Preparing for Winter V

littlemoney

For warmth in winter I have a pair of padded insulated trousers from Aldi, a size larger than normal, which I can wear over my current clothes. I also have other items like jumpers and fleeces in larger sizes for I can layer up. Extra clothes go on before the heating goes on.

I don't wash clothes as often, if I am not going out,  I will wear the same clothes several days. No one is going to know. If I do go out I change into something else for that time and then put the dirty ones back on again when I am back home. . I have "at home clothes" and "going out" clothes which can be worn and aired several times before needing washiing. Money save on electricity and wash powder.

jozbo

-taff said:

Why would you decorate as normal on top? I did see someone using cork wallpaper but it's hellish expensive so I was thinking cork, potentially just tiles and the spray stencil over the top in one area of our house. In fact, i may just do it on the wall the stairs are on because that's an outside wall..

Hmm… I suppose that could work. Only thing is though is it would be a huge area with cork, about 4m high and next to the stairs so gets a lot of knocks etc… don’t think it would be a long term solution 

Mrs_Cheshire

Following as I'm aware that our electric bill has been higher this year- think through a combination of fans on due to hot weather and the tumble drier when it's been raining. Having checked our electric/gas deal we are already on the cheapest tarrif so not much else I can do to bring down the cost. 

Jellytotts

We've just invested in a new winter duvet as our old one was around 10 years old and the stuffing is very lumpy from washing.  The old one was cut into sections today and I've cut a duvet cover into matching sections to make some lovely cosy sofa quilts.   I've got a few crochet blankets and a couple of handmade patchwork lap quilts but I'm sure the sofa duvets will be very snuggly to sit on/under.  

We've used tongue and groove cladding as extra insulation on the coldest wall here, it made a big difference to the feel of the room.

Primrose

We have an identical house next door. (Both new build when we moved in and rsther unusually 40 + years later we,re still both the original occupants.
 

We had double glazed windows and cavity wall insulation installed a year after moving in and subsequently 10 inches of loft insulation added.  The house  next door is still roughly in its original state.  Our fuel bills are much lower and our house is much warmer ! 

We also have fitted carpets everywhere. They may be harder to keep vacuumed than laminated flooring but they,re certainly better floor insulation in my view.  For the first year in the house we  lived with just the wood block flooring and our feet were always freezing !

Si_Clist

Ref double glazing, it's easy to take it for granted that it's working properly, but don't forget there's a reason why most sealed units are guaranteed for 10 years.  Ours are all 13 years old now.  One's already been re-glazed because the seals failed, and now two more windows have gone.  Can't justify the cost of having the glazing replaced at present though because they're both in rooms which are hardly used during the winter, so the doors to them are kept closed and the curatins drawn.

nannygladys

I would agree with the laminated flooring as I've had it and now it's carpeted! Dd has real wood floors that are sealed and they are much warmer than laminate we have to take shoes off and I've never noticed cold feet.

I've just checked my energy and I'm still on the lowest, l must admit I check usage more a less daily and I'm surprised sometimes by the results, like you can see when dgd stays over and she thinks I don't know she's charging up all electrics overnight!! She now knows to only to do it in the daytime when the solar has kicked in lol!
Nannyg

greenbee

I have bamboo flooring, which isn't cold - but there's an insulating screed plus silver-backed bubble wrap stuff underneath it. I'd love to have put underfloor heating throughout, but I didn't have the ceiling height to be able to do wet UFH, and electric worked out as expensive to run. I keep saying I'm going to build the next house myself, with plenty of insulation under the floors and in the walls! My mum's studio is a converted garage with block insulation in the floor, walls and ceiling and maintains a stable temperature pretty much all year round. 

ETA - also, having spent so much time in Scandinavia, I have to say I've rarely seen carpeted rooms. Most have wooden floors and rugs.

Fiona236

I'm going to start making lists to do for that night/ next day.

So *wash and dry winter cat blankets. 

Laura_Elsewhere

jozbo said:

Have a bit of renovation work to do on the stairwell, was let down by plasterer who was going to skim but now thinking about either insulated plasterboard or a thermal paper both on a diy basis. It’s a very cold external wall. Any ideas? 

Put a couple of cup-hooks in, solidly fixed, and use those to hang a rod from with a long curtain. It may not be across a window but it will still trap an insulating layer of air behind it - it worked in those old mediaeval castles, after all!