Can't afford oil?

manda1205

OP, as others have said, you really need to think about saving every week, even £10 will soon add up. Had you been on mains gas you would be paying a DD along with your electric, so no different. We lived with just an open fire in living room (up till only 3 years ago), we did get DD an electric convector heater, but we just used hot water bottles and 2 duvets. When we had a bath we then quickly ran in front room to stand in front of fire to get warm again. It worked and we lived with it. However it is still going to cost you to get wood and coal, although maybe this will get you through winter, then you can start saving in the spring when you won't be spending so much on coal.

muckybutt

It sounds to me as though you are in fuel poverty, we were in a similar situation to that a few years back.

The Mrs did some research and found grants, these are available to families on low income and are in reciept of certain benefits. The grant we got was to replace the oil heating with air source heating, which we got fully paid.

Might work out for you if you have benefits, just google fuel poverty grants there are loads available.

highrisklowreturn

Gather a stock of wood every day from a local wooded area. One hour's foraging and stocking will get you a day's worth of fuel. Spend one day a week doing this.

Phone every builder in the yellow pages, tell them your problem, and ask him for scap pallets. They are always looking rid of these.

Burn them. Profit.

falko89

I managed to get oil today, £250 for 400 litres, Study grant came through today , sad thing is the tank is only a quarter full, doesn't look like it'll last long, all a rather miserable effort.

muckybutt

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

Gather a stock of wood every day from a local wooded area. One hour's foraging and stocking will get you a day's worth of fuel. Spend one day a week doing this.

Phone every builder in the yellow pages, tell them your problem, and ask him for scap pallets. They are always looking rid of these.

Burn them. Profit.

Oh please here we go again, DO NOT BURN WOOD JUST PICKED UP FROM WOODLAND, this will soot and tar your chimney up in no time as it is green wood it will give very little heat as well as it will have a very high moisture content.

As for burning pallets ! do you know what the pallets have been preserved with ? do you know what carcenogenic fumes you are releasing back into the atmosphere ? tanalised wood gives off toxic fumes, do you really want to burn something like that ?

highrisklowreturn

muckybutt wrote: »

Oh please here we go again, DO NOT BURN WOOD JUST PICKED UP FROM WOODLAND, this will soot and tar your chimney up in no time as it is green wood it will give very little heat as well as it will have a very high moisture content.

As for burning pallets ! do you know what the pallets have been preserved with ? do you know what carcenogenic fumes you are releasing back into the atmosphere ? tanalised wood gives off toxic fumes, do you really want to burn something like that ?

Yes, don't heat your house with pallets owing to environmental concerns, as that would be immoral; just heat it with oil and gas which of course have no negative environmental impact either in extraction or combustion, their purchase futher helping solidify human rights and democracy in benign places of the world such as Iran, Venezuela and Araby.

suki1964

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

Yes, don't heat your house with pallets owing to environmental concerns, as that would be immoral; just heat it with oil and gas which of course have no negative environmental impact either in extraction or combustion, their purchase futher helping solidify human rights and democracy in benign places of the world such as Iran, Venezuela and Araby.

Aww common now- enough

Why do,you need to feel the need to wind peeps up?

You carry on burning whatever whenever but stop offering it as good advice - Or mse advice.

suki1964

falko89 wrote: »

I managed to get oil today, £250 for 400 litres, Study grant came through today , sad thing is the tank is only a quarter full, doesn't look like it'll last long, all a rather miserable effort.

Just think how many more litres you could have got with a few more calls

And you have been given a lotof advice on how to make your oil last and on other threads, been shown how to cut your spending on treats so you do have money to put aside for fuel


End of the day it's up to you to manage your money. Stop trying to use these forums to give you the impetuous to pack your job in and sponge off the social


And any one thinks I'm harsh , every post he makes is along the lines of " why should I work"

falko89

suki1964 wrote: »

Just think how many more litres you could have got with a few more calls

And you have been given a lotof advice on how to make your oil last and on other threads, been shown how to cut your spending on treats so you do have money to put aside for fuel


End of the day it's up to you to manage your money. Stop trying to use these forums to give you the impetuous to pack your job in and sponge off the social


And any one thinks I'm harsh , every post he makes is along the lines of " why should I work"

Whatever. I wasn't actually thinking about work, If I wasn't working we would of hit the same problem, If I wasn't working we would of hit the same issue with food.

Trumpeter

I think that all pallets nowadays have to be stamped with a code giving any method of treatment. Most are stamped HT which means they have been heat treated rather than subjected to chemicals. Definately avoid any marked MB though!

muckybutt wrote: »

As for burning pallets ! do you know what the pallets have been preserved with ? do you know what carcenogenic fumes you are releasing back into the atmosphere ? tanalised wood gives off toxic fumes, do you really want to burn something like that ?