Keeping warm

CH is a luxury I had no experience of before buying my third home in the late 80s. As a child we had an open fire in the living room and I had a small electric fire in the bedroom when undressing until my nightie caught fire on it. Open fire and electric radiators in first home, only got warm towards bedtime. Open fire and storage heaters in next home ditto. I really appreciate having proper CH. My thermostat is totally up the creek since the menopause, 20 odd years ago, sometimes hot, sometimes cold. My nose is the deciding factor as to whether I’m cold. I like a throw to warm me up, and socks and jumper are a must now. Would love flannelette sheets again but hardy husband not keen. The weather ladies and newsreaders in their short sleeves always make me feel freezing!

I had my teenage grandson extolling the virtues of his wonderful very expensive electric blanket last week and giving me chapter and verse about why “people of our age” ought to rush out and buy one (he’d make a wonderful salesman). He asked if we had electric blankets when we were young. I said no, if we were cold we just piled all our coats on the bed! He said “Oh”, and that ended the conversation!

I much prefer winter clothes to summer ones anyway.But my go to items if I feel a bit chilly are my cashmere slipper socks and one of my fleecy gilets.Not the most stylish but I prefer them to a bulky jumper inside and find if my feet and body are warmed up I can cope with the heating set lower.Plus a lovely snuggly throw on the sofa.

Granmarderby10

I remember a tv commercial from the 70s for central heating: “it’ll be like Bali in the bathroom; Bermuda in the bedroom” ….they have a lot to answer for

I remember the central heating ads about ‘Mrs 1970’ - this would have been in the early 60s - showing a woman in a bikini in a room with big plate glass windows, showing that it was pitch dark and snowing outside!

In regards to freezing pipes. Normally they freeze at the point where they come into the house, or if you have an uninsulated space under your house where the pipes run.
Generally pipes only freeze when it drops quite a bit below freezing, perhaps -8c or beyond. A trick is to keep the cold water running slowly if you are unmetered. for water we do not have water meters). Running water does not freeze as readily as still water.

It does seem odd to feel upset at needing to wear a single extra layer! I grew up before the days of central heating, with ice on the inside of the bedroom windows on winters mornings. I tend to feel the cold more now and expect to dress more warmly in cooler weather- socks, long sleeves and light cardigan or jumper! I can’t sleep in a hot bedroom! I wonder if people who hate the idea of an extra layer are imagining a heavy scratchy restrictive woolly rather than a light but warm soft flexible garment?
My favourite light layers in mid winter are heat generating modern ‘thermal’ under layers ( such as M&S heatgen or Uniqlo’s heatec) - thin as silk but warmer- and a lovely soft aging light cashmere cardigan or cowl neck sweater.
Perhaps the threatened gas and fuel shortages will change fashions!

I have noticed a lot of Facebook activity and interest about an oversized fleece hooded poncho called a 'snoodie'?

Shandy57 - an Oodie? I have one and it’s fabulous!

My step daughter used to do that. Wanted the full heating on in September whilst wearing a t-shirt, bare feet etc. I wasn't able to say anything being the 'not the mother'.

I have always put jumpers, socks etc on in the winter and would never be turning the heating up whilst in a t-shirt. Terrible. Still, the bills will sort that out.

Totally agree - I grew up in a house with no heating apart from a coal fire in the living room, same in my shared house, so I have the habit of layering up when it's cold rather than putting the heating on. Always wear 2 pairs of socks in winter, cold feet the worst and sometimes a hat and cowl if it's really cold, younger folk seem to feel they must have a warm house so that they can just wear teeshirts etc. Maybe we all need to think a bit harder if really warm houses are necessary for ordinary healthy people

Cashmere is the no 1 weapon to get you through an English winter - cashmere bedsocks, cashmere sweaters and scarf plus hat

Our thermostat is set at 18.5 and there we leave it. We add extra layers when we feel cold. What else would we do?

I love my sheepskin emu ankle boots. Bare feet in them are toasty. If it's really cold I'll have thermal tights under joggers, thermal long sleeved top with big cardi over, and a scarf. And a fleece throw around my legs. That is if I am working at computer, as sitting for long makes me colder.

