Is It Cheaper to Heat the Person Rather Than the Whole House?
Is It Cheaper to Heat the Person Rather Than the Whole House? If one person is sitting in one chair, do we really need to heat twelve thousand litres of air around them? For many households, this is no longer an academic question. As autumn turns into winter, people begin looking at the thermostat and wondering what the next energy bill will bring. Some respond by heating the whole house less. Others retreat into one or two rooms, close doors, turn down radiators elsewhere and put on another jumper. I see this very close to home. My mother is 95. She worries about the cost of heating an entire house when she spends most of her time in only a few rooms. She turns off radiators in rooms she does not use, closes the doors and keeps the rooms she does occupy at around 18°C. In fact, that basic idea is very close to current Age UK advice: keep the rooms you use most at a steady, comfortable temperature—around 18°C is suggested—while unused rooms can have their radiators turned o...