Topic: To heat or not to heat...

[Secret Santa]

Do you advise them to wrap up warmly, or do you heat the house as a courtesy to them ?

I predict George will now berate you for being so presumptious as to infer he has friends. lol

[George]

Social considerations may be the least of my worries, if warnings in articles such as the following are accepted, e.g, raised blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks below 13C:

https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/heat-and-health

I reject these points because I'm fairly sure they are not allowing for the amount of clothing, for a start. What do you think? I am still alive and kicking, ten years after starting this.

Have I lost the plot? I don't think so. In most regards, I live well. For example, the money saved by not heating the house, is about the same as I enjoy spending on a ski holiday each year, at least before Covid came along.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Social considerations may be the least of my worries, if warnings in articles such as the following are accepted, e.g, raised blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks below 13C:

https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/heat-and-health

What a shame the picture was staged.  See this version — same wall device, same leather-look sofa, different couple ...

[George]

Well spotted. As I said before, nearly all the pictures I have seen of people said to be freezing  are a joke, not least due to the wholly inadequate clothing they are wearing and the inclusion of a stupid blanket. But the text in that article is similar to that in Government publications, based in turn on academic studies. Who am I to say the studies are misguided? But it leads to almost all guidelines saying you must heat your house to at least 18C. I say it's nonsense and think I am living proof.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Incidentally, and just in case you were unaware, the filename of the image in the link you cited is "blanket-man-altered-copy" !

[Onions]

Social considerations may be the least of my worries, if warnings in articles such as the following are accepted, e.g, raised blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks below 13C:

https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/heat-and-health

What a shame the picture was staged.  See this version — same wall device, same leather-look sofa, different couple ...

Hawkeye! 

[Onions]

Coincidentally, now playing... 

[livo]

.... the money saved by not heating the house, is about the same as I enjoy spending on a ski holiday each year, ....

At least your acclimatised George.  Whatever you do, don't book a holiday out here. You'll melt, even in winter. Over 30 today in the shade. 

[George]

I just read an interesting article in The Telegraph:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/2021/12/09/homeowner-left-without-heating-hot-water-green-homes-grant-expires/

As it says, a homeowner was left without heating or hot water after a green homes grant expired. You probably need a subscription to read more than a few lines.

It puts his family in exactly the same position as me but he considers it the end of the world, and I remain perfectly happy.

[Peripatetic Phil]

[A] homeowner was left without heating or hot water after a green homes grant expired. It puts his family in exactly the same position as me but he considers it the end of the world, and I remain perfectly happy.

Would you not agree, George, that your position and that family's position are directly analogous to that of gaoler and prisoner ?  The gaoler is in a prison because he chooses to work there, and can go home whenever he is off-duty; the prisoner is in prison "at her Majesty's pleasure", and has no option but to put up with the conditions there.  My heart goes out to that family — I have the good fortune to be able to heat my home to a temperature at which I feel comfortable (probably 22^oC or so), and I am still wearing two towelling dressing gowns for extra warmth.
--
** Phil.