Best cost-effective way to stay warm (rented flat)?

jasdev

I had a real surprise last night as the cold weather demonstrated just how feeble my bedroom insulation is (in a rented flat).

I jumped out of bed to put on another pair of pyjamas, followed by a bathrobe soon after, then tried folding my duvets over in half for extra warmth, as was already sleeping under two duvets.

(Have just checked old order receipts and learned one is a 10.5 tog and the other a 15 tog!)

Eventually I gave in and just put the central heating on for most of the night. It's not as effective from my bedroom radiator (vs. my living room radiator) but it managed to do the trick, finally.

I don’t like having my central heating on all night, as it’s then heating rooms I’m not in, e.g. living room, toilet and bathroom, but I don’t want to switch the radiators off, or lower, in those rooms as the timer on the central heating is set to be on for an hour each morning, so that I can wake up to warm rooms while I prepare a hot breakfast and coffee to get my body going.

I’m looking to buy something today to remedy this but just not sure what would provide the best bang for my buck?

M&S thermal undergarments have been very good value for money in the past, £45 for a top and bottom set; another duvet might help but would only be useful when sleeping, and not when I’m in my living room; and a portable electric heater might be the most convenient but certainly not the cheapest when factoring in running costs. (I pay 15p/kWh elec and 4p/kWh gas roughly.)

True money-no-object would be the Dyson fan heater but I’ve read enough advice about how overpriced that is to give me pause.

What are your suggestions, please?

D_M_E

As you say, it's going to cost a fortune plugging in heaters and turning on the heating.

Two suggestions - buy thermal vests and the like from M&S or Damart or somewhere that sells thermal stuff for skiing and buy woollen pullovers and get a 30TOG quilt.

You will save a lot of money investing in this stuff - it's got to be a lot cheaper than turning on the heating.

Also try living in Nothern Scotland for a couple of winters - you probably won't ever again complain about the cool weather down south.

Owain_Moneysaver

The Dyson fan heater won't cost any less to run than a £20 fan heater from Argos.

What may be useful is a programmable thermostat. These let you have the CH on at different temperatures at different times - so you can have it set at say 16°C overnight to stop the flat getting really cold, then 18° for breakfast. You'd need to get your landlord's agreement to it though.

Primark etc thermals are nearly as warm as M&S and you aren't going up Everest.

Electric blanket? You can get some underblankets that can be used all night, or overblankets that you can use as a throw during the day. Very cheap to run.

Or if you want to frighten the neighbours

winspiration

How about a hot water bottle or modern equivalent - wheat bag which is heated in the microwave. When it's really cold, I take a couple of these to bed with me and they keep the heat for a long time. They also help to warm me up occasionally during the daytime if I'm feeling really cold.



I have a down duvet which is toasty warm in winter but also light and and cool in summer, I got mine from QVC, perhaps not very moneysaving but I have found it very effective.



A door curtain over your main door may help to keep draughts down and heat in, also thick linings for your curtains - if the curtains are part of the flat furnishings, you could get separate linings which can be hooked into the curtain tape. Ideally curtains should be just long enough to tuck them behind the radiator when drawn (assuming they are over it).

NeverInDebt

I recommend an heated throw, cheap to run, ideal when you sat on sofa watching tv


https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/home-and-garden/bedding/electric-blankets/c:29472/type:heated-throws/

matelodave

The cheapest is probably thermal undies and socks closely followd by a hot water bottle or even an electric blanket.

jasdev

Thanks all, I will get thermals today and see how I fare with those, and next step get an electric throw (since it seems I can use that when in my living room too).


I have wooden blinds and as best as I can tell after three weeks living here, there's no draughtiness (I do have two draught excluders bought for a previous tenancy) but the external walls and the single-glazed windows are very good at letting heat out! (Actually I have double-glazed in the living room and bedroom but single-glazed in the kitchen, toilet and bathroom - seems a bit of an oversight!)

I will consider a thicker duvet if it gets really cold - I prefer passive ways of keeping myself warm (meaning no electric or gas use needed) if I can!


EDIT - ah hell, having read some reviews on JL and Argos's website, and seeing that I can go collect from my nearby Argos immediately, I've gone for the electric throw. If it's just 1p per use then I'd find it much more economical than the central heating when I'm only in a single room of the flat.

savemoney

We use them throws as my daughter and wife feels cold much more and they brilliant. my daughter has one too used it in her old flat but now she moved to a new build so doesn't use it as much

AndyPK

electric underblanket.

They only cost the same as a 150W bulb to run

modern ones have timers, so you can put it on for an hour, or 8 hours

[Deleted User]

Socks and lots of them. I warm up loads once my feet are warm which takes 2 pairs of fluffy house socks from Asda for a couple of quid.

Novice_investor101

If I'm in all day & don't want to/can't afford to put the CH on, I'll tend to use a hot water bottle & sit under a thick, fluffy blanket, for things like sitting in the lounge watching telly. A pair of thick, fluffy socks over a normal pair of socks does wonders too.

Moving about the house, I'll wear a jumper or two, usually a "normal" jumper & one of those hiking fleeces from outdoor shops. I'm usually warm enough if I'm doing housework.

I've never had an electric blanket for the bed, but that usually is fine without one.
I'm lucky that my house is well insulated & I will use the heating at its set times (an hour in the morning & 3/4 hours evenings on weekdays/weekends) so bedtime is always cosy.

It can get costly to have the heating on all day if I'm off work, so my HWB & sofa blanket are my best friends then.