How are people warm enough with their houses at 18 degrees?

[MrsBennetsPoorNerves]

My heating is set at 21, and I'm still cold!! But I keep reading on here that people have their heating set at 18.

I'm already wearing a jumper and fluffy socks. Sitting on the sofa with a blanket. I am OK with it at this temperature but feel that I should be trying to reduce it further.

Am I just a wuss?

Is your thermostat located in the room you are in or elsewhere if so then the temperature it displays is not a true representation of the one in the room you're in.
18'C is hardly cold. You should try to be active before sitting down as this will help you to stay warmer.

It also depends what you're used to. In the south this summer it was 23-25 for most of August. My house never got below 24 degrees even first thing . After a while I was wearing a sweater on the slighter cooler days (still above 22). My colleagues in the north always had much cooler temps so obviously you feel cooler at a warmer temperature. I wonder what it will be like by the end of the winter, if my body will adjust. It was 18 here today, and the house got to 21. Nice and warm for October.

I need it to be 22ish otherwise I start to get cold. We did boost the heating today as it was particularly cold this morning. House sat at 24 which was lovely. Don't know how people manage with such cold houses, I'm miserable when cold😟

I really feel the cold when I’m not moving, and 18 outside isn’t warm for me. DH is a hot body and our dog is uncomfortable above about 18/19. I use my dressing gown like a house coat, fluffy socks and a blanket when needed.

Ooft, 18 is too cold for me. Keep the house at 21 at a minimum, it’s 22.7 at the moment which is just nice..

We've this week got a digital thermometer for the main room. I've noticed that I'm fine at 18c but cold at 17c and fucking freezing my arse off at 15 or 16c. Its that tiny a margin.

However, I've also discovered I can tolerate temps as low as 14c if I sip vodka at a rate of a small slug every hour.

I'm yet to work out which is most cost effective.

When ours gets to about 18 we light the log burner, but I wouldn't call 21 cold.

It depends where your thermostat is located. At our old house it was on the wall in the living room above a table with a lamp on the heat from the bulb made it so that it the heating only clicked on at 21-23 degrees. The actual room temp was much lower.

you are meant to have your stay in a Cool room but away from direct sunlight or draughts. Ours was s in the hall and is currently set at 19. The room temperature of our living room is usually higher

Most people round here - including me - have a jacket/coat on when it’s 18 degrees so I’m not sure about it being warm outside at that temperature.

However, if I did get warm (with a jacket on) at that temperature outside, it’d be because I was moving and generating heat.

In the house, I’d find anything below 22/23 cold if I was sitting still. If I was cleaning or something, I’d obviously be warm. 🤷🏼‍♀️

LTB - light the boiler

Because as has already been pointed out many times on this thread, some people just aren’t cold at that temperature. At 18 I feel perfectly warm, so not miserable at all. People just feel it differently.

The advice used to be "You want to jump about a bit!" I hated it....but it did work!

I'm a 22 degree person. My dad used to be an electrical engineer during my childhood and we grew up with him monitoring every watt! He insisted 18 was an acceptable temperature in which to survive, but I had to top it up with an electric fan heater-which caused furious rows. I'm 55 now and still need heating at 22*

18 is perfect for me! our heating is currently set to come on if it goes under 15. the coldest its been in our bedroom is 16.5 so far this autumn and that was fine. at 21/22 indoors I am too hot! would probably sleep without the duvet.

There are people who don't cope well with the cold and people who don't cope well with the heat, and quite often they marry each other.

DH was born and raised in the tropics and is prone to pressing the boost button on the heating and is practically welded into his fleece, even in the summer. I, on the other hand, really suffered this summer, had bowls of ice in front of fans everywhere and have to strip down to a t-shirt if the winter temperature reaches as high as 18ºC. Now that I'm menopausal I'm pretty sure that I heat up the room with my hot flushes.

I recommend Uniqlo Heat Tech if you feel the cold, they do base layers and outer clothing. I have some but only need to wear it if I'm watching the DC's football and it's below 10ºC, because all football fields seem to be positioned to be completely open to a howling gale even when it's not at all windy elsewhere.

Is your dh being serious. 7°C is only a few degrees above fridge temperature which is ideally between 3 and 5 degrees.
Your house will end up with damp and mould problems

Thanks @BeanStew22

I am cold at 21 too have thermostat on 22 and am still needing blankets and big heavy dressing gowns.

Being slightly (not very!) uncomfortable temperature wise is supposed to be good for your immune system and lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes according to a book I read, which of course may or may not be true ... 😂

we haven't out our heating on yet. Its around 19 now inside and 19 during the day out.

We might sea swim tomorrow as it is still warm.

I always used to feel the cold, but since menopause not so much which is a plus!

Im sitting in a t shirt..house is 15 degrees. Outside is 9 degrees. Im going to bed, I sleep naked, often wake up with no duvet! and the window is open always unless windy so Im kinda watching this thread with interest. We put our heating on at Christmas usually.

Our house has been 18 most nights these past few weeks. Wouldn’t dream of putting heating on . Wear slippers and a thick dressing gown and it’s all good .

I am trying 18 degrees and am usually comfortable at 22 degrees. To survive 18 degrees I need to wear thermal underwear top and bottom, a long sleeved cotton top, and a thick real wool jumper (artificial fibres don’t cut it) with a scarf. If I am sitting still for long often another layer on top, or even two, such as a gilet/fleece jacket/blanket.

I have also found that I am much colder as it gets closer to meal times, once I have eaten I warm up. Hot drinks don’t have the same effect.

Going to suggest cold water immersion. Either sea/lake/river swims/dips, or a cold shower regularly. This will increase your brown fat reserves, which are more efficient at keeping you warm. Also good for circulation.*

Be sensible, don't stay in for too long, look up cold water shock response and how to not get hypothermia, and go for it!

*Plus, everything will feel much warmer in comparison. 😊