Central Heating Control

[Anna1455]

Dear All,

I am new to hosting and looking for some advice regarding central heating and hot water control when guests are in my own home. 

Currently when I host I move out of my apartment completely and hope that guests respect the house rules that I have left for them. I have just completed my first hosting experience and although it was pleasant enough when I arrived home I had found they had left the heating and hot water on 24/7, and my apartment was so hot there was condensation on the windows! Now I understand that I do live in Scotland and especially travellers from hotter countries may find it very cold here. However over this past week it has been 25-27 degrees in Scotland so I really do feel it was not necessary to have the heating on. Also within my very short written house manual I have provided for reading, I do make guests aware they do not need the hot water on for showering as it is electric. I have even provided written instructions beside my thermostat informing how to turn the heating and hot water on for a short while however my previous guests have overridden this as turned them both on for the whole duration of their stay. So I am a bit disappointed and not looking forward to my next utility bill!!

Right now I feel I only have two options. My thermostat is located within a storage cupboard within the hallway. So should I buy a lock for the cupboard?  I already store some personal things in the cupboard anyway and up to now I have just hoped that guests will respect my things and not go through it. This way I could control the heating usage and protect my things. Or should I buy a protective covering for the thermostat and set up a timer? My only concern with limiting guest usage would be receiving negative reviews from cold guests who cannot control the heating on the days that can be wet and cold here in bonnie bonnie Scotland.

I would appreciate any advice. Also I understand some may suggest upgrading the control to some sort of wireless control system however I do not have this luxury to upgrade and I only host my apartment out for a maximum of 8 weeks a year so would not really see the point.

Thanks,

Anna

[Ned-And-Laura0]

You say you don;t have the luxury to buy a smart thermostat that can be controlled with an app?  Why is that?  Then if it's left on you can just lower it from your phone.  Would probably pay for itself in one 8 week rental session. Not sure about the water heater, but maybe there is some kind of timer function so it will turn off after 30 min?  

Guests will NEVER care about your utility bill and they rarely read directions.  

[Anna1455]

I just don’t have the finances at the moment to pay for a smart meter and for its installation. 

However I appreciate your comments. Thank you 

[Victoria567]

Hi @Anna0

Smart meters are free....we got ours free from our utilities provider.

[Gillian19]

@Anna1455 You could put a lock on the cupboard with a code and if it was a cold snap you could let them know the code so they could turn the heating on.  Probably the cheapest option and would give you a level of control.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

I would never let guests have control over heating/ac. The majority of people just do not care about other people's utility bills and will turn the heating/ac on with the windows open without a second thought. If it were me and I had to give guests control, I'd make sure guests are limited to the option of on/off with automatic shutdown after 1~2hrs and temp adjustment only within a certain range. You can provide extra blankets, and a hot water bottle for winter or maybe even a small space heater with automatic timer and fans in the summer. Also, I do suggest that you lock up your personal items and anything you DON'T want guests to touch or go through - keep them out of sight and out of reach.

Although I'm sure most guests/people are respectful they can still be curious. People do the strangest things if they think others won't notice or they think they will never have to see you again and they can get away with it.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Anna1455do whatever you want or can afford bc guests think they have paid ENDLESS utilities within their accomodation price. So some guests will set AC on 20 C in the summer and heating on 30 C during winter and keep windows open in the same time. Some of them will not open windows and vent the place even if humidity reaches 100% .  Some guests are just plain stupid and careless.

[Paul154]

We have a similiar dilemma in the Pacific Northwest. On cold rainy days, guests will reasonably want a warm house in the evening. 

You can lock your thermostat, but on rainy days give them access?

As for your hot water heater, you will need to educate your guests.

In America, I have never seen your water heating setup. We can't really save electricity by turning off the hot water heater. To manually turn-off the hot water would not be natural or easy to me.

So a timer would be your best way to go, I guess.

Eventually, you will love a remote control smart themostat and electrical valve/timer. They pay for themselves by giving you control, documenting usage and reducing your stress.

[Steven65]

Hi Anna. I installed a Nest thermostat in my Edinburgh flat and it has paid back quickly. Purchase and installation cost was about £280. If you have a high occupancy rate, empty periods (when you can turn the heating off) or inconsiderate guests (who open the windows with heating on full blast) then it is well worth it. Guests still have the ability to adjust the heating manually within set limits,  but program will take over at next scheduled event.  Guests can not change the heating schedule.  

[Chris232]

Hi @Anna1455

I have a Drayton Wiser SmartHome heating system which remotely controls all heating through an app on my smart phone.

Definately paid for itself in a very short time.

26/09/2018

At the moment Amazon have a very good promotion .. heating kit for £99.99

here's the link

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/drayton-wiser-smarthome-heating-kit-2-9999-amazon-3060113

[Harry296]

I’m a heating engineer and room recommend ‘time:o:stat‘.

[Andrea-and-Francis0]

Another option might be to lock the cupboard & pick up a electric plug in heaters that shut off after a given time.

[Anuradha8]

Hi @Anna1455 @ I'm a host in Glasgow and have a similar situation. I only let out a bedroom with bathroom which has its own entrance and exit through our back garden and, having accepted a long term booking of 53 nights from a very quiet, nice, clean Phd student, I first discovered she was using an electric fan heater (which is akin to having a kettle on permanently) without letting me know about it. When I discovered it, I asked her to please not to use it and put my nest thermostat in her bedroom so she could turn on the heating when she liked.....BUT she sets it at 28 degrees! and sits around in a t-shirt and flip flops, tends to keep it on until the early hours of the morning as she studies at night and sleeps during the day. All the other radiators in our duplex are off, and we just put layers on if we get cold. As a relatively new host, I have tried to be as understanding as possible but feel like there's no way to keeping control of this. Any thoughts or suggestions from other hosts would be great!

[Sarah977]

@Anuradha8  For long term bookings, you can have an arrangement where guests need to pay for any electricity that is used over and above your average usage. This would need to be mentioned in your listing and made very clear to guests when they request to book. And you would need to read your meter and keep track of whether the usage is excessive and by how much.

[Qte0]

we guests are better off getting a hotel. Hearing/reading these comments are just somewhat rude. However, I can put myself in ya'll situation as well and completely understand where you're coming from. Seems like this is definitely going to be a problem Airbnb will have to work out.