Help! My home is freezing cold

Floss

Also, balance the "mind-numbingly boring task" of looking into replacement doors as a necessity to make your home safe, warm & efficient. Yes it can be expensive, but do you really need to select the most expensive version but in by the most expensive contractor? Decide what look you want and focus on getting best VFM for your hard earned cash - after all, you will be wasting the money/heat that those doors are allowing to escape so pricing new doors should be a priority. And are they actually safe i.e. with decent locks for security? And did you change the locks when you moved in ( you never know who has a set of keys to a newly purchased house).

MoaningMyrtle

Door curtains would be useful. Old velvet ones would be good draught excluders. Charity Shops often have them.

VfM4meplse

We're approaching the end of May and although the CH has been off for a good 6 weeks now, I still fill a HWB every evening. Is it just me?

suki1964

Our heating is back on after being off for the grand total of three days and today we lit the fire

Its cold here

pipkin71

VfM4meplse wrote: »

We're approaching the end of May and although the CH has been off for a good 6 weeks now, I still fill a HWB every evening. Is it just me?

I like a hot water bottle - they're comforting

VfM4meplse

pipkin71 wrote: »

I like a hot water bottle - they're comforting

Especially when you are cold!

suki1964 wrote: »

Our heating is back on after being off for the grand total of three days and today we lit the fire

Its cold here

With respect there is a big difference in weather between permanently grey Antrim and the bright Essex riviera! If I were in Scotland or NI, I'd accept that CH 365 days of the year would be part of the territory. I think it's the extremes in temperatures in this house that is taking some adjustment.

freyasmum

I don't live a million miles away from you, and our house does heat quickly, but I still find that it's been a cold year so far.

I've had to have a HWB a few nights and wear a cardigan or jumper every night.

katbradford33

Hi! My first post ever. I live in northern Maine, temps last few days in the low single digits.This home is new this spring to me and I'm in the process of making new window quilts. I don't know if anyone is interested but I make them for about $8-10 each. Very easy straight stitch sewing. I use old, clean sheets, recycled green plastic bottle batting, 6 ml plastic moisture vapor layer) and velcro. I cut the pieces approx. 4" wider and longer than the window- 2 of sheeting, 1-3 of batting (the more layers the higher the "r" value), and one of plastic. I lay them out, starting at bottom with sheeting (if print, put print side up, second layer sheeting print side down, desired layers of batting, then plastic. I cut 8 strips of fabric about 12-14" long by 4" wide. Fold the strips in half, stitch down long edge, turn right side out, press. Stitch one end closed and to that end, sew on a piece of 3/4" to 1" wide by about 2-3" long velcro, For each quilt you'll need 4 of these strips. Sew the loop velcro on 2 pieces and the hook velcro on the other two, about 1 " front end, just as you did on the first one. The only slightly tricky part is to lay these two strips, velcro side up, loop side on top of the strip with hook velcro- between the two bottom layers of sheeting, with the velcro sides facing the second layer. Place them about 9" in from each side edge of the stacked layers, with the length going down inside the stack, and the top of these strips being even with the top edge of the stack of layers. (These strips with velcro tabs, when finished will neatly hold up the rolled window quilt during the daytime or whenever you don't want them down.) Clip your two long sides together- it's a bit bulky- and stitch up each side, sewing together all the layers, keeping the stack straight and flat. I use the longest stitch length my machine will do. Once the two sides are stitched, stitch across the top, side to side, sewing through all layers of the quilt including the 4 strips with the velcro tabs on the ends enclosed inside.
Now you can turn the whole thing right side out and you're almost finished. Use something sort of pointy but not sharp to push the two upper corners out and square it up. ( I usually top stitch down each side at this point but it's not necessary.) You'll need to sew a strip of hook velcro across the width of the top on the backside (side which won't be facing into the room) BUT BE SURE to have one of the long strips with velcro tabs flipped over onto the back side of the top edge and sew that long strip of velcro OVER it, across the entire top (one strip with tab front and back, on each side about 9" in front side edge.) This way when you roll the quilt up you can easily seal the hook and loop pieces on the strips, front and back with one hand. Now sew strips of loop velcro to either the sides or the bottom of your quilt to seal it . Depending on you window framing, you'll need to attach hook velcro to the top and sides or the top and bottom of your window frame- I used staples because my
window framing is wood, but stick-on velcro works if you've got plaster. If you've sewn the loop velcro on the quilt you'll attach the hook velcro to the window frame. Hem the bottom and you're done! Once you've made one they go together quickly. Cutting out the pieces is the most time-consuming part. They last for years and can be washed in a tub and hung to dry. I've made many of these for friends and relatives over the years. Got the original pattern from the UMAINE Co-operative extension site and modified it for ease. (It's still there)My husband maintains this cuts our heating cost by 1/3 or more. I made them for my sister in AZ last year, using a space blanket (emergency foil type) inside instead of the batting to use on her full sun-facing windows which also tremendously cut down on her summer cooling costs. They really work. Good luck! Kat

katbradford33

On the window quilts- I forgot to mention when you turn them right-side out after stitching up the three sides, you'll have the two layers of sheeting now as the top and bottom of the quilt, so turn them right side out between these two layers.

ampersand

A grand Welcome to the mse community, katbradford33.
#
Chanced upon your thread, op, and worried that 1st hwb mention was some time in coming :-)
Last night's is still beside me. My concern re: old salt-glazed pigs is being unable to safely shove them overboard, as with rubber hwbs.

Now in your 2nd winter, hope you are finding cosiness and warmth with mse ways, all problems overcome.

Layers and hwbs in what I call the &squat are easy and enough here. I do wonder whether young people understand sensible mse uses of those