Possibly Bristol is just extra-damp, cuz when I was a student in York I don't remember having any sense of dampness or having mold in my room or anything.

Oh, I agree that energy use in the US is super-wasteful (our apartment building at home was so hot in winter I could wear tank tops) -- but it's made me soft. ;) Although, really, the shitty way most buildings here seem to be insulated doesn't help. It'd be cheaper to heat this house if it actually had insulation over the kitchen & bathroom. ;_;