keep warm.
Those considering turning their heating on in September or at the beginning of October might be concerned about the impact this will have on bills.
It’s typical for energy bills to rise when temperatures drop and people feel like they have to switch on the heating.
Olivia shared a video on TikTok discussing this topic. She said: “As an American living in England, I need to know when are we turning the heating on?”
The expat has realised that it’s an “unspoken competition” in England and maybe the whole UK to see who can turn their heating on last.
She noted that her house was 16C in the morning when she posted the clip two days ago and admitted to feeling cold.
Olivia filmed the video sitting on her sofa while wearing a hoodie and a blanket covering her legs because of how cold she felt.
The American living in the UK added: “I might turn my fireplace on but I also have been weirdly roped into this competition so I don’t want to turn the heat on but how long are we doing that for?”
She wondered if people have a “threshold” of turning their heating on once their home gets to a certain temperature or if they do it on a particular day.
Olivia mentioned that she has an electric blanket that she considered getting out, noting that it “warms up during the day” so she would only have the heating on for a bit in the morning when it’s the coldest and then maybe at night when it gets cold again.
The expat ended her TikTok clip by asking her viewers when they are turning the heating on and she got a very varied response.
Someone who doesn’t seem eager to turn the heating on yet responded: “After the first frost.”
Another user claimed: “1st December for us Northerners. 1st September for Southerners.”
A third chimed in: “16 degrees? Jesus, that’s mild. Mine gets to 12 degrees before I even consider putting the heating on. Just use layers and an electric blanket.
“I literally don’t get ppl (people) that think to keep warm, heating is needed, so bizarre. To answer your question though, you put the heating on when you want to put your heating on.
“Crazy as it sounds – it’s your choice, not the nation’s!” Another comment reads: “Probably mid October when we can see our breath.”
Some users admitted to having already turned their heating on. A different user stated: “Mine’s on and I don’t care. I’m not being cold.” A second shared: “Ours went on this morning.”
