Preparing for winter IV

craigywv

just got oil tank filled for winter grand sum of 400 quid thats me till summer just have to be canny with the on button!

bluebag

Rummer wrote: »

Oh I could weep as I mentioned before my energy supplier has hugely increased my monthly payment and after investigation I have found out they are the cheapest supplier for the amount I am using so I am going to have to drastically cut my gas and elec usage.

I thought I had done well with my winter prep but clearly have to do more, any big hints/tips?

My sympathies, it''s a real problem. I have real pain and mobility issues in the cold and my OH has circulation problems. I've done all the insultion I can without major building works.
I am wearing two fleeces, wooly socks and fluffy slippers with a blanket when I'm sat down. If I put on anything more I won't be able to move!

I think there is only so much you can cut and then it's just a case of being cold.

I really wish I had some answers for you, but it doesn't even look like it's going to get any better in the future. I think folk will be looking to share houses like the old days, or moving into smaller places that are easier to heat.

People popsicles is what we're going to have shortly.
How the elderly on a fixed budget are doing I dread to think, and anyone else on a low income. It's pretty shameful that the powers that be don't seem to have any kind of plan.

Confuzzled

Rummer wrote: »

Oh I could weep as I mentioned before my energy supplier has hugely increased my monthly payment and after investigation I have found out they are the cheapest supplier for the amount I am using so I am going to have to drastically cut my gas and elec usage.

I thought I had done well with my winter prep but clearly have to do more, any big hints/tips?

a few things i've found very helpful is wearing my fleece dressing gown around the house over my clothing (layered of course) and wearing my slipper boots.also i always sit with a fleece blanket over my lap, fleece warms up quickly and retains body heat longer than duvets plus they aren't as big so it's easier to use one at your computer desk etc etc

also if you can get a heating pad or electric blanket to use when it's really cold you'll often find that just heating locally is enough so you can keep the thermostat down.

my average temp in the flat is 17C but i'm often warm enough that i kick off my slipper boots for awhile to cool down. you will often find that after a month or too of living this way that you become more tolerant of cold inside and in my case, outside too.

i have issues with my joints but i have been able to keep most of the pain at bay by just keeping ME warm and the air around me moderately warm. obviously if you have severe issues with your joints or chillbains etc you may have to have it warmer but you get the idea

i'm so accustomed to this now that i'm somewhat dreading going to family's house for christmas, a week of 22C is going to make me feel all stuffy, i always get so sleepy over there too lol, no wonder when it's a full 5C higher temps than normal for me

as for electrics, many energy companies will give or loan an energy monitor and some libraries even loan them now. if you can it would be an eye opener to test certain items to see just how effcient or inefficient they are

and of course turn things off at the switch on the wall, don't use standby etc etc, only boil as much water as you need in a kettle, and/or fill up a thermos in the morning and use that hot water throughout the day for tea/coffee. a full freezer is more efficient so fill with jugs of water if need be, cook a full ovens worth of food at once or use smaller appliances like a forman grill and a steamer or halogen oven etc to use less fuel that way, slow cookers are great!

if you have economy 7 electric try and do your wash say in the morning if you're up early enough. some people put their food in a slow cooker and have them cooking away in their rooms overnight, they get a meal in the morning and a slightly warmer room during the night!

if you can handle it, keep the bedroom doors closed during the day and night and just open them before bed to let some of the heat in from around the house to take the edge off. bedrooms don't need to be superheated and people sleep better in cooler rooms. if damp is an issue put a bowl of salt in the bedroom to soak up condensation and use a dehumidfier sometimes, a wetter room feels colder. the energy spent on a dehumidifier if it's needed is cheaper than paying for extra heat

if your hands are cold have a cup of tea or coffee, warms them up nicely and you'll generally find if your hands and feet are warm the rest of you feels warm. keep your core warm that makes an immense difference, sometimes i hold a cup of tea up against my chest and it feels so nice and relaxing too

get up move around, that helps the circulation and will make you feel warmer. do a bit of housework, some stretches, maybe a few exercises, don't break a sweat if you can avoid it as that will cool you down as the sweat evaporates but move some to get the blood flowing.

don't be afraid to wear a hat, put the hood on your hoodie on and/or wear fingerless gloves inside the house. it's just you and your family, you can always take them off if someone comes to the door ((same with the dressing gown) YOU are the one that pays the bills so when you're in your own home only worry about what YOU think about it


best of luck

bossymoo

All good advice :T

Freezing fog here. Brrr.

