How cold can I keep the house safely?

valk_scot

Stuffy, overheated houses with poor ventilation and a damp atmosphere are far more dangerous to health than a cool one with good ventilation. Stuffy, muggy houses are more likely to harbour airborne bacteria, virual and fungal particles than a well aired cool house and transmission of these from person to person is more likely in a damp atmosphere.

You can reduce condensation by airing the place out properly during the day and trying to reduce water vapour in the house. Drying the washing outside is the obvious one but things like giving your coat and brolley (and dog!) a good shake outside, putting pan lids on while cooking, running any extractor fans in bathroom and kitchen to vent water vapour outside etc all help, as does using a dehumidifier in any rooms where tyou may have damp. Move furniture slightly away from outside walls too so that you don't get cold damp air caught there, which increases the chances of mould and mould spores. And wipe wet windows down with a towel in the morning. If you do get mould starting, wipe down with a mild bleach solution.

As to temperature I don't belive in heating bedrooms that are just used for sleeping in, I'd rather have more bedding and sleep with a window open than let kids sleep in a warm fug. I did have an oil filled radiator in the baby's bedroom when they were small but I only let it go up to not-cold rather than actually heat the room. You used to get small thermometers to moniter the room temperature in a baby's bedroom and marked next to it were the number of layers of clothes + blankets recommended at each temperature level. The old method of putting your hand down the back of their necks to judge their temperature was pretty accurate too! If a house is really cold though the best way to keep a small baby warm is to co-sleep with mum, following all the usual precautions of course.

Tips for making the most of the heating you can afford: Close curtains and doors as it starts getting dark and make sure there are no howling drafts round window frames, up floorboards and through doors. Heat your main living area to a comfortable temperature for sitting around in a couple of layers of clothes like t-shirt plus sweatshirt, wear socks and slippers to keep feet warm. That's about 16'C in this house. You don't need to heat halls, kitchens, unused bedrooms or anywhere you're not sitting around for long, just keep the door shut between the main room and the rest.

Remember too that 30 years ago CH houses were the exception rather than the rule, few folk heated anything other than the main living space and most folk didn't even notice the lack of heating, it was just the norm. It's different for vunerable groups such as the very young, the very old and people with health conditions but the vast majority of us don't need to live in an incubator. Decent warm clothing goes a long way, some folk think you should be able to sit around in a short sleeved t-shirt anywhere in your own house but really, every layer of clothes is a couple of degrees you can shave off the room temperature.

I really don't belive that spending time in a place that's 9'C or less is going to give a healthy adult or larger child a higher risk of heart attack, I go camping a lot and belive me I have spent a LOT of time in temperatures less than that, both sitting around and sleeping. I can only think these figures are aimed at elderly people?

daisiegg

Those of you talking about airing the house during the day, I would love to do this too, but don't you find you get loads of creepy crawlies coming in at this time of year? I keep windows open as much as possible during the warmer months as I hate a stuffy house but recently the OH has banned me from having the windows open as the amount of spiders, daddy long legs and moths invading our house is just ridiculous. Or do you just put up with them?

marmiterulesok

daisiegg wrote: »

Those of you talking about airing the house during the day, I would love to do this too, but don't you find you get loads of creepy crawlies coming in at this time of year? I keep windows open as much as possible during the warmer months as I hate a stuffy house but recently the OH has banned me from having the windows open as the amount of spiders, daddy long legs and moths invading our house is just ridiculous. Or do you just put up with them?

I can't say that I've noticed this personally but I do live in a second floor flat!

valk_scot the figures might have been aimed at the elderly.I can't remember the context.I do know that hypothermia can cause heart problems ie heart attacks.

kizzie_nikita

marmiterulesok wrote: »

valk_scot the figures might have been aimed at the elderly.I can't remember the context.I do know that hypothermia can cause heart problems ie heart attacks.

I think it says that young children/old people are more likely, but it also says (i think) everyone in general although alongside children/elderly people with asthma etc.

