Can't Afford The Heating

K1oA

It's currently -3°C where I live (Northern UK) and we're freezing our socks off. I'm struggling to type this right now.

I have two children and I can't afford the heating.

If the weather predictions are correct about the temperature hitting -20°C this Winter, we're in trouble.

What can we do to keep warm? We all wear plenty of clothes and have electric blankets for the bed.

alleycat`

Hard to say without knowing something about the house.

heating system, if any, etc.

Usually the cheapest way forward is insulation.
There are quite a lot of free offers available, do you qualify for any of them?

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation

If possible, depending on your situation try to heat just the main room you need to be in.

Electric blankets are fairly cheap to run so that is a fairly sound thing to do on an evening with a big duvet.

I'll try add some more things as i think of them but insulation, and see if you are entitled to any fuel grants are the first things that spring to mind.

Edit:- Look at this, see if it helps at all

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/grant-grabbing

lovesgshp

alleycat` wrote: »

Hard to say without knowing something about the house.

heating system, if any, etc.

Usually the cheapest way forward is insulation.
There are quite a lot of free offers available, do you qualify for any of them?

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation

If possible, depending on your situation try to heat just the main room you need to be in.

Electric blankets are fairly cheap to run so that is a fairly sound thing to do on an evening with a big duvet.

I'll try add some more things as i think of them but insulation, and see if you are entitled to any fuel grants are the first things that spring to mind.

Edit:- Look at this, see if it helps at all

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/grant-grabbing

As Alleycat says, you need to give more info on the type of heating, as otherwise it is difficult to advise.

McKneff

or budget better so you have more money for the heating.

Post an SOA and we'll try to help.

thistledome

We're in the same boat, OP.

Get thermal underwear if you haven't already. There are some bargain priced ones on ebay.

SEE

K1oA wrote: »

It's currently -3°C where I live (Northern UK) and we're freezing our socks off. I'm struggling to type this right now.

I have two children and I can't afford the heating.

If the weather predictions are correct about the temperature hitting -20°C this Winter, we're in trouble.

What can we do to keep warm? We all wear plenty of clothes and have electric blankets for the bed.

I know exactly how you feel, I even collect a carrier bag of wood and kindling while walking the dog. I manage to get one free stove burn a week by doing it. Times are hard for lots of people at the moment, I've even rediscovered the cheap and nutritious joy of sardines, or pilchards on toast.

Swipe

The -20C winter forecast is just nonsense by the Daily Express. You might get the odd couple of days but certainly not all winter long.

SEE

If you have radiators and want to improve the heat, I do this.

Bacofoil kitchen foil (more expensive, but it is thicker)

Cardboard panels (get free boxes from the supermarket and cut them up) to make large panels just use packing tape to hold the sections together.

Roll of double sided sticky tape.

Roll of gardening wire (the cheap stuff, usually green) Wilko, or pound shop.

Cut the cardboard to fit the size of the radiator, make sure your panel will fit behind. Lay it flat and put double sided tape around the edge and then cover just the one side with bacofoil. Pierce two holes with a braddle and thread through with double thickness of garden wire. Bend the wire to make hooks which will latch onto your radiator. Make sure bacofoil side is facing the radiator.

HappyMJ

SEE wrote: »

If you have radiators and want to improve the heat, I do this.

Bacofoil kitchen foil (more expensive, but it is thicker)

Cardboard panels (get free boxes from the supermarket and cut them up) to make large panels just use packing tape to hold the sections together.

Roll of double sided sticky tape.

Roll of gardening wire (the cheap stuff, usually green) Wilko, or pound shop.

Cut the cardboard to fit the size of the radiator, make sure your panel will fit behind. Lay it flat and put double sided tape around the edge and then cover just the one side with bacofoil. Pierce two holes with a braddle and thread through with double thickness of garden wire. Bend the wire to make hooks which will latch onto your radiator. Make sure bacofoil side is facing the radiator.

How much does that cost and how much does that save?

The surface area of the wall directly behind the radiator is very small and if it has cavity wall insulation then the savings are almost zero. If it's a solid wall then the savings really are only a few pennies per square metre of radiator per year but the cost of the foil, the cardboard, the garden wire and the double sided tape would far exceed the savings made.

bernithebiker

HappyMJ wrote: »

How much does that cost and how much does that save?

The surface area of the wall directly behind the radiator is very small and if it has cavity wall insulation then the savings are almost zero. If it's a solid wall then the savings really are only a few pennies per square metre of radiator per year but the cost of the foil, the cardboard, the garden wire and the double sided tape would far exceed the savings made.

Not sure I agree with that, especially for a solid wall.

Firstly, the foil, card, etc, will cost pennies, most likely it's already lying around the house.

Secondly, many solid walls are good conductors, (eg. granite) and will act as a heat conduit to outside. In any case, it is pointless heating the wall, when you are trying to heat the air in the room.

Once the foil is in place, it's there forever, so the savings will add up over the years.

I've done my rads wherever possible, and you can immediately feel a noticeable increase in the heat it gives off. I used offcuts of the reflective blanket/sheeting stuff that you can line lofts with, reflective both sides with a fine layer of insulation in the middle, all about 10mm thick.

Dunroamin

Are you getting all the child related benefits that those on a low income are eligible for?