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

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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!

I completely agree with all the previous posters advising you to use your heating. But what really strikes me is the contrast with a recent thread where the poor OP got FLAMED because her tenants wouldn't hear her house. Poor woman was hauled over hot coals as a slum landlord with a mouldy heath hazard of a house that was all the fault of the OP for the house having mould and not in any way due to the tenants refusal to heat it. And yet here... everyone agrees not heating your house will fuck it up 🤦.

I know how you feel. Last month our bill was £300 that's without using the tumble dryer or heating. If we use the heating we aren't going to be able to afford to pay the bill 😞

9 degrees is only 2 degrees warmer than average temperature of a British fridge

That would curdle milk in few days🙈
Up to 5. But I get what you mean it's quite similar temp on feeling at the end of the day if you sit in it

Same here. I don't have a room thermometer and the thermostat is a million years old so who knows. The timer doesn't work so I put the heating on for a bit in the morning and then again in the evening. I work from a garden office which has its own heater.

I received a email about applying for a smart meter, I've deleted it. Using appliances and having heating on causes enough drama in my house without a smart meter to stare at and get worked up over. I'll supply regular readings and use maths instead to figure out my usage.

The mention of frodge actually made me remember. Too low or too high temperatures can make fridges and freezers malfunction. I believe fridge/freezer has minimum safe outside temp as 10c

warm the body, not the room is Martin Lewis’s philosophy.

I'm not sure ML meant to do that in a room that is 9 degrees though.

No, it’s not a joke. It takes about 6 litre of water half boiling half cold. That’s to fill up the basin twice. The first is soapy water and the second clean to rinse. That’s how I wash once a week otherwise it’s a quick cold shower.
I wash my hair in the same way over the sink once a week. Apart from saving money on hot water I have only very little neuro dermatitis on my hands. I used to be covered head to toe - literally no skin left in winter.

Some people can get away with showering less, as long as they of course wash certain areas. My ex husband and our teenage kids don’t produce underarm or foot BO at all. Very odd. They literally don’t sweat

My home insurance specifies that my house should never be colder than 12 degrees. I assume their thinking is that below this the fabric starts to suffer and they don’t want me claiming. If I go away for ,say, a month I am supposed to leave the heating on, set at 12 degrees.

Turn it on.

There is no way they would ever be able to prove what temperature you’d set the heating to.

We have the heating on for a couple of hours in the morning and same in the evening. That keeps the house at a decent temperature at the moment for working from home. I would just put the heating on for a short period each day to take the edge off if you really don’t want to use it more than that.

You could get a small fan heater or electric radiator to just heat the room you’re in

Regarding monitoring affordability.
read your meters frequently.
make a spreadsheet
monitor the daily cost.
when it’s very cold know you’ll need to pay a bit more.
when it’s less cold (feb/march) know you can turn it off sooner.
understanding the cost might take away some of the anxiety about it. At least you’ll be informed.

you’ll also potentially find you’re sat in the cold paying a standing charge and a few hours heat won’t actually cost you that much!!

look up the cost of digging up floors and replastering walls and new sofas etc ….. suddenly a bit more each month won’t seem so much in comparison!

look after you and the house or you’ll regret both!

Is your smart meter accurate?
I’ve established (via email chain) with my provider that the smart meter (in house reader) is a load of rubbish !
I can’t see meter readings on it, but it gives me a daily cost which is significantly more than what I’m paying!
the meter in the box gets updated remotely the one in the house doesn’t!
when I first had it I was told that was what transmitted the info. It doesn’t! (Or now doesn’t) I asked directly can I unplug and dispose of it and they said yes!!

check your actual meter and your bills ! It might. It be as bad as you think.

Defo turn the heating on!

Is there a Costa Coffee nearby that you could work from? They have nice coffee if somewhat expensive.

The new price cap is due to be announced this week. That'll be more joy. But at least it won't kick in until April, when it's warmer.

Put the heating on! Or you'll get ill.
How about not using the TV?
Heating uses gas, assuming it's from your central heating boiler, which is cheaper than electricity which your TV uses. Try radio or podcasts instead of TV.

I saw a post from a journalist who submitted to a controlled experiment to spend an hour at 10 degrees. He was wired up to check all of his body functions. It affected everything! Your body aches could definitely be connected. It affects your thinking process, concentration, memory as well.

Check out Ros Atkins . Effect of experimental hour wired up at 10 degrees

I think it's better to put the heating on to stop the temperature falling below an acceptable level between 18-21 degrees even if you can't afford to pay it right now. It's better to be in debt than literally freeze to death!

Yes. It was Ros Atkins. Also made the point that women feel the cold most due to oestrogen activity.

We use these and have our thermostat to just below 10C. They keep us really cosy, are lightweight, easy to move around in and the hood makes a massive difference to body heat. We have two adults and three kids, all fit and healthy - so we like the fact we are being prodded in to being more environmentally friendly and it isn’t hard for us. We also have decent duvets and we use a big electronic dehumidifier to dry all our washing inside (no garden) and have no damp issues, with most clothes drying overnight.
The BBC article was for people not dressed appropriately for 10C, so was a bit misleading - it’s definitely possible to manage 10C with the right approach and not damage the house. Good luck and sorry for any negativity you got.
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