We have the heating on at times, but especially this year, the extra fuel costs will mean we just have to dress warmer. That's what they do in Scandinavia apparently.

Since menopause I have become quite a 'warm' person, have even got rid of my very thick duvet - my 'winter' weight one now is 4.6 tog.
My flat is well insulated and I still have my bedroom window open all the time. Never have any heating on at night in my bedroom -just cannot sleep at all if there is any. My normal bed wear is a short sleeved cotton nightie. In very hot weather I go to a sleeveless one, and in the very cold weather to a longsleeved nightie.

My CH has yet to be turned on this year. When it is, I will probably do as I have done for the past couple of years and keep it around 18. Once I am in my nighties and warm dressing gown inthe evenings, sitting watching tv (knitting and crocheting - not at the same time!!), I will put a blanket over mylegs.
However, I have to be careful, as when my daughter pops in, she reads me the riot act if I have my heating set so 'low'!!!
"Nothing to do with how you feel, Mum" she berates me "older people should not be sitting about in any area under 21 degrees'. If she lets me know she is coming I actually put the heating up higher until she leaves.

We don’t like the heating too high so will be wearing thicker clothes and extra layers too. Try to buy wool and natural fibres rather than synthetic. We are also fortunate that we don’t have to watch the pennies but still don’t like to waste energy and are very mindful of the climate. We try to do our bit for the planet.

I set the thermostat in the hall quite high - 22.

But I put the radiators in selected rooms on to 2, so the heating does not actually kick in till the temp is low in a room.

And I wear lots of layers. I would not want to waste fuel.

I am in a new build very highly insulated house now so am hoping that will cut down on fuel usage.

I wear so many layers in winter that you can hardly see me!
This winter in particular with rising gas prices we are going to need thick socks, lots of cardigans or hoodies (I love hoodies). I've got a 'slanket' which I wear when watching tv on cold evenings. (A blanket with sleeves) And hot water bottles. I've just sent for a couple of microwaved body heating pads . Anything to help keep the thermostat down.

Franbern Here is a link to the NHS site. It supports your belief that 18 degrees is quite sufficient. www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/keep-warm-keep-well/ .

A useful aid if your DD gets too insistent.

Biggest rows in my household...he wears underpants and a dressing gown all day and turns the heating up, I'm boiling in a t-shirt and skirt, I end up spending winter in my bedroom with no heating.

In our home the heating is only put on (manually) if it's really needed: it's not kept on a timer. Like other posters here, DH & I dress warmly, and use rugs on our knees. I'm in my 70s but I'm determined not to be like an elderly relative, who keeps the central heating on at a level which I can only describe as "stun". (DH & I can barely breathe, when we visit.) This has been going on for decades, not just when they became elderly. They wear one layer in the home (usually a T shirt plus thinnish trousers), saying; "I don't like too many clothes" yet they manage to be muffled up warmly, when going out! It's all a very selfish attitude, I think.

My heating will be on 21° and cardigan worn and a cosy throw when sitting and a nice hot water bottle on my lower back for back pain.

I too saw the woman beings interviewed and thought her view totally unrealistic as was the interview with the late 20 year old first time buyer complaining she couldn't afford to buy a flat in Edinburgh. Join the club and I'm not a first time buyer. The media has a lot to answer for.

My husband is always cold even with a vest a long sleeved polo shirt and fleece cardigan, I think it's because he is on bloodthinners. We don't have central heating but he has the electric heater in the living room turned up quite high and sometimes it feels like walking into a sauna so I am wearing t-shirts and thin trousers all year. Even when I go out in the winter I find a long sleeved t-shirt under my coat is enough and I only wear socks if I really have too, can't stand having hot feet.

No central heating when I was growing up. It was extra blankets on the bed and cardigans in the house. I still have a blanket on the sofa for the colder evenings. My home is draught proof. Which my childhood home was not! I keep my flat on the cool side on purpose.

Again this shows the lack of common sense in much of the population. When I lived in my cold house I had to wear gloves and a hat in bed. Also had a hot water bottle and a rug if sitting up downstairs.