Why is my house SO COLD?

[missbunnyrabbit]

My hands feel like ice. I have two throws over me on the sofa, over my warm pyjamas.

House is Victorian mid terrace, small rooms. I have lost insulation. Heating on full, from gas boiler. Radiators in all rooms. Double glazing on windows.

I'm thinking that the heat is literally seeping out through the walls??

Any ideas please? :(

*LOFT insulation

What's the temperature in the house ? Could it be a health issue ?

I have no advice or technical assistance but a bucket load of sympathy. My last house was 1850s and fucking freezing all the time. Things like thermal curtains made a difference.

Are there any wall cavitys ? I guess not ! It is probably solid walls which have no insulation. We have the same problem in our victorian semi. We have put insulation plaster boards on the walls which makes a big difference.

Same here. Solid walls so heat just leaks out. House built in late 1920s so just missed cavity walls. It's ok with the heating on but as soon as it goes off, temperature plummets. No money to put insulation on walls and re-decorate everywhere. Now working from home too, dread the gas bill after this winter.

Check for moisture in the air and if high, get a dehumidifier.
My flat was empty for nearly a year before we moved in and the moisture level was about 80. Once it started reducing, the heating became much more effective.

Do you have good, thick heavy curtains? What's your radiator positioning - under windows to catch and heat the cold as it comes in? Any drafts under doors to outside, door handle fittings etc? Are any window vents open? Are there any parts of the course which are colder and could be investigated further/closed off? The smallest things can make a huge difference.

We have just moved from a victorian town house to a house with cavity walls. It is just an astounding difference. We never got warm in the old house...

Is your loft properly insulated? What about between floors? Are you windows single glazed?

If they are consider magnetic secondary glazing and thick, interlined curtains over windows and doors... or move house!

Big thick cutysin over front door, sausage dog draught excluders. If there is a cellar, insulate under floor boards. Rugs over carpets. Secondary glazing if you don’t have double.thick curtains.

And are your radiators hot to the top.

OP, does everyone else feel cold in the house or just you?
If it’s just you, it might be worth checking your thyroid function. Feeling cold all the time is a classic symptom of an underactive thyroid.
However, if it’s the house:
Houses can lose heat through the floor - you can fit insulation boarding and or underfloor heating

• through the roof - you can double the existing thickness of loft insulation

through the windows- you can fit double or triple glazing and thermal linings to the curtains through the walls - you can fill cavities with foam or fit internal insulation boards Or the heating system may be old, poorly functioning or inadequate for the size of house. Power flushing the radiators and servicing the boiler may help.

Are you wearing only pyjamas? I know what it's like to live in a badly insulated house, but the first thing to do is put more clothes on. Thermals, jumpers thick socks etc. If your house is cold you can't lounge about in pj's and expect to be warm.
Having lived for many years in houses without central heating, the trick is keep one room habitable, so it might be a good idea to add an additional heater to your main living space. Also you could get a heated throw, which are amazing.
If my house was that cold, the only time you'd find me in pj's would be in bed with a hot water bottle, 15 tog duvet and extra blankets.

Yes always worth bleeding your radiators if they don’t feel as hot as you expect

A mid terrace house with 200mm loft insulation (how thick is yours? And does it have gaps?) should only be losing significant heat through the front and back walls, and draughts.

Check your gas meter. How much are you using per day in this cold weather? This will tell us how much heat you are putting into the house.

Are you keeping your internal doors shut? If not, warm air will rush upstairs.

Do you have bare floorboards? They are a great source of cold draughts.

Carry a smoking joss-stick around and search for draughts round doors, windows, fireplaces and skirtings, and the loft hatch.

Oh yes, and use thermometers to read the actual room temperature.

Thanks everyone!! Given me food for thought.

I will...
-get sausage dog draught excluders
-thermal curtains
-look into insulated plaster (some rooms still need decorating so it's a good time for it)
-get thermometers to check actual temperatures
-check air moisture levels and get dehumidifier

Internal doors are always shut and have no bare floorboards. Boyfriend never seems to find it that cold though so maybe there is some health issue at play too!

Thanks again everyone!

by "insulated plaster" you mean dry-lining with plasterboard and foamed insulation? can be separate products or bonded.

it's a lot of effort for a relatively small return, assuming your front and back walls are relatively small.

check the temperature and gas usage. Together, they will tell us if you are putting in a lot of heat (so it is escaping somehow) or you are putting in a small amount of heat (therefore not warming the house enough).

Install a wood burner, you’ll never be cold again .