Preparing for winter II

Confuzzled

i hope everyone is nice and toasty warm where they are...

all this talk of toasty wood burners (i want one!) has got me thinking about my current situation. we've been wanting to move to edinburgh when our lease renewal comes up but it's become appearant that i will HAVE to buy a new computer before then because mine is barely able to handle my work needs now so that plan has been put on hold for at least another year because i will have to use part of my deposit/moving costs savings for the computer.

so i started thinking about the differences between this place and the average cost for a 2 bed flat around here and doing some research and it would appear i pay about 75 quid a month more in rent than the norm. now this place is easy to heat and in reasonable nick but i can't see another place costing me another full 75quid a month extra for utilities on top of what i already pay so i think we're gonna move locally when our lease comes up for renewal (it'll increase in price again too like it did last time!)

i'd been very hesitant to leave a reasonably cozy place but all your tips and shared knowledge and my own successes make me fairly confident i can manage in a less insulated place and just sort things out myself. plus this time around i'd know what to really look for and to ask questions about the boiler type etc. a local move will be much less expensive as most places here only charge 1 months rent as deposit and rents are lower, i was saving up for 2 months rent as deposit for edinburgh plus moving costs to edinburgh would be significantly higher so i think this is a good idea for the interim.

my lease is up at the beginning of may but i have to give 2 months notice so i will be looking at flats in feb/march and so i'll have an idea of how cold it is in there, where the draughts are and will have an opportunity to spot damp issues (or smell them!). so thank you all for giving me the courage to do this.

being self - employed means i really have to plan ahead for things so this should save me some money each month AND the area i have in mind will mean i won't have to take taxis home from the grocery store anymore (i have bad knees and can't handle the extra weight on the way back, i already pay heavily for walking into town unladen!) so that will be an extra savings... anyway thanks everyone, you've helped me to realise that whilst another flat isn't a given it isn't necessarily a financial nightmare either even if i do pay a bit more in electricity because of the overall savings that can be made.

btw i'm curious how everyone is getting on with their heating? it's been very cold here in the nights the last week or so, well nippy in the day too. i've had heating on one radiator the last two nights but just for a few hours. i've decided it will be better to keep the heating on a very low level rather than let the house get cold. however, if i get to a point where i don't need the blanket on my lap or i start taking off my slipper boots because i'm too hot then i won't use the heat the next night.

i've also decided that i'll alternate which heater i use each night they are on, so one night it will be the big living room one, the next the smaller hall one. i will only turn the heater on in the cold back bedroom when it gets down to 13C in there miday so i don't get any damp issues.

overall i'm pleased that it's the first week of november and i'm not having to have the heating on all the time... just curious how others are doing especially if you live in a colder region.

pagangirl

Hi Confuzzled - lurker here !

I've been really lucky this year, only had heat on 3 times so far - like you I have blanket over knees at night, not felt cold enough this last week to need any heat on. Something I picked up on ages ago on this thread, was to put something under your feet while sitting down (works brilliantly for me as always got cold feet ) I use folded up fleece blanket on the floor - polystyrene tiles are supposed to be good too.

Only have radiator on low in living room as live in 1 bed apartment. Kitchen warm enough, hall/bathroom don't need it, can happily have cold bedroom as long as snuggly warm in bed.

This is brilliant thread, learnt so much from the last one, was ready for winter in advance last year, and saved on gas/electric bills - so thanks for all the advice and tips folks. :T:T:T

Hugs to all
xx

coco1980

My heating has been on quite a lot apart from night before last when boiler broke, flat was freezing when we got home yesterday, but the nice plumber came out last night and fixed it but he has said it has been an ongoing problem with the boiler in his flat and they have already told our landlord they need to go in under the floor as they think theres a leak:eek: fingers crossed it gets sorted before really cold weather comes in, we're in Glasgow so not the best place for winter:o

stiltwalker

Hope your boiler behaves coco1980, we've just had a new one put in as ours went 2 weeks ago and it's not fun being without heating! Found a very small puddle and rang LA to ask him to get plumber to come and look on the Thurs then by Fri morning when we got up it was completely dead so had to ring again and say please can you bump me up the list. To be fair he did, but the boiler had completely had it and was a big job so had sort out right man for job to get new one in. Long story short it's taken 2 weeks but at least we had an immersion heater for hot water and I'd done all my winter prep so that helped.

Can be hard at this time of year to get plumbers straight away for that kind of job so keep on at LL to try and get it fixed before it goes completely.

