How to live without heating - save £000s

elsien

She had electricity installed when some donations came in, and she was grateful that the initial documentary gave her the option of a slightly easier life.


I don’t think you can compare with the OP who is enjoying the challenge and making a point. 

Mstty

It's becoming all to real though

elsien

Reminiscent of when I was signing on and living in a flat with little heating or insulation. I spent an awful lot of time in the library. 

Elisheba

Swipe said:
HertsLad will be the richest money saver on here after next winter 

Oh, that did make me giggle.

I'm another one that rarely puts the heating on.  Mainly stubbornness on my part - don't want to pay for it, and the gas central heating is bad for the environment.  I do feel the cold at times though, in an old poorly insulated Edwardian terrace and working from home at a desk all day.

I have bought a pair of ski pants for next winter, and have a wool jumper I shrunk as a layer all through winter.  I am thinking about getting a heated robe/top. It does cost money to run, but its not as much as central heating and its electric ( and my contract is for renewable electric) and that way I can be super comfortable moving about which isn't the case with a blanket and a hot water bottle.

HertsLad

jcuurthht said:

@HertsLad do you have any specific product recommendations for clothing and base layers, heated blanket etc? Or tips on materials etc. Merino,  polyester etc.

I live in Germany and there is a chance we are facing a crisis this winter.  Not just higher prices, but also not enough gas. Rationing is likely,  emergency laws that allow energy provides to essentially cancel fixed price contracts could come in to effect soon. Meaning people paying 6ct kWh will have a real shock. I'm trying to get ahead of any panic buying of winter related products.

Thank you for your interest. I think I described almost everything I wear earlier in this thread, and I am happy to do so again here:

1. On my legs - from around October until April, I wear two pairs of thermal polyester base 'pants' (long johns) one over the top of the other every day when I am home or outdoors. While the temperature is above about 8C, I probably wear only a pair of denims over the base layers. As it gets colder, I add down-filled trousers in between the base layers and the denims. By the time it approaches 2C, I have added ski trousers lined (specifically) with Thinsulate. These go under something as well, to protect them - maybe larger denims or track suit bottoms. None of this restricts my movement and I don't think it looks especially bulky. I used to remove some of the layers if I walk to local shops, but last winter I got lazy and kept everything on, most times. Nobody looked at me as if to suggest I looked odd! Neither do I overheat during relatively short visits to shops. 80% of my base layers were bought at Sports Direct, Campri brand. They are polyester, low cost and work well. I also have merino wool base layers (low price from Aldi) to wear as a 'treat' while skiing but I can't say the insulation value seems any better than polyester.

2. On my top - two pairs of base layers, as above, also one over the top of the other. Then a cotton shirt and a pure wool jumper, topped by a fleece down to about 8C. Below 8C, I add a Thinsulate jacket, under the fleece. As it gets colder or if I still feel cold for any reason, I add a down-filled anorak.

3. Other elements - snood, to keep in the warmth around my neck; Thinsulate lined hat; and two pairs of socks under outdoor boots so I don't feel the cold from the cold tiled kitchen floor.

4. Never worn - not necessary - normal gloves, ski gloves or anything electrically heated whatsoever. They would all be too restrictive and inconvenient.

Chrysalis

This is a sensitive subject, some people are really sensitive to the cold, whether thats down to used to living in a hot home from day to day or health reasons I dont know.

As an example 18C room temp for me is a t-shirt temperature and is really pleasant, above 20C I start to sweat with light activity, and above low to mid 20s, it starts been really uncomfortable, having to sit with no shirt on to avoid sweating.  Likewise when going bed, I cant sleep under a quilt without sweating if the room is above about 22-23C.

Now as a child I grew up in a home with no central heating with rotting wooden single glazed windows, I was layered up in the winter, did paper rounds in heavy weather, so effectively my body can take it.  My elder sister is similar to me in the tolerance levels and like me doesnt use much heating, although she did have it on when her children were young for their benefit.  Its funny whenever guests came round complaining she said no problem to turning it on providing they paid for it , I always did find that funny.

Earlier this year I went for a weekend break with my younger sister, she is the opposite to both me and my elder sister and is really sensitive to the cold, her car the windows are shut heating is on, even in summer.  Her house is always like an oven.  So we was in the caravan in late April, and for me temperature was so perfect, a nice cool breeze coming in with fresh sea air, much better than the stale hot city air I am used to, and was absolute bliss.  Then my sister started moaning, and after about 20 minutes of it she got quite aggressive, and said she is going to fill up a water bottle to stop herself freezing to death, it was last week of April not January so it felt like a very extreme reaction, however I was diplomatic, so the windows and door were shut and radiators turned on.  I got no idea what the temperature actually was.  But at a guess I would say high teens given my comfort level.

Which brings us back to this thread.  I think a lot of people on MSE are going to see turning down the heating and especially not using heating as a red line they wont cross.  The average living room temperature in the 60s wasnt much above 15C, so its clear in 2022 the tolerance levels of the average person in the UK is far lower than it was back then, many of us simply are used to living in warmer conditions and I think people see wearing a jumper in their own home as something weird and extreme.

Now I do accept we all have different tolerance levels and I am sensitive to heat, but not sensitive to cold, I also accept there is proven health risks. so for those reasons I wont be suggesting to anyone here to stop using heating completely regardless of what I do personally, but for people who have thermostats above 20C unless they frail I will try and advise them to get it down to 16-18C range which according to the WHO is safe. WHO say 20C for frail people.

Alnat1

It is partly what you're used to but also partly inherited genes. We didn't have central heating until I was in my teens (late 70s) and even then it was used sparingly, I definitely remember ice inside the windows on winter mornings.

I feel the cold easily, we heat to 18C, hubby happy in t-shirt, me in t-shirt, long sleeved jumper, often with fleece/hoody over it and a blanket over my legs in the evenings.

I rang my dad yesterday to check he was coping in the heat. He said he'd had to take his thermal vest off and put on a normal one, under his t-shirt and jumper. Yep, that's where my nesh genes came from. 

brewerdave

As per previous post ,I can remember scraping the ice off the windows ! HOWEVER, personally I think some of the replies in this thread are a wind up !!

oldagetraveller1

brewerdave said:

As per previous post ,I can remember scraping the ice off the windows ! HOWEVER, personally I think some of the replies in this thread are a wind up !!

Me too.

It was "freezing" this morning, well 19deg Centipede, and I just had to turn on the heating to test my brand spanking new natural gas boiler!

The ice scraping and new boiler part is true.

The other IS a wind up.

PennyForThem_2

lol I grew up in 50's in London, and no CH.  Yes a coal fire, yes, windows iced up and water froze in pipes.  Big Edwardian 3 story house but I don't remember being particularly cold as a child.  Lovely to go to grandparents on gound floor and sit by huge open fire but they also had the one and only b&w TV.

My winter thermostat is set at 14 degrees but I do have a wood burning stove which is on most evenings (4-8 ish) and on my own.  Interestingly both sons don't heat their homes via CH that much (1 never 3rd floor new build flat in London which is ultra warm without- been there;  other in a terrace 2 up 2 down but out most evenings).  Both say I have taught them well.....not sure if that is a compliment or not.