I am also medically vulnerable. One by product of this is poor circulation which means I really feel the cold, particularly hands and feet. We can significantly reduce our energy usage though with warm clothes, blankets and watching more tv in bed ! We have a plan. Both of us can remember the days before central heating when we were kids. By the way our energy bills have been going down all year as we are using less energy. I’m just talking about the choices we are making as we have better things to spend our money on. It’s not a recommendation for anyone else.
Yes I remember those days, ten of us in a council house, one coal fire in the front room to heat the whole house, all hot water heated from behind the coal fire. Frozen patterns on the inside of all windows where breathing formed condensation which froze overnight, no washing machines in those days just an old copper with a gas ring under it to heat the washing water, bread and dripping for dinner or if you were unlucky like I was on a couple of occasions spreading lard on dry bread. Lucky to have bread I suppose eh !