To what extreme do you try save on heating?

Barneysmom

We have to have extreme heating here while hubby is so ill, so ours is on a lot of the time.
Right now it's off, due to come back on in an hour, and I'm really warm in my fleece pjs while he's asleep with a fleece blanket, a patchwork quilt, then another fleece blanket on top of it.

Pointless having it on while you are all out so set it to come on half an hour before you get back so it's getting warm for youe arrival?

I think that choosing the right clothes is the best way to stay warm when it's off.

jimjames

Swipe wrote: »

How did parents cope all those years before central heating became the norm?

You get used to your circumstances, I'm sure in the past we were far more able to tolerate low temperatures than we do now.

@OP, I don't think what you are doing is at all extreme. Our heating and hot water is very tightly controlled around when we are in the house and need heat/water. This year has been warmer than last year but we have not had the heating on overnight at all so far this winter.

To give some idea of the savings that are possible, when we moved into the house with the heating/water settings as per the previous owner our annual consumption was over 31,000 kWh for gas. This year it has been just over 18,000 kWh, all down to more control over the timings for the heating and water and only using it when needed. Radiators keep warm for some time after the heating goes off so you don't need heating on right to the point you leave the house. If we go out at 8am then the heating will go off around 7.30 for example.

We've just had a lot of work done to the heating system and I'm hoping that the changes will also reduce the bills as a result of the components being more efficient and giving better circulation through the system.

If everyone cut their heating bills by similar amounts to some of the previous suggestions then the UK greenhouse gas emissions target would be a lot easier to hit!

System

I know its not extreme for some but i am trying to give up my baths, having showers instead. I love my baths.

meg72

Judi wrote: »

I know its not extreme for some but i am trying to give up my baths, having showers instead. I love my baths.

I think its extreme.I have weaned myself of my nightly soak ,now only have one Lush bath a week, showers instead.But I do miss them.

One saving I ampleased with is giving up the big bath towels and using flannels instead,so much easier and cheaper to was and dry.

Kitte

I don't have a thermostat on my gas heating. I put it on when I'm cold and turn it off when I'm warm. Luckily, I have quite a tolerance of colder temperatures so provided my house is 15c or above I'm happy. The only time I'll have it on timer is for 30 minutes in the morning when it's extremely cold (<freezing) outside, just to take the edge off it.

I've recently had a wood burner installed, so this has reduced my gas use further!

Electric use is pretty constant throughout the year although I've recently purchased a dehumidifier to help stop so much condensation on our single glazed sash windows in the morning. It's doing the trick but is 250w so it will make a small but noticeable impact on my usage if I run it overnight for a few nights a week during the cold snap.

In 2011, I used 4,750kwh of Gas and 2,067kwh of electric.

Given the above, I'm expecting to use about 4,000kwh of gas and ~2,400kwh of electric in 2012.

kevin52

I'm in the turn the central heating on when your cold/get in camp. And an electric blanket has saved me a fortune.

happy35

i also have been turning the heating on when I need it, if it does turn freezing then I will put it on timer

I have found that I have used less gas this year, we are using between 3 and 5 m3 of gas per day at the moment, OH has a bath every day whereas DS and I have a shower

I have found that I havent needed the heating on that much and have used my slanket more this year for sitting watching tv etc and my hot water bottle for bed

I would love an electriv blanket but have a feather bed on top of my mattress as it is really hard and uncomfortable despite being expensive, and think I read somewhere that you shouldnt use both together because of a fire risk

I am busy saving for a new mattress so will be treating myself to an electric blanket for next winter

grahamc2003

Kitte wrote: »

Electric use is pretty constant throughout the year although I've recently purchased a dehumidifier to help stop so much condensation on our single glazed sash windows in the morning. It's doing the trick but is 250w so it will make a small but noticeable impact on my usage if I run it overnight for a few nights a week during the cold snap.

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Looks like your dehumidifier isa compressor type. Unless you have economy 7, you'd be better off running it when the room is the warmest, which is likely to be in the day. They are very sensitive to temperature, and the figures the manufacturers quote about removeing 8 or 9 litres per day are quoted at 100% RH and about 28C. For more normal situations, say 20C and 70%rh dropping to 60%rh, these things take out about 2 or 3 litres per day ime. If the room temp drops to about 10c, then they take out pretty much nothing, yet still, depending on the setting, can use about 250W.

Dessicant dehumidifiers aren't sentitive to temperature, so you can run them down to zero at the same water extracting efficiency, although they are more costly to run, but also give out more heating.

Sash windows, although beautiful, aren't half leaky (at least mine are). We have secondary double glazing which I just put up for a few winter months, which works really well.

mothershipton

we have the heating on in the morning for about an hour then in the evening from 4.30 till 7pm. Then if we get cold put it on again, however we have blankets and cats!

t0rt0ise

jimjames wrote: »

You get used to your circumstances, I'm sure in the past we were far more able to tolerate low temperatures than we do now.

Not me. I was brought up with little heating in the house and none in the bedroom and often woke to ice on the inside of the windows. And I absolutely hated it. I hated getting out of bed in the morning to a freezing cold room. I hated it all.

I love the way there now seems to be a sort of competition to see how much cold people can tolerate, as if it's the better people who are hardier. Well, I feel the cold and therefore have the heating on for longer and set higher than most I expect. But so what?