10489 Has anyone put the heating on yet??

My Italian friends used to live in a condominium, and every year one tenant was elected to be the 'Manager' of the block [arranging grass cutting for communal gardens etc] He, [I don't think it was ever a She] was also responsible for the heating.

When my friend was elected - he was also responsible for getting the boilers serviced, but the biggest problem he had was tenant's concerns on when the the heating was switched on and off - tenants were worried about turning it off too late in Spring [it was a cold spell], and NOT turning it on early enough in Autumn [It was a late hot spell].

I did a quick Google on this, and although different references give different dates, the general gist of all entries was

"......... by law in Italy people are allowed to switch on the heating system from October 15th until April 15th (in Rome from November 15th until March 15th). There is also a limit for the authorised number of hours to heat the house during the day, 14-16 hours in general.

Last , the temperature in the house should not exceed 20° C.
Generally speaking when the heating is centralized (i.e. in condominiums) these rules are scrupulously followed. In case your heating is independent you could choose to switch it on accordingly to your personal needs: of course it is always a matter of being sensitive and respectful to a law conceived to reduce air pollution and consumptions.

The Italian law states also that the tenant, should he live in a house/apartment with independent heating system, is responsible for its correct use and ordinary maintenance. Specifically speaking , once a year the tenant has to call an authorised technician who will check the boiler/heater , writing down on the ‘Libretto di Manutenzione’ (maintenance booklet of the heater) the date of the control and the work done. Violation of this procedure is unlawful and liable to fines. "

We have our wood burning stove on. It's not the cold so much, it's the damp. We moved from the North of England where the winters started in August & the Spring started in April. We lived high on the moors where the trees were growing sideways from the winds.The only thing moving in winter were the sheep! So, I'm used to cold & damp but not this early in Italy! "What's that your saying Pilch". "Global warming"....Yeh We Know.

[SIZE="3"]Well, I have to admit that I DID turn on the caldaia...but just for a quick check, to make sure everything was working....at least that's what I told Art! I swear, just 10 minutes was enough to take the chill out of the air and it was sooo much nicer!

I DID put the electric matress pad on the bed, and the flannel sheets....you know, it's those little comforts that are so wonderful![/SIZE]

Trying NOT to put the heating on!! Have had a fire every evening. Last I had our gas heating (liqui gas) on every morning and evening for a couple of hours until I received my first bill! €2,000 for 2 months - and no we do not live in a castle but this was just to heat a small kitchen, sitting room, 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms and a attic space. Hence this years caution.

It's not so much the damp, but rather the chill here. :bigergrin:

At 500m s.l.m. on the eastern slopes of the Apennines in central Abruzzo, the days have been getting up to all of 13° or so and the nights almost down to single figures over the last week or so.

So yes, we have had the central heating on and it's going to stay on until temperatures get back to what they should be at this time of year.

Al

We have had the stufa going the last few nights, but the thought of putting the CH on at this time of year is too scarey, hence the thermal underwear, hat and socks, it was from sundress to this in a few days, it must get warmer again..?
A

Our heating is also on, but I had reduced the house temperature down to 19C. Just keeping a check on it, has only run for about 6 hours over the last 3 days. Temp outside was 12C thismorning at 9.30.

Brilliant timing, Aretina, for I was thinking about putting it on last weekend (wasn't Friday dreadful round here?) but then other half returned from a trip and suddenly the house felt warmer! I cleaned out the grate today(!) and brought in a huge store of wood, but sitting here right now with two jumpers on and kettle boiling for a hot water bottle (despite other half!), I'm thinking, can I face cold bathroom again in the morning? Interestingly though, we were in Florence today and found it a good 5 degrees warmer than where we are, ie just 100 km further south.
Yet driving down to Rome on Saturday I saw all that snow forum members in Abruzzo mentioned, and OH said flying in over Gran Sasso on final approach into FCO the snow was seriously thick, in his opinion, scarily so for mid-September. V

[quote=Nicola D;97726]Trying NOT to put the heating on!! Have had a fire every evening. Last I had our gas heating (liqui gas) on every morning and evening for a couple of hours [B]until I received my first bill! €2,000 for 2 months[/B] - and no we do not live in a castle but this was just to heat a small kitchen, sitting room, 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms and a attic space. Hence this years caution.[/quote]

I'm surprised to hear it is so cold, especially as I am moaning to everyone in Germany that one of the main reasons I am moving to Italy is to get away from the bad weather here. :bigergrin:

Nicola, please tell me that your gas bill turned out to be a terrible mistake and you were later refunded €1800. :no:

I can well believe Nicola. Between November and March we put nearly 4000 Euros of gas in our tank. Since the heating went off we haven't needed to put more gas in. We are only using it for heating and washing now.

We are looking at solar for pre-heating the water before it goes into the boiler now.

Yes, I'm sure the costs to heat the house will be much higher this year, so it's quite a balance between being comfortable and being frugal! I don't mind wearing an extra sweater and being cuddled up in a blanket to watch TV, but still, I am a bit scared when I think about that first heating bill!

one of the things about Italy because of its physical geography is that we can all live within short drives of each other and have different tales to tell on the days weather...

i remember driving over to Bisenti one day in the arly summer and leaving bright sunshine... and arriving there to find that half the fields on the slope down to the valley had been washed away by heavy rain... however Bisenti...or at least some of its slopes provide a very good example of good and bad areas in terms of climate... its a place renowned for its wine production...

[url=http://www.bisenti.com/index.html]prolo bisenti[/url]

very specific to a small area... and yet areas there because its so far inland and close to the mountains can be exceedingly wet and cold.... put the link in as they have their wine fest coming up soon...

too late for many of us who have bought.. but its essential when looking to buy a property anywhere in Italy to check the house position in terms of south facing areas...with no high areas blocking autumn and spring sun rises... and olive groves and or vine yards growing close by facing the same way as the house... these points will save you fortunes in heating costs... and make your life here more comfortable

in the summer when the family stays at the beach in August...they will often get violent hail storms whilst at home nothing...or visa versa... evening thunder and lightening here in the mountains and nothing on the coast...

our in laws also have a house in the south of Abruzzo for the summer... and they will put heating on very early or keep it on late...as high in the mountains there nights do get cool... and they are on the West side... areas of which remind me of Pilchards posting... with short stunted and sideways leaning trees if there are any that is...

when you come around the other side of the mountains to the west the forests are completely different.... however areas within these provinces can often be completely outside the norms in terms of climate...

isola del gran sasso...sitting in the shadow of the mountain gets more rain and cold even though lower down than where many of us live than any other area here abouts... move 5 km away to a place say like cermignano... which is much higher and the weather is much dryer and warmer... if you hop another 5 km to say cellino...about the same height...on the slope facing the adriatic its mediterranean...

one early winter i had to go to aquila twice a week from teramo...usually leaving at 6.00 am in the morning ... its about a twenty minute drive... you could be guaranteed to loose at least ten to 15 degrees of the temp... and the first morning was pretty dire as i hadn't put a coat in the car...

here we had one cold day when the heating went on... last Sunday... as someone that hates feeling cold in the house its not that i resist the temptation either... and our living habits or at least those of the dogs mean that we have a door wide open into the living area from the outside all day until late... when we close them in... winter and summer...

i think one of the secrets on italian houses and keeping them warm...unless you have followed geotherms advice...or wish to spend thousands is to let the air in .... mornings for sure when the sun heats it up...wide open shutters and windows allow houses to breath... resisting that damp feeling.... shutting it all up after the midday sun ... the other point whatever anyone tells you about living anywhere in Italy is that double glazing is essential and that is you have large windows shutters too... its senseless here to put in whatever type of heating system...without...

also think outside the norms of things... we have a pellet boiler for hot water and heating... sited within the house...which when running keeps the boiler room warm... opening the door allows that heat to filter through the house... most of its chimney is also exposed which again is heat added... when putting inside your house one of those closed in wood burners or pellet stoves...its worth while keep the tubing within a room until the last minute ...when it can say exit via the old chimney... little things i know but they do help... and i quite like the look of the modern tubes against older backgrounds...say of stone...

finally most of the snow has receded in line on the gran sasso...so i wouldn't regard this as something ominous .... the last three days have been warm and sunny... although today there was drizzle... but it was brightening up already as we went to school in Teramo... sun is due along all the med coast as well although winds are still blowing from the wrong direction as regards heat...

i think we had a september like this 3 or 4 years ago... then october well into november was hot again... i remember the olive harvest and meals on the sloped groves sitting in t shirts..... Italians too .. hopefully it will happen again that way this year...

