Is it possible to be too tight!

gingerfurball

I am actually just back from my mum and dads! Well the temperature was bearable...mum had a blanket wrapped round her and dad was all layered up again. He came into the living room when I was chatting to mum and he said "it's too warm in here!!" So I though I'd broach the subject of the heat!

I asked when they knocked on the CH and dad said after 3 o clock. So I asked why not before and he said...economics...BUT then he said, but I like he cold...he then went on to tell me that because he doesn't get out (CFS) he likes the fresh air, so even this morning when it was -4 he had the kitchen door open and the cold air blasting in!!

He said, I just put my coat and hat on!!

Ah well, I guess it was just me worrying because they seem to be coping with it well!...I'll stop being a busybody now...(as if!!)

moneytrouble_2

Hi,

I work for an older people's charity and the advice that they send out is that 21 - 24 degrees is a comfortable or ideal house or living room temperature. If a house is at 18 degrees or below then there is a risk of respiratory illness, whilst 15 degrees or below is too cold and may pose an increased risk of stroke or heart attack in vulnerable people.

I guess it also depends on how active your dad is around the house. If he tends to sit around a lot, they may consider keeping the living room above 18 degrees.

You may consider buying your mum & dad a wall mounted thermometer for them to keep an eye on the temperature. You might also be surprised that it may not be as cold in their house as you think, especially if your own is kept pretty warm.

Hope this helps:j

gingerfurball

Thanks!! I'll have a look for one.

catnatlady

hazzie123 wrote:

Dont think you could ever be too tight.At least with your dad he has layers on and is up and about pottering round the house,surey must have some benefit to him rather than just sat in the chair not wrapped up with the heating on? Or possibly not?

Might be worth having a look in the benefits section on here as whether they would be intitled to a heating grant off the social? It`s always worth a try.

Since your parents are over 60, they might benefit from taking a look at Martin's web chat regarding Staywarm. They can use as much gas and electricity as they like for a fixed price. This could save money AND provide comfort to your father. It's not so much a matter of keeping warm by wrapping up and moving about, it's all about the coldness of the air that he is breathing in.

moanymoany

Gingerfurball, Difficult though it is, you have to let your parents decide for themselves. Could it be that your worries for your dad are making you anxious and you are looking for ways to do something, to make a difference for him in a situation that is out of your control? He comes to see you, you live very near. I think you do more for him than you realise and he seems to be close to you, give yourself credit for what you do and cut yourself a little slack here.

kay41_2

My hubby and I were both brough up in big cold houses and now live in a tiny house with really good heating. All I remember as a child was that for 6 months of the year only the kitchen, bathroom and sitting room were warm. Going to the loo involved a freezing dash across the hall. I had a heater in my bedroom, but only used it for getting dressed and undressed, or when it was really cold, I got dressed in the bathroom. It was particularly bad one year when we had a very cold winter and I used to get the bus to and from college and sometimes had to wait at a cold bus stop for a long time. The only way to warm up was to have a bath. I think heating systems are better now and of course there's double glazing etc. I can't bear to be cold and used to feel as a child that in winter we only lived half an existence! We have decided that food and warmth are our real priorities and will spend money on it. We have changed to a condensing boiler to be more eco-friendly, and I am considering solar panels and a wind turbine.

loopyloulou_3

I have my house a lot colder than most people I know. Partly due to being tight, and partly due to not liking being boiling hot with the heating on - it is very drying and makes me feel lethargic! I feel much healthier with it very very low or not on at all!

I am well known for it and am the butt of my family's jokes! Everyone says my house is colder than it is outside! LOL

I do leave it on low during the winter to stop the pipes from freezing and to keep my cat from freezing to the spot! ha ha and do turn it up (when it snows!!) Although we have a log fire so if I am cold that goes on.

I must admit I much prefer to put a jumper on than turn the heating up. I dont like the way the heating makes me feel sleepy and lazy! and I cant sleep if my bedroom is hot. I am pretty much used to it now (although my OH moans!), and when I go to other people's houses I think they are far too hot and stuffy!

My OH's grandparents have never had central heating, so I do think that people get used to it.

Try and speak to your dad about it, it could be that they are used to it being colder than you are used to in your house. I do agree that if they are uncomfortable and it is making him poorly that the heating should go on more often.

Good luck!

plumduff-2

My ex only let me have the heating on for 2 hours per day... Nowadays I have my house like a Caribbean greenhouse... I love the warmth and can feel a draught at 200 yards...

However, im at work all day (my little portable heater on all day next to my tootsies) and the CH is on for an hour in the morning, then from 5 til 11 at night... (about)...

Just got my new bill from Scottish Power (im on duel fuel package) and its going up to £91 per month - although as stated, this is for gas and electric...

Blooming heck - it was only £54 per month - these price hikes are phenomenol...!

Alikay

My MIL seems to think that there's something decadent and immoral about having a warm house. She talks about people who "stroll round the house in t shirts with radiators on full-blast" as though they are committing a cardinal sin! Maybe it's an age thing - she's happy to keep warm by putting on layers of extra clothing and the first thing she wants to know about any potential new clothing is "will there be any warmth in it". We don't worry too much as she is aware of the need to keep warm, but will only do so via clothes, extra blankets (duvets are despised as "you can't tuck them in to keep you warm like blankets") and hot drinks/soups etc.
Parents eh?!!!

BTW, Heating allowance gets banked to pay for yet another coach holiday with one of her pensioners clubs -she's fine paying for luxuries..its the necessities like heat she has difficulties with, bless her!

ZTD

I think that's a difference in people's attitudes to clothes.

"What's a T shirt for?"
"To keep you cool."
"So why have the radiators on so high you need to wear clothes to keep you cool? Why not turn them down so you can wear normal clothes?"