How cold can I keep the house safely?

sexpot

Well what can I say, when I was young in the 70s, we had a broken electric fire, it only had 1 bar working. We all had hot water bottles for bed. We were never ill. There was 7 kids in our house.
Keep doors closed as much as possible.
When I had my first child we only had a gas fire.
I know people who have the heating on all night, you just need to wrap up. Get yourselves an all in one.

Fruball

Tip - If you want to keep warm by wearing a Onesie, wear a thin vest underneath, not to keep you warmer but because when you want the loo, your upper half will freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!!

thriftyniftyme

The perception that "well we never had central heating when I was a lad and we were all okay" does not mean that a cold house is safe. Times have changed and what is socially acceptable has changed. Many kids used to walk around with respiritory illnesses and/or red, chapped, sore legs and extremities each winter in a way that simply would not be allowed or tolerated today. People used to suffer all kinds of illnesses from being too cold. People used to die.

And people still do. There is a statistic called 'excess winter mortality' that tracks how many people more die in winter than in warmer months. Since central heating came in, it has been steadily falling. Over the last few winters, where fuel poverty became an issue, it has rocketed again: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fuel-bills-blamed-for-50-rise-in-winter-deaths-1826917.html

As mentioned above, personal circumstances will count for a lot, and the temperature different people can handle and for how long will depend on all kinds of things. By all means take tips and tricks from earlier generations who had to do with less. But don't assume that if you were okay without heating then, you will be now.

Fruball

Also, in times past, people often shared several people to a room, even several children would be sharing the same bed so it would have been easier to keep warm.

Baths were once a week in one warm room - not like today where we like to shower or bathe daily and don't want to freeze when we get out!

Blankets and clothes would have been made from natural materials which keep you warm.

Not to mention the fact they were more used to it. People do adapt to their conditions. You only have to bring someone from a hot country to England in a bad winter to see how freezing they are in what we feel is a warm room! :rotfl:

System

ive got one heck of a confession and i'm not sure how accurate the app is that i downloaded onto my phone however its pretty consistant but the temperature in my rooms is 30 degrees. The radiators in the south facing rooms dont seem to be on but the North facing ones are.

LameWolf

Just a random thought to add to the mix...

Someone with mobility problems who needs help dressing may not have the option of putting on extra layers once their help has departed for the day - either the SS carers have done their stint and gone on to other clients, or (as in my case) DH has gone to work.

It's a question of listen to the weather forecast and try to best-guess what's going to be comfortable for the whole day, as putting on an extra layer/taking off a layer are impossible without assistance.

I am so thankful that my DH currently earns sufficient for us to heat the bungalow - but that could always change, it seems no job is really safe these days.

lostinrates

Fruball wrote: »

Also, in times past, people often shared several people to a room, even several children would be sharing the same bed so it would have been easier to keep warm.

Baths were once a week in one warm room - not like today where we like to shower or bathe daily and don't want to freeze when we get out!

Blankets and clothes would have been made from natural materials which keep you warm.

Not to mention the fact they were more used to it. People do adapt to their conditions. You only have to bring someone from a hot country to England in a bad winter to see how freezing they are in what we feel is a warm room! :rotfl:

A lot of this is true, though I see it from the point of view of how I have coped with low and no heating. A bath is actually very warming indeed, if you dry your self well and dress afterwards in pjs wrapped round a hotly and a dressing gown, socks slippers etc it's comfortable. Washing hair however, can be a bigger issue, I certainly choose to not wash my hair as often as I would with heating.

I wear a bit of natural fibre, but fleece is actually a god send, it washes and dries much more quickly than most natural materials.

Adaptation is key. I think that turning heating off is much harder than delaying turning it on. It also means that when it comes on you feel you need less and are comfortable so much sooner.

While I agree it's a very sad state of affairs peoe have no hear, I don't think having to think about it (rather than trying to do with out when it's needed) is a bad thing. Resources, like household budgets) only go so far, and while I think it's clear we need to use them, we also need to think about how to use them wisely (as opposed to not being able to use them at all).


I will hold off inviting lots of people to share my bed, but it IS warmer when there are two of us in bed, an electric blanket is a lowish cost solution of
R the other nights.

ragz_2

When I got up the other day it was below 12 degrees in the house, but that was a very cold day! Kids have fleece onesies they put on when they get up and I put the heating on at about 16-17 degrees if we really need it. Any higher than 18 feels too much for me, I grew up in cold damp caravans!
I don't usually have heating on during the day as we seem to produce a fair bit of heat and the house is well unsulated. I put it on when kids need a bath or if it's really chilly when we've been out all day, or for half an hour in the mornings if very cold. DH and I sit under blankets on the sofa, this is habit I did it in the summer too.

lally666young

I read this thread with interest and a bit of shock TBH. See my job is to erm how to put it nicely, help in the mortuary in the local hospital, so I have seen the effects of what can happen to people who think that it is okay to live like an eskimo.
And it is sadly getting more and more common these days, due to rising fuel costs. But dont forget each persons body is made differently, so like you say you feel the cold, layer up extra clothes, I have to. If you have to do it, buy thermals, base layers, thin layers rather than one thick layer.
The climate is getting nasty again, so if you need the heating on, put the heating on, we have an account were pay a set amount each month, so what we dont use, is there for us in the winter. Buy a hallogen heater, they really do work, if you dont want to warm the whole house up just the room you are in.
the amount of relatives that say to me, if only I knew, we would have helped more.
I also swear by blankets as these can be easily taken off as well as put on by almost anyone.
Plus diets are a hell of a lot different since the 70's and we dont eat healthy anymore, so top up on Vitamin C and mutlivits.
The youngest victim we have had was a baby! so take heeed

lostinrates

As a Matter of interest, what temperature is the working environment (not the mortuary cabinets) of a mortuary? Google suggests normal room temp? Is that right?