Any new tips for heating your house in winter??

[Deleted User]

We live in a 2 bed bungalow which was a pre fab built after the 2nd world war.,Expected to last 20 years. In the 1980's they were encased in a brick shell and a proper roof put on, as the steel  building is enclosed we cannot have wall insulation, but do have a decent amount in the roof. All windows and doors are double glazed units.

We have curtains and sausages at the front and back door. Sitting room and bedroom have full length curtains Central heating was installed 6 years ago.  I draw all the curtains as soon as it starts to get dark. As we are retired and in during the day during the winter the heating is on all day, but set at 15c. at the most. We wear thick socks and fleeces, at least 3 layers of clothing and put on an extra layer if we need it. Fleece throws on the chairs, both our chairs are electric so at night we put our leg rests up and wrap our feet and legs in the fleeces. We do have an electric blanket on the bed, it goes on an hour before we go to bed and switches off approx 15 minutes after we get into bed. We have a duvet and a quilt on the bed. there is a rug across the bottom if we need it.

Make sure we have hot food and drinks during the day, and a warm drink before we go to bed. Soup, stews, casseroles, meat pies, fish pie etc are the order of the day. It would not be the first time I have worn a fleece hat in the house.

The kitchen and bathroom are the coldest rooms in the house. The oven heats the kitchen when I am cooking, otherwise its a dash in and out. The bathroom has a radiator in and does warm up especially when the shower is on. There is an extractor fan in there which gets rid of the steam, it comes on and off automatically. I make sure if its a sunny day I open the windows. All our windows have trickle vents which helps to keep damp at bay.

I have to admit we are comfortably off, decent income from pensions, however that does not mean we go daft with money, we have an emergency fund and also an account for house insurance, car etc. I try to keep food spends under control, approx £40 a week and during the winter I have it delivered. Having had a close shave with black ice a few years ago, I do not go out in the car in snow or if its icy unless it is absolutely necessary.

MandM90

Deleted_User said:

We live in a 2 bed bungalow which was a pre fab built after the 2nd world war.,Expected to last 20 years. In the 1980's they were encased in a brick shell and a proper roof put on, as the steel  building is enclosed we cannot have wall insulation, but do have a decent amount in the roof. All windows and doors are double glazed units.

We have curtains and sausages at the front and back door. Sitting room and bedroom have full length curtains Central heating was installed 6 years ago.  I draw all the curtains as soon as it starts to get dark. As we are retired and in during the day during the winter the heating is on all day, but set at 15c. at the most. We wear thick socks and fleeces, at least 3 layers of clothing and put on an extra layer if we need it. Fleece throws on the chairs, both our chairs are electric so at night we put our leg rests up and wrap our feet and legs in the fleeces. We do have an electric blanket on the bed, it goes on an hour before we go to bed and switches off approx 15 minutes after we get into bed. We have a duvet and a quilt on the bed. there is a rug across the bottom if we need it.

Make sure we have hot food and drinks during the day, and a warm drink before we go to bed. Soup, stews, casseroles, meat pies, fish pie etc are the order of the day. It would not be the first time I have worn a fleece hat in the house.

The kitchen and bathroom are the coldest rooms in the house. The oven heats the kitchen when I am cooking, otherwise its a dash in and out. The bathroom has a radiator in and does warm up especially when the shower is on. There is an extractor fan in there which gets rid of the steam, it comes on and off automatically. I make sure if its a sunny day I open the windows. All our windows have trickle vents which helps to keep damp at bay.

I have to admit we are comfortably off, decent income from pensions, however that does not mean we go daft with money, we have an emergency fund and also an account for house insurance, car etc. I try to keep food spends under control, approx £40 a week and during the winter I have it delivered. Having had a close shave with black ice a few years ago, I do not go out in the car in snow or if its icy unless it is absolutely necessary.

Thanks for the tips! Admittedly we are ‘comfortably off’ too. When I joined MSE I was a single student mother and now we are dual income with DH being a ‘high earner’ and me on a good professional salary but I’ve been poor and hungry and I think the fear will stay with me forever. I try not to let it rule my life but I’ll also always prioritise squirrelling away for kids uni/mortgage overpayment/pensions over frivolity. Also we like to think of ourselves as environmentally conscious so it doesn’t make sense to waste it!!

pelirocco

I grew up in a house that only had a fire in the living room 
In the winter  out hot water  bottles were glass  lemonade bottles  filled with boiling water and wrap in a tee-shirt...probably not the best idea lol
We would pile our coats on the bed and wake to net curtains  stuck to the inside of the windows  with ice

When I had my first baby in the 80s my midwife was more concerned  with the house being too warm

Toonie

Definitely back up the hot food and drinks during the day. Making a batch of broth or soup is really useful as is having Ovaltine or hot chocolate, warming and comforting at the same time.

Also getting up and moving is quite good for warming up. I notice when I'm sat down for a long time I get cooler, so will get up and do a five minute clean and tidy of something to warm up a bit.

MandM90

Have just ordered a pair of lined crocs - they were £45 on the website, but £29.99 on evil 4m4z0n so I succumbed to the dark side and ordered from the latter. Looking forward to toasty feet and non falling apart slippers!

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

I know this probably won't be very useful but I had a groegg room thermometer when my 2 were babies. It changes colour to let you know when the temperature of the room is right or too cold etc. I found it really useful as both my babies were born in winter and I would probably have had the house hotter than it needed to be. If you search amazon for tommee tippee gro egg its 15.99 today.

MandM90

Mummy2cheekymonkeys said:

I know this probably won't be very useful but I had a groegg room thermometer when my 2 were babies. It changes colour to let you know when the temperature of the room is right or too cold etc. I found it really useful as both my babies were born in winter and I would probably have had the house hotter than it needed to be. If you search amazon for tommee tippee gro egg its 15.99 today.

I have a Gro Egg, thanks It is indeed super useful. It had started going blue but since we've had the heating on a little morning and night has stayed yellow (albeit on lower end!)

mumtoomany

Hi MandM, ( odd that a vegan has the name of chocolate!) But back to heating. 
Having lived in many old, draughty, cold, houses over the years I have learns a lot about this. Heat gets out of the house in two ways, either through conduction, it is transmitted through the walls, floor, windows, etc. Or it gets through gaps in the fabric of the building. 
The second problem first. Take a candle, not one in a container like a night light, but an old fashioned candle, like you might have in a candle stick. Walk around the house and try to find where all the draught are coming in. The flame flickering is an indication of a draught, or even blowing out. Once you've found them you can start blocking them up. I think you mentioned several fireplaces, if not in use these will be very draughty. Stuff something inside, but make sure you remember it's blocked it you are planning on using it again. A card propped on the mantle piece saying blocked chimney works.
Conduction, you need to find the coldest surfaces and find a wry to insulate them. So thick lined curtains, insulated wall paper, carpets, etc.
Then insulate yourselves. Lots of layers. Blankets and, or sleeping bags to sit in. Hot water bottles. 
We once lived in a house so cold that the ice on the inside of the bedroom widows did not the for almost a week! We slept in hats! And installed double glazing and heading before the next winter.

With the lined crocs. Lidl had some of their own make last year and the year before, if it's not to late to cancel your order. They may not have them this year, but might bed some use to someone.
Men's thermal long johns are much warmer than women's and often cheaper.
Hope some of this helps, mumtoomany.

mumtoomany

Forgot to add, congratulations on the new baby.

Auntycaz

I saw the lined crocs in L*dl yesterday in the middle isle. They had both men's and women's.