Room temperatures

[Bmblbzzz]

I think lots of us remember waking up to ice inside bedroom windows. The ice itself wasn't so much of a problem but when it started melting... As to whether it did any harm, hard to say; it probably did to asthmatics, for instance. Heating avoids that but causes other problems. No wins!

If it was exceptional, it could be a '2 coat night'.

What's that on the dog scale?

[ambodach]

Any hospital I have been in served porridge or a choice of cereal for breakfast.
The wards I was in a couple of weeks ago were adequately heated thankfully as I only had a hospital gown since my stay was unexpected and I had virtually nothing with me and 120 miles from home. I now have more underwear than M&S I think as several friends & relatives responded to my plea for supplies.
I rival Mike Sales I think as an old lag patient. Unfortunately I am also I am told a good patient ( whatever that means) which means they use me as a practice ground for junior nurses.

[100%JR]

Makes me sick to see people wearing t-shirts inside in winter

If I can't sit comfortably in shorts and a T all year round it's too cold.
Hive is currently set at 25 degrees and heating is on 24/7.The Hive sensor/thermostat is on the Stairs as that's the coolest part of the house Wife complains and says put a jumper on.I reply it's the 21st Century and we have heating so I don't have to
When I get up for work at 05:00 or get home off nights at 05:45 I like the house to be warm thank you very much!
Why live in a cold house

[Bmblbzzz]

For a cool planet.

[mercalia]

Makes me sick to see people wearing t-shirts inside in winter

If I can't sit comfortably in shorts and a T all year round it's too cold.
Hive is currently set at 25 degrees and heating is on 24/7.The Hive sensor/thermostat is on the Stairs as that's the coolest part of the house Wife complains and says put a jumper on.I reply it's the 21st Century and we have heating so I don't have to
When I get up for work at 05:00 or get home off nights at 05:45 I like the house to be warm thank you very much!
Why live in a cold house

you must be rich able to squander all the money to heat up a place like that

[100%JR]

Makes me sick to see people wearing t-shirts inside in winter

If I can't sit comfortably in shorts and a T all year round it's too cold.
Hive is currently set at 25 degrees and heating is on 24/7.The Hive sensor/thermostat is on the Stairs as that's the coolest part of the house Wife complains and says put a jumper on.I reply it's the 21st Century and we have heating so I don't have to
When I get up for work at 05:00 or get home off nights at 05:45 I like the house to be warm thank you very much!
Why live in a cold house

you must be rich able to squander all the money to heat up a place like that

Not at all.
Average working class couple(Steel worker and nurse).Our heating bills are about 30% LESS since having a new boiler Cheaper to keep the house at a constant IMO than letting it go cold then heating it back up!It's only a small 3-bed semi and I don't see keeping warm as "squandering"money for the same reason I don't see buying fresh food as "squandering" money.We work so we can live comfortably.Heating is a necessity not a luxury!
I've just got back from a chilly 29 miles ride into a nice warm house.That's what it's all about

[Graham]

Within the last few years and decades, us first-worlders have racheted up our standards of living & comfort to levels never seen before in human history.

It becomes ever more clear how unsustainable these standards have become. Alas, the rachet holds firm as few seem able adapt to more modest lifestyles.

Our bodies can adapt easily to lower temperatures in winter. It takes a bit of time to adapt - which make fast temperature changes a bit challenging.

OTOH. I was struggling to avoid discomfort in an overheated public building during a hustings meeting. It was probably 10 degrees C warmer than inside my house.

PS. It's not about money. . . . unless we note the almost complete failure of conventional economics to account for environmental damage. How is your carbon budget looking this year ?

[Polisman]

^ < SNIP>

Absolutely agree. I have a friend I visit maybe once a fortnight, his house is the same, on average 26C, ours is 16.. That's plenty in winter. And it keeps our heating bills pretty stable at £90 a month November till March. I like to sleep with the window slightly ajar, so we only have a small electric heater in the bedroom and jump right into bed, sleep like a log.

It's this 'me first' attitude that's burning up our planet. In years to come I hope to see all fossil fuel burning banned completely. We lived in the North of Spain a few years ago (which only gets half an hour more sunlight than Britain in winter) and almost every single house had solar power of some variety. Its a myth you need 'hot' climates to produce electricity this way, even in the depths of winter there's more than enough energy and daylight to heat a house.

We are planning a 3kw solar array next year, with perhaps battery storage to run all our heating and hot water for the house. I'm going to do most of they install myself (it's not complicated, anyone who can do basic service on a car could do it) and it'll cost us about £4,200. Currently paying about a£1000 a year for heating and hot water, so we're getting free heat and water in just 4 years time. For life. Maintenance costs are minimal and the panels are guaranteed for 30 years.

Restrictions on power supply and water are coming. It's only a matter of time, best to invest a little more in the future than wait until electricity is provided on a curfew basis, either that or at very high prices.

[Graham]

Polisman :
I'm thinking of fitting some solar PV panels on the roof of this bungalow - even though my electricity usage is less than 1000 kWh per annum.
It would be good to be a NET generator.

I'd quite like to DIY it . . . due to my "Attic restriction" **

I guess that there are times during an install where more than one person would be a necessity ? i.e. lifting the PV panels into place.
The requirement for qualified electrician to plug it all in, test & certify is an obvious essential.

Have you thought about a battery aspect to your system ?

** The Attic restriction :
Any PV arrays would sit above my BIG room. This has a ( new ) ceiling made up of the ceilings of two former rooms and the new extension.
The joins of these three ceilings is a potential weak point. The new plaster over these interfaces has stayed crack-free for 5 years now. . . possibly because I have stayed out of the attic for all that time.

I really don't want to risk ( anyone else ) stomping around up there. If I do any such work I will be carefully weigh-spreading and moving my 70Kgs around with the greatest care.

[LittleGreyCat]

Possibly one point missed.
Houses insulated to modern standards and heated by condensing gas boilers are probably far more efficient that previous generations, even if heated to the mid 20Cs.

After all, it isn't the room temperature which costs the money, but the rate of heat loss to the outside over the whole house.

[Vorpal]

Individuals vary considerably, as well. I tolerate cool indoors more easily than warm. Mr. V is similar, though his ideal indoor temperature is a degree or two warmer than mine (18 or 19 versus 17) He just wears an extra layer of clothes.

Both of us are uncomfortable in my father's house. My father keeps his house at about 25, and I find it far too warm.

[Bmblbzzz]

Possibly one point missed.
Houses insulated to modern standards and heated by condensing gas boilers are probably far more efficient that previous generations, even if heated to the mid 20Cs.

After all, it isn't the room temperature which costs the money, but the rate of heat loss to the outside over the whole house.

It's the heat input into the house which costs money. The rate of heat loss will be one of the factors in determining that input, some others being desired temperature, how flexible the desired temperature is, use patterns, budget, etc.

And in summer it's reversed; the rate of heat input to the house is one of the factors determining the energy spent on cooling. Worldwide, more energy is used in air conditioning than heating.

[brynpoeth]

Went to the theatre
Too hot inside so lots of people hand in their coats at the garderobe
After the performance there was a big queue to collect coats. I think it was free but often there is a charge
Coats could be nicked too

Better to turn down the heating instead