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'm the same, I think I'd struggle without heating. But as others have said, I think it's a psychological thing for me. I have to keep 'testing' the heating before I think we'll need it, checking the boiler pressure, bleeding radiators etc. My mum's the same, I've got the fear of being cold from her.

Our thermostat was saying it was 19° this morning, but we were having elderly relatives round so I put the heating on to bring it up to 20°, which seems a reasonable room temperature in my head. Silly probably, as if anyone could realistically detect the difference.

When it's just us though, I do expect everyone to layer up. We all have Oodies, which is very amusing to anyone who calls in on a winter evening unexpectedly 😀 We're not at that stage yet, but we're definitely past shorts and t-shirts. We've had a few frosty mornings already, so it's sweaters and trousers generally, and an oil-filled heater on in the living room when we settle down for the evening.

Our thermostat only gets set to 18 even in the middle of winter, I find it it gives me a headache if I have it on any hotter.

It's currently 17.7 degrees according to our thermostat (which is about 6 feet away in the same room) and I'm toasty warm under a blanket.

Neither my house nor its occupants have shown any signs of suffering over the years. We’ve added multiple types of insulation to the bathroom and still can’t maintain a temperature over 15 in the winter (badly built extension) so you just learn to live with it 🤷‍♀️

Same. I need my heating on full blast to get washing dry on a regular basis.

This. Our thermostat is set at 19 and we have 2 stoves. The one in the main room has been lit every day for the last 3 weeks. My husband's siblings are professional Northerners and competitive 'bloody el it's not bloody cold" people. My husband will only visit them in the Summer now. There houses are freezing,the windows are all open. It's just miserable. I was a single parent when my children were small. I couldn't afford heating. I hated it.I can afford a huge tank full of heating oil and a shed full of firewood now and I am going to use it. If you can't afford it/ heating is broken then that's different . I know how that is. But ,if you can afford it ( and that's lots of people on here) then why the hell are you sitting in the house in a woolly hat and an oodie.

*their

Heating is well and truly on here! And my blanket is on the sofa year round. I'd echo the advice on hot water bottles or microwave heat packs. They make a huge difference. Long sleeve thermal tops as base layers, when it's cold I'll wear two thermals under long sleeve t-shirt and jumper. I hate it when people tell you it's not cold because their not feeling cold. News flash! We're all different. I'm under weight with very little body fat, I'm bound to feel it, fat isa natural insulator.

Just bought one from wowcher, the sizing was awful but had allowed for that.

It’s currently 7 degrees outside and if I didn’t have the heating on the room temperature would be about 12 degrees

I use my hair dryer for a warm boost

There is absolutely no way I'm walking round my house with hat gloves and scarf on! So much effort for a couple of hours of heating.

How much money is really saved? When you then have to buy 4 oodies and 4 £130 heated feckin blankets to feel comfortable in your own house.

We are far north Scotland, our heating is now on in the morning and evening. I WFH 2 days a week and will often boost it after lunch. My gas/electric bill is £170 a month year round.

My in-laws lived in Aberdeen and kept their heating at 14. It was always so cold I used to wear tights, socks and a long sleeved top at night under my pyjamas when we went to stay. They weren't short of money, just tight.

Candles are good as the light helps psychologically (I find). And some nice lamps and/or fairy lights.

Otherwise keep your core warm (thermal vest, etc.) and your feet warm. I'm sure people have already suggested heated throws and hot water bottles.

Go out for a brisk walk.

Hot meals (soup stews) hot drinks, wood fire, thick socks, sheepskin slippers, winsyette pyjamas, blankets, hot water bottles, electric blankets, draught excluder sausage dogs at doors, cover up draughts around windows and key holes, hot choc before bed. Good luck OP.

I think if you live with it you do, to a degree, get used to it.

I grew up in a house that was extremely cold in winter and I wore hat / socks / slippers / several layers / wore a blanket over me etc. I remember the feeling of my face being freezing at night and seeing my breath, and how awful morning showers were as you stepped into a cold room.

For a lot of years I’d go to people’s houses and be over-dressed as my outfit always assumed I’d need a massive wool jumper.

I just heat my house now. It’s never that warm (still got a blanket on now!), but better than when I grew up. Interestingly my mother finds my house too hot - I assume because she’s used to the arctic conditions she inflicted upon me in my youth.

Its still not too cold, i’m in the South East too but you can manage with extra layers and blankets for now, good it didn’t happen in winter

You do get used to it, and some people just run hotter naturally. We’ve only just stopped having the window open at night and having fans on to help keep us cool.

A 10 or 13 tog duvet proved too much for us, so we have a very old 4 tog plus a blanket in winter (if the numbers go to minus outside I may add a second blanket).

i can’t wear flanelette pjs as I get overheated and sweaty.

and when we turn up the heating at Xmas ( family comes to stay) we literally have to take breaks to go outside and cool down!

Hat.
Socks.
Hot water bottles. I hate being cold

Not a chance I’m walking round my house in a hat, scarf and gloves when I can just turn the heating up a couple of degrees.

I don't like the cold either. Highly recommend heated throws as mentioned. The other thing to consider is getting a dehumidifier. Drier air takes less energy to heat and feels warmer, also reduces chances of mould. Do look at how much they cost to run however as there is quite a range.

I think some people think being cold is a state of mind. It's really not. Thermo is now saying 20, which is as high as my heating is going for now.i have 3 layers and a blanket on. When it's colder, the heating will go up to 22 and I'll have 5 layers + oodie. My nose will still be cold though. Dh will be sitting next to me in shorts. As will dd. My circulation is shit. And yes, I'll be active during the day, but not on a Saturday evening. I want to relax. In comfort.

Well, yes it is. We went down to 2 degrees last night, which is very cold for September. It is currently 9 degrees.

I refuse to be cold, 1 bed terrace, double glazing, wool duvet, warmer upstairs, hating comes a on if below 19, ideally 22, readjusted a few years ago

Had to scrape ice off my car this am.

with health conditions, heating helps our household.

hot water bottle or electric blanket for the bed, and I use hot water bottle or heated throw on the sofa. Chikdren have oil filled radiators in their rooms as the youngest ones wake up with the cold, so means we sleep through - though these are only set to go on if temperature drops below a set temperature.

Currently 8°C outside. Heating on full pelt.