Personally i know when i'm (20yo) in my house which is around 10-14c i seem to constantly have a cold and my house mate (22yo) had really bad circulation problems/bad feet pain when the house is cold.

So i wouldn't say it's just the elderly but maybe our bodys are just rubbish!

marmiterulesok

kizzie_nikita wrote: »

I think it says that young children/old people are more likely, but it also says (i think) everyone in general although alongside children/elderly people with asthma etc.

Personally i know when i'm (20yo) in my house which is around 10-14c i seem to constantly have a cold and my house mate (22yo) had really bad circulation problems/bad feet pain when the house is cold.

So i wouldn't say it's just the elderly but maybe our bodys are just rubbish!

10-14c does seem rather cold!Is that without heating?

valk_scot

kizzie_nikita wrote: »

I think it says that young children/old people are more likely, but it also says (i think) everyone in general although alongside children/elderly people with asthma etc.

Personally i know when i'm (20yo) in my house which is around 10-14c i seem to constantly have a cold and my house mate (22yo) had really bad circulation problems/bad feet pain when the house is cold.

So i wouldn't say it's just the elderly but maybe our bodys are just rubbish!

10-14'C seems cold to me too for round the clock temperatures. Our house is very well insulated (cost us a fortune, saved us at least as much in heating bills since) and doesn't have a damp problem at all so while I don't heat it at all during the day normally the CH is set to go on just after dusk till about 11pm, plus half an hour in the morning. All the radiators have individual thermostats so while the bedrooms don't get heat the main living areas tend to be around 16'C or 17'C most of the time in the evening and even during the day I'm doubtful they'll be down at 10'C.

I am fortunate though in that I can afford a bit of extra heating when it gets down to sub zero outside during the day, two winters ago when it was -15'C outside we did run the heating 24/7 for a couple of weeks and I kept the bedrooms from getting too cold. I do think if I or any of the family were getting chilblains or feeling miserably cold even with wearing a pair of wooly socks and a couple of extra layers I would turn the heating up, I don't like being too hot but I don't think it's good to be sitting chittering cold and miserable either.

meritaten

I try to keep the house at about 21C - I feel the cold since having pnuemonia years ago - I wear sensible warm clothing in the house and usually find I have to increase the heating when grandkids 'sleep over' as they are usually in clothes more suited to a heatwave!
But, I have noticed that in Adsa, Tresco etc - budget clothing rarely includes warm cardies, sweaters etc.

valk_scot

daisiegg wrote: »

Those of you talking about airing the house during the day, I would love to do this too, but don't you find you get loads of creepy crawlies coming in at this time of year? I keep windows open as much as possible during the warmer months as I hate a stuffy house but recently the OH has banned me from having the windows open as the amount of spiders, daddy long legs and moths invading our house is just ridiculous. Or do you just put up with them?

I don't mind creepy crawlies tbh, they don't bother me and they're only coming in because they're cold too. I can live with the odd extra spider...the cats will probably get it eventually but at least it will die warm! So yes, I open the windows and look after my own comfort and heath, I'd rather have the odd daddy long legs than live in a stuffy house. Is your OH a bit phobic about them though? If so, open the windows when he's not there, it's less likely they'll come in during the day or if you keep the lights off in the rooms with open windows anyway.

thriftwizard

the amount of spiders, daddy long legs and moths invading our house is just ridiculous

Just think of it this way - the spiders will keep the flies down.

lindseykim13

Thanks everyone nice to see what others views are as i want to save money but don't want to freeze trying. The last few years i have had bad chilblains didn't think it was because i was in a cold house just guessed it was from out and about. Trying really hard to keep my feet warm this year as they are agony! Was freezing this afternoon down at around 13C in the living room but since cooking dinner has creeped up to 18C which is more comfy. Kids never seem to feel the cold just me worrying which promted the post. An elderly relative also died recently from a chest infection which they think wan't helped by the cold snap so a bit paranoid.