We had central heat as most people did. However our house was extremely drafty. And my father kept the thermostat at 60. No wonder we all dreaded taking a bath all winter.
And my cousins’ family farm house had central heat on the main floor, but only an opening in the main floor ceiling with a grate on the floor above. The heat was supposed to eek its way through to the bedrooms above. I recall staying over several times when there was frost on the inside of the windows. They eventually got electric blankets for everyone to make it bearable.
This was in rural Iowa in the 60s
I remember the icy windows, and I loved it. We had a coal furnace with no heat registers. Not only that, but we didn’t buy coal, we went to the docks where they unloaded, and picked up the leavings to save money.
In the 60’s, my dad remodeled, put on new siding, insulating behind. We kids and dad crawled under the house and installed vents for each room, and insulated it for the new electric furnace. Of course, there were no double pane windows, but it was fine. THEN, he covered the tile floors with wall to wall carpet.... NOW we were living. ... Then Mom wanted to move to a nicer neighborhood. Us kids were crushed, it was the only house we knew. I always missed that old house. The new one had three bedrooms and a rec room, and a garage. So the 6 kids could have our own room. Three boys in one room, two girls in another and big sister got her own. Then of course Mom and Dad in the Master.. The boys room was the Rec room... I don’t ever remember bitchin’ about crowding or being too cold.
The longer nights of winter must have gotten right cold.
Adams and Franklin shared a bed at one point in 1776, can’t remember which of the two bemoaned it but it must have been a habit borne of the need to keep warm.
Getting up for a little while in the dead of night in the middle of winter was also a common practice during colonial times. Stoke the fires, maybe write a letter under candlelight, then back to bed until the break of dawn.
Our old farm house in Iowa had forced air from the basement going 2 floors up where us kids slept. Had 4-5 blankets on the bed in winter. Frost on the windows. The single thermostat was in the living room downstairs of course!
No AC for those hot summer days either! In the 70’s -80’s.