Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

ka7e

Re electric fans - don't ever leave them on in an empty room! You only feel cooler due to the "wind chill" factor when you stand right in front of it - it doesn't actually cool the air at all. You would need to extract the warm air and chill it, which is what an air-conditioning unit does.

bambieyes

I space my dining room chairs in middle of floor then drape bedding over them to dry overnight. Works for me as even in winter they are dry in morning and leaves me airer free for clothing. Also use the chairs to dry towels overnight.

bambieyes

ka7e wrote: »

Re electric fans - don't ever leave them on in an empty room! You only feel cooler due to the "wind chill" factor when you stand right in front of it - it doesn't actually cool the air at all. You would need to extract the warm air and chill it, which is what an air-conditioning unit does.

Thanks for that. This is something I do when weather gets hot. Didnt think of it that way!

Olliebeak

For anybody with an upstairs landing bannister, try draping things over it overnight. A king-size duvet fits exactly on mine and will dry overnight. I also put used towels over it after having a shower. Only two of us here, and we use one bath sheet and one hand towel each all week - works for us because neither of us has a 'really dirty job'. I've also draped fitted sheets over the corner of bedroom doors to finish drying.

horsechestnut

I hang clothes on coat or skirt/trouser hangers on the door frames of the upstairs rooms (heat rises and they are generally out of sight).

If you hand wash woollens give them a light spin and they will dry more quickly.

alice-mary

What a great thread! I've spent ages reading through all the tips and even though it is only the beginning of July, I'm thinking of buying extra HWB's from pound shop, blankets from charity shops to make into door curtains and sausage dogs etc. I've decided to not use the TD again unless an absolute crisis occurs so it's an extra clothes horse for me too. I bought a slow cooker this week so I'll give it a go this weekend and with some careful planning, start using the freezer more economically! I usually knit or crochet blankets in the evenings in front of the TV anyway, so that keeps my hands nice and warm while my lap is covered by the results (my late Nan always did this and she used to get us to unpick hand knitted jumpers that she'd bought at local jumble sales so that she always had plenty of wool). Thanks for all the great tips, I'll keep on checking to see if there are any more... it seems like summer is already over for us here in the midlands, but then again, it IS the second week of Wimbledon AND the British Grand Prix is this weekend, so maybe the sun will re appear after that!

[Deleted User]

fingerless knitted (or sewn out of old fleece) gloves are great for warmth, when knitting or typing. Warm hands, back and neck make the whole body feel warm and cosy

miserly_mum

Hi i'm hoping one of you clever MSE'ers can give me some advice? I've read posts from people saying they set their thermostat a few degrees lower and it saves £X % a year etc.

I have oil heating. I have a thermostat in my hall with a dial from 0-25 degrees but I also have a thermostat in the boiler house outside which ranges from 0-90 degrees. What should the outside one be set at so that the inside one is working efficiently? Hope i'm making sense?

Also I heat my water using the oil aswell and there is a small dial at the bottom of the tank in the airing cupboard reading from 1-9 what should this be set at to be efficient?

Bear in mind the only water we need to heat is for washing dishes and washing hands or OH shaving as we have an electric shower that heats the water as we use it and we have no bath.

mardatha

thanks Kittie. This computer is in a freezing back room that faces north and in winter is awful.

[Deleted User]

miserly mum, you have two variables here so you have to work on one at a time. Set the hall one on whatever you think you can cope with (perhaps 18)

see how it goes for a day or two. If you are too warm then tweak the boiler one a bit lower. I would keep a chart of some sort. It will be trial and error