[quote=IRITALIA;97739]I'm surprised to hear it is so cold, especially as I am moaning to everyone in Germany that one of the main reasons I am moving to Italy is to get away from the bad weather here. :bigergrin:
[/quote]

You are not alone with the misconception that Italy is always warmer than many other parts of Europe - it simply is not true. Parts of Italy can be bitterly cold over the winter months and extremely wet, windchill factor is also present and can drastically reduce the air temperature. The mountains running the length of the country are snow covered in winter and we also experience cold fronts coming from the Balkans. I have been far colder here in Italy than I ever was when living in Edinburgh. Summers are much much warmer and drier but winters are much colder. It is the extremes of temperature that takes people by surprise and the speed at which the temp changes - this year it rose and fell by 20 degs overnight at the 'start' and 'end' of summer!!
So do pack your warm clothes, do not throw them out because you are moving to Italy -you will need them!

Does the law in Italy dictate when you are allowed to switch on your heating or is it just a recommendation for lowering one's carbon footprint? I have started to live in southern Piemonte for half of the year and will be going through my second winter there but this time with central heating and not just a wood burning stove to warm my toes. Mind you I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of those energy efficiency EU directives! The one that says that your home should be totally lagged, insulated, use low energy bulbs, be wrapped and packaged to meet the potential 'A' standard if possible.

No I am afraid there was NO mistake. Our house is not well insulated and kept the thermostat set at too high a temperature and therefore wasted heat. However, we discovered we are not alone having spoken to friends who said they had a similar shock and try not to use the central heating. We are having a Stufa installed to heat radiators and solar panels for the water. We are not on mains gas but have a tank in the garden

[quote=Monesiglio Rosi;97751]Does the law in Italy dictate when you are allowed to switch on your heating or is it just a recommendation for lowering one's carbon footprint? [/quote]

I believe it's a law, but I've certainly seen a list based on your commune within bands A to F, if I recall correctly. So for example my commune in the valley at 600m has a band and date different to a village on the valley side I can see from my window another 150m higher.

I'm in a condominio and the heating isn't on yet and I'm as far north as you can get, but as I got back from the UK on Tuesday I haven't felt the cold!

[quote=Monesiglio Rosi;97751]Does the law in Italy dictate when you are allowed to switch on your heating or is it just a recommendation for lowering one's carbon footprint?[/quote]
I think there was a thread last year which discussed this point, but I can't locate it just now.

As far as I can recall, the consensus was that the heating zones assigned to each comune which indicate the dates when heating systems can be turned on and when they must be turned off apply only to public buildings and condominiums. Private homes are not required by law to comply with these dates.

You can find your comune [URL="http://www.comuni-italiani.it/"]here[/URL]. Once on your comune's page, click on the "Clima e Dati Geografici" link on the right to see the dates which apply.

I believe there are also equivalent dates for when air conditioning can and can't be used.

Al

[quote=adriatica;97747]one of the things about Italy because of its physical geography is that we can all live within short drives of each other and have different tales to tell on the days weather......[/quote]

This is so-o true, Adriatica, and, as I've posted before, was one of the reasons we moved when we decided to live here permanently. We used to live in a simply impossible to heat house in a notoriously cold part of southern Tuscany. Yet by moving a few kilometres east to a more sheltered corner, we no longer freeze from November to February, nor do we feel as though we're paying hundreds of Euros each winter to do nothing more than warm the Val d'Orcia!
Another tip for potential house purchasers, if you plan to live here year round, do, please rent in the neighbourhood for one winter beforehand. V

[quote=Violetta;97784]...
Another tip for potential house purchasers, if you plan to live here year round, do, please rent in the neighbourhood for one winter beforehand. V[/quote]

Or ask the neighbours how much money they spend on heating every winter. They will be delighted to tell you! A good conversation topic :laughs:

Well I am horrified at the thought of what my first gas bill might be even on a low setting and I won't even be there. :eeeek:
Is mains gas any cheaper than liquid gas? :veryconfused:
My house is not well insulated as the windows are single glazed old glass that is only 3mm thick. During the renovations I wanted to have the glass replaced with thicker panes but the falegname said he could not enlarge the channels in the frames. I think he was just being lazy as the frames are rather thick and look as though the channels could be at least doubled. There are persiane on the outside and scurini on the inside but I suppose they won't help much against the cold. :frown:
I have left Germany at 4-5 degrees for Italy in both December and January and was surprised that during the day the sky was beautiful and blue and it was about 14-17 degrees. Obviously an exception and a mistake to have judged Italy as having a milder winter then.
Oh well, it appears the thermals will be well used from now on. :bigergrin:

Hi

WE PUT THE HEATING ON LAST NIGHT.... 17°c indoors, not cold but there was such a chill in the air. Now 19°C and it feels warm. Old stone house, with insulated roof and double glazing.

