Coping without heating

[Frio]

I’m seriously impressed by the people on the central heating thread who are surviving indoor temperatures of 14-16 Celsius. I really struggle physically and mentally with the cold.

My boiler has fritzed its circuit board and is utterly dead, any tips for managing until I can get it repaired? I have a couple of plug in oil filled radiators, plenty of sweaters and blankets but it’s the psychological impact that is the worst. How do I toughen up?

I second what @SoNiceToComeHomeTo Says.

Movement is the key. Even if you run on the spot for a moment, or, if you have stairs, run up and down the stairs. Staying still is the enemy as your body generates less heat.

My parents are dead against heating. Our house is regularly 12-13 degrees.

Lots of layers are important. Socks and slippers always. I have a wearable blanket (not an oodie but similar, from M&S) and a nice thick dressing gown. Leggings seem to be warmer to me than joggers, but sometimes I'll wear both.

Hot water bottles, hot drinks, heat one room, wear lots of layers and keep moving. Overnight, have a nice thick winter duvet on the bed, wear socks, add a blanket. It's not that cold yet. You can set timers on the oil filled radiators.

Get a hot water bottle! 💕

What do you call heating weather? When I got up this morning it was 2 degrees outside. It’s currently 11 degrees.

Extremely cold end of terrace. The heating's gone on today. We're thinking of moving. Give me a terraced house any day.

Also in Suffolk, my indoor temp is 17°. Surely a lot depends on how well insulated your house is, how good the double glazing is etc? I live in a 400 year old cottage with holes in the floorboards and single glazing, it feels cold in here tonight.

No get an electric blanket. It saves a trip to the kettle to refill at 3:00 am

We're in the West Pennines, we had a light frost last night. The house is currently at 16.8, which is about normal for us. We rarely have the heating at more than 18 because we have large, heavy coated dogs and once it gets near 20 they're too warm. You do get used to a cool house to some extent, although I have asthma and Raynaud's so technically I'm supposed to keep warm. I'm not letting my dogs suffer though, I'd rather just layer up, put woolly socks on or do a hottle.

It’s 10 degrees here now and no way am I putting the heating on yet. It’ll be around 6 degrees overnight so you must be quite far north?

We haven’t got central heating. It’s fine. When it gets cold we’ll start fires in the living room but it’s not cold yet!

My late Victorian stone built house is showing 19 degrees at moment and I honestly think it' feels chilly and have popped heating on- I live in awe of those of you that potter around at 17 degrees with windows open- I def think with me it's been age- even at62 I get cold much easier these days

Yes, north and also very high up altitude wise. We have lows of 2 again tonight, so the heating will be set to come on in the morning for when we get up.
I like being warm. I grew up abroad, in a hot climate. I can afford to heat my house, so I won’t suffer for the sake of it.

In the winter I use an electric blanket while I’m working and I always wear my dressing gown over my clothes. You really do get used to it but that takes a long time. I hate having the central heating on as it gives me a headache so only put it on if it’s freezing in the morning or I have visitors. I used to be poor which is why I have acclimatised, I had to wear a hat and gloves in bed ten years ago. I don’t usually put it on til November/December though, I still have all the windows open in the day (Wales).

Apparently it is 11c here too. I'm just outside the peak district.

I'm off the gas grid and only have electric. Storage heaters are bloody expensive and they are either on or off, you can't use them just for an hour or two, you also can't have instant heat, they need to charge overnight first. So we hold off turning them on, and use portable heaters if we just want a bit of heat for an hour or two but honestly I haven't needed to yet.

I'd love to get used to the cold, but my reynauds won't let me. It doesn't even like supermarkets but I can run in - temperatures.

Currently 18, according to thermostat in front of me. I have 3 layers, including big hoody, and a blanket. Went our fora big run this morning in vest and short, so it's not like I'm nesh. Got drenched, but felt OK. I spend a lot of time outdoors, but it still doesn't make me used to the cold.

We were without heating until December a few years ago, whilst we got the house done. We spent a lot of time in the living room together.

If I'm trying not to or the heating on during the day and I'm home, I have heated gloves and a heated foot warmer. Have toyed with the idea of a heated cloak.

I don't think you need to toughen up OP. I used to scrape ice off the inside of my childhood bedroom window and I still remember how horrible and miserable it was.

Thermostat is set at 18 degrees and the heating comes on automatically whatever time of the year and we top that up with a log burner when very cold outside. The heating has been on a couple of times recently and if one of us feels cold we turn it up manually for half a degree to warm the house up.

Hope your boiler gets fixed soon.

And it's the rain, rather than cold that fucks my house. It's not too bad with low temps, but low temps and endless rain ruins it.

Interesting how people vary and temperatures across the UK vary. I'm in the SE UK corner. It was 6c last night,we took the dogs to the beach east Sussex,at 10,there were people swimming and some people wearing shorts and t shirts. I put a cotton jumper on and jeans, I could feel the sun burning through my jeans. It was 16.6c outside at lunch time,21.6c in my north facing conservatory. My uncle who's in his late 80s, never had his thermostat above 16, indoors. I can only sleep comfortably in single figures,there's only ever a 4.5 tog duvet on our bed, but DH and dog overheat me. When the heating does go on its a maximum of 18c. My nextdoor neighbour,is a lot younger, good health, but has her heating set at 23c south facing living room (like ours) walking about in a t shirt,I feel quite ill in there. Her DH walks about in a t shirt in winter as well.

My last house was a new build and was brilliant at getting warm and retaining the heat. However, we had lots of mould spots due to the lack of ventilation. We could easily manage into October with no heathy. Our new house is 1960s and gets quite nippy, we’ve had the heating on to make sure things don’t get damp. Temperatures below 16 are dangerous and bad for your health.

🤣🤣🤣 had my windows shut for at least a month. Its freezing 🥶

We had 6 weeks without a boiler a few years ago. That was all December and the first part of January.

What helped in most:
Oodie type thing each
Duvets with teddy fleece covers on the sofas
Teddy fleece covers on beds
Heated blankets for beds
Cooking and eating a filling hot meal (leave the oven door open afterwards)
Close curtains and doors religiously
Use a plug in heater in your main room

If you have an immersion heater use it for showers - if not you will master the world's quickest shower!
Use talcum powder (or the safe version).

It makes an enormous difference, and is probably why people used it a lot in the past!

Good luck OP!

This! Heated under blanket for beds and heated throws for the living room and thick warm clothes.

This may be me being stupid and it probably is but how does talcum powder help keep you warm?

I lived without any heating for the first 35 years of my life. (Elderly parents who would only allow a fireplace in the kitchen.) The coldest it ever got down to was six degrees in my bedroom. Now I have gas CH and it’s a revelation. I have needed it on a few times in the last day or two as it’s already getting icy. Sheepskin slippers are a must, too.