£65 Gas bill in less than 3 weeks in a cottage!

Dunroamin

DreamerV wrote: »

Just wondering (as I genuinely am not sure either way), will the heating actually come on much with the thermostat set to 10 celsius? My house doesn't retain heat well (at all) but when I set mine to 10 at night, anytime I've got up in the night ever, I've passed the radiator and it's been ice cold. I guess it depends on the outside temperature, and how much heat the house retains.

That said/asked, I agree. I also suggest just putting the heating on at the times you'd usually turn the heating up.

I'm no expert but surely if it's literally freezing outside, the boiler will come on in an uninsulated house? I've never run the heating at night because, for one thing, we sleep with the window open (at least a bit) and we'd be heating the street!:)

DreamerV

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'm no expert but surely if it's literally freezing outside, the boiler will come on in an uninsulated house? I've never run the heating at night because, for one thing, we sleep with the window open (at least a bit) and we'd be heating the street!:)

Yep, you're right, that makes sense, and from what's been said theirs is uninsulated. Sleep with the window open?! :eek: That said, when the heating broke for a week last week, I slept much better (when all wrapped up in 4 layers of tops, sleeping bag, and 2 duvets which together make up my winter duvet).

It's when up and about that the heating is needed.

Edited to add: I've only been keeping mine at 10-13 C at night since the heating broke as I had been miserable for a week being stuck in the house waiting for a gas engineer, with my feet blue, and it takes so long for the house to get up to a good temp. Now that it's back on even keel, I'll be switching it off at night. Which is what I assume most people do (except perhaps those with young kids).

DreamerV

MerseyLad wrote: »

We have used 126 units in 18 days.
ML

Someone probably said/asked it, but are you on a good tarriff to pay that much for 18 days? I'm not saying you aren't, I just don't know.

I've just checked my units to compare - 67 units in 9 days equating to 134 units in 18 days. I'm in a 3 bedroom house. That said I've been home for 24hrs x 6 days, and 16 hrs x 3 days. Plus I was heating my house from scratch as my heating was broken for a week (I could see my breath in the house as it was so cold).

tyllwyd

We've got a 1930s house, and I don't think the temperature ever drops much below 13 or 14 degrees even at night with the radiators off. We don't ever turn the thermostat up above 20 degrees though, or else we'd suffocate.

I think in an old cottage with thick walls, it is a good idea to keep a steady background level of heat rather than turning the heating on and off completely, otherwise the heating will be struggling to get the place warm from scratch. (I saw an article in a Sunday newspaper recently which said that the advice to turn off the heating which had been repeated in the MSE article was flawed, so it can be argued either way.)

One thing I do is in the evenings, I start with the thermostat fairly low, and then every time I feel chilly, I turn it up just enough so that it clicks on and no further. That way I get the maximum benefit from hot radiators, but don't overheat to an uncomfortable temperature. I'm not sure if that is the most moneysaving way, but it works for me!

Fire_Fox

You are paying to heat the entire street in a poorly insulated property when you are not home - turn the heating off or to frost protect when you are out or asleep. It's completely normal to wear a jumper and socks, plenty who live in older poorly insulated properties also use fleecy or fluffy blankets when sat on the sofa. Don't heat rooms you are not using, just the rooms you are, use an electric underblanket on your bed with an overnight setting - costs pennies to run - plus a good summer/ winter duvet, close the curtains whenever it's dark.

If it's your property insulate the loft space, use draft strips at the windows and doors, consider lining the curtains with blackout lining (actually warmer than thermal lining) or install shutters or secondary glazing.

GMbabies

MerseyLad wrote: »

I have recently moved into my first house.

It's a small, quaint, 2 bedroom cottage. It has 6 radiators in total and a gas fire and the hob on the cooker is gas. It is a 200 year old cottage with old style small windows (single glaze).

Admittedly, it's been freezing since we moved in and so the heating has been on each night. Most nights with the fire too.

British Gas have billed us from 4th Feb to 21st Feb at £65!!!

The meter reading was submitted by us when we moved in and BG took a reading themselves on the 21St.

We have used 126 units in 18 days.

From advice from various friends and family (along with one who is a gas engineer) we set Our boiler to be on pretty much constantly and control it via the thermostat. We initially tried setting it up to come on at various times in the day (but it either didn't work as i planned or the house was too cold). So now it's on from 5:30am until 11pm and when we go out or are in bed I turn the thermostat to 15 degrees. Of a night I have it on about 22/23.

I'm curious to know how you all do it? How do you keep a nice temperature (we initially were having to wear jumpers and slankets)

Thanks in advance.

ML

That's seems too high for night time.
I can't afford to switch on the heating so my room is about 13C during the winter. Yes, wear t-shirt, jumper, jacket etc.

tyllwyd

This is the article from the telegraph I was thinking of - this guy recommends keeping the heating on all the time
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/9831697/Jeff-Howell-can-keeping-the-heating-on-low-all-day-reduce-costs.html

Wywth

tyllwyd wrote: »

This is the article from the telegraph I was thinking of - this guy recommends keeping the heating on all the time
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/9831697/Jeff-Howell-can-keeping-the-heating-on-low-all-day-reduce-costs.html

That article states even the Energy Saving Trust say the advice that journalist/builder is spounting is incorrect.

It's all very well considering the dew point and the relative humidity of walls and the latent heat of evaporation, but the bottom line is that if it needs heat (which to positively affect those, it will), then it costs money.

Gas on - it's costing you money.

Gas off - it does not cost you any money.

Gloomendoom

I agree.

I'm at home today so have just lit a fire in the room I am in. No point in heating the whole house to 20 degrees.

Fire_Fox

tyllwyd wrote: »

This is the article from the telegraph I was thinking of - this guy recommends keeping the heating on all the time
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/9831697/Jeff-Howell-can-keeping-the-heating-on-low-all-day-reduce-costs.html

Or you could keep your property dry by amending your lifestyle so you don't pump out litres of water, ventilating effectively, using a dehumidifier. Heating holds water in the air to an point but it does not get rid of it, it's more treating the symptoms than addressing the root cause.

My heating is rarely on (just when it's snowy or very icy), my bills are much lower than average and I actually have less mould and damp than some of the neighbours flats I have been in (there are structural/ design issues with this block). By his logic you should have the heating on for more months of the year as well as more hours of the day.