How to live without heating - save £000s

HertsLad

Swipe said:

HertsLad said:

Swipe said:

I went without heating for 9 days during last January's cold spell due to a Eon leaving me without off peak rate after a switch. The internal house temperature dropped to around 5C by the 9th day. Even though I was layered up and my body was not cold, I still found the whole experience utterly miserable. I didn't like the constant feeling of the cold air on my face and hands. When my off peak was restored and my storage heaters were back on, the bedroom back at 14C and my living room at 17-19C felt like absolute heaven.

I'm sorry to hear that but I doubt if you were as well wrapped up as I am. For example, I will be wearing my down insulated trousers below about 8C. What were you wearing on your legs? At 5C you need to be wearing a lot more than 2 base layers and jeans. 

You are probably right, but I'm certainly not planning on going 9 days without heating again if I can help it. 

It may be worth investing in base layers, down trousers and a down-filled jacket to hold in reserve in case they are needed in future! That said, you must have been wearing quite a lot not to die of hypothermia at 5C. You say your body was not cold. So what exactly were you wearing? I must say, I don't notice cold air on my face or hands. Overall, I feel much the same as when wearing a T shirt and shorts at around 22C in the summer.

Swipe

HertsLad said:

Swipe said:

HertsLad said:

Swipe said:

I went without heating for 9 days during last January's cold spell due to a Eon leaving me without off peak rate after a switch. The internal house temperature dropped to around 5C by the 9th day. Even though I was layered up and my body was not cold, I still found the whole experience utterly miserable. I didn't like the constant feeling of the cold air on my face and hands. When my off peak was restored and my storage heaters were back on, the bedroom back at 14C and my living room at 17-19C felt like absolute heaven.

I'm sorry to hear that but I doubt if you were as well wrapped up as I am. For example, I will be wearing my down insulated trousers below about 8C. What were you wearing on your legs? At 5C you need to be wearing a lot more than 2 base layers and jeans. 

You are probably right, but I'm certainly not planning on going 9 days without heating again if I can help it. 

It may be worth investing in base layers, down trousers and a down-filled jacket to hold in reserve in case they are needed in future! That said, you must have been wearing quite a lot not to die of hypothermia at 5C. You say your body was not cold. So what exactly were you wearing? I must say, I don't notice cold air on my face or hands. Overall, I feel much the same as when wearing a T shirt and shorts at around 22C in the summer.

From memory, I was wearing a T shirt, long sleeved T shirt, a thick polo shirt with the collar up, a thin lambswool sweater, hoodie and a very thick woollen fleece jacket that is really warm and topped of with a scarf around my neck and woolly hat. On my legs I was wearing thick sweatpants with a woollen blanket triple layered up over my legs when sitting and my feet had 2 pairs of thick socks and were inside my electronic foot warmer. I was also spending my time sitting on a spare double electric blanket that was thrown over my armchair so heated my  bottom and back. In bed I had my king sized electric blanket and a thick woolly hat with a couple of duvets. Mostly it was just my face that got cold and my hands when not in my pockets, i.e. on my laptop. It only really got down to 5C during my last day or so. I think when I lost my E7 off peak supply it was fairly mild around 10C for a few days and then the cold spell hit it and then each day the internal temperature decreased gradually and dropped down to a low of 5C. 

RavingMad

@HertsLad how long have you subscribed to this way of heating the body? As long as you can remember or only when the Ukraine war caused energy prices to surge?

Scot_39

RavingMad said:

@HertsLad how long have you subscribed to this way of heating the body? As long as you can remember or only when the Ukraine war caused energy prices to surge?

From post 1 at top of thread - from Feb 22

"I haven’t heated my house for more than 11 years"

So 2011 or earlier at a guess - linking the heat and clothing - well  before Ukraine.

silverwhistle

I'm not sure how long it would take me to save thousands as I only pay £50 a month for my fuel and that includes my motoring. It's been so mild this autumn that my lounge is still above 19c as I type and it'll need a real turn in the weather for the GCH to go on in my terraced house.

But why save money by cutting back fuel use? You could save money on food by just eating beans and rice, save on your weekend tipple by buying Buckfastleigh, save on water bills by showering once a month, use scrounged copies of the Daily Mail instead of toilet paper... My preference is not to be too extravagant with anything but not to be too self denying either.

I'm a skier and have done a bit of winter sailing too, and with a family history of heart issues see no virtue in getting too cold. I've been in minus 20 temperatures and it's bloomin' dangerous whatever you are wearing, so I respect the danger that cold can represent. When I've been out in the winter cold playing football you can be sure my wood burner will be on as soon as I get through the door!

