If I was rich I'd have a warm home

You're right... what I should have written is perhaps we were resigned to the cold. I'd forgotten about chilblains. I never had them myself but then again I never took my hat and mittens off between November and end of February. I wore my hat in bed.

I would really reccomend an electric blanket if you don't have one already but I am sorry. It's rubbish to be cold x

But our energy prices are sky-high compared to many other countries. We pay a lot in green subsidies here.

I have the Dunelm teddy fleece blanket, bigger, cheaper and I love it!

@Copernicus321 Not true. People complained bitterly about being cold and chilblains were normal.

Except if you live in those owned by the Duchies managed by the Royal family. One in seven of their rented houses do not meet this standard.

Not helpful, perhaps, but useful to maintain a perspective if nothing else.

It's only in the last 60-50 years that most of us in the UK now expect to be warm indoors in the winter. My childhood was spent wearing thermals and 2 layers of everything else then coat, hat and mittens when indoors. It was normal to see your breath in every room. In the mornings the curtains would be stiff with frost and there would be ice on the inside of the windows (single glazed drafts sash windows). This was a pretty normal experience and nobody commented about it. We kept warm underneath electric blankets and additional blankets while sitting on the sofa. Electric blankets are incredibly cheap to run, running on a medium level they cost less than 4p an hour. We might not have been able to heat the house but we could make a tent of warmth from our shoulders down to our feet.

Japan has colder winters than the UK, most houses don't have central heating but a kotatsu, a heated seat.

I hear you. I am on £80k and can't afford to heat my house. I wfh with my Uggs and coat on. How mad is that? I am considered really well off in the UK... don't feel it. feel cold.

That might not be very good for your house though. When you say it ‘seems wasteful’ do you mean you could afford to but it seems unnecessary? I think it’s very necessary to preserve the fabric of the house.

It's horrible, isn't it? I'm in a rented flat that only has electric heating. It's so expensive. I've been so cold today.

It's on Economy 10, so I find myself trying to plan my use of any appliances around the cheaper times. I have an oil filled radiator that I move around, but try not to use it much as watching the cost go up on the smart meter is really quite scary.

@potatocakesinprogress You're right. I have no idea why I've been wasting money on other things when I could be putting it towards heating. Obviously I'll need to really cutback on non essentials. What do you think I should stop wasting my money on? Food or rent?

I live in a 1 bed flat, very small and still can't afford to heat it. Living room is absolutely freezing, even the hamster refuses to get up unless he's thirsty. He's taken the whole contents of his food bowl into his bed. Think I might copy him.

Living alone in a largish house, it seems wasteful to turn the ch on for long periods.
I have halogen heaters and they are very economical, plus a heated throw, which is a lifesaver.
Ch comes on when family or visitors stay or I get too cold.

I used to live in a flat with massive single glazed windows and electric storage heaters. It was pretty grim in the winter but I did find ways of making it more manageable.

If you go round the windows and doors with a candle you can check for draughts. On most of the windows I used that weird plastic sheet double glazing that you set with a hair dryer. Then I pinned heat reflective fabric to the backs of the curtains but even cheap fleece would probably help. Sometimes expensive, heavy fabric curtains come up on FB marketplace. Door curtains and then draught excluders also help.

Only heating you main room is the cheapest option but it is depressing when you need a wee or to make a cup of tea. Anything you can do to make your main spaces feel cosy so for me that a heated throw, rugs, fairy lights and some candles.

Make sure you have some slippers and a thick dressing gown. Its still shit having to get up in the cold but they help. I also have one of those oodie things which could help. I've seen once which you can shove a hot water bottle in to a pocket on the front.

They are expensive to run but I used to have a little fan heater. I found getting dressed in front of it was cheaper than trying to heat the whole room if I was going out.

Baths, hot drinks and a good warm meal all help. Even though I'm in a house with central heating I still sometimes can't get warm if I've been out in the cold. Then only a bath or a hot shower will work

That’s insane. Is the house very large/inefficient? It’s not the summer bill if it’s monthly DD though - it’s adjusted so it’s the same all year. If you don’t pay DD then get it checked - how is it coming to that with no heating at all?

Get a heated throw OP.
I've been in my oodie all day with a fleece blanket over my legs WFH, and that's with the heating on.

I am absolutely freezing, also have four children in the house so I've just thought stuff it, I'll put the heating on.
I'm on a pay as you go meter for gas and it doesn't seem too expensive

And to think the government where / are banning gas boilers eventually so everyone will end up on electric heating. Boggling.

I'm in the same boat, op. I'm freezing. Only plus for me is I. Night shift, so sleep all day. The heated blankets are lifesaver.

Monthly with UW on the lowest tariff. We have a smart meter so we know it's correct. The gas and electric combined but gas is very minimal as only the shower and heating is gas.

I really feel for all you chilly people as I live in a lovely warm house and have remarkably small bills . Re the pubs / cafes being chilly if anyone is near a John Lewis they are usually boiling hot and have a nice coffee shop usually .

I used to think everyone had heating. We moved last year. House cost 270k and we don't have central heating. We have storage heaters, no gas line. Only one storage heater works, can't afford to fix them. We have a few plug in ones bit can't leave them on over night etc.

My husbands income isn't even low.

We are just stuck in that situation and even the windows have massive bloody holes. 2 of the windows dont even shut.

I feel your pain. Also sat here WfH in lots of layers!
Do you wear a hat? I've started to wear one and am surprised at the difference it makes! Recommend it!

It isn't. My husband lived in France in the 2000s and their fuel costs were much higher than now and people didn't have their heating on as much as us.

Ours are higher now because the French government has subsidised the energy market for the last few years. But France is even more bankrupt than we are,

Summer bill? Like for the summer quarter? Or per month? Or is this the amount you pay every month by DD?
Mine is under £100 per month for both gas and electric (fairly small terraced house) DD. I am going to put the heating on more this year though and if I have to pay more then so be it.