Cold weather safety

We want you to be warm and well in your home.

Hypothermia (when your body temperature falls below normal) is more likely to someone who is elderly or very young.

Hypothermia can happen if you are in a temperature of below 6°C (43°F) for 2 hours or more.

Avoiding hypothermia

Here are some simple tips to help you avoid hypothermia.

During the day:

set your room thermostat to around 21°C (70°F) and heat all the rooms you use in the day
if you can't heat all your rooms make sure you keep your living room warm and heat your bedroom before going to bed
set the timer on your heating to come on before you get up and switch off when you go to bed
in very cold weather, rather than turn the thermostat up, set the heating to come on earlier so you won't be cold while you wait for your home to heat up.

At night:

try to keep a temperature above 18°C (65°F) in your bedroom
if you use a fire or heater in your bedroom during winter, open the window or door a little at night for ventilation
an electric blanket will help to keep you warm but never use together with a hot water bottle as you could electrocute yourself
keep your curtains closed.

In general:

use draught excluders around doors and windows (especially if you can only heat one room), but don’t block up any vents
have plenty of hot drinks and food
wear plenty of thin layers, rather than one thick one
put on a coat, hat, scarf, gloves and warm shoes or boots when you go outside
wear clothes made of wool, cotton, or fleecy synthetic fibres
stay warm in bed with bed socks, thermal underwear and a nightcap or headscarf.

The signs of hypothermia are:

drowsiness
slurred speech
no longer feeling cold even though the room is very cold
very cold skin in areas that are normally covered (stomach and under the armpits).