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?

(also we are all pretty slim so that might make a difference?).

I’m 5’6” and a size 6. I’d call myself slim. 18° is fine.

18 outside would be cold if you were sat still and in the shade. It’s one thing walking around and keeping busy outside in 18 degrees and a very different thing sat watching TV or reading a book.

We like the house about 18. Only out heating on if it goes below and as soon as it gets to 19 it goes off. We are in Scotland. My sister and my sister in law are always cold though.

Knitted knickers

Keep your ankles and wrists warm. 18 is fine and you'll get used to it. Maybe block out any cold draughts?

I am indeed nesh!

You won’t freeze at 20 degrees. It’s not 23 degrees or nothing. Turn your thermostat down a degree or two and help combat climate change.

Of course you won’t, though.

I do see your point to some extent, people that moan unless the temperature is the 22.7983 degrees they’ve decided is the ideal are irritating. However amongst the friends and family I know that are fine with cold temperatures, we all struggle with extreme heat and vice versa.
I don’t particularly enjoy it but I quickly warm up after eg plunging my arms into icy water at minus temperatures to remove slabs of ice, but I wouldn’t appreciate someone calling me feeble because I hated the heatwaves.
I also believe the back in the day rhetoric is irrelevant. Not only do few people have fires nowadays, but generally speaking ime it’s the generation that grew up without heating that are most likely to now have their house at an ambient temperature of 53 degrees.

Hot water bottle is an excellent idea.

The likes of you telling me to do it because it's feeble (or whatever you said earlier) to be cold won't make me turn it down a degree or two.

I've just had a glass of red wine and suddenly 18 degrees is toasty! So perhaps this is the way to go this winter?
I must admit I've always been a "whack the heating up high" type person and I'm trying to do without it and have been pleasantly surprised how comfortable I am at 17-18 degrees.

My dad really feels the cold, so I grew up in a very warm house. I then lived in a hot country for years, so I guess I'm not really acclimatised to the cold, but I'm going to try and train myself!

Heating bingo tonight.

Everyone on MN is warm and toasty at 17⁰, competitive coldness.

Given the choice I'd be at 22⁰ all year round.

A quick Google tells me that it’s normal for different people to react differently to different temperatures. It can be to do with thyroid; metabolism; fat coverage; genetics and simply what you’ve acclimatised yourself to over the years.

‘Feeling cold is not the same as being cold’ (something I read that struck a cord with me), so whilst one is not going to freeze at 18 degrees, they may well feel cold, which to someone else might seem impossible.

I am trying to keep my heating lower this year due to cost, but if I end up too cold, I will raise it to 25, which is what it was at last year and what I found was a good compromise.

I’ve bought a pair of fleece lines joggers this year and it’s made an amazing difference. I’m fine at 17 degrees with those and two jumpers.

It is 21 in my lounge. I am wearing t-shirt and jumper, and have a hot water bottle. I am still cold. I have a feeling that keep boiling the kettle to fill the hot water bottle may be costing a lot though. I feel pretty abnormal after reading the posts on here, and envious that others can keep their heating bills down without too much discomfort!

Part of it depends on whether the heating is on. Radiators pumping out heat at 20 feels much warmer than air con at 20

DH has put the thermostat on 16 and so far it's been fine. We have a very old house (over 600 years) and zero insulation (and can't be insulated) and loads of draughts (needed to keep it ventilated and stop any damp). Almost all our ceilings are the floorboards of the room above so keeping the house warm in winter and cool in summer needs careful planning.

We keep the curtains shut, and have thick door curtains over the front door and at the bottom of the stairs.

I have an electric heat pad for an hour at night to take the chill off, the sofas have rugs on and a big pile of rugs for snuggling in if you are watching TV or reading.

Otherwise, we have layers, thick socks, DD has an oodie and DH bought me a thermal throw that I haven't resorted to yet, but will probably want if it dips below zero.

DD is mainly unamused about endlessly being told to shut doors and turn off lights.

No, I take them with a vitamin c supplement or sometimes with orange juice. For some reason, my body doesn't seem to be absorbing it or retaining it.

For me 23 is a nice temp inside but I can't afford that. 19 feels cold unless I'm doing housework.

My body also refuses to absorb iron! No matter what infusions or tablets I take. Blergh at iron infusions!

I'm now being tested for coeliacs as technically I'm malnourished. Despite being a dumpy, chilly mortal who's ALWAYS cold

I even have a sweater that says #alwayscold on it 😆

ferent people experience temperature differently. It isn't any more complicated of bewildering than that, and I don't really understand why every single MN thread about heating or temperature descends into some sort of pissing contest

This is it, in a nutshell. It's not true that anaemia makes you feel the cold. I'm anaemic and don't feel it. It's just an individual thing. My student children think the house is freezing when they come home, whereas I perceive it as 'warm enough'. I know that it's between 13 and 15 degrees because the thermostat says so. Even with my Aga on (which it isn't at the moment), the maximum temperature in this house never gets above 18 because the heat goes straight up the chimneys and through the windows and under the doors and into the holes in the floor.

If I had been a 'cold' person, I wouldn't have bought an old house. I grew up in an old, cold house, though so it's what I am used to. It's nothing to do with climate change or helping the environment: it's purely a matter of what makes me feel comfortable.

I can be cold some days and warm others at the exact same temperature. I’ve no idea why.

I find some layers help more than others - I love a kidney warmer as it doesn’t feel restrictive but adds an extra bit where you need it.

OP if your body isn't absorbing the extra iron.... look pernicious anemia. spelling might be a bit wrong 😄

I’m like you OP. I’d be freezing if it were 18deg in my house! Grateful that it doesn’t have to be.