Preparing for Winter V

mardatha

I think councils will do away with coal heating like mine, and one day we will be forced to go electric and that fills me with dread. Because a coal fire heats the stone walls here and electric does not. If they take out the heating then I'll make them leave the fireplace and chimney intact, and use it as an open fire.
This house has 3 chimneys - one was a fireplace in the main bedroom, placed in the dividing wall between it and the back bedroom, which is absolutely baltic. When that fire was in use, the two rooms would have been far cosier, but health & safety ruined that. It was blocked up when I moved in or I would have used it.
Apparently the 3rd chimney was for a boiler in the kitchen, for doing the washing, but I can't find any neighbours who remember where it was or how it worked.

Thriftkitten

I'm trying to decide if I should join in with the grocery challenge, I did it some years ago with a spreadsheet which worked well but I can't seem to find my way back to where I found it.... For this month I think I will do the saving of all receipts so that I know where I am, start right at the beginning....
It's currently showing at 4c here in sunny St Ives but we have a bitterly cold easterly wind being right on the end of the country so I am hesitant to move but mother feels there may be some people out and about wanting fudge today:rotfl: So hi ho it's off to work I go.... I'm hoping my only spend today will be some lamb and leeks as I rather fancy a lamb stew with dumplings done in the pressure cooker.... Ohhh comfort food to warm my cockles as my toes have been cold for days it feels... Dosen't help that I have this laminate in the livingroom but I have had the hot water bottle on repeat while I'm sitting and knitting...
If anyone has the right road to the spead sheet I'd be eternally greatful as I seem to be going round in circles here and might as well strike while the iron is hot....
Stay cozy from a very blustery St Ives :eek:

Tink_04

We are struggling this winter - we moved in Feb to our new house and it’s quite drafty and hard to keep the heat in. We do try and keep the doors closed (kids forget a lot) the kitchen is the coldest room (old single brick extension) and I find that makes the downstairs very cold.

Upstairs heats up really well and can get very hot so the roof insulation is good and the bedrooms are toastie! We will have to live with the kitchen for a couple of years as it is a big job so will have to wait! We can’t close it off as the cats food and litter box is through there.

Primrose

Could you keep the kitchen door shut and install an internal cat flap in that door so the kitchen doesnt suck out heat from the rest of the house but the cat can still access food and little via an internal cat flap ?

Wednesday2000

Hot water bottle night tonight! I've felt cold all day since I went out earlier. Bed socks too.

I bought a men's plaid shirt from a charity shop and I wear it over my pyjamas and it keeps me really warm. The fabric looks very thin, but it is 100% cotton and works for some reason.

mardatha wrote: »

I've been looking at the pics of America too, looks really miserable that! We've still got frozen snow lying- not deep - and it's currently minus 3.

My online friends from the US say the cold is brutal.

[Deleted User]

It is a truly horrible day, no wind, grey, cold, feels damp out. Bone chilling if you go out. Warmth in the house is being maintained well via electric heaters with therostats and I am also burning 3 candles from my (still) very large stash. Occupying myself with prep for food cooking and will soon get down to knitting for the rest of the day

It is so grim today that I left my heavy curtain closed upstairs and the heater is on 18 degrees, warming the bedroom and en suite. It is a safe heater btw. Downstairs 19 in the open plan living area and passive lakeland towel rail (90w) on all day in the hall. Making a difference and easier than the pellets

Bedsocks at night make a big difference to being cosy and comfortable when sleeping

mardatha

Wish I could post a pic here kittie - its a gorgeous day up here, blue skies bright sun and glittering frozen snow on around. Was minus 6 earlier but it hasn't risen much, Edinburgh airport recorded minus 9. I had to wrap a scarf around my face when I went out to the PostVan as the air is so cold that breathing hurt. I'm cooking lamb chops and then going to settle down to knitting as well

[Deleted User]

We've had twilight all day and it's been cold but the wind has dropped so not as bone-achingly cold as it was yesterday. The light has been very odd and we've needed lights on all day in the house too. Tomorrow we're due rain and then it warms up a bit for the rest of the week according to the weather forecast.

zeupater

kittie wrote: »

I have been doing the maths and working out the cost of heating my home with wood pellets v electric plus the cost of heating the water, (physics stuff) wood pellets are now in short supply in europe and have increased in price due to several pellet power stations coming online and shortage of suitable wood. It actually works out far cheaper to heat individual rooms with electric, only because of the fanatastic insulation here so no energy loss. I have told my two neighbours as they were starting to fret over the pellet price.

Hi

You've hit the nail on the head there, keeping the heat in is key to affordable comfort over the winter months!

Our insulation is well above most, but anyone would be doing well to better energy consumption mentioned in this 'Vriconian' blog which looks to have a similar setup to ours - Winter's arrived in an energy efficient home ... other interesting blog entries also cover solar power for electricity & hot water heating, small heat-pumps, burning logs etc, effectively they're using a number of available heat sources in combination as required to meet the conditions at the time which might be interesting to compare to your own £maths/physics ...

HTH
Z

zeupater

kittie wrote: »

... Bedsocks at night make a big difference to being cosy and comfortable when sleeping

Hi

Mrs Z picked up a 13tog feather duvet 'for a song' a couple of weeks ago whilst buying some bread & milk! ... I've never liked high tog duvets in the past, but this one is really good, the feathers keep the shape more rigid (so far!) and seem to 'breathe' better than the 4 season 'man made fibre' ones we've had in the past .... have been cosy & slept really well recently without the need for bedsocks!

HTH
Z