Reducing gas so we don't get in debt

msmicawber

Another thing to look at when adjusting your time settings is whether you have your hot water coming on for the same amount of time as your heating. Most controls don't allow you to set water & heating independently, so you end up paying a fortune heating water that you don't need. I set the timer to come on twice a day for brief periods then manually switch the heating back on if it's cold and switch it off again later. It makes a big difference.

rog2

As your house is quite old, you may qualify for grants, from your local council, for all sorts of energy efficient improvements. Worth checking out as this will also improve the value of the property.

Kerryc82

Massive thank you to all of you who have posted comments and advice on this thread - I have taken on board what you have said and I am going to make some changes before even considering remortgaging just yet! I will have to sit my OH down and talk him out of it as he seems to like to get things done instead of cutting down and saving.
I am really impressed with some of the ideas that people have come up with that when I next get paid I will be on the search for various items (heater, thicker curtains, keyhole covers, hot water bottles etc) so I will be ready for the winter!
Unfortunately, I dont qualify for a warm front grant. I haven't provided a gas meter reading recently but if I do keep a note daily of how much we spend then I will hopefully keep on top of it. I am also going to turn the boiler off completely and leave it on only for baths and washing up (is it economical to boil a kettle to use for washing up?....probably).

Thanks again peeps
Kerry (v. The Winter)
xx

CFC

Hi Kerry, a job which you should do when you can afford it is to fit thermostats to all of your radiators. This is not terrifically expensive, you can save up for it by buying a thermostat a week at your local B&Q or Wickes and then find a plumber (by word of mouth) who will fit them without screwing you over. Then turn down the rads in the halls (Vicky houses usually have long halls unless house has been remodelled), the stairs, and the spare room if you have one. Turn em right down or off. Turn the ones in your sitting room down as well and you will find you save a complete bundle.

Also go to https://www.uswitch and check out your gas and leccie prices against the competition - you may well find you can get a cheaper deal elsewhere. See the article on here about Utilities.

calleyw

msmicawber wrote:

Another thing to look at when adjusting your time settings is whether you have your hot water coming on for the same amount of time as your heating.

Makes no difference with a combi boiler as you don't have a hot water tank.

It only heats when the water comes out of the tap.

But if you have hot water tank then granted it is something to look at as well as making sure you water tank has a very stylish jacket on;)


Yours


Calley