As part of the stress test series I am looking at a new test for us.
This next test is easy to do but I suspect will have a big impact on you. Just turn off the heating on Friday morning as you leave the house for work or turn it off after you have had breakfast and are ready for the day. The heat will disapate during the day. This test includes not using hot water from the tap as well as heating from any equipment plugged into the mains.
Read the full details of the heating test here. This article was triggered by a reminder from WetandCold on the forum who appears to do these tests regularly. I myself am delinquent unless I want to check things out. His ways have advantages.
My uncle said to me more than once that the introduction of central heating was the start of our decline. It made us weak and reliant on others. I think it was just one of the reasons.
Let us know how you get on.
Other good trials include going up to the hills in your car or some such thing in absolutly sh*t state weather and being out and about in just your day clothes, without any preps save a change of clothes for when you’ve had enough.
Me and my boys went out on the west yorkshire moors the other week just as it was getting dark, that adds another experience to any outing as well going in the dark.
The wind was howling, nearly blowing us backwards and thats no little task, I weigh 200lbs+!!
It was also pi**ing it down so adding wet, mud and wind chill into the equation.
Fantastic experience especialy with a warm car to get into after….
But a good trial nontheless as you could see where to get shelter from the wind and rain etc.
I run this trial everyday, every year in cold weather.
My old house leaks like a sieve. The heater is tempermental and comes on when the sun is out.
I don’t run the heat at night so it is extra cold of a morning and the heater won’t come on.
The house is built up off the ground and the floor is drafty and cold. When the heater does come on your feet and shins are cold but if you stand up you will pass out from heat stroke.
The gas company has some affliate something or other that has been buggin’ to come check the house out to see what they can estimate a list of charges to seal the place up like a vacumn.
I for one like a leaky house don’t have to worry about that carbon monoxide wafting around killing ya.
But I have the handiest cheapest way of sealing up cracks. I fold up old cereal boxes and stick them in the cracks in the door (because it needs to be rehung)and that works just dandy. I do have new windows which really helped, before them I think I could have burned the place down around me and never got warm.
But I do know one thing I would rather be in a cold house than outside. Man walls sure make a differnce, especially if there is a breeze.
Even now that I am old and my blood is thin I don’t like a hot house. When I was a young thing I didn’t want to think about heat, would swell up like the goodyear blimp.
And I am glad I don’t live where it snows. Its bad enough dealing with fog. Sometimes the fog cold will cut through you like a knife and it will linger forever.
The only thing I hate, hate, hate is a cold bed. Man what a miserable night you will put in. I made the mistake of curling up in a ball and couldn’t straighten up as the bed where my body wasn’t was like ice. I had a hard time standing straight up after getting out of bed.
All in all as my sister said,”I can put on enough stuff to get warm, but I can’t pull off enough stuff to get cold”.
Now if we are talking about another “ICE AGE” I shall freeze most assuredly. Oh, well do have a Snuggle maybe that will help.
It doesnt count for me cos as soon as wifey and brat leave on a morning the heating is turned off, I wear multi layers of clothing most of the day. The only hot water come from the kettle and I have both a leccy one and a old style one so I can heat water either way. And I live much further north than most of our members cept our Scots colleagues 🙂
nr i can beat you on the cold thing i live on the english side of the border high on the hills it makes me feel sorry for the romans that were stuck here because when it’s c**p weather it’s no fun bet hadrian was staying down south when he wanted that wall built lol
Mike,
I spent a year in Redcar. It was like that all the time. My new car broke down (I was rich then) and I called the garage to pick it up and while I was waiting for them the wind was making a chill factor of about -200 (give or talk a bit) and I had to lean into the wind to stay up. As the guy was loading the car on the trailer I asked him ‘Was it always as windy as this?’ and his reply was ‘What wind?’ That described it to a tee and he was right the wind got worse into the winter.
Ellen, NR,
The difference with this is you have no residual heat. It is cold everywhere and at all times. However, it sounds like you already have a head start because you are not living in a house heated 24/7. It’s still a valid test though. You will find a difference.