Good luck

diddly74

Had a call from my LLs Plumber tonight! Yay, after several weeks waiting for our heating to get fixed (if we put the water heater on the heating comes on and boils us, doesn't seem to respond to the thermostat at all - they think its a diverter valve) He is coming on Weds Morning! :T He is bringing a valve so we have to hope that it is that.

Eenymeeny

Hi Confuzzled, sounds like you've made the right decision with your living accomodation, an extra £75 a month would make a big difference in your pocket, good luck with house hunting, although moving can be an expensive business too.
Heating...this is our frst winter in our new home and I'm being very cautious by turning it on when I feel cold and just giving it an hour at a time. Not sure if this is the most efficent but feels right to me as we need it for hot water too. Like you, I've learnt a lot from this thread and wear warm clothes, use blankets when sitting around and using insulation and draught proofing ideas. The house does seem well-insulated anyway so fingers crossed! Thanks everyone!:T

skilly

Hi,hope this helps these with a log burners :-)
• Alder: a softwood with a high water content. It gives out little heat and doesn't
last for long.
• Apple: a hardwood that burns slowly and steadily when dry, with little flame,
giving good heat. The scent is pleasant.
• Ash: a hardwood that is considered the best for burning; it gives out a good flame
and heat, and will burn when green, however it is never a good idea to burn green
wood in a stove.
• Beech: considered a rival to ash, though not a close one. It does tend to spit out
embers far into the room, so beware using in an open fire, but ideal for a stove.
• Birch: a hardwood that produces a good heat but it burns quickly. The smell is
pleasant.
• Cedar: a softwood that burns well when dry. Much better in a stove than in an
open fireplace.
• Cherry: another hardwood that burns slowly, giving out good heat. It also gives
off a nice smell when burnt.
• Chestnut: this must be one of the noisiest firewoods, best in a stove. It has a
small flame and doesn't give out much heat. Avoid if possible, or mix these logs
with a hardwood.
• Douglas Fir: not much good.
• Elder: a softwood that is very smoky. It is a quick burner, without much heat.
• Elm: this is commonly offered for sale due to Dutch Elm disease. To burn well it
needs to be kept for two years. Even then it will smoke. Vary variable fuel.
• Hazel: good.
• Holly: good, best seasoned for a year, like all logs for woodburning stoves.
• Hornbeam: almost as good as beech.
• Laburnum: one to avoid because it is a poisonous tree, giving acrid smoke,
tainting food and best never used. However it can be used by wood turners as it
has a beautiful pattern.
• Larch: a softwood that gives a crackly sound. It gives out a scent, and is quite
good for heat.
• Laurel: gives a good bright flame.
• Lime: not a favourite as it has a poor flame.
• Maple: another hardwood that is good for burning.
• Oak: a hardwood, it gives out few flames and the smoke is acrid. Dry old oak is
excellent for heat, burning slowly and steadily.
• Pear: a hardwood giving good heat scent.
• Pine: is a softwood that burns with a good flame, but it is apt to spit. The resinous
Weymouth pine has a lovely scent and an interesting blue flame.
• Plane: burns fairly well, but is prone to throwing sparks.
• Plum: hardwood that gives heat and scent.
• Poplar: one to avoid.
• Rhododendron: the thick old stems, being very tough, burn well.
• Robinia (Acacia): burns slowly, with good heat, but with acrid smoke, so use in a
woodburner as opposed to an open fire.
• Spruce: a softwood that burns very quickly and gives out a lot of sparks - one to
avoid if possible.
• Sycamore: burns with a good flame, with moderate heat.
• Thorn: one of the best woods. It burns slowly, giving a good heat and not much
smoke.
• Walnut: hardwood that gives out very good heat and a beautiful aroma.
• Willow: Poor as it has a high water content. It must be dry to use, and then it
burns slowly, with little flame and sparks.
• Yew: burns slowly, with fierce heat, and the scent is pleasant

Missed leylandii on that list, good wood to burn as always it should be seasoned.

calleyw

toffee65 wrote: »

I know 15.00 is dear but I picked up similar lanterns from B&Q end of season for £2 each and taller than those in the link.

Ikea do a tea light lantern for £3.99 the name of the product is rotera and comes in different finishes. I had some a few years ago and got rid of them not sure why. But they where nice little things and did get very warm.

I know I have said it before but will just say it again.

Candles burn up the oxygen in a room. So do make sure that the room you are using is not over insulated. And you do allow fresh air in to the room every so often.

Yours

Calley

mardatha

Snowing heavy here, but not lying yet

Fruball

mardatha wrote: »

Snowing heavy here, but not lying yet

:eek::eek:

I am a long way from you, down sarfff so I hope we aren't going to expect any of the white stuff any time soon!!!