HertsLad

silverwhistle said:

I'm not sure how long it would take me to save thousands as I only pay £50 a month for my fuel and that includes my motoring. It's been so mild this autumn that my lounge is still above 19c as I type and it'll need a real turn in the weather for the GCH to go on in my terraced house.

But why save money by cutting back fuel use? You could save money on food by just eating beans and rice, save on your weekend tipple by buying Buckfastleigh, save on water bills by showering once a month, use scrounged copies of the Daily Mail instead of toilet paper... My preference is not to be too extravagant with anything but not to be too self denying either.

I'm a skier and have done a bit of winter sailing too, and with a family history of heart issues see no virtue in getting too cold. I've been in minus 20 temperatures and it's bloomin' dangerous whatever you are wearing, so I respect the danger that cold can represent. When I've been out in the winter cold playing football you can be sure my wood burner will be on as soon as I get through the door!

Apart from Council Tax, there are no savings I can think of to match the cost of heating my house. I did experiments around 2009 or 2010 to see if it was feasible to heat just one room to 20C, or to heat the entire house to around 12C. Either of those approaches costs far more than the clothing to withstand any temperature down to freezing 0C. That's one of my key messages: 1C or 2C is not actually much of a challenge at all. I have skied in temperatures down to -20C, also, and it can't be compared to temperatures just above freezing. Your suggested alternatives are quite absurd, apart from water use, which I already do. You mention the danger of getting cold but that's another key message - I am not the slightest bit cold, even at 1C. I don't think anyone here has tried it, while wearing similar materials and clothes to what I wear. So until you do, you can't appreciate how easy and comfortable it is.

northernstar007

you all got to take in where everyone lives, its going to be warmer on the south coast compaired to far north of scotland
in the north east of england getting a good battering from arctic north and a blast from the east i find we get lot colder than most of the uk right through the year

matt_drummer

HertsLad said:

silverwhistle said:

I'm not sure how long it would take me to save thousands as I only pay £50 a month for my fuel and that includes my motoring. It's been so mild this autumn that my lounge is still above 19c as I type and it'll need a real turn in the weather for the GCH to go on in my terraced house.

But why save money by cutting back fuel use? You could save money on food by just eating beans and rice, save on your weekend tipple by buying Buckfastleigh, save on water bills by showering once a month, use scrounged copies of the Daily Mail instead of toilet paper... My preference is not to be too extravagant with anything but not to be too self denying either.

I'm a skier and have done a bit of winter sailing too, and with a family history of heart issues see no virtue in getting too cold. I've been in minus 20 temperatures and it's bloomin' dangerous whatever you are wearing, so I respect the danger that cold can represent. When I've been out in the winter cold playing football you can be sure my wood burner will be on as soon as I get through the door!

Apart from Council Tax, there are no savings I can think of to match the cost of heating my house. I did experiments around 2009 or 2010 to see if it was feasible to heat just one room to 20C, or to heat the entire house to around 12C. Either of those approaches costs far more than the clothing to withstand any temperature down to freezing 0C. That's one of my key messages: 1C or 2C is not actually much of a challenge at all. I have skied in temperatures down to -20C, also, and it can't be compared to temperatures just above freezing. Your suggested alternatives are quite absurd, apart from water use, which I already do. You mention the danger of getting cold but that's another key message - I am not the slightest bit cold, even at 1C. I don't think anyone here has tried it, while wearing similar materials and clothes to what I wear. So until you do, you can't appreciate how easy and comfortable it is.

I think my question is

If gas was free would you choose to heat your house or would you continue as you are?

Basically, is how you live comfortable, or is it bearably uncomfortable to save you spending £50 a month on gas?

wrf12345

Ever since that inflation blip I have been in super-frugal mode even though I am nearly seventy and can't take the dosh with me. Been clearing out my house of stuff I don't really need/use and ended up with nearly two grand in loose change (via Marketplace on FB) - inflation actually helps with getting decent dosh compared to what I paid for the items. Still, not going to give any of that money to the energy companies but will probably turn the gas back on early December. Energy remains such a rip-off that layering up and giving two fingers to the cartel is an energising option. New camera already bought (excellent upgrade), new phone and TV under consideration, just waiting for decent price drops in the sales. Already have too many clothes bought via Aliexpress so work my way through them. Very little inflation, apart from energy, if you bargain hunt and use the various incentives/discounts on offer.

slipthru

Has your house not suffered from damp and other issues from not being heated for many years?