What temperature do you have your house?

[Lurkalot2]

We aim for 18 degrees down stairs and a little cooler in the bedrooms except for my daughter's room which as a teenager she tends to spend a fair bit of time in there.
Although our house was built in the 1920's we've insulated it and it has south facing windows and it tends to stay at around 16-18 for a good while. We're comfortable but have to admit others find it a little cool. A couple of weeks ago when we had the freezing weather a friend came round and went straight to the woodburner only to find it not lit. He then went over to a radiator only to find the central heating wasn't on either . The house was still pretty comfortable though we thought. We had family over yesterday and they moaned the house was cold. It was 18.5 degrees and rising as we had lit the woodburner but they have their thermostat set to 22 degrees . They're coming over again on new year's eve so I suppose we'll have to get the house a bit warmer to keep them happy.

[mr brightside]

I'd not bother having them over, it'll be cheaper.

[adam2]

After my recent long hospital stay, social services are "keeping an eye on me"
They expressed concern at the lack of central heating.
Living room heated by a stove to about 23 degrees.
Bathroom heated by portable Tilley infrared radiator when in use.
Bedroom not normally heated, but an electric heater is available for severe weather.
Downstairs toilet heated by a long burning oil lamp, but only to avoid the plumbing freezing.

They also seem concerned that I do not use a duvet but prefer blankets.

I find 23 degrees ample, but they think it just barely adequate.

They also expressed concern that I did not own any sleeveless vests, these garments being considered vital. Have loads of short sleeved vests and wear these in the colder months, but apparently they "don't count"

[clv101]

I've never understood sleeveless vests - in what way aren't t-shirt superior?

[UndercoverElephant]

What temperature do you have your house?

What rooms are heated, when?

Central heating doesn't come on until the temperature upstairs goes below 16 degrees. The woodburner is on downstairs whenever it is that cold, and the central heating doesn't usually come on at all apart from early in the morning when it has been below zero outside and the fire has been out for several hours.

[northernmonkey]

Open fire in the living room (reasonably regular access to wood). Or, an electric fire in the living room. We did well on the open fire this winter as a full ash tree came into my possession. We are nearly through it now though. Probably about 10 fires left in it. We don't usually light the fire before mid or late afternoon.

Gas central heating only very occasionally.

That's it.

No idea what the temperature is in the lounge with the open fire or electric fire. It's just warm. Central heating, if on, would be set to about 20c. But, it is seldom on.

The fact is, our domestic fuel bills have actually fallen in the last year or so due to changes in our consumption rate.

[Ralphw2]

Now we are in our modern gas central heated house, we have it on a few hours morning and evening, heating to about 21c. Sometimes run it at other times in cold weather, as the rest of my household feels the cold more than me (and I feel it more than I used to, especially when less active). I am looking into heat pumps, combined with a doubling my battery size to 20KWh to run it largely off cheap rate overnight electricity. Not yet convinced that the UK installers are sufficiently skilled to design an installation that will meet the theoretical efficiency rates of COP 4 or higher. Not helped that our house was installed with 8mm microbore pipes, and the radiators in some of the rooms are too small to keep the rooms warm at the temperature I set the main flow. I also plan to replace the French windows, which are a big heat loss zone.

The main risks, apart from the problems of sustaining a highly complex system through the coming economic decline, is the loss of resilience from relying on a single power source, electricity, even if some of it is self generated.

I suspect that the vast majority of central heating systems in the UK were badly designed and highly inefficient. They simply are fitted with far more powerful boilers running far too hot and as a result intermittently, which destroys efficiency especially in condensing boilers. A lot of the economic benefits of fitting a heat pump come from designing the radiator system and pipe work correctly, and not from the heat pump itself.

We have finally sold our wood burning thatched cottage which has been empty over a year, at significantly reduced price. Between the inspection and regulation requirements of the increasingly risk averse insurers and the mortgage providers to offset the risks of a construction which has already survived 400 years the owners are required to spend tens of thousands on ‘improvements’ that also need to meet the listing regulations designed to keep the building in its ‘original’ condition.

[adam2]

I've never understood sleeveless vests - in what way aren't t-shirt superior?

I agree, about the only merits of sleeveless vests are low cost and suitability for sporting or athletic wear.
Proper short sleeve men's vests are now harder to find, most alleged vests are in fact t-shirts and not ideal to wear under a shirt, pullover, overall or other outer garment.
I favour these https://www.hermko.de/hermko-3847-3er-p ... le/a-38473
Extra long in the hope that ones lower back is not exposed to the cold. I have more than a dozen, mainly "seconds" which are much reduced in price.

Other alternatives include the stretch cotton nightshirts sold by Wittman textiles in the USA. Although sold to wear in bed they are very comfortable for daytime use under outer clothing. Sizes are American and therefore generous, they are longer than a vest and will protect not only the lower back but also ones bottom from cold.
After numerous launderings they end up shorter than illustrated, but still generous in length. I have a dozen.
https://www.wittmanntextiles.com/teepjcrewnecks.html

I confirm that I have no connection with either of the above.

