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?

We haven't put our heating on yet, the house is 18 and feels fine.
I have shorts on and we have a baby in the house, who is snuggly in bed!

I do run quite warm though

I rarely turn my heating on unless it goes below 15, and never at night!

To be honest a lot of the time I'm in the house I'm moving around so that keeps me warm. If I do stay still for longer periods e.g. watching tv, wfh, I use an electric blanket or hot water bottle and find that, with warm clothes on, completely fine. Dp is like a snake, at least I'll be wearing a hoody, he's in shorts 10 month out of the year.

Im lucky in that i could (and do) turn the heating on if i wanted but i just dont really feel the cold that badly. I'm always amazed at how anyone can enjoy being out in the sun at any temp about 25 max
...let alone people who do active things like running at that temperature! Suppose everyone's different!

Thank you!

I've been pretty lazy all day, so probably too much sitting!

We have not turned on the heating yet. I run cold so am in thermal leggings, an goodie, slippers and two tops. DC run hot so are in normal trousers and shirts. Dh spends a lot of time under the duvet in bed! It was 16 here today with a low of 6.

I'd love to know this too! Usually if have our thermostat set to 20ish if alone and I'm still cold, but this year with the price increases I'm going to have to wear even mote layers and try to keep it colder when it's just me here/evenings when the kids are in bed. When the kids are here I keep it to 21 and I still often feel cold even then but we can't really afford for it to be higher. Kids don't feel it so much as DS seems to run warm like DH, and DD is more active than me when we sre together. DH always feels warmer than me though. I do have fairly poor circulation in my hands and feet, and I'm also quite thin. Whereas DH is overweight.

I get cold if it drops below 21. Mine is set to 21.5 on Hive.

Last year we had it at 21 for about six hours am and pm combined - knowing this has been coming I've been practising closing windows, blankets, jumpers, vests etc and we are managing for an hour 7-8pm at 18.

I think I do. Other people also seem to feel the heat more than me...I can never understand in the summer why people moan about the heat as I usually feel fine.

I think some people just feel the cold more than others. Ours was at 18, I've just turned it down to 16 because I was too hot.

Yes, I think I must be solar powered. I love the warmer weather.

You should look at the heath concern’s with this. 😱

Op I'm the same as you. Mines is 21 too but there some logic behind 21 in the cold not being the same as 21 in the Summer.

It's probably the anaemia op. I'm anaemic too and keep the house above 22 degrees at all times.

We live in a warm climate and COOL our house at a temp of 26 degrees. 18 degrees is the lowest temp possible on the AC and we would literally freeze if we cooled our house to that temp.

The point is, is everybody's home heats and cools differently and every person experiences the variations differently.

My ideal setting for the heating would probably be around 24. 23 is comfortable, but anything under that is on the cold side for me. Can't justify having it that high for environmental reasons as well as cost, so I am trying to train myself to get used to colder settings, but I have a long way to go before I'll be comfortable at 18!!

That's really interesting, I hadn't made the connection. I am taking iron supplements on the advice of the GP, but my iron levels don't appear to be going up enough.

Ours is always set to 17.5. We don't turn it off. It has popped on once or twice in the mornings so far.

It was 17/18 here today and beautifully sunny. I didn't wear a coat.

I think we run hot. We do turn it up to 20 when it's v v cold but mostly just bung another log on. Haven't brought any wood in so far this year.

We have it on for 2.5 hours in the mornings and about 2.5/3 in the evenings - it'son if we are in at weekends. We keep it on in one part of the house for the elderly cat! If it's v v cold we might let it tick over all night but we like a cool bedroom. Cat sleeps with us for warmth at night.

Yes, I used to live in a hot country and we typically set the AC to around 26/27!

Radiant temp makes a difference. This is the temp difference of your skin vs what it "sees" I.e. the walls inside the house. The internal surface of Victorian walls is always cold (single skin brick) while cavity walls are not. Air temp can be 20 degrees in both house types but the Victorian house will always feel colder due to radiant effect. (Assuming no internal wall insulation has been fitted.)

Are you trying to bump your iron up, because that would probably help.

But generally, different people have different tolerances. House is about 17. Im in jeans and jumper under a blanket. DS2 (11) is in PJ bottoms next to me. He is still sleeping under a 1.5 tog duvet..... I think he is the freak tho!

I generally WFH in a fairly cool part of the country, it’s normally 3-4 degrees warmer in town when I go to the office. I notice that the people who live locally feel the cold way more than me so there is an element of acclimatising.

FWIW our heating is set to come on when the temp goes below 16, haven’t needed it yet as the house is still at 18. I am happy WFH in that, couple of jumpers and move about now and again.

why don't you just put on more clothe, thermals, leggings, warm t-shirts etc.
i wear a vest under warm winter fleecy pyjamas in bed, plus socks on hands and feet.
if sitting out on sofa, put feet up and make sure you have blankets under you, for insulation, as well as over.
i would be pleased with that temp.

My heatings not on yet and I’m sitting in jumper trousers and slippers with a throw.
But I have been up and active, sitting around is going to make you colder.

I'd be sweating at 23 or 24! Ours hasn't been on yet and hasnt dipped below 21 which still feels warm to me. Never have heating at night - it's set to come on at 5 overnight but it's never kicked in yet. 18 is my ideal

We haven't had ours on yet 😳 but we feel the warmth, we sleep with out bedroom windows ajar all year round, so to us 18 would be fine - my parents come to mine and say it's freezing, I go to theirs I feel like I am in a sauna 🤣 people have different tolerances. I do feel sad that people are worries for putting their heating on and sat in the cold though, being in a warm house with food to eat should the most basic standard of living that nobody falls below.

I guess it depends on a lot of factors, your windows/doors/insulation 18 in one house won't feel the same as 18 in another house. Are you all fully insulated, double glazed etc?