I found this document online while searching for information for another thread. It makes for some interesting reading on how energy consumption has changed in Britain over the last 30-odd years.
www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy_consumption/ecuk.pdf
Households are also kept warmer than they were in 1970 and more households have central heating which has made internal temperatures easier to manage. In 1970 5.6 million homes were centrally heated, this had increased to 21.7 million by 2000, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all households in Great Britain. Average internal temperatures increased from 13ºC in 1970 to 18ºC in 2000.
Imagine how cold it must have been in some homes if the
average was 13°C.
Tell me about it C-H! Until we moved into a new house with central heating (a last minute addition I believe) in 1967 I distinctly remember as a youngster waking up on a winter’s morning and seeing my misty breath in the freezing temperature of the bedroom. There was a good layer of ice on the inside of the single pane of glass and standing on your PJ’s stopped your feet freezing when getting dressed.
“… and you tell the youth of today and they don’t believe you. Luxury it was!”
I know exactly what Hutch means! I remember waking up to ice on the inside of windows during some winters too. Britain really was incredibly slow to get houses insulated and properly heated.
As recently as the early 1970s even the recommended temperatures were only 55 deg. F (12.7 C) for a bedroom and 60 F (15.6C) for a living room.
It's gotten better, but there are still way too many drafty, poorly insulated houses in this country.
We could learn a lot from your area of the world C-H. I've seen it quoted somewhere that the average British home still spends more on heating in winter than the average household in central Sweden!
In all fairness, many Swedish homes were poorly insulated at least up until the 60's. My grandparents house still had single glass windows, heating only on the lower floor and no bathroom when they sold it a few years ago.
The Swedish economy boomed after WWII and many homes were built in the decades that followed. These are typically very well insulated and heated. A lot of work was also put into improving insulation and adding heating to existing homes. In fact, a recent study suggested that there had been no further improvement since 1980.
The latest homes have no heating, only very thick walls. Surprisingly it seems to work.
No heating at all? Now that's an interesting idea.
From time to time there have been educational programs on TV looking at different building methods, solar-powered homes, and experimental constructions to make best use of "natural" heat.
The victorians believed it was more "wholesome" to have a nice cold house with a stiff breeze blowing through the living room!
None of this space heating nonsence!
![[Linked Image]](https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/smile.gif)
Well, to be more accurate there is some backup heating for the coldest days of the year and to keep the house from freezing if left unoccupied. Normally, the heat from the occupants should suffice.
100W per person IIRC. Seem to recall on TV, some house heating experiments where lamps substituted for people.