Uniscots97

Rummer wrote: »

Oh I could weep as I mentioned before my energy supplier has hugely increased my monthly payment and after investigation I have found out they are the cheapest supplier for the amount I am using so I am going to have to drastically cut my gas and elec usage.

I thought I had done well with my winter prep but clearly have to do more, any big hints/tips?

Is it just you or are there others in the house?

Is you front/back door metal? This does zap the heat. It does in ours and putting up a curtain should help.

Put a layer of bubble wrap on the bathroom window, also the stair window if you have one.

Pull curtains at dusk to help keep the heat in.

Large pillar candles can be bought relatively cheaply and give out a bit of heat.

Are you trying to dry washing indoors? If so invest in a dehumifier and put it next to the washing this should help cut the drying time, reduce the moisture in the air and cut the amount of heating used to dry the clothes.

Have a tv night, no lights on, just candles and the tv. Bring nibbles through the the sitting room and a flask of hot drink. Means you are not up and down, turning lights on and off.

If you have something cooking in the oven switch it off a few minutes before the end of the cooking time. There will be enough heat in the oven to keep cooking your item yet use to energy.

If you've been cooking, leave the oven door open to share the heat with the rest of the house.

Do you have any gaps at the base of your skirting board? This will be letting in cold air. Seal them up with some caulk, silicone or in the interim some folded paper in the gap.

Is your letterbox letting in cold air?

When you or others open the front/back door is there doors open to other rooms off the hall? My OH has a bad habit of going to the back door for a cigarette and leaving the kitchen door open meaning all the heat is escaping out of the living room.

marmiterulesok

Someone posted a while back about not having the light on when you're watching the telly in the evening.You don't really need them on.

Also,if you get up to make a drink/go to the loo,don't put the lights,but use a torch.Same thing if you get up to go to the loo in the night.

I don't know how much it would save but worth a thought maybe.

Rummer

Thank you so much all of you for the wonderful advice. I am going to do a wee audit of the way things are at the moment and see what I can improve. Looks as though extra PJ's and fleeces will be a good investment in the short term

bluebag

Rummer wrote: »

Thank you so much all of you for the wonderful advice. I am going to do a wee audit of the way things are at the moment and see what I can improve. Looks as though extra PJ's and fleeces will be a good investment in the short term

An electric blanket costs barely pennies a night to run, and it is BLISS! There are some good offers on them at the moment too.

Might mean you can turn the heating off a little earlier in the evening knowing you are going into a lovely warm bed.

I use a hot wheat pack on my knee in the evening too, keep it under the fleece lap blanket I have over me.

It's still a far cry from the days of my childhood when we had only one coal fire in the whole house.... I really, really hope we don't ever go back to that.

rising_from_the_ashes

Rummer wrote: »

I thought I had done well with my winter prep but clearly have to do more, any big hints/tips?

I honestly can't recommend a good set of thermals enough - not sure if it's the fact that they are next to your skin & fitted that makes the difference but ..... well worth the investment IMHO.

I've been housebound (after hospital admission) for 10 weeks now - I've been really worrying about my gas / elec consumption (usually at work M-F, out & about at weekends etc) and finally plucked up the courage to submit my readings yesterday - and I only owe £21. Don't think that's too bad considering!:)

I've had my thermals on every day and have layered my clothing.

I usually have the thermostat set at 14 deg, however have put this up to 16 deg with being in the house all the time and it's been fine like this for the majority of the time. I have it turned up to 19 deg for an hour first thing, 1/2 an hour at lunchtime and a couple of hours in the evening.

I've only been cold a couple of times but as Confuzzled it's usually when I've sat for too long without moving around - so getting up and doing the hoovering or ironing is a great way to defrost!

tina_malteser

i live on my own mostly, i wear layers of clothes , heat up only the room im using, hot water bottle for bed if its freezing otherwise i wear a onesie hell freezes over b4 i answer the door if im wearing it :eek:

my son has been known to be home on a short vitits and sees me wearing a hat lol
i really dont care,gas and elec are not getting my cash unnecciserilly ????? (spellcheck):rotfl: