To feel my bones are cold?

[Violashift]

£5 to get my house up to 13 degrees.

It is ridiculous right? Anyone else feel like they have cold bones?

I worry about those that are even colder than this.

We're the same here. It does make me feel demotivated being this cold but needs must.

This time last year I was at the ignorant tropics of 19 degrees for a quarter of the price.

It's disgraceful. And I'm like you don't get all the suggestions of oodies and layering up, doesn't work for me at all if the air is cold around me im like deeply internally cold layers don't warm me up they can make it worse sometimes in fact.

Is your house very big?

Its a 1930s three bed semi so no not at all big.

Focus on getting one room up to 18 and use that room. You cannot continue to live at this temperature long term without hypothermia. Young kids, the sick and the elderly are most at risk.

You don’t need to heat the whole house. Often thermostats are in a hallway which is often much cooler than the rest of the house (and yours looks fixed to the wall) so if you can’t move the thermostat to the room you are going to warm you need a thermometer.

Turn all other rads off and keep on in the room you are warming up. Make sure curtains are drawn, use Blankets over the curtain rails if curtains are thin. Try and block draughts with excluders or cushions. You may need to consider having anyone vunerable sleep in the room you have warmed.

it’s no fun to live in one room - I’ve been there- but it is survivable- 13c and below isn’t.

I know exactly what you mean OP. I feel chilled to the bone. I do have a large old house so it’s never exactly toasty, but tonight I just cannot get warm. I’ve been focusing on keeping the living room and snug warm by using the Woodburner’s (I appreciate I’m lucky to have those), but there are so many drafts and holes in this house sometimes it feels almost pointless. People cannot go on living like this.

It's awful. If you really can't afford to put the heating on I think get into bed with a hot water bottle, warm pjs, socks and a blanket on top of the duvet, as early as you can in the evening.

In the day, head to a warm space if you can (there should be details on your council's website). You can also go to libraries and have spaces to work if you wfh.

It's miserable and we shouldn't live like this, but unfortunately we have to.

I agree you need to warm up one room if you can, it is not healthy to stay very cold. Do you have a draughty house or a very humid house? I just ask because that seems very expensive to acheive such a low temperature.

One thing that works with me is using a hot water bottle.

If you have one you can also pitch a small tent in the room and have the hot water bottle in there!

It is upsetting for you

I don't understand why it's costing people so much, I'm in a 4 bed detached house and have the heating set to 19/20 C all day. The most we've spent is just over £7 a day.

And we're not on a fixed deal or anything like that

I think whatever anyone thinks of their tactics (please let's not start that arguement again!) Insulate Britain had a point aboout the need to just fucking insulate some houses.

This government are absolute cunts.

Our gas is anywhere between £8 to £9 per day at the moment to get our 30s semi up to 19°C in the morning and evening, but we're still tracking OK to be paying about £200 a month spread out over the year (with the government top up). We can afford that (I know we are lucky) so I am keeping it there. Rather than sneakily turning it up to 20°C in the evening like I did in previous years.

Different size houses, insulation, radiators, draughtproofung, efficiency of boilers and radiators etc

It's costing me a little bit more than you to heat my 1 bed flat in a terrace to 21° in the day and at 18° overnight.

I don't get it either. We have loft insulation and double glazing. I guess we have highish ceilings but not on the style of a Victorian home.

I wouldn't say it was draughty either.
Guess it is minus degrees outside.

Thanks all I am in bed with my electric blanket.

I am going to suck up the cost but for that much would expect at least 17 degrees.

It's a temporary measure that I've posted before but if you can afford it
Mustard powder, boil the kettle
Make a brew
Mix some mustard powder with the hot water in a foot bath washing up bowl
Drink the brew at the same time

Honestly it gets you so warm and I've used it many times when I've got home from being outside all day. Or dr singha mustard bath (Amazon have it)

Put a hot water bottle on your chest, it warms the air up as you breathe in and makes a big difference

The massive differences between properties is really surprising. I know there will be some variation but it seems like a lot. My house isn't a new build but I guess it must be well insulated. I did buy thick velvet curtains for all the windows but they aren't closed during the day so I wouldn't have thought it would make that much difference.

Problem is, if you let the house get cold, the boiler will be working extra hard to get back up to temperature. Then, it reaches temperature and it’s time for the boiler to go off and the next time it comes on, it has to work extra hard all over again.

can you set the thermostat to one temperature all the time and let your boiler work a little easier to maintain the temperature?

We’ve recently done an experiment to keep the thermostat on at 17.5 all the time, even over night, and then when it clicks on it’s not working so hard. Also, we’ve dropped the evening temperature we used to get it to from 19.5 to 18 because the house is already at a constant comfortable temperature - albeit a temperature I would have considered cold this time last year!

so far, it’s working keeping the cost down a little. I live in a 3 bed mid terrace.