This is reality, my nose is frozen

lostinrates

Topher wrote: »

and treat this like there's a war on, and resources are diminishing fast. (personally that's true).

In reality it is too. Even if its affordable to some.....the planet is struggling. Some day that's a contributory factory to the funky weather!

I really no one should freeze, but the ' I won't feel the cold' posts, from people who feel its their right to wear nothing in their home while it snows and they heat a poorly insulated home sadden me a little because we rob future generations of choices, and not just over heating.

Good luck! Its not long til spring!

Justamum

I know what it's like living in a house which is permanently freezing. We lived in a damp, draughty house for 5 1/2 years. I had the heating on 24/7 on low, and even then it was really cold - sometimes as low as 10c in the daytime. My poor eldest daughter had to sleep in the attic room and it would be in single figures sometimes

Luckily we've moved now. The other house isn't in a fit state for letting - when we had moved out we arranged for the estate agent to come round with a builder as it was terrible. He said it's not in a fit stage to let out. Unfortunately the owner doesn't want to spend the tens of thousands of pounds necessary to make it habitable.

Butterfly_Brain

We invested in a multi-fuel stove this year and it was the best decision that we have made, we have a free source of wood, and buy coal at the farm shop which is really cheap . I only have the central heating on for an hour in the morning and from 6pm - 10pm in the evening if it is very cold, if it is just a bit chilly I light the fire. If I get cold during the day I put an extra cardi or my dressing gown on and I always wear slippers, but if the temperature is 10 degrees or less then I light the fire.
A trick someone told me was that if you feel cold in the house step outside for a few minutes, when you come back in you will feel warmer and it actually works.
My clever DH has built four flower pot heaters, 2 small and 2 large, they really do take the chill off at very little cost.

http://www.heatstick.com/_process.htm

http://www.instructables.com/id/Flower-Pots-Tea-Lights-Heater/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2492549/Video-reveals-heat-home-using-just-TEALIGHTS-FLOWERPOTS--costs-just-8p-day.html

OrkneyStar

When I lived on the mainland, at home, and then in my own flat we always had some sort of gas heating and we were never really cold, though equally we didn't live in a sauna. Living up here I have had to get used to a different sort of cold (lots of wind) and also old storage heaters. We only use 2 through choice (though the other 2 don't work and are saving to get them sorted/changed), also have a wee electric fire in the living room and panel heaters upstairs. We do have loft insulation but apparently our walls are not suitable for cavity wall insulation. Things I do to stay warm:
1. Go a brisk walk after dropping DS at school (walk there quite a lot but it's not far), that fair warms me up!
2. Hot water bottle, which also helps my sore back.
3. Layers, including some nice wool jumpers when needed, and a fleecey blanket on top. Also have fingerless gloves for when sitting knitting.
4. Warm drink (I don't do tea or coffee but do have hot juice).
5. Dance around to some music.
6. Housework, though tbh I need to be fairly cold to think about doing some of it!

I hate a cold bed too, so put leccy blanket on to warm it up a bit before going in. DS has a fleece under-blanket on his and always says how warm his bed is.

sonastin

cheeswright wrote: »

could you tell me which one this is Sonastin - I've been looking for something like this and I'm finding the research painful...many thanks

Ours is a "Honeywell CM927" bought from boilers-to-go for £85-ish+VAT.

Our gas engineer recommended it, we bought it and he fitted it along with the new boiler (that he ordered, OH collected and hung on the wall and he connected up - it's great having a gas engineer friend who lets you do the non-gas related work to cut costs!)

Justamum

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

My clever DH has built four flower pot heaters, 2 small and 2 large, they really do take the chill off at very little cost.

http://www.heatstick.com/_process.htm

http://www.instructables.com/id/Flower-Pots-Tea-Lights-Heater/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2492549/Video-reveals-heat-home-using-just-TEALIGHTS-FLOWERPOTS--costs-just-8p-day.html

They look very intriguing! I might have to get my DH to have a go

THIRZAH

I find that if I sit down in the afternoons with a blanket on my lap that I fall asleep and wake up with a stiff neck.

gayleygoo

Our heating is on for an hour and a half in the morning, and the same again at night to warm up the bedroom for the kids to go to sleep. Other than that, it is a case of stay moving or dress in lots of layers!

At night I wear my fluffy dressing gown over my clothes, and tuck a hot water bottle in there (you can tie round it with the dressing gown belt and walk around the house like that, its great!). If I boil the kettle I usually make a cup of tea at the same time, that helps me keep warm too. If you don't like tea then blackcurrant jam mixed dissolved in hot water is delicious!

Even just lighting a candle can warm up a room, maybe not by a measurable amount but the room feels warmer. If you have any bare floors in the house see if you can get some rugs or carpet pieces to lay down. For some crazy reason most of the floors in my rented house are tiled -why?? This is Ireland, not sunny France, there is no need to have a floor as cold as an ice-rink all year round. They're pretty, but if I owned the house I'd be ripping them out! I don't know where I'd be without rugs

calicocat

Well I woke up this morning and downstairs was pretty cold (12) on the thermostat, so put it on earlier than the timer, it stays on until 9. Then it hasn't been on until timer which comes on at 4 until 7 if i'm at work, or longer if i'm in.

I will be taking HTW to bed though tonight as it does feel colder.

lostinrates

calicocat wrote: »

Well I woke up this morning and downstairs was pretty cold (12) on the thermostat, so put it on earlier than the timer, it stays on until 9. Then it hasn't been on until timer which comes on at 4 until 7 if i'm at work, or longer if i'm in.

I will be taking HTW to bed though tonight as it does feel colder.

I have lit the wood burner for the first time this week this afternoon. Its colder, but importantly, I don't want that side of the house to get too cold. I'm settled in the room with it....

Not next to it. If I get too warm I find the cold harder to adapt back too, but the grey hound is in the chair next to it, and the other two dogs in their normal spots (I.e. one asleep and the other one darting around the room). The cats will come in when the little dog settles.

This should keep the room not freezing till tomorrow afternoon. Its meant to be a colder weekend I think.