We have oil central heating in the main house and I shudder to think what the bill will be.
Did get 2000 litres (£2000 ++) recently when there was a small drop in price, we'll just see how long this lasts.

Not lighting fire yet as still waiting for the chimney sweep. Next time I'll get the chimney sweep in the Summer!! I should have thought of this - this is Italy after all.

Keep Warm

It's jolly cold here today. Our thermometer reads 10degrees, this is at 8a.m!
Good lord, last year I'm sure I was still out in my t-shirt and swimming in the pool. I have put on the C.H. I'm afraid. It's just too unbearable to waddle around the house in many layers of woollens & fleeces. My OH tells me it's been lovely in the U.K. of late.
Bunch

I have been looking on and off at Lucca (my area) on Weather.com and have been pleasantly surprised.
For example yesterday the temperature for was 73°.
Here is a 10 day forecast for Lucca and it still seems quite mild to me.
Are they getting it so wrong or is it just the nights that are cold? :veryconfused:

[url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/ITXX0037?from=36hr_topnav_business]10 Day Weather Forecast for Lucca, Italy - weather.com[/url]

We tend to leave both the heating and the AC on all year round here. The heating is set to 20° and the AC is set to 24°. So far this autumn, the heating has come on for about 10 mins one morning, so it's still fairly warm.

It only goes to show how much the weather varies across Italy at any one time and that one really can't generalise on these things. We know that autumn is really here when we wake up in the morning and can't see out of the windows for the fog.

Droning on a bit more for a moment about the variability of the weather here, I remember been scolded for having AC along the lines of "you don't need it". Maybe in the mountains you don't, but down here in the Po valley the temperature regularly gets into the 40s - too warm for sleep, anyway! :wink:

Here is a little glimmer of hope from todays news.
Let's pray it extends to south of the alps. :bigergrin:

[url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20080926/tuk-christmas-will-be-warm-not-white-45dbed5.html]Christmas Will Be Warm Not White - Yahoo! News UK[/url]

And our heating is going on right now. I've been reading with a blanket over me all afternoon in the study and having just checked the thermometre on the kitchen wall I see it reads 15 degs at 4.45pm! Brrrrrrr. Probably warmer in London... V

AS the old saying goes, "Spend in wool what you dont spend in wood". Today here in Vetralla, the tramontana (cold northern wind) is wailing down the narrow main street, but on the southern side we are eating on the terrace...and the sun is HOT. Thank goodness for houses with southern exposure..at least in winter.

Just come back from a week in Tuscany. Before going I looked at the weather forecast and read posts on this site - therefore taking warmish clothes with us!!! We were roasting - mind you with the summer we have had in England I suppose any sun would appear hot! :laughs:

I live in Le Marche; everytime I go to Umbria the sun is shining there and i return to overcast conditions.
Is the weather actually better in Umbria than in Le Marche? Or is it just my imagination?

[quote=alan h;97714]My Italian friends used to live in a condominium, and every year one tenant was elected to be the 'Manager' of the block [arranging grass cutting for communal gardens etc] He, [I don't think it was ever a She] was also responsible for the heating.

When my friend was elected - he was also responsible for getting the boilers serviced, but the biggest problem he had was tenant's concerns on when the the heating was switched on and off - tenants were worried about turning it off too late in Spring [it was a cold spell], and NOT turning it on early enough in Autumn [It was a late hot spell].

I did a quick Google on this, and although different references give different dates, the general gist of all entries was

"......... by law in Italy people are allowed to switch on the heating system from October 15th until April 15th (in Rome from November 15th until March 15th). There is also a limit for the authorised number of hours to heat the house during the day, 14-16 hours in general.

Last , the temperature in the house should not exceed 20° C.
Generally speaking when the heating is centralized (i.e. in condominiums) these rules are scrupulously followed. In case your heating is independent you could choose to switch it on accordingly to your personal needs: of course it is always a matter of being sensitive and respectful to a law conceived to reduce air pollution and consumptions.

The Italian law states also that the tenant, should he live in a house/apartment with independent heating system, is responsible for its correct use and ordinary maintenance. Specifically speaking , once a year the tenant has to call an authorised technician who will check the boiler/heater , writing down on the ‘Libretto di Manutenzione’ (maintenance booklet of the heater) the date of the control and the work done. Violation of this procedure is unlawful and liable to fines. "[/quote]

Well annabe we house hunted in le Marche before choosing Umbria because we found the same thing happened to us! But like everywhere there are wet and dry sides. From our house we can see the hills of Toscana to the west and to the south, across Lago Trasimeno as far as Montepulciano. Throughout the summer months we can watch rain falling on these areas but not on us, depite praying for it to do so.