[Potemkin Villager]

I find 23 degrees ample, but they think it just barely adequate.

Since finally fitting a stove in our living room the temperature is easily maintained at a comfy 21 C
with a much lower consumption of solid fuel (logs, turf and a drop of smokeless coal occasionally) than
previously required to achieve 18 C with the fireplace.

My late father, who designed heating systems for a number of hospitals, commented that he thought the consultants
probably had shares in oil companies considering the high temperatures they insisted be maintained in wards.

[emordnilap]

I've never understood sleeveless vests - in what way aren't t-shirt superior?

I like them. They're just another type of undergarment amongst Ts, long- and short-sleeve; they're useful if you're going on a hike or chopping logs, as the armpits have more breathing room.

[kenneal - lagger]

I wear long sleeved T shirts during the winter and short sleeved ones on their own in the summer. I wear a fleece mid layer garment over the long sleeved T and a padded shirt over all in winter, tucked into a pair of padded hiking trousers. I find the padded trousers mean that I can usually get away with one pair of thin socks most of the time and slightly thicker thermal sock in cold weather as the circulation in the legs keeps going well in the warm trousers. In really cold weather I might put on a body warmer as well. If its raining I've got a long coat which reaches just below the tops of wellies.

We keep our living room at around 18 in the evening using the woodburning stove and if we have anyone over we will light the kitchen cooker boiler as well to raise the temperature to 20 or 21. If we have had the sun on the south wall of the living room during the day in winter the living room will be comfortable on the evening at 17 with the fire going.

I don't know what temperature the bedrooms are but we use a duvet and I have my dressing gown over the foot of the bed as my feet stick out a bit otherwise and get cold. The room doesn't feel cold as I get dressed or undressed but perhaps I have got used to it. The bathroom is usually unheated but as long as the shower is hot I am OK with it. With the thick cob walls I don't think anywhere ever gets below about 12.

My kids well insulated log cabin gets really hot and they spend the winter in t shirts a lot of the time although the grandchildren have those big fleece long hoody things, the name of which I can't remember. Son in law and grandson will work outside in t shirts when I have my usual three layers on! Youth!!!

We have had another two beech trees fall down on the common so we have wood for another couple of winters once we cut it up. I am having problems with my Husky 365 with a 22" bar at the moment. It will start and run well for a tank full of fuel but then won't start again without major intervention with the fuel system. From youtube I think it may be the air vent into the fuel tank being blocked but I haven't taken it apart yet. My smaller Husky with an 18" bar works well as that has a primer pump to get it going after a fuel top up. The joys of two stroke engines. We also have an 18V battery electric chain saw with a 12" bar which is very useful for smaller stuff but goes through batteries quickly is it isn't kept ultra sharp. We can't get onto the common with the trailer at the moment, can only just get on with the Disco, as the ground is so wet.

The Kennet Valley near us is flooded over the flood plan and has been since Christmas. Even a small amount of rain cuts off a fairly main road used by a lot of commuters. Water comes off the fields across the road. The joys of Global Warming.

[adam2]

The "big long hoody fleece things" used by grandchildren are probably "oodies" which is I think a trade name though often used for similar garments no matter whom made them.
Fine for kids but not IMHO suitable for adults to wear other than at home. I saw a young couple wearing them in the local pub "probably escapees from Butlins"
Useful for cold weather emergencies, but not for general daily wear. I have one, very warm but not comfortable or breathable being all polyester or similar fake stuff. A wool one would be good.

[Vortex2]

Don't forget that age has an effect too.

Three or four years ago we had the place at around 18.5C but now that I have retired I'm setting it to 19.5C default, with manual override to say 21C or 22C in the evening.

I also very naughtily turn on the 400W electric fire for an hour or so some evenings.

Currently, to feed the animals, I wear wellies, 2 pairs of socks, cords, vest, shirt, two jumpers, padded jacket, scarf, wool hat and jacket hood up plus a decent pair of waterproof, insulated gloves.

We now ask ourselves far more often, why the heck aren't we living in a warmer area than the Cotswolds?

[adam2]

My Ukrainian neighbours have commented "as it is always so wet and windy in England, why is suitable clothing not more widely worn" They have a point !
Military style waterproof smocks are favoured, over either a wool pullover or a warm wool smock (made from the good parts of a worn out bed blanket)

UK winter is reported as being milder than in Ukraine, but "feels much worse due to near continual wind and rain" They heat their homes to about 22/24 degrees, mainly open fires.

[RenewableCandy]

I wind our hallway thermostats down to 16 when nobody's looking (it's the coldest part of Chateau Renewable).
Then some blighter puts it up to 19 or so. Bunch of lightweights - including our Ukrainian refugee, who's built like a tank and should know better. I am seriously contemplating sticking a pic of putin on the thermostat to remind everybody where (some of) that money goes!

However, the heating's only on for a few hours per day. The rest of the time the place hovers about 15-16 - bar Marvellous Other 1/2's study (warmed by computer etc to about 18) and spare room (with added Ukrainian) warmed by convector heater when she's in.

I WFH, but if I get cold I get up and do something energetic, like saw up wood or drink coffee.