My friends seemed like they were freezing …

[MyballsareSandy2015]

…. came round for a takeaway, heating on 20 when they arrived. They had layers on … removed some but soon put them back on. They stayed on even when I turned it up to 23 … I was boiling, sitting there in a shirt.

I live where it gets blazing hot in California.

I dropped by my mum’s house one day - it must’ve been 44 outside, maybe hotter.

Mum had the heat cranked up to 30 in her second floor flat.
I couldn’t breathe.

Old people lose their ability to regulate heat I guess, but that was awful.
I don’t know why it didn’t harm her.

I am gobsmacked by how many people on this thread have the heating set to over 20 degrees 🫨

It doesn't always work like that if you are chilled to the bone. A really cold person needs a warmer ambient temperature.

If you feel the heat easily taking your Tshirt off on a very hot day doesn't make much difference because the ambient temperature is the same. So it is similar to "put on another jumper" in reverse if you see what I mean.

Nobody in my house is ever chilled to the bone at our temperatures and granted they consist of a 9 year old, myself at 42 and partner at 56 so not quite elderly yet. If someone was chilled to the bone then I would suggest a lovely hot bath. If I'm (rarely) cold then a jumper etc. always does the trick.

I dont like it to hot but i dont like to be cold.
I raised by a mother that would not put heating on.
It was freezing in winters windows and doors open.
Now as an adult i have heating on when i want ahhhh bliss.

I wouldn’t go. I don’t go anywhere I’m likely to be miserable.

I’m gobsmacked by the number of people who keep their houses so cold they have to dress like Nanook of the North to be warm. 🥶

In my house 20 is nice and warm
And 22 is disgustingly hot.
In my sister's house 20 is freezing and needs 25 to be nice and warm!
Well not sure how what the actual temp is because I haven't checked with a thermometer but it's definitely not me as I like to be on the warmer side.
My husband likes cool and actually turns off heater in our house.

I have my heating set to come on if it goes down to 18.5 Celsius to then never reach above 20.5 Celsius independently and therefore it never goes below 18.5 ( in winter) and if I'm very cold I’ll turn it up to 22. In spring/summer i keep it set as it just never switches on above these temps. So during the middle of the night it’ll come on to reach 18.5 and won’t ever go above 20.5. If that makes sense!

Crikey! How much is your heating bill?

The ‘below 17’ thing is rubbish. Most people sleep better if the temperature is lower than that. Just grab an extra blanket.

I despair that people don’t dress for the weather. It has been -2 outside most of the week here so layers are essential, heating the house to 20+ just means you are constantly taking off and adding layers. I don’t want to have to get mostly undressed when I go into someone’s house, take my coat off maybe but I don’t want to remove my jumper and thick socks! Only to have to redress when I leave.

Also heating your home to 20+ constantly is expensive, setting that as an expectation is being a snob. To heat my home to 20+ my heating would be on more or less constantly in the winter, it is already working 6-7 hours a day to maintain 18 when the outside temp drops below freezing.

It isn’t normal to sit in one layer of clothing in the UK in the winter.

I grew up in a house without central heating and used to wake up with ice on the inside of the window in the winter - we just wrapped up warm, we weren’t ‘miserable’, we didn’t get ill!

I’d feel sick if the heating was warmed me than 20 and actually at this time of year 18 is fine with a jumper and blanket. Our house is large and old so heating it above 18 would be outrageously expensive.

I'm gobsmacked by the number of people who heat their houses to 25-29 C, would be 'freezing' if the temperature is lower or think that putting a jumper on is akin to 'dressing like Nanook of the North.

But this is MN where money is infinite and concern for the environment runs out if personal comfort or convenience is affected.

My dd and I wear a thick dressing gown to bed, fleece duvet cover, sheet and a 15 tog duvet. The duvet cover is basically 2 thin blankets giving 19 tog altogether excluding the fleece sheet. The below 17 thing may be fine for some. No way could we get to sleep in a room colder than 18 degrees we would freeze.

To me that sounds insane. We don't have our heating on at night and normally heat to around 20 C when we are in during the day. It probably drops to 16/17 C overnight.

We have a 4.5 tog quilt in the winter and a 2 tog one in the summer and tbh that feels quite warm to us. I generally sleep in a t shirt and socks. I don't think I'd sleep in all that if I was sleeping on the lawn.

Some people feel the cold more than others. I usually switch the heating off when the air temp gets to 20, but on really cold day I leave it on until 22.

Never had any heating on overnight.

23 - yuck that is way way too warm. I would have been cracking open windows. 20 is perfect.

Interesting how different we all are.
it’s a smallish house, open plan kitchen/diner with wood floors. The radiators were red hot.

We don’t have any heating on at night. I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

My daughter had friends round last night so I cranked it up to 19! I think it depends on the external temperature though. Some nights I'd be cold with 19 but if it's not freezing outside then we have 16 in the day and 18 in the evening

Theres a very big difference between 18, and 20.
At 20 if just sitting down id be just about ok.
At 18 I'd be really quite cold.

For just sitting around in the evening 18 is very cold. Even 19 I'd find a bit brisk tbh. It's fine during the day when you are moving around but as a guest you tend to be sitting.

This. If the air feels cold on your face and hands no amount of extra jumpers helps and it's miserable. I regularly wear 3 decent layers and am still cold at 18.

I'm always surprised also that people don't understand that guests get colder because they aren't naturally moving about as much. You, the host maybe up and around, offering and making drinks, clearing snacks, bringing things to your guests. Your guests are just sitting. If you are comfortable, they are likely cold.

It also doesn't feel polite to ask for a blanket to sit under as a guest. If your home is only comfortable if you are sat huddled under a blanket that's not a hospitable temperature for guests.

I find I cannot stay for long in some people's houses because they're just too hot. I like it around 18-19. Especially in winter, when I'm dressed for winter, and then walk into what feels like a tropical greenhouse, it'\s unbearable.

It’s a weird split, but it really is like that. IME it’s the more affluent ones who have the freezing houses, as they’re so big and expensive to heat.

They just get used to wearing thermal base layers etc.