Advice on warming up a home

RelievedSheff

maisie_cat said:

We had a 1930s detached with solid 9" walls, suspended ground floor and uninsulated loft. We insulated the loft, 100mm between the joists and 200 over, reduced storage but worked well. We insulated inside the brick walls with celotex and plasterboarded over. We also insulated the ground floor between the joists, then underlay and new flooring.
That lot made a lot of difference, but after that the biggest difference was persuading my husband to wear a fleece and trousers in the house rather than shorts and t shirt then complaining about the cold. We had the thermostat set to 15 degrees on constant and I thought it was quite comfortable.
We now live in a stone cottage with no central heating, so glad I trained him!. 

You are a gluten for punishment!!

15 degrees in this house feels very cold!!

FreeBear

Jeepers_Creepers said:  my son's bedroom is a constant source of draught to the rest of the house, and that's with new double-glazing...

Always felt as if there were draughts coming in round the windows here. Had several attempts at trying to track down the problem to no avail... Finally nailed it when having new windows fitted earlier in the year.

When the house was originally built, the wooden frames were embedded into the brickwork at the top. These frames were replaced around 1976... The old frames were hacked out, new ones whacked in. The voids where the original timbers disappeared into the brickwork were left unfilled, and the muppets didn't bother to seal along the top of the frame. Just covered the gap with a bit of trim and said "job done". The gaps were hidden by the original wooden reveals internally and render externally.

ic

The Green Homes Grant is running at the moment - it will fund 2/3s of the cost of things like external solid wall insulation, loft and underfloor insulation, heating controls, and might extend to improving front and back doors if appropriate too up to a limit of £5000 (or more depending on your circumstances).  The scheme has had its problems, and its pot luck as to availability of contractors where you live, however I see on the site the scheme has been extended by a year and now ends March 31st 2022.  Also note contractors have to be members of certain schemes, which can be found via the site below.  Check on costs - its quite possible their costs are inflated, and you might get the work done faster or cheaper employing somebody outside the scheme.

https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/pages/green-homes-grant

twopenny

1920's house with single glazed windows my last one.

Loft insualted up to current regs. Attic hatch foam draft excluder around the hatch. A lot of cold air coming from there. Floorboards and skirting boards - seal with flexible filler. Carpet not laminate.

The biggest revelation was putting the heating on all day but down to 13C. The house stayed warm right through with a gas fire for the coldest nights. My bills went down compared to heating morning and night only. Takes a week or two then it's brilliant.

If you're sitting and working in that temperature though it helps to have your feet off the floor, think the footstools that they used in those days, a body warmer and even a slim quilt or sleeping bag around your legs. It's quite cosy and doesn't restrict your upper half.

Mojisola

twopenny said:

If you're sitting and working in that temperature though it helps to have your feet off the floor, think the footstools that they used in those days, a body warmer and even a slim quilt or sleeping bag around your legs. It's quite cosy and doesn't restrict your upper half.

To save having the heating on all day, a relative has bought an electric heated throw and is very pleased with it - as is the cat who shares the warmth.

carolinevw

Thanks two penny. I know you mentioned having the heating on all day. Our difficulty is we don't have a thermostat in the property. We just have the boiler on a timer 

Jeepers_Creepers

carolinevw said:

Thanks two penny. I know you mentioned having the heating on all day. Our difficulty is we don't have a thermostat in the property. We just have the boiler on a timer 

I have a solution for that.

JGB1955

We pay £64 p.m. for gas and electricity.  We're both at home now and I've made the decision to move our daytime heating up one degree to 20 degrees and maintain the 15 degrees overnight.  I expect only a small increase in our bills. That one degree is the difference between misery and comfort!

A_Lert

Loft insulation, draftproofing, and radiator foil will be fairly easy to add.

Depending on the type of boiler you have, you could get a more efficient one. However that might require also replacing radiators, because the efficiency needs the rads to run at a lower temperature so they need to be larger to provide the heating power.

The walls could be insulated on the inside or outside. Inside will be disruptive to fit and reduce room size, but exterior cladding is mired in controversy at the moment.

I also agree that nowadays a lot of us are in the habit of wearing light clothing indoors all year round. Wearing something warmer and dropping the thermostat a degree or two will save money. Though this might not be suitable for the very young or old or those with health problems.

Norman_Castle

carolinevw said:

 I've been up in the attic but unfortunately it's boarded out so it is really difficult to see what insulation we actually have up there.

Lift a few loft board to find out. Finding and blocking draughts is very cost effective, check where pipework enters through floors or walls including where its hidden by bath panels or kitchen cabinets.