Keeping Warm in London

One of the adjustment people must make if they live in London is the heating systems (or lack there-or) in their flat. These days there are two heating methods utilized - radiators controlled by a thermostat and building heat. Open coal fires were outlawed back in the 80's.

Americans are most use to some form of heat controlled by a thermostat. You set the temperature you want and the control keeps it at about that temperature.

In my experience in London, it is more common for apartment blocks (apartment buildings) to have what they call central heating. There is a boiler in the basement which provides heat and hot water to all the flats. It is a nice feature because you don't have to pay an additional amount to heat your water or heat your flat so it is very economical.

Sounds pretty nice, eh? It can be.

There are two problems with this form of heating - first it is very hard to control. I don't have a thermostat. My flat has two radiators. One in the lounge (living room) and one in the hall near the bathroom. It might sound strange not to have a heat source in my two bedrooms or bathroom.

Radiator are slow to heat up and slow to cool down. Rooms can overheat before you know it and take forever to cool down to a comfortable temperature.

Plus heating pipes for the flats above me run through my walls and warm the bedrooms constantly. In fact they are too warm.

The other problem with living in a building with a central boiler for heat is that it is turned off on May 1st and is not turned back on until the end of October. Certainly there are many places where having no heat from April to November would be no problem. Most the time it is not a problem in London either, however we have many cool and cold days during those months.

It was very warm the last week in April this year in London. I was happy that the heat was turned off because it meant I could sleep much better in my cooler bedroom. The first week in May turned very cold - we had frost most nights and the days were in the upper 40s/low 50s.

Several of my neighbors complained and asked that the heat be turned back on but the corporation that owns the building would not authorize it. Our building is similar to a condo complex, in that people can own their individual flats but the corporation (not an owners association) owns the outside and facilities.

It was easy for me to fix the problem of being cold - I purchased a little space heater for my lounge. On evenings that are cold I turn on the little heater and it warms up my living room. I don't like warm bedrooms so that is no problem.

The bathroom does get a bit cold particularly in the morning when I take a shower. I can't put a heater in there because, like many UK bathrooms, there are no electrical outlets.

I love my flat and dealing with the heating system in London is not a real problem for me. Although it is a bit of adjustment, the trade offs of living in London make it very worthwhile!