AIBU to think my house is too cold?

[myhouseistoocold]

My kitchen today is 11 degrees C, my hallway is 14 (no radiators in either). My dining room where I'm working from home is currently 16. My bedroom is usually 18 or 19 in the mornings (these last two weeks).

Is it normal for Victorian houses to be this cold? We bought this house 4 years ago and I just can't ever get warm here in winter.

Are these normal temps for a UK house in winter or should I be trying to move (or somehow impossibly save up for a zillion-pound extension with triple glazing and under floor heating)?!

Have you bled all the radiators?

You need to find all the draughts and block them up cheaply/temporarily until you can do something permanent. The smallest draught can really have a huge impact. We need to replace the front door (it’s completely shot) but it’s not happening until the rest of the work is complete because Sod’s law one of the contractors will bash it with something whilst carrying material into the house and I don’t want to put them in the position of worrying about it. Further in the house in a cloakroom, there’s a skylight, if I have the tiny air vent open it sucks the sucks the air through the gap in the front door- WAY more than you’d ever give it credit for.

Wow, your bedrooms are warm! I doubt mine was much above 10 (if that) this morning.
I was thinking that, I never have bedroom radiators on, unless someone's ill or we have the very young grandchildren to stay, I even have the window slightly open all winter for fresh air.

Have you heard of Duvet Suits OP?

www.planetcamping.co.uk/lazypatch-duvet-suits.html

Mines is the same also rented
Bathroom and bedroom window don't close properly
Luckily my girls are in the room with the boiler so they stay warm. Costs me so much to keep the house warm. I have a 6 month old so I haven't a choice really. My landlord is useless too I've told her about it all 😑

I'm in a Victorian with single glazing and yes, it is obviously colder than a new build, but not freezing. My thermostat is set to 19, at night I put it down to 17. I haven't RTFT but does your heating go off at night? I find if the heating is off completely the house gets very cold, very quickly, so mine stays on all the time in Winter. My gas bills are not excessive either. So I find that to be the best way.

If you are working from home get one of these:

www.qdstores.co.uk/products/bauer-luxury-soft-touch-heated-throw-120x160cm.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIidCQs7GG4AIVEM53Ch0vAgizEAkYASABEgJrpPD_BwE

It is a game changer! I'll have it over me in the evenings sometimes. If I have it on the highest setting, within half an hour I'm sweating and end up throwing it off me! You could easily have it over your lap while working.

@StrawberryBlondeRed I am quite seriously going to order a Duvet Suit. And wear it until April. Everywhere.

Get a radiator into your kitchen somehow, OP, even if you have to lose a kitchen unit. It’s a room you can’t avoid using, so don’t let it be torture. If you really can’t fit one in, get a convector heater to boost the temperature when you’re in there. I speak from bitter experience!

(I am also Australian. We don't like the cold)

I'm in a Victorian terraced house, open plan downstairs, and mine stays warm. No central thermostat, just on radiators. I insisted on an oversized rad in the front room and in the hall as you can turn rads down or off but you can't increase the heat output from a small rad already on max setting.
I have a draught excluder sausage-dog type thing by the inner front door, double glazing everywhere including an ugly double glazed front door.
Heating goes off at night.
Rad thermostats on 4, my bills are acceptable.
Myhouseistoocold fix as many draughts as you can and don't expect any room to be warm in a setting of 1.

Also, if you have a curtain across the front and back doors, consider fitting portieres. They attach to the door and lift the curtain off the floor as you open it. Keeps the curtain clean and makes it much easier when coming in from the outside!

You’d be surprised how much if a draft comes through a keyhole, OP. If you have some keyholes, but don’t need to use them, then stick a bit of tape over them.

Bubble wrap on any windows, including stained glass.

Hit the charity shops/Facebook and cover any wooden floors with rugs or even vinyl/Lino to stop the drafts between floor boards.

Run your hand around the bottom of the skirting boards, to check for drafts. They can be filled with caulk/sealant (diy stores sell them in a few colours)

Electric blankets for the beds will prevent that horrible damp feeling beds get when a room is cold. Put a very heavy blanket/throw, over the top.

Get an electric throw. They are amazing and you will feel lovely and cosy under one on the sofa at night.

