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 also surprised how low the temperature is in some people's houses.

Assuming dampness (of air) is a factor.

I'm north Scotland and in a 1940s house so not modern insulation. Our temperature is still 18. Probably a bit cooler in the back.

We don't have gas and it hasn't yet been cold enough for wood burner. It has been cold this week but dry which I think is easier to manage.

Make the best use of solar gain by sitting in front of windows that get the sun. Go for a quick walk. Wear layers. A long sleeve thermal top makes a big difference as do slippers.

A blanket over you if the evening is a wee bit chilly.

If I had gas then I'd be trying to focus use to when it's really needed. I.e if you are just getting up and running about to get ready for work does it really matter if it's cold? I can't stand central heating over night (we don't have any kind of heating in our bedroom so not used to it). A fleecy pyjama top and a heavy throw make an enormous difference.

Official Oddies
thermal socks
heated throw
hot water bottle in bed

I have the Alaskan heated throw cost £100 a few years ago but worth it’s weight in gold

i feel the cold terribly and I’ve been using my throw the last few weeks
have it on now and it lovely and toasty

That’s the one that I have
its bloody amazing and for 50 quid a bargain

I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself OP. We’re all built differently. I hate the cold and feeling cold makes me feel awful. Plus once I’m cold it feels like my bones are cold and it’s really hard to warm up, it’s not just a case of putting on another top or whatever. So I put the heating on whenever the thermostat dips under 20c.

But I’m pretty good at coping with feeling hungry for example. And don’t overly mind feeling hungry for a few hours. Whereas my husband doesn’t mind the cold but can’t cope with feeling hungry!

We’re all built differently. And the fact that some posters on this thread are fine in houses with temps of 15C is all well and good. But it doesn’t mean OP is a failure because she personally can’t cope with those temperatures.

I do exactly the same, people are so used to having the heating on without worrying about the cost they forget how to cope without. For example when I was growing up there was one fire in the house, the living room. We didn’t get central heating until my teens. So wearing thick clothes, lots of blankets etc was normal so I’ve just started living as I did in the past. Maybe we shouldn’t have to but that’s how it is.

That works in houses where you can have a fire in one room. Most people can’t. And we did lots of things in the past, even the quite recent last, that aren’t exactly good for the health.

But some of us do this and are still cold! And the house is cold, and then it gets damp and the clothes and bedding get damp.

I grew up in a house where the heating was tightly rationed, due to cost and both parents having grown up without any. The gas fire meant the living room was often the only warm room in the house. As an adult, I would say I'm cautious about the heating, but then remind myself that it's my money and if I want to spend it on being slightly less cold, then I will. Our old house was small and git toasty. This is a large 70s build and I never get that toasty warm feeling in it, which makes me want to kick myself for not stretching to a new build.

That’s fab, but we don’t have a fireplace, so no fire. If we did have a fire, I’m sure we could all keep warm round it.

My hall thermostat says 17.5c but it’s definitely a bit warmer at the back of the house as the whole back faces SW with massive bifolds and windows .
I’m wearing a brushed cotton shirt and a woolly cardigan with my leggings .
also have Haflinger wool slippers and socks but don’t need the woolly cardigan at the back of the house .
Your home sounds unusually cool !
definitely layer up and be active when you can

Completely depends on the house. Insulated new build with neighbours either side? Probably doable.

An old, stone detached on the side of a hill? Much harder. The walls would be black with mould within 4 months.

I got an email from British Gas telling me my gas and electric usage is way more than everyone else’s on my street! That gave me a kick, I’m not using my heating unless I have to get something dried on the radiators. It’s blankets and snoodies for me for the foreseeable

What really pisses me off is that they put the standing charge up as well as the charge per unit🤬
how is that it justified 🤷🏻‍♀️

Mine was 13 degrees when we came home the other evening...

Didn't have central heating growing up so guess we're just used to it. None of my friends had either.

If you feel cold then stand outside for 5 mins. Then when you come back inside you will feel so much warmer :)

Where do you live, roughly?

I used to love them calor gas heaters in the olden days they’re so cosy you can probably still get them.
Them oodie things are good my kids have them
Some sheepskin slippers, warm drinks, also if I ever have pasta with chillis in the sauce I feel warmed up 🙂

Two years we've not been able to afford any heating at all, you kind of get used to it but it is bloody depressing, and bad for the joints etc health has noticeably declined all round

The Calor gas heaters used to have everything dripping in condensation.

I have my oodie on and my feet in a heated footmuff.

In bed with a hot water bottle! House is 15 degrees - cat isn’t burrowing under the covers so it meant be too cold!

Mine has been a steady 3 to 5 degrees every evening all week!

It's not about being able to. It's about having to. Plenty of people have to live without heating. What an ignorant post.

We did it for years as poor homeowners. With no double glazing either. And the only hot water was the kettle or electric shower. It wasn't fucking pleasant but it was what it was.

I considered putting a tent up in the bedroom, and we tried to make flowerpot candle heaters for the front room but it was fucking grim.

My last house was mid terrace and also quite close to other houses. Never Cold. This house is end of terrace and the open end is at the end of a school field. I fear we will never have a warm garden. Blows like a bloody gale even on a nice day. Saturday the heating went on for the first time and the chill was gone in 20 mins. He doesn't feel the cold. Me.and the daughter are terrible for it. We are both quite excited to receive delivery of the 2 electric heated throws I've just bought from debenhams 😁

My house is very old... draughty, if it isn't aired, dehumidified, heated at certain times, mould grows. So some people have to have heating on if their house isnt modern. My house is cold at 17...last year was 14 a lot indoors and it was freezing..with older houses they lose heat in winter but are cool in summer... weird