my house is 16c - is that too cold?

[tfkyt78y]

I work from home but try not to heat the house during the day so only for one hour in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening. It's 3.30pm and the thermometer on my desk says it's currently 16c. It obviously feels cold and I am under blankets. Not sure we can afford to heat it during the day but seriously does everyone else think that would warrant putting the heating on?

Oh we definitely have enough ventilation!

We have had it down to 14/15 in the mornings before we got some oil a few weeks back, it wasn't pleasant though and we have a mini oil filled radiator we would use in the bathroom, lots of blankets and hot water bottles.

Now we have oil I like to keep it around 18c, my ideal would be 20/22 but I'm not rich enough for that 😂

Is your home too humid? I find running the dehumidifier for a bit helps bring the temperature up.

I don't think 16 is too cold but my DH would disagree. He said just now that a bedroom should be 18 and a living space 21. Our house is freezing at the moment because we were away at the weekend and it takes loads of heat to warm it up again. We did have the heating on 5-8pm but I've changed the timer to 4-9 for this week while it is so cold.

Mine doesn’t go below about 22. 16 would be too cold for me.

Yes I think that was the article my DH was quoting from. I guess all you can do is heat one room and make sure you are well padded (with clothes, not fat :) )

I wear a gilet, hoodie and fingerless gloves and if I am really cold I put another hoodie over my legs like a blanket.

Mine is currently 14. I can't afford to have the heating on. Even having it on low a few times a day is costing about £9. It's shit and I'm so angry...I know I can't do anything about it and it isn't going to change but I'm waiting to get my next top up off the government and I'll use the heating when it gets really cold in a few days.
Not sure how people are affording Christmas. I feel bad for not bothering this year, but I'm not going to get into debt buying other people presents that don't even bother with me!

Wow, some of these responses! My thermostat is at 18.5 degrees and I thought I was doing pretty well!

I wouldn't be warm enough at 16 if I was sitting at a desk. I would use a little electric fan heater rather than heat the whole house though.

I turned up the heating to 20 at the weekend as a treat (we also had guests). I actually felt too hot. Must be acclimatising!

16 is at the point where the heating would go on

Y earlier most days at 17 ish but today it got to 16

Probably

I WFH today in 14 degrees, had warm clothes plus Oodie plus hot water bottle and was fine. Turned heating on when kids got home but going to keep that to two hours, all sitting in one room plus oodies. Not miserable at all

I'm wondering if I should just move my bed and live entirely in my front room this winter / heat it to 21/18 with an electric heater, and leave the central heating for the rest of the flat at 15 or something to prevent black mould/damp (an issue in my bedroom).

We have ours set to 16 all day apart from for a couple of hours in the evening when it’s 17. I always wear 2 pairs of socks, leggings under trousers,, vest, long sleeved tshirt, fleece and body warmer and feel fine. It will depend on the house though. Ours is well insulated, double glazing and we keep all internal doors closed and it maintains its temperature well.

I’d get a small oil filled radiator and just heat the room you’re in .

I’m surprised by these too! Our thermostat is 14 during the day, 18 in the morning and evening. I work with my coat and hat on but it’s fine.

I find it hard stilling still and working at 16 degrees in just normal office style clothes.

But i think with more appropriate jumpers and thermals i'd be ok. But i would have to get up and move around a bit more too.

I like a heated blanket too.

Do some people really have heat on all day? Even when things were easier I’d only have it on 5-830pm. I don’t go by thermostat though, just have it on full blast and then let the house retain the heat afterwards

This. That would be intolerable for me.

Is there a smaller room you can heat? We have a small office and can use an electric oil filled radiator to warm it up a bit rather than heating the whole house. 16 / 17 degrees is tolerable if you are running round doing housework but quite chilly if you are sat still.

16C is way too cold for me. I get cold and need to layer up when it hits 20C indoors. Once it hits 18-19C no matter how thick my layers are my nose and fingers get really cold and then I get grumpy.

I realise that I'm an anomaly, but I have very low blood pressure and get cold very easily. I've had all sorts of medical checks including thyroid over the years and no one has any answers.

So yes, I would be turning the heating on.

My thermostat is at 18 24/7 here now.

I would look ridiculous wearing a coat and hat to take work meetings.

What’s with the competitive coldness on MN? So many people ‘I only turn my heating on when it hits -5’. Fine if that’s they life you want to live but why do they always have to act like they are better people for living in a freezing house.

My office room has been ok all day, but it is quite small, insulated and I have a fan heater which I have had on for around 30 minutes today. My ideal working temp is 19-21c I don’t mind wearing some layers, drinking hot drinks and using a blanket.

My kitchen dropped to 15 and the main house 17, I have now shut the curtains and put the heating on, this should take the house back up to 20.

It will go off again for bedtime.

Its too cold for me. I have the thermostat at 18 but it does still feel cold and sometimes I bump it up if we are miserable. So far the bills haven't been too bad.

Mines on 21 and that's about right for me. I've got to the stage where if I'm cold, I just turn the heating up. I do understand that not everyone is able to do that.