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’m like you I’m freezing if the hive goes below 22.5 I won’t even consider turning it down to 18 the air feels cold and I like the house to feel cosy and welcoming 🤣

It's 5 out now and I never put the heat on. I have some oodies that I live in.
I always thought that getting older I'd always be cold but it's the opposite. I'm nearly always too warm.

It depends on the person and your climate.

I moved from a hot dry climate to a colder one and for the first 6 months thought I would freeze to death.

If I was cold but wanting to save money, it'd be hot water bottles and a low consumption electric throw blanket.

Ours is set at 21, there is no way I am movng it lower. Luckily we have a woodburner which heats a lot of the house but I hate being cold.

You need a thin layer under the jumper, and a padded gilet on top. And something really warm on your feet, not just socks.
And unless the jumper’s a polo neck, probably a scarf.
Tights under jeans/trousers make a big difference, too.

I'm the same! Also if I'm working from home I want to be warm - I'm miserable enough as it is without being cold and miserable! It doesn't help we've got very little insulation though.

I almost feel that around October the cold seems to get into my bones…and my wrists and joints ache right through the winter. I can barely type some days because my fingers feel like ice even when the heating is on. I like many people am just sensitive to the cold and made for warmer climates. My dad on the other hand never fails to walk into my house and complain about the heat. He’s happiest when he can see his own breath.

I'm in a vest and have the fan on. Heating set to 18 which is plenty warm here.

23 degrees? No wonder we’re facing a climate emergency.

I am cold at 18°C. It’s ok under two blankets and with two jumpers on. It’s OK if I’m running around with the hoover. But virtually everything I do is neither of those things.

I would wear a coat outside at 18°C if I were sitting still. if I were walking up a big hill. I’d be ok. Walking on the flat is ok in a sweatshirt and gilet if I had a scarf and maybe gloves. I’m already in vests and jumpers and extra socks. The unheated rooms of my house are at 15°C in the main now. I’m east mids.

I can just cope at 18°C. 17°C is too cold. I would usually have the kitchen at 18°C, (except for first thing) sitting room and office at 21°C (but only when actually in use) and off in the bedrooms except for when I’m actually getting up. 18°C is uncomfortable, but bearable. It’ll have to do this year.

Wear a vest OP. Makes such a difference.

Completely agree with you.
I grew up in a prefab with no heating.
guess what?? I’m still alive.
you wear extra Layers if it’s cold and adapt.
people forget, most of the uk have a mild climate.
i live in the West Country now.
snow is rare. We might get 5 or 6 frosts every winter

18 is freezing to me. It doesn't matter how many layers you put on, if the air is cold your nose and hands will be too (at least that's true for me), and that isn't to do with being a wuss or a softie, if my nose is cold then it's cold, period! I think 21 is comfortable with jumpers and slippers, but ours is set to 19.5 for now and we are cold but trying to acclimatise (also we are all pretty slim so that might make a difference?). I'm always cold in air conditioned offices too which I imagine are around 18.

Yes and it was still cold in here. You feel free to turn yours down, I'm not going to be cold when I don't have to be.

Mine is 17 then 18 in the evening. I work under a heated throw and wear a fleece when not under it ! Finding it fine. Bit parky going to bed though, just reminded me I must start making hot water bottles .

23 degrees? No wonder we’re facing a climate emergency

She can have it as high as she feels comfortable. It doesn’t need relating to climate emergency. Just because you don’t feel it. 23 degrees is my ideal temperature. Should we all freeze because of climate emergency?

DH bough a few cheap digital thermometers when we had our first baby (he seems to prefer a technical solution to just noticing if the babies were cold…) and they are now peppered around the house as he wondered how the actual temperature compared to the thermostat, and also wanted to balance the radiators better.

At the moment every room with a thermometer in is between 20 and 21 degrees and we’ve not yet used any heating. This is for a tall townhouse in Lindon.

Ah well a biting winter will get all wfh people back in the office pretty sharpish.

I’ve been freezing with my thermostat set at 20 but it didn’t feel like 20. I brought my greenhouse thermometer in and put it next to the thermostat and the greenhouse one measured 18. I borrowed another thermometer and that measured the same as the greenhouse one. In short my central heating thermostat needs recalibration.

I would absolutely hate it if my house was at 21! My dog sitter turns it to 23 and when I get home I have to open the windows! So claustrophobic being that hot 🥵

I'm sure 18 degrees is the recommended temperature to keep your home at when you have a new born baby. Below 16 and above 21 is too cold/hot for a newborn so it probably is either rmedical or a faulty thermostat if you're finding it cold as an adult.

I wish I could! We can only go into the office if there's someone else there and that doesn't happen often as we only have one compulsory day in the office each week.

@DahliasEverywhere that's a good idea, I'm going to try that. This flat is always cold as we're end terrace with solid brick walls and no insulation but I do wonder if there's a problem with the thermostat.

Is the heat collecting in one area and not being distributed out? My DP’s used to have a house with the reverse cycle air con coming in via ceiling vents, so it was cool sitting down, but giddying to stand up in the heat…

We have a second home in the North East, another tall townhouse, and I suspect it’ll be a very, very different story there this winter in terms of what’s needed from the heating system to make it liveable.

A couple of the rooms have gas fires in, and DH is thinking of replacing one or two with log burners. I’m no keen on the mess and faff, but do quite like the thought of us all sitting round a nice fire in the one warm room then running up to bed to get under the covers.

18 is warm in our house in the winter - it’s the highest that dp will have the heating on, and that’s for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Rooms are frequently 11-14 degrees the rest of the time. He’s an environmentalist and can’t stand burning the gas. I cope with lots of layers of clothes including a base layer of thermals. I am glad it’s not going to feel as much of a shock as it will be for some this year.

Or maybe we're just all different @BluSquid. DH is finding he feels the cold more as he's getting older and as he's now retired he's not going out as much. I'm working from home and sit next to the outside wall (nowhere else to go) so that doesn't help