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?

I was always always cold to the bone until I had a hysterectomy and went straight into medical menopause. Now it is dd, who has turned cold as she reached the teen years. Her bedroom is being heated atm and the thermostat is 18 in the kitchen diner.

Been preparing for this winter for the past few winters ... My blubber keeps me and my kids warm 😁

My thermostats are currently 18.7 no heating on. I have an Oodie over my nightdress and socks on. When I go to sit at the TV I will have my overblanket on as that room is a cooler one.

It's 15.8 here and I'm OK. What do you have under your jumper? I've a tshirt and jumper under mine and sat with a blanket but our house is always cold so we have things like fleeces and ponchos to keep warm and we layer clothing. I can't turn the heating on at the moment so if it gets too cold we would put the fire on.

No heating on today but we have lit one of the wood burners and it’s now about 23 degrees. Upstairs is cold but downstairs is toasty.

Our heating comes on for an hour in the morning if it drops below 19 degrees.

My house is 16/17 and I'm perfectly fine with blankets and warm clothes. But I'm fat and menopausal. Have you tried eating more chips OP?

Mines always 24! I’m a cold person

@hangryorhungry it can add quite a bit. It's not so much the difference to heat a room from 10 - 21 as the number of times the boiler will come on. 2 degrees can make a big difference as to how many times the boiler comes on.

Did you air the house this morning to let the damp air out?

Start by buying a thermometer to read the actual temperature where you are sitting.

I’ve just looked at the downstairs thermostat and it’s 20, haven’t switched on the heating yet, just layering up and using throws. My son gets really hot and currently has his bedroom window open! Our loft is insulated and we have double glazing, our boiler/ hot water tank is in the loft so the upstairs is very warm anyway.

What sort of a jumper? Cotton won't do it.

I haven't turned my heating on yet but I'm wearing a heavy wool sweater over a polo neck. You could try wearing a thermal t-shirt and a wool sweater or polartec fleece over the top.

If its your thermostat set to 21 degrees, it doesnt necessarily mean its 21 in the room. Also it may be 21 in the air, but the cold might be coming from the walls or the floor.
I also seem to feel the cold more then other years. Perhaps the quick change from summer to autumn we had here is to blame, I dont know.

It’s not cold yet. Heating thermostat set to come on at 18c but it’s not on.

Its 18 degrees where you thermostat is.

It might be colder in other places or warmer.

My heating is set at 18 degrees when it's on. It's perfect for me.

But everyone feels hot/cold differently.

Unless the outside weather dictates otherwise, the sweet spot in our house is 19c. Any more than that and we are sweltering tbh.

I’d happily be on the beach for the day at 21c!

I'm just going to ask a very basic question how do you know how warm your house is lots of people are saying my house is X right now - I have no idea how warm my house is.

Haven’t a clue what the indoor temperature is. My house is big and old, and not a wanky modern barn conversion so it’s always been difficult to heat. My childhood home was similar, despite being only 41 it didn’t have full modern central heating until I was in my teens, plus I’m very much an outdoors sort of person. I’m on the slimmer side and mildly anaemic so I suppose I’m just acclimatised to the cold. Then again I suck at dealing with Uk humid heatwaves.
Even when it’s literally freezing I prefer the cozy feeling of being under a blanket and/or next to the fire over a full warm house, and it’s very much a compromise for me when dp/dc/cats want the heating on.
I suppose it’s just what your body is used to.

@TeeBee 😂

I wear t shirts and shorts outside in anything over 6 degrees. I’m autistic and sensitive to temperatures. I grew up without heating and sleep with all upstairs windows open all year round. I am happy with any temperature outside up to about 30 degrees as long as I can dress appropriately and keep hydrated. I don’t like artificial heat inside though.

everyone is different

If you are sitting on the sofa not movinh you will get cooler.

Aren't you moving around at all? We are having ours at 18 now having reduced from 19.

I lived in a hot climate for years. Now back in the U.K., currently 19 in my house and I’m fine in leggings and a t-shirt. If it drops any lower I’ll put a jumper on.

It’s not dropped below 13 here yet this year.

heating comes on automatically if it goes below 5 so it’s not been on yet.

I can assure you it is very possible for it to get below 5 indoors if you don’t use the heating or heat water at all in the winter. But, if you are periodically putting some form of heating on, and heating water through the pipes, it probably wouldn’t drop that low.

from experience it takes several weeks of not heating anything at all for the house to cool right off and then it can drop very low.

I’m freezing, yes, because I’m a cold person and really struggle with cold, have since I was a kid. Extremities especially. I spend hours lying awake in bed trying to warm up my toes! And I know it’s not even properly cold yet.

Nugg most hoises with central heating have a thermostat so the heating goes on/off at a particular temp.