Cold weather: one simple, cat-like Working From Home tip to keep you warm amid UK Met Office weather warnings
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Beat the chill without cranking the heating; your home’s warm spots can work for you ☀️
- The UK is facing a notable cold snap, with snow and ice warnings across much of the country
- Remote workers could struggle to stay warm at home without increasing energy bills
- But following cats’ leads by seeking sun, sheltered corners, and warm spots is a simple, low-cost tip
- Rearranging your workspace to capture ‘passive heat’ can make you feel noticeably warmer.
- Small shifts like sitting near interior walls, sunlit areas, or warm appliances can also reduce heating use
With snow and ice warnings sweeping across the UK this week, many people working from home are bracing for a familiar dilemma: how do you stay warm at your desk without nudging up already-punishing energy bills?
Snow has already settled across parts of Scotland, with yellow warnings covering Northern Ireland, northern Scotland, north-east England, Yorkshire, Wales and much of central England.
An amber snow warning is also in force for parts of Yorkshire on Thursday (November 20), where 15–25cm could fall on higher ground, bringing likely power cuts and travel disruption.
While the weather outside is ramping up, the biggest challenge remote workers face isn’t the commute, it’s the chill that creeps in during long hours spent sitting still. And if you’re trying to keep bills down, cranking up the heating all day simply isn’t an option.
But there’s a surprisingly low-cost way to stay warm while working from home... take a leaf out of a cat’s book.
How thinking like a cat can save on energy bills
Cats are natural masters of heat. They seek out sunbeams, curl up in corners that are sheltered from drafts, and settle on surfaces that are just the right temperature.
You don’t need to buy expensive gadgets or turn up the heating, you just need to follow their lead and work with the heat your home already produces.
As such, try to shift your priority from warming the room, to warming the person, and rearrange your working spot to capture “passive heat”.
Most of us choose where to sit based on convenience: near a plug socket, a nice view or where the Wi-Fi is strongest. But in cold weather, where you place yourself in a room can make the biggest difference to your comfort, without spending a penny.
Every home has pockets of “passive heat” created by sunlight, warm appliances, rising air and sheltered areas away from draughts. Move your workspace into one of these micro-warm zones, and you can feel several degrees warmer instantly.
The easiest way to do it: chase natural light
If your home gets direct sun at any point in the morning or afternoon, park your desk or laptop in that spot. Even winter sunlight warms surfaces and skin more than you think, and unlike the heating, it’s completely free.
People often overlook this because the room itself might still feel cold, but sitting in a sun-patch can keep your core noticeably warmer for hours. If sunlight isn’t an option, try one of these passive-heat alternatives:
- Sit near interior walls, not exterior ones. External walls lose heat fastest; moving just a metre or two can stop the cold radiating through your back.
- Work in the smallest room you reasonably can. It retains more body heat and gets warmer as you occupy it.
- Position yourself higher up. Warm air rises, so working on an upper floor or even sitting on a higher chair can make a difference.
- Use “indirect heat” from appliances you already have on. The kitchen is often warmer thanks to fridges, freezers and cooking heat; even a laptop setup at the dining table can feel cosier.
Individually, these shifts sound minor, but people who try them often report feeling warmer within minutes, enough to avoid switching on heating during working hours.
And with temperatures dipping below freezing in parts of the UK, icy patches forming overnight and more snow pushing inland from the North Sea, every tiny saving helps.
As the cold snap continues, finding the warmest corner of your home could be the simplest, cheapest way to stay comfortable while you work.
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