Putting the heating on-or not

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

I always seem to be hot, but DH has poor circulation since heart attack, despite walking 3 miles every morning with dog. I’m still in T shirts, he’s wearing a thin jumper over a T shirt.

I’m with you all, if you’re cold, put on your heating!

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.

cornergran

We are fortunate enough to be able to turn up the thermostat if needed. It was necessary yesterday, we’re ok without heating this evening. Dressed appropriately Mr C feels the cold terribly since open heart surgery, apparently medication linked. He’d never turn up the thermostat himself so I keep a close eye and react according to what I see. It must be so hard not to be able to be comfortable.

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.

V3ra

MissInterpreted have you explored the availability of any grants to help improve the insulation in your house?
Over the years we've had help with cavity wall insulation and loft insulation in different houses.
Either your local council or your utility company might have a scheme that would offer this.

Thanks, but we already have loft insulation and can't have cavity wall insulation. We're fine, honestly. I've never lived anywhere else, so it's just become a way of life.

Misinterpreted my comments weren't directed at you but rather at dalrymple23. I had responded to her comments a few minutes before and my mind was still with her when I read hamster23's post and endorsed it.

My apologies.

MissInterpreted have you explored the availability of any grants to help improve the insulation in your house?
Over the years we've had help with cavity wall insulation and loft insulation in different houses.
Either your local council or your utility company might have a scheme that would offer this.

I have switched the heating on most evenings recently. I have not needed to switch it on early am but my neighbours have. I would if I needed to as I hate to feel cold.

I live in a modern house and it is well insulated. I like to be comfortable, I do not smoke, drink little and no longer go on holiday so I do not intend to be cold indoors.

We are fortunate enough to be able to turn up the thermostat if needed. It was necessary yesterday, we’re ok without heating this evening. Dressed appropriately Mr C feels the cold terribly since open heart surgery, apparently medication linked. He’d never turn up the thermostat himself so I keep a close eye and react according to what I see. It must be so hard not to be able to be comfortable.

I live in sheltered accommodation and we don’t have gas, so only night storage heaters, that I have at 16-18C during the winter. They are erratic as one depends on the previous day’s temperature for the settings. It is impossible to “just have the heat on for 1/2 hour”, it is all day or nothing.
Therefore, I put on extra clothes as, like most of you, I feel the cold and, ATM, I can’t afford any extra expenses.

We live in a very damp climate, so will keep the heat on if necessary. Ours is on a thermostat and usually kept around 17 degrees. I don't feel guilty at all if the furnace clicks on.
It is currently 12 c here.

MissInterpreted….that wasn’t clear at all from your first message. I’m so sorry you’re in this difficult situation. Moving isn’t always that easy for various reasons but I hope somehow things can become easier and more comfy for you going forward.

V3ra

MissInterpreted that's so sad to read. In your situation I would seriously be thinking about downsizing ☹️

It's not a big house (although it is an old house), and moving isn't an option.

MissInterpreted that's so sad to read. In your situation I would seriously be thinking about downsizing ☹️

M0nica

hamster58

But that’s my point Missinterpreted….why?? Are you actually comfortable at the low temperatures? If it’s finance related, I understand and sympathise, but if not, why on earth not live comfortably. I’m like so many of the above, I really feel the cold and literally can’t function in the cold. Being at home dressed like a yeti is uncomfy and doesn’t stop the air feeling cold. As long as I can afford it, I’m too old to struggle

There is none so unsympathetic as those who cannot understand why anyone could possibly be different tho them (and if they are they are distinclty inferior)

I don't think my post was in any way unsympathetic to those who feel the cold. We couldn't possibly afford to have our heating on more than we do. Thank goodness we have free wood for our log burner, or it would be even worse. Even during the winter months, it's usually only on in the evenings. There were days when I was almost in tears with the cold this winter just past, but I just had to put extra layers on and fill some hot water bottles. I've been sat at my laptop typing with gloves on on occasion too.

hamster58

But that’s my point Missinterpreted….why?? Are you actually comfortable at the low temperatures? If it’s finance related, I understand and sympathise, but if not, why on earth not live comfortably. I’m like so many of the above, I really feel the cold and literally can’t function in the cold. Being at home dressed like a yeti is uncomfy and doesn’t stop the air feeling cold. As long as I can afford it, I’m too old to struggle

There is none so unsympathetic as those who cannot understand why anyone could possibly be different tho them (and if they are they are distinclty inferior)

But that’s my point Missinterpreted….why?? Are you actually comfortable at the low temperatures? If it’s finance related, I understand and sympathise, but if not, why on earth not live comfortably. I’m like so many of the above, I really feel the cold and literally can’t function in the cold. Being at home dressed like a yeti is uncomfy and doesn’t stop the air feeling cold. As long as I can afford it, I’m too old to struggle

I'm in Scotland too, but there's absolutely no way I would put the heating on at the time of year, no matter how cold it gets. I wouldn't even put our log burner on. Our heating doesn't usually go on until October at the very earliest, usually later than that, and it's off by around March. I grew up with ice on the inside of the windows and no heating other than a small gas fire and a paraffin heater in the bathroom to stop the pipes freezing. We're a hardy lot!

dalrymple23 As I said in my last post, how much we feel the cold has got absolutely nothing to do whether we are wimps or not, but is almost genetically determined.

I too had a cold non-centrally heated childhood and I can remember just how miserable that could be, with chilblains on my fingers and my younger sister weeping from the cold.

Nevertheless, I feel cold very easily and need to constantly protect myself from hypothermia, which I develop very quickly if the condtions are right (wrong?); a cold wind that blows through me or if I get damp. I have also suffered from Raynauds syndrome since I was in my 20s. It means my fingers go numb very easily, even walking past a chill cabinet in a supermarket.

While I fully understand your delight with being able to keep your fuel bills down because you have this ability not to feel the cold. You should not be dismissive of others, who with a similar background, for reasons over which they have no control would find your living conditions a danger to their health and wellbeing.

What a load of hothouse plants!! In our last three storey Victorian wind tunnel of a house, we had the thermostat set at 10 degrees!! Thick layers of clothes, hottie and a brace of Retrievers kept us warm-ish. Fear of the gas bill was the driver of this decision. It did the house and contents no good, as mould arrived! We are currently in a 1960s rental. No heating on at all over winter. Norfolk is not the warmest of counties! Again fear of cost but the oil boiler is not considered safe.

Apart from a coal fire in the sitting room, there was no central heating when I was growing up & double glazing was not heard of! Jack Frost was a frequent visitor to the inside of my bedroom window in the winter. Am still here to tell the tale!