I want to sell my beautifully restored 5 bed farmhouse and move to something silimilar but a bit smaller in southern Umbria as I now have lots of friends in Rome. Can anyone give me advice on how to do this?

We have had the heating on for about a week. The temperature dropped to below 5c last Wednesday over night. An hour in the morning (to shower) and a couple of hours in the evening has been enough. We do have double glazing though, so that helps.

Susi

hi i have just read iritalia posting on how the italian joiners say it is not posible to enlarge the slot to fit duble glaizing true , only becoase they used to sliding the glass in from the top . i being a elglish joiner have bought a house in abruzzo to restore spent several puzzeled minutes working out how they had fitted the glass . to fit duble glazing simply fill in top slot with wood and glue , cut a rebate on outside face of window , not on inside as shuters will not close .A fter you have fitted DBLG leaving space for the wood to move whith moistrer changers seal with silecone and fit a wood moulding to compleat job .Ihave used thiis merthod on all my windows and lots of outher english peoples windows with great sucess, having of coase repared the old window ,somthing the italian joiner is reluctant to do as he usely has a freand who has a winndow factory so why bother retoring thes old windows . Dbl g is verry cheap in abbruzzo not much dearer than single glass in england

I may have misunderstood, but if you close the slot to the interior glass how do you slide it out again should the window get broken?, just that this has happened twice with our single glazed window and we have just hooked the whole window out and taken it down to have a new pane fitted (10e).
A

hi angie e robert if you go to one of the first posting on this thread you will see IRITALIA wanted to fit duble glazing you close up the slot to ad strenth to frame and fit glass from out side as we do in england with wooden beeds to replace glass you remove beads replace glass replace beads with sealant . O ff couse if you have single glass just leave as is i hope this anwers your question

[quote=borrini;97865]Just come back from a week in Tuscany. Before going I looked at the weather forecast and read posts on this site - therefore taking warmish clothes with us!!! We were roasting - mind you with the summer we have had in England I suppose any sun would appear hot! :laughs:[/quote]

I was shopping yesterday morning in Pienza wearing a jacket over a longsleeve jumper over a short sleeve poloneck, jeans, socks,etc being served by a guy wearing an Arran style pullover with leather jerkin over it when in walked 4 English ladies in cotton capris, tee shirts, one even wearing a sleeveless blouse! I think maybe coming from England it does feel warmer here or perhaps the longer we're here the more we lose that British hardyness?

I think Nielo said the way one feels is dependent upon the weather. In a bar this morning I stood next to an Italian man wearing white shorts to the knee, white trainers, tight blue and white T shirt...all designer labels and extremely beautiful....the barrista greeted him with ....think you're a tourist eh? The rest of us wore jackets but it was a warm and sunny morning outside and the "tourista" said he owned a boat and took foreigners out on trips and wanted to look as though he was on holiday too....30th September and still in shorts!

The local forecast talks about a depression coming in from the west and cold air from the north giving a zero termico at 1600m on Friday, so could be first snow of the year on some of the lower slopes. I think my heating comes on about 15th October..... or am I thinking about the obligatory carrying of snowchains....

[quote=Noble;98161]I think Nielo said the way one feels is dependent upon the weather. In a bar this morning I stood next to an Italian man wearing white shorts to the knee, white trainers, tight blue and white T shirt...all designer labels and extremely beautiful....the barrista greeted him with ....think you're a tourist eh? The rest of us wore jackets but it was a warm and sunny morning outside and the "tourista" said he owned a boat and took foreigners out on trips and wanted to look as though he was on holiday too....30th September and still in shorts![/quote]

Noble, you have a better memory than me but I do agree with myself, I think the weather does affect mood.

I spent my first six years in Africa so my first experience of snow was truly magical. I have not lost my love of snow but I also love those crisp sunny and frosty mornings where the air is so clear you can see forever. I enjoy the summer heat but I do really love being warm and cosy inside whilst the weather does its worst outside.

We have had the heating on briefly a couple of times, just to stop the house getting cold but as the weather forecast is for snow down to 1,250 mtrs this weekend, I think I’ll bring in a big basket of logs!