Central Heating Wolverhampton

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How Did Humans Survive Cold Weather During the Winter?

Central heating is a system that we rely on daily for survival. In almost every building across the globe, a central heating system is equipped. Central heating systems keep our buildings warm enough for us to survive and provide us with hot water for washing and cleaning. Without central heating systems, we’d have to rely on other sources of heat in our homes to keep warm, including fires and thick coats. Until the era of the Romans, central heating didn’t exist, however, there is evidence that Korean’s used a specific and unique type of central heating called Ondol as early as 5000 BC. Before the Romans and ancient Koreans, humans had to rely on other sources of heat for survival during cold weather. There are various different ways that humans coped before central heating, which are all explained in depth in this blog.

Why aren’t humans adapted to survive in cold weather?

As humans aren’t adapted to surviving in cold conditions and can struggle to survive in mildly cold conditions, they are essentially tropical animals. The reason for our species living in colder conditions is due to behavioural adaptations such as the inventing central heating, wearing appropriate clothing, and building shelters. For humans to successfully survive colder temperatures, it requires two simultaneous events. The first being sufficient body heat from burning food and secondly, preventing the loss of that heat by suitable clothing. It depends on the extent of the exposure and the duration of spending time in the cold to determine the temperature that a human would not be able to survive in. A naked person would start to feel cold if the surrounding temperature dropped below around 25 degrees celsius. Physiological natural responses and diverted blood away from the skin would then begin to kick in. Regular human body core temperature is usually 37 degrees Celcius. Anything below this the cold feeling is very intense and the skin may start to feel numb or have a slight blue/grey tinge as a result of diverted blood flow. In reverse, 38 degrees Celcius body temperature can make a person feel very uncomfortable and 40 degrees is life-threatening and would require immediate medical attention. 

Wool

During medieval times, mean would keep warm during the winter by wearing a linen shirt with underclothes, additionally to mittens made of wool or leather, and woollen coats with a hood over a tight cap called a coif. These items of clothing were especially popular with men who were outlaws. Even during the rainier days, men would wear their wet woollen clothing to remain warm and comfortable. Hypothermia can occur at any time when the air temperature is below 15 degrees Celcius, therefore, men had to consistently maintain the proper body temperatures with thick woollen clothing. The preferred option for clothing during the winter for men was leather from deer or pigs, which men would use to make cloaks or hoods to stay warm. 

Huge Fireplaces

In the United States in the 18th century, the rich would have fireplaces in every room of their homes. This was the main source of heat for the bigger homes that the rich owned. Besides this, simpler homes would have one big fireplace made of brick or stone that people could walk in to. Stratford hall, which is a mansion on the Potomac, had a mansion that was 12 feet wide and was large enough to fit a whole ox inside. Some of the early fireplaces required logs that were so large, they had to be dragged into the house by a horse and chain. 

Hibernation with Animals

In France and Russia, people would sleep for numerous hours of the day when winter came around. A civil servant living in Burgundy in the winter of 1844 wrote that the men would spend their days in bed, packing their bodies tightly together in order to stay warm and to eat less food. The citizens of the French Alps would hibernate with their farms’ cows and pigs during the winter months to stay warm.

Central Heating Installation Wolverhampton

Blue Flame Energy Solutions offer central heating installation in Wolverhampton and in the West Midlands area, as an addition to providing various other services such as air conditioning, power flushing, ECO scheme boiler installation, boiler installation and more. If you believe that your central heating system requires replacement or you require a new central heating system installed into a new property, get in touch with Blue Flame Energy Solutions today for a quote. Our team will arrange for your central heating system to be installed promptly and efficiently.