>>>>>>>>>>>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/6921281/Britain-facing-one-of-the-coldest-winters-in-100-years-experts-predict.html
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Then there is a little cool snap in Carolina too. http://www2.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/once_in_a_generation_cold_snap_forecast_for_nc/91554/
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>And people are dying in Chicago - http://cbs2chicago.com/wireapnewsil/Chicago.man.s.2.1400772.html
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Help, help, help the sky is freezing!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Someone forgot to tell global warming that most homes in North Carolina have heat pumps and heat pumps don't work well below 37 degrees F. That is the balancing point for most. They also have to de-ice. They are designed for temperatures around 50 degrees F and will work down into the teens, but at a point, there is no longer enough heat to extract from the cold air for anything above 60 degrees indoors. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Now here is a lady who knows her details <g>.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>>>Curious - do you keep your home heated above 60F ?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Is that still the practice in Germany? (Oops, sorry that should read England I guess :o) The same practice all over Europe?) It was back in the 80s when I was there for 3 years. It always seemed cold to me. I prefer indoor temps around 66-68 degrees F...
>>>>>
>>>>>TBH, I've no idea what the average thermostat setting might be in Europe (or the U.S) . Mine's set at 12C (so roughly 53F) and that seems adequate for most of the house. A couple of rooms that are most used have additional heating (a wood fire and an AGA) but for bedrooms etc that setting seems fine. I must say I'd find 66 uncomfortably warm....
>>>>>
>>>>>I remember reading somewhere that reducing the setting by 1 degree can reduce your heating costs by 10%
>>>>>But that's seems a stupid statistic - the obvious thing to do would be to set it to 70 then reduce it by 10 degrees at which point your heating costs should be approaching zero!
>>>>
>>>>53 degrees! You're a better man than I, Gungha Dhun ;-)
>>>
>>>Checked our only thermometer (in the kitchen which is probably the wamest room) when I got up this morning - 40 F. Just wear a decent sweater....
>>
>>That was the practice when I lived in Germany. Everyone kept their homes around 50 - 55 degrees F in the winter (if it was even that warm) and overdressed inside to keep warm. It makes it really cold when you get out of the bath! :o)
>
>Easily avoided - just bath in cold water (g)

Brrrr! :o) When I was 11 or 12, I lived in an old Victorian house in Wisconsin. My bedroom was in the attic (3rd floor) and there was no insulation or heat. We never ran heat up there but we did insulate the rafters the 2nd winter. Since it was entirely wood, my parents wouldn't allow any type of portable heat device either (too afraid of a fire burning the whole house down with us in it). It was coooollllldddd in the Wisconsin winters up there.

My cousins had a farmhouse with no bathroom for many years. I'll never forget in the middle of winter having to go outside (and quite a distance from the house too) to use the outhouse. They had no heat in their upstairs rooms either. That was actually pretty common until many years later when people starting running central heating and air throughout the newer homes. For so long it was considered an unecessary luxury.