Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

Primrose

Fortunately we can afford to pay our fuel bills but even so, we try to economise on heating, without making ourselves miserable and chilled. It's going to be a case of everybody trying to dress sensibly indoors this winter (which already seems to have arrived!) The old wartime lessons of wearing extra layers, thermal underwear and keeping the extremities (head, hands and feet) warm need to be relearned. We have probably enjoyed cheap energy for far too long bearing in mind the earth's resources are running out. This kind of "fuel crunch" was bound to hit us sooner or later, and if the government, which has been in power for 10 years hadn't dithered for far too long on pursuing the nuclear energy option, we would be further down the road to lower reliance on imported gas and electricity.

jennet1

I have just spent the morning making tin foil covered cardboard panels to pin to the wall behind the radiators, have done half the house, has anyone who has already done this noticed a real difference when the heating is on? don't want to turn it on to test it!! would rather sit here in my 3 layers of clothing and hot cuppa:coffee:

ailz95

I'm not bothering with the foil behind the radiators as we won't be having the heating on. I'm not very mobile, but intend to wrap up nice and warmly. I've set the heating thermostat for 11.5 C during the day and 5 C at night. I reckon if it goes below that indoors then we'll need it.

My main problem is going to be my hands. I'm wondering about getting fingerless gloves, but I'm not sure it's worth it. I don't mind sitting or sleeping in gloves, but it's a problem typing!

Ailz

cady

id like to know about the foil thing too.... how much difference does it make? does it mean you can lower the temp and still get the same haet or does it just heat quicker how long does it last for too?

[Deleted User]

foil works well. I did our rads as soon as we moved in. All our rads have thermostats and are on pretty low temperatures

sammy_kaye18

I only have 2 radiators that are on outside walls - our sons room and one in the living room.

Well my sons room links directly with another bottom flat behind us - ie the back wall of his room is the back wall of the other flats room (its like mirror imaged with us - so we join the other flat with our sons wall adn our bedrooms back wall - then we join our neighbours to the side through our bedroom wall. Then ihave a flat above us. Im determined not to give him any heat this year.

The radiator in our bedroom doesnt work but we havent felt the cold in there yet. I havent had the heating on yet either instead am jsut dressing sensibly - not so bad now that little one is in full tiem school either as his classroom is nice and snug and hes going to school with a vest, tshirt and jumper on (not to mention a fleece lined waterproof jacket) and long socks under his trousers so i know hes ok and kept snuggly which means i can sit around looking like the michelin woman in my many layers and not have the heating on whilst hes out then when he gets in hes changes into a fleecy dressing gown and has a hot chocolate.

Tomorrow i think i will be lining his bedroom curtains with a spare fleece blanket that i have - I dont really open his curtains anyway but when they are open they are knotted in the middle of the window as he has no tie backs so the fleece blanket wont make much of a difference to the looks but will to retaining the heat i hope. Also hopign i can find a way to keep his bottom sheet stay on - hes in a cot bed at present and hsi wrigglign in the night pulls his bottom sheet off so i wanted to put either a spare duvet or fleece under it but im worried he'd just pull the lot up - thinking some sort of elastic pinned to each side of the sheet would like bungee it to the beg and help it stay in place or getting a single sheet and doubling it over the bed - ie on top underneath and back over the top if it will stretch that far.

Must dig out all his pyjamas and his brothers tomorrow and get them all washed and dried for them.may see if i can find another spare fleece to put in or bedroom or under our bottom sheet because our curtains are funny and dont think the fleece blanket would work too well.

May ring the council about the radiator too at some point as ive drained it and it still wont work.

foreversomeday

Hello, I'm looking for tips on not using my heating!

I will probably just put it on if it gets too cold when baby arrives because I wouldn't want him to get too cold, but at the moment it seems silly when I am the only one in the house. I think I ought to get some slipper socks, I have some nice cosy socks but they don't have grippy bits on so are a bit lethal in the kitchen. I can't stand wearing shoes indoors though, so it is slippy socks or bare feet for me. At the moment I spend a lot of time wrapped in blankets but this isn't very practical for wandering around the house and the air is so miserably cold on my face/nose it just makes me feel depressed. I hate wearing too many layers as well as I feel like I can't move my arms and I just have a weird thing about that. Oh and I don't like wearing hats because they make my head itchy!

I have read things on here about putting cling film on windows? How does that work? I do keep windows closed while cooking and open the kitchen door instead, to get the heat of the cooker into the house. Would love to keep the heat my OH generates from his showers - it's like a steam room in there afterwards! - but I am worried about the moisture making the bathroom mouldy, any tips? It's already making the paint flake off and the landlord insists he used bathroom paint but I am not convinced! At the moment we open the window after every shower (no extractor fan either) to keep the bathroom from getting too soggy/mouldy.

I have had to put the heating on today though I felt bad about it but I have justified myself because OH said he and a friend would be home in half an hour so they will need warming up too. I have made sure all windows are firmly closed (lodger has a habit of opening kitchen window while cooking and then not closing it) and turned the bathroom and kitchen radiators off, and the bedroom ones right down, and closed the doors, so all the heat should be in the living room only.

I think we could do with some kind of draft excluder for the letterbox or something for the front door as although it is in a tiny hallway (the size of an airing cupboard) it is always freezing in there and full of spiders.

mardatha

I am sitting here wondering if Gordon Brown is living on the same planet I am.

SmileyS_2

Its so very cold and wet here,I think it is everywere isn't it?

Most people I know have given in and put the heating or at least the fire but I am proud to say I havn't

Bought DS2 fleece pjs from Primark,bought the kids fleece blankets to snuggle and watch tv and on their beds at night.I have also bought from the charity shop a huge snuggly fleece jumper which I have put on in the day and this evening I have put my jammies on with my big snuggly dressing gown.Can't say I'm red hot but still refussing to put the heating on!!

Very proud of myself,normally I wouldn't think,have the heating on all day and wear a t-shirt!

SS

amanda40

I did have to give in tonight and put it on for an hour - it was freezing!! Have had it on over the last week or two trying to get the washin dry - although think it may be cheaper to use tumble for a short time just to finish off.

We have all got our fleece blankets, slippers and jumpers right enough so certainly wont be using it ( the heating)as much as we would normally do.