I use these draft excluders and they make a great difference.

www.ebay.co.uk/i/121792463435?chn=ps&ul_ref=https%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%25252Fi%25252F121792463435%25253Fchn%25253Dps%2526itemid%253D121792463435%2526targetid%253D595627863833%2526device%253Dt%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D1007282%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D1660961668%2526adgroupid%253D69691776891%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-595627863833%2526abcId%253D1140496%2526merchantid%253D113478732%2526gclid%253DEAIaIQobChMInb3j3rKG4AIVwbTtCh09Bg9-EAQYBCABEgLnbfD_BwE%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D1832024435797%2526rvr_ts%253D7fc9c6be1680aadaf9a198c4fff6fa5f

I live in a block of flats that were originally a school house, built in the 1800s and it’s always freezing but I have electric storage heaters due to it being a listed building, so can’t have heating on in evening

ChariotsofFish I've just been to look and I think you're right, there's a tiny extension at the end of the kitchen that I think has incorporated the old scullery, I can see that the brick at that end of the kitchen is thinner than the walls at the side. Damn!

We have a Victorian house and it's pretty warm. The radiator doesn't work in the spare room and it's still warm in there.

However, our living room, which is pretty small, feels cold. There is a double glazed bay window but there must be a gap somewhere because that end of the room is quite chilly at this tie of year. "My" sofa is opposite the window and next to the radiator

Kitchens are supposed to be colder than other rooms though. However, your house is cold as most Victorian houses are.
Look at ways of keeping the heat in. Open windows in the morning if you can, it heats up quicker, believe it or not.
Draught excluders are good and tape/cling film over windows.
Have you had your radiators bled recently, this can make a huge difference.
Boiler may be able to run more efficiently, check websites, or instruction book.

Well 18 is perfect sleeping temperate and 16 is fine with slippers and a cardigan but your kitchen and Galway are a bit cold

The problem with Victorian houses is they tend to be full of nooks and crannies that let in drafts. I had the same problem when I lived in a Victorian house, and also when I lived in mill era terrace.

Unfortunately I think the only thing that you could do to really help long term is spring for new flooring, new doors and double glazing. I know - it's all horrendously expensive stuff!

In the mean time though - carpets, rugs, draft excluders and heavy curtains! And if you have the time to faff with it you could buy a rubber seal to attach to the bottom of your door - they sell them in places like b and q. Won't help with the crafts coming up through the old flooring though :(

Another cold Victorian house here, owned by a meany whose mantra is put another jumper on! So some thoughts.

Huge bay and French Windows don't help, so you have to grit your teeth and think how much nicer they are in summer. I had replacement windows put in a long time ago , and am aware that there are now much better and more efficient ones on the market, a small and I thought insignificant kitchen window was replaced by a super insulated one and the difference is amazing. I close Living room and bedroom curtains at dusk

Loft is very well insulated because I got it done for free. Twice!

Original floorboards in the hall with a cellar underneath, was very draughty but I found some amazing stuff that you poke between the spaces which cuts down on the draughts, hard on the knees though.

A porch helps a lot, I am always staggered by the drop in temperature between hall and porch, I have a heavy curtain behind the front door which also helps.

Keeping doors closed really makes a difference.

Given the cost of power now I think you also have to choose one room to be the warm room and live with the others colder. Personally I like a warm living room so that is the room which gets the additional heat.

Not fussed about bedrooms as I prefer a cool bedroom (and can always use an electric blanket which is cheaper than heating the room). Not really fussed about the kitchen either as it warms up when I am cooking although I do miss the Aga I had in a previous house! I do have underfloor heating in the bathroom on a timer - this is also where the cats choose to spend their time in the Winter.

My Victorian house similar.
No heating at all in kitchen and feeble at best elsewhere.
TBH I like it most of the time but can be a shock to guests
I love sleeping in the cold under a pile of duvets and we tend to have an open fire most nights which is lovely and cozy.
MY DC love to report the temperatures in their rooms in the morning-they sometimes claim it's colder than outside!
But yes-think Victorian houses tend to be cold and draughty but the charm makes it worth it...

and TBH I prefer it to houses with forced heating-they make me feel hot and bothered.
Another plus is too cold for germs not really but we have to hope

!!
Get a hot water bottle and shove it up your jumper!! (Bliss!)
... also, a rug over your knees when your working also keeps you warm (even if it does make you look 50 years older than you probably are!)

I live in a Victorian house and it used to be really cold in the winter when we had single glazed windows and a wooden door.
There were gaps air came in and rotting frames.
This year we have had all new double glazing and thick pvc doors and frames and it gets lovely and warm .it s really made a difference and our heating is usually set at 18-20 c.
The only problem is in the kitchen the cat flap has to stay propped open in the day as my dopey cat can't work it out.

I don't live in an old, old house, was built in the 1960s. But ours is still cold. I think its mostly due to size and/or layout of the property.
My parents house is very square and warms up lovely. Our home is wide, conservatory on back that let's in drafts, and has large rooms. 14/15 degrees is the best we can get even with the heating on

The stuff I poked between my floorboards is called StopGap.