With the price of energy rising this winter, and a cold snap on the way, we asked experts to share how they stay warm at home, plus their tips to reduce the cost of heating
“I very rarely sit still” Mike Tipton, professor of human and applied physiology, University of Portsmouth “Humans evolved as tropical animals, happiest naked in air at 28°C with skin at 33°C. Our body will keep our core temperature stable except in extreme circumstances, but this can be at the expense of our skin temperature, which means we feel cold. Hands and feet contribute most to ‘thermal comfort.’ Their warmth depends on blood flow, so gloves alone won’t prevent heat loss if circulation is poor. Women are more prone to cold extremities due to hormonal effects. If your fingers feel cold against your lips, you need to boost circulation. I rarely sit still at home and do periodic exercise, like walking briskly during phone calls or stepping on the bottom step of a staircase. These activities can generate 200W of heat – the same as a two-bar fire.To aid circulation, I keep my chest warm with layers and stay hydrated since dehydration reduces blood flow. I might also wear fingerless gloves and keep my feet off the floor, the coldest part of a room. These habits mean I don’t need to overheat the house, even while working from home.In the morning, I put the heating on for an hour, raising the temperature from 15°C to 18°C – the minimum recommended for health. For babies, the elderly or those with significant health issues, 20°C is advised. We might heat for another hour in the evening. Luckily, my modern, well-insulated house isn’t draughty, but blocking draughts with thick curtains and window films can make a big difference. Cold receptors in the skin are sensitive to air movement, which is why draughts feel disproportionately chilling.”“I wear thermal underwear” Hugh Montgomery, professor of intensive care medicine, University College London “I hate the cold, but I don’t heat my flat at all. This may sound contradictory, but I found long ago on an expedition that I could be perfectly warm on a mountain at -35C if I wore enough clothes. At home, I wear thermal underwear and multiple layers, which trap warm air better than one thick layer. Depending on the temperature, I’ll add a t-shirt, a shirt, thin and thick jumpers, and if it’s very cold, a down jacket and woolly hat.There is an old mountaineering adage, “if you want warm hands, wear a hat”. Because blood flow to the skin of the scalp doesn’t shut down as well as other areas in the cold, a lot of heat can be lost through the head. It can also be lost at the neck as heat rises from underneath the clothing and escapes. I routinely wear a scarf.At night I wear pyjamas and thick socks and pile on extra blankets or another duvet. It helps that I live alone, but I don’t heat for visitors, either. Mostly people are out during the day or in bed under duvets.That said, I live in a third floor flat, which gets residual heat through the floors so it’s never freezing, and I regularly open windows so it doesn’t get damp. The other important thing is to make sure you eat enough calories. It isn’t possible to stay warm in the face of calorie depletion.An advantage to wearing multiple layers instead of turning on the heating is that my total energy bill is £23 a month, and all but about £7 of that is for service charges.
How much does heating really cost?
According to price comparison site USwitch, a boiler costs £1.50 an hour to heat a well-insulated home, based on a 24kW gas boiler and the October 2024 price cap of 6.24p/kWh for gas.
Lowering the thermostat from 21.5°C to 20.5°C can cut energy costs by up to 13 per cent, with further savings by reducing it to 18°C.
It pays to think about heating the person rather than the room: electric blankets are far more economical, consuming no more than 300 watts – even as little as 40W for single blankets on their lowest setting. Heating a bed for seven to eight hours costs only 1p per night, or £3.66 a year, on the lowest setting. At maximum heat, it costs about 40p per night. A heated throw costs 8p per hour at its highest setting, or 60p for eight hours of use.
“My spaniel keeps my feet warm” Dr. Clare Eglin, principal lecturer in human and applied physiology, University of Portsmouth “At 6am your core temperature is at its lowest, and from midday to mid-afternoon, it’s at its highest.When working at home in winter, I have a blanket over my legs, a spaniel at my feet, and a constant supply of hot drinks. I take active breaks from the computer to rest my eyes, stretch, and warm up. While I’m happy to layer up or do star jumps as it gets colder, my family isn’t, so we sometimes have the heating higher than I’d prefer. To save on heating costs, heat the room you use most rather than the whole house. Ideally your thermostat should be in this room. People sleep better in cooler bedrooms, so turning down radiators in those rooms is a good idea. “Staying active generates body heat, so avoid sitting for long periods. If you can’t move around, wear more clothing, sit under blankets, and use a hot water bottle or heated blanket. Setting the thermostat to 16°C keeps walls warm, so rooms heat up more quickly.”“I wrap up in goat cashmere“Dr Danmei Sun is associate professor in textile technology and materials at Heriot-Watt University.“Using large amounts of energy to heat entire rooms or buildings is not only expensive but also contributes significantly to environmental issues. A more sustainable and targeted approach is to focus on protecting and warming individuals rather than spaces. This concept has been central to my research. I’m currently leading a project called “Heat the Human” project, which focuses on developing wearable, high tech functional textiles that conduct heat. However, natural materials can also be very effective at keeping us warm. Wool fibres are naturally wavy or ‘crimped’ so they naturally trap air, which offers excellent thermal insulation. The next best are cellulose-based fibres like cotton.Similarly, garments made from wool with raised or fluffy surfaces can trap extra air within the fabric structure, improving its overall warmth. Personally I like to feel warm so we set our heating at 22 degrees at this time of year, and I wear cashmere sweaters.The unique structure and fineness of cashmere allows it to achieve greater warmth with thinner layers compared with garments made from normal wool. Cashmere from Changra goats has an ultra fine dimeter measuring a mere 8-10 microns (normal cashmere is 14-16 microns), so traps air very efficiently making it roughly eight times warmer than sheep’s wool.”
