9 degrees inside - is it now a false economy to not put heating on?

[blanketseverywhere]

I'm trying to get by without putting heating on. According to the smart meter, it's currently 9 degrees in the sitting room (north-facing). The house feels very cold, but if I sit in the kitchen (south-facing) in many layers, with scarf and fingerless gloves on etc, it's not unbearable for WFH. In the evening I can use blankets / hot water bottles etc while watching tv and have two duvets on the bed at night.

However, at what point will temperatures of this level start to damage the house - or me? I feel achey all the time which I think is from being 'tense' in the cold, if that makes sense. I also have a constantly red and running nose / scratchy throat although I don't really feel ill.

I'm not using the tumble dryer so drying washing inside most of the time, although do try and keep windows open for air circulation... but then that makes it colder! I don't think we have any damp but I'm worried about the house constantly being cold - is this an issue in itself?

Is it going to get to a point where it's a false economy not to put the heating on because it will possibly be doing damage to the house, or should I carry on trying to hold out if possible and just carry on layering up? I realise this probably sounds a bit daft but I really don't want to store up even bigger problems!

@BosaNova - I don't know what you mean ,are they a different material or is anthracite shorthand for a more modern rad? I see that modern rads seem to have flat bars,IFSWIM ,does this make them hold the heat longer?

mine are old white ones but I suspect they are full of sludge and it's that ,rather than design or what made of that makes them inefficient .

No it's the coulour, but they all seem to be from same thing! So we just say "that anthracite ones" and everyone does "aaah yeah, them".
www.bestheating.com/milano-aruba-anthracite-horizontal-designer-radiator-635mm-x-1416mm-32622?gclid=CjwKCAiApvebBhAvEiwAe7mHSOT0rxVEaPVa2mtHJbVAk5azQu8Vk9yLV0BwBoHaYy6oQ9u3VR2ThhoCQiwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
These. They just keep warm for really quite a while after heating is turned off

My energy saving app thingy advises de-sludging the radiators.

I haven't yet tried it.

Have people considered using thicker curtains or wool carpets/rugs ?
our curtains are quite heavy and are interlined, it was more for an aesthetic appearance and to keep light out , but they really do keep the cold out.
wool carpets and thermal underlay make huge difference , even in areas where we have wood we have thermal underlay under the rugs.

I am wondering why so many people are investing in 'snuddles' this year. Primark's top sellet atm, apparently. Are they really a good economy? They are about £15 for a child and more for an adult, kitting out a family of five would cost about £80! Electric radiators about £45 too. £125 maybe better just sunk into your gas bill, I dunno.

@BeyondThinkOfTheOptics -yes I'm sure they need desludging .But it's all money isn't it ?We have urgent work needing to be done on the roof that's going to be over a thousand at best .We desperately need new windows in several rooms ,we probably should replace our boiler which is not a condensing one .And how I'd love new carpets and curtains - these fall within the cosmetic range .
Oh ,and I've got so used to managing on a hob where the plates are on or off ,no control ,that I'd forgotten that .

I expect some kind soul could prioritise these all for me .

Tbh I didn't think my situation was that unusual. The disbelief that someone might be sitting in a cold house too scared to put the heating on has been really telling

telling in what way? Yes your situation is uncommon but not rare, there are many people living in poverty who sadly cannot afford to heat their homes, however you write like it is a choice not a necessity, and then validated it when you quickly changed to heating it, and that’s what people are expressing disbelief at. Not that domeone can’t afford to heat their home and sits in scarves and gloves, but that someone chooses it. It’s a horrible miserable unhealthy way to have to live. Far too many people have to. It’s highly unusual to choose to

I emailed my energy company (eon) a few weeks ago stating that they could keep my regular payment of £234 a month or they could have nothing at all since if they asked for the £350 they were going to put it up to it would fail. They replied saying that they won't increase it. I'll probably be in debt at the end of the winter but that's completely irrelevant as long as they get their £234 a month.

It's always worth asking them.

9 degrees is far too cold to be living healthily. Try to put the heating on a bit.

Cold in itself won’t hurt the structure of the house. Damp might - IS any water getting in, IS there condensation? And, of course, you don’t want pipes to freeze.

If your really concerned and are afraid the bills will sneak away and become unaffordable (& as long as you feel safe doing so) I'd suggest getting a different type of heater....eg calor gas or paraffin (you can get non stinking paraffin now).... we've got a boiler that cuts in just above freezing levels but use the portable heater for a couple of hours at different times and places where we are in the bungalow.....I've also got a butane gas ring I bought for power cuts (we haven't had for a while but maybe they're coming back this winter....might be a good investment (with whistling kettle.....I'd forgotten how much hotter their water gets & I still don't know why for sure)

Very rambling but hope it's of help (I too thought ice on the windows and a frozen loo was no big deal....when I was young 👀☹️❄️

God that’s cold put the heating on

We’ve decided that we’ll use our heating and tumble dry our clothes as we need to and deal with the cost later because I don’t want my children to be more ill than they are in a cold and damp house. But I think if it was just me and my husband then I’d be less bothered about the heating being on more than once a day or tumble drying the clothes. I’ll probably regret my choices when the bills shoot up!

The way I see it is that bills are going to be roughly double what they are normally, therefore it’s not about not using heating at all but using half of what you would normally. On a bad day I put heating on twice for 30 mins and also use a timer radiator for my daughters room and heated airer. I have a heated blanket also. I think using it sparingly is realistic and better for you and your home.

Good thinking! Hopefully the summer months will mean raking it back though 🙏🏼

Where do you live Siberia?

Heated throws are amazing, mine on medium is 2p an hour and a window vac to keep condensation off windows means heat is on an hour in morning and an hour in evening.
I also use a cheap oodie to keep warm. Hot water bottle in bed and an extra blanket or 2 on my winter duvet. My duvet is a superking on a kingsize bed so there’s extra overhang to tuck under myself.
front door curtain is a game changer.

Please put some heating on. You risk damage to your health and well being as well as damage to your home. Below 18 degrees C is when problems can begin to happen to your body if exposed to it long term. (There’s an article on the BBC about this, and is probably available on BBC sounds. Worth a listen).

Remember, it’s what you breathe in that can cause issues. If the air is really cold, you are breathing in this cold air, so no matter how many layers you put on, cold air reaching your lungs for extended periods can cause health issues, and if you suffer from any respiratory issues, eg asthma, the cold will cause problems.

I would put your thermostat on about 18 at least during the day. We've set our Tado to 18.5 and it goes on and off during the day to stop the temperature dropping below 18.5.
It sounds like being in a cold house all day and night is having a negative impact on your tbh

It might be worth investing in a thermostat

Nope, not for me! Just put the heating on for a few hours! I’m spending 250 a month on gas at the mo can’t stand being cold plus I’ve got twin babies.

I watched a programme about what happens to your body if the temperature is lower than 10 degrees and it’s not good. Blood thickens up and your circulation and cognitive faculties become impaired. Try to get it up to 11 degrees at least.

I haven't used my heating, or gas at all, since around 2019/2020. When I was a kid and stayed at my grandparents, they never had a heating system, just a fire place in the lounge. We got on perfectly fine, you just wrap up more. Now I just use a portable electric oil radiator in the lounge if it gets a bit too cold, and a blower heater for my kid's (16) room and the bathroom. My kid never complains and said she doesn't even care about not having the heating on, she's always warm enough by wrapping up, or giving her room a quick blast with the blower heater.

I've finally broken today. Full of cold, wfh. Just felt absolutely miserable as hell. Heating went on an hour ago and I already feel better. I’ve tried to get through it, but unfortunately failed🙁