Jasmine, West Sussex

13 January 2011

I have lived in a privately rented house for three years. It is an old farmworkers cottage and beautiful with a lot of character. However, it has no central heating.

During the autumn and spring it is fine to rely on a coal fire and it makes my living room fairly comfortable. However in the middle of winter when it's below zero on the hill, with only one room with a heat source and the wind whistling under the doors and through the wooden windows, it can be a bit challenging.

Taking a bath or shower has to be a very quick affair and needs to be super hot so that you don't feel the cold so much when trying to get dry. Going to bed I have to sleep in socks and pyjamas with two hot water bottles and two duvets (and usually two cats who actually climb under the covers with me to try to escape the cold). I am not exaggerating.

Last year I found myself catching a lot of colds and getting very tired and drowsy all the time, so much so that I went to stay at my mother's house for a week. Once I finally got warm, I actually regained some energy.

I am convinced I was beginning to suffer from hypothermia. I have even had chilblains on my feet.

My grandmothers talked about finding ice on the insides of the windows (when they were lasses) - I always thought it was just a myth, but I have since learned that it is frequently true in my house.

I love my home and don't want to give it up. But my landlord will not entertain the thought of putting in central heating (although I notice his radiators are always very warm in his house next door).

This year I asked for calor gas heaters for Christmas from my family!