Any advice on keeping rented house warm/costs under control welcome! 20 November 2019 at 11:12PM in LPG, heating oil, solid & other fuels 7 replies 1.6K views

hillie

Hi
I’m renting a 2 bed house in mid-Scotland, my dog and I are the sole occupants and I work from home. I think the house was built in the 70’s. I’m having real problems heating the house and keeping it warm and am starting to panic at the thought of the colder weather to come!
There is a 9Kw electric boiler and a big electric immersion heater, there are radiators (regular, not storage) in every room. The house is double glazed. I have a prepayment electricity meter, with bulb, which was in when I moved in, which is Economy 7. Only the water uses Economy 7. I have an electric shower and don’t have baths.
My kitchen has an average temperature of 10 degrees C. I have shut off my lounge because it’s a waste to be using it and it has a huge radiator, which I’ve switched to frost watch setting. I have the central heating set to come on for 3 hours a day, but as soon as it goes off the temperature in the house plummets back to around 10C.
I have hung lined curtains, thermal blinds and wear layers, etc, but would appreciate Kate any advice that you can give me because I’m at a loss now and am not sure I’m going to manage the winter here if it gets any colder (it was -4 yesterday).
Many thanks in advance for your help.

Ebe_Scrooge

If you're renting then your options are somewhat limited, unfortunately. The usual advice would be to add loft and wall insulation etc., if it's not up to standard. And if you're lumbered with using peak-rate electricity for heating then that's never going to be cheap - again, in your own place you'd be able consider switching to E-7 storage heating if electricity is your only option - or investing in oil heating or one of the other off-grid alternatives. It sounds like you've taken most of the sensible steps available to you already.

One thing you could consider, which I've done in the past - one of those old-fashioned portable Calor gas heaters. This type of thing : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marko-Heating-Quality-Portable-Regulator/dp/B01MXT43RC/ref=asc_df_B01MXT43RC/?!!!!!googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=344331117565&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17204826966821774473&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046953&hvtargid=pla-699016097691&psc=1

The only thing you have to watch, they can create quite a bit of condensation, but it might be an option ?

By the way, I'm not particularly recommending that particular model, that's just to illustrate the type of thing I'm referring to.

203846930

Take your dog out for more walks during the day and that way it will not seem so cold indoors when you get home.
I know it sounds old fashioned but wear more clothes when the heating is not on, it is what Dad had to do as a child and has now reverted back to doing the same common sense thing, he even wears a hat indoors on really cold days.

Whatever you do, don't resort to spending money to try to stay warm, it will not save anything in the long term.
Take that from someone who lives further north than you.

Cisco001

thick/ thermal curtain?

hillie

Thank you all for your suggestions - I’ll be ordering a gas fire and further lining curtains �� I certainly take the point about not spending any more money on the heating!

Gerry1

Move away from pre-payment then switch, but check with your landlord.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/switch-prepaid-gas-electricity/

Or just move !

Ectophile

A 9kW boiler running on standard rate electricity is always going to be expensive to run. Perhaps £1.50 per hour.


You might be better off using small electric heaters, and only heating the rooms you are using.

RelievedSheff

Letting the house drop so cold is a false economy as it will take a heck of a lot of power to reheat the fabric of the building again. A few hours a day of heat just wont cut the mustard, it will always feel cold at that.

Unfortunately electric heating is extremely expensive to run as you have found out.

If you are going to get a portable gas heater make sure the house is well ventilated as they produce a lot of moisture and get a CO alarm.