Putting the heating on-or not

M0nica

^Just a reminder that there are many amazing electric throws which you can wrap yourselves up in while watching TV. Not electric blankets that you put on a bed but fleecy blankets to wrap up in. Alternatively there are heated pads. These are all so much better than hot water bottles when you're sitting around in the evening, and you wouldn't have to turn the heating up for one person if they were wrapped in one of those.^

But these only warm you from the outside in. If you are sitting in a cold room the cold air you are breathing into your lungs will chill your core and that is far more likely to damage your health than cold hands or feet.

I feel the cold and I am prone to hypothermia if I am not careful and, while I do not need the house to be excessively warm, our thermostat is set at 18.5 C, I would not let the temperature fall much below that - and then on a temporary basis only - and rely on locally applied sources of heat if I could possibly avoid it.

I wasn't suggesting the heating be turned off and the room be freezing cold. But if one person is happy at 18C for instance then the other could use a heated throw. The air wouldn't chill them to the core at 18C and it might save turning the heating up to 20C or higher.

Chestnut I get the impression from some people's posts that they are keeping their heating down or off so that the tempersture is falling well below 18C and relying on heated pads, hot water bottles etc to keep warm. This is dangerous for their health.

As i said we have our thermostat set at 18.5 and we do not raise it above that, relying on extra clothes to take up the slack. I actually find very warm rooms (20C+) unconfortable and unpleasant to be in.

But I cannot emphasise too much the dangers of letting the ambient temperature in a room you spend time in fall too low.

I know it’s cold for June, but it’s not really dangerous not to put the heating on, but an extra woolly, a heated throw or another dog on the bed!
But people have to be guided by how they feel, not the opinions of others.
If you want to put your heating m do so, but personally I’d rather wear a jumper or cardi and of course a (possibly thermal) vest.
A temperature in the teens indoors is not a temperature to bring on hypothermia- in most normally healthy people although I’d put a fire/gas fire/wood burner on for comfort.
I also understand that current medical thinking has moved away from heating the environment to heating the person.

I finally caved in last night and put mine one. Yes, I'm one of those crazy people who find it a challenge.
My room temp was 17.1
It has been cold but not uncomfortably so.
I had to get up for the loo in the night and because it was still on I switched it off again!
I find moving around is much better than being inactive under a load of blankets.

I find if my feet are warm it makes a huge difference to how I feel. The first thing I do when the temperature drops is to get my socks out, and some warmer shoes/slippers. The next thing is a cotton infinity scarf to keep my neck warm and possibly a thin thermal top.

Warmth , I need warmth. My heating is low throughout..i’. No penny pinching at my age………..