How to live without heating - save £000s

RavingMad

I'm always on the lookout for a warm winter jacket but most are 750 down, including the popular Rab microlight alpine.

There's a Montane nano alpine but it's £300 so will wait for it to come down in price 

mmmmikey

I always chuckle when I read this thread. I was too cold in bed to sleep last night despite being in a room that was heated to 18C and having a heavy quilt. I only got warm by putting a fleecy top and wooly socks on. Time for me to invest in a down quilt, I think. All due to medication - how different we all are :-) Lots of good ideas here for anyone who feels the cold as well as those needing to save some cash.

FreeBear

mmmmikey said: I was too cold in bed to sleep last night despite being in a room that was heated to 18C and having a heavy quilt. I only got warm by putting a fleecy top and wooly socks on. Time for me to invest in a down quilt, I think.

Or get an electric underblanket. Got one on my bed, and will use it during the winter months.

dealyboy

mmmmikey said:

I always chuckle when I read this thread. I was too cold in bed to sleep last night despite being in a room that was heated to 18C and having a heavy quilt. I only got warm by putting a fleecy top and wooly socks on. Time for me to invest in a down quilt, I think. All due to medication - how different we all are :-) Lots of good ideas here for anyone who feels the cold as well as those needing to save some cash.

Sorry to hear that @mmmmikey ... I also wear a fleecy top and woolly socks and have an 'heated throw' as an overblanket on top of two duvets, me and another two duvets underneath, the duvets are nothing special. Plenty warm for me and the cat.

HertsLad

RavingMad said:

I'm always on the lookout for a warm winter jacket but most are 750 down, including the popular Rab microlight alpine.

There's a Montane nano alpine but it's £300 so will wait for it to come down in price 

I have never paid anywhere near those prices. Both the down jackets I am wearing as I type were bought on eBay a few weeks ago, used but in 'as new' condition. One was £32 and the other one £40. New, they would be around £300 each.

Bendo

FreeBear said:

mmmmikey said: I was too cold in bed to sleep last night despite being in a room that was heated to 18C and having a heavy quilt. I only got warm by putting a fleecy top and wooly socks on. Time for me to invest in a down quilt, I think.

Or get an electric underblanket. Got one on my bed, and will use it during the winter months.

We have just got a new Tempur superking mattress which says don't use an electric blanket. Although can't work out of this is because it will damage it or for other reasons.

The wife feels the cold a lot so bedroom is generally heated to about 21-22 degrees.

MarzipanCrumble

Buy a feather/down mattress topper and brushed cotton fitted sheet plus brushed cotton duvet cover.  Guarentee you will warm up as soon as you lie down. 

I do have down/feather duvets because both light and warm.  I have separate duvets because I do get hot in middle of night and can easily throw off one .  My bedroom is prob 14-15 C.  Don't open window just don't use CH and even when I do set at 15C (hall thermostat).

Its draughts and water in the air that promotes feeling cold.

Yorkshire_Pud

HertsLad said:f

RavingMad said:

I'm always on the lookout for a warm winter jacket but most are 750 down, including the popular Rab microlight alpine.

There's a Montane nano alpine but it's £300 so will wait for it to come down in price 

I have never paid anywhere near those prices. Both the down jackets I am wearing as I type were bought on eBay a few weeks ago, used but in 'as new' condition. One was £32 and the other one £40. New, they would be around £300 each.

I bought a Peter Storm loch down 650 jacket 90/10 fill today from millets £40 (rrp £150) I’ve always been put off trying wearing jackets indoors by their bulk but this one isn’t too bad as it’s so lightweight. I read Trustpilot reviews of the brand tonight and they are mostly one star and there is even a review by a relative of the original company founder Noel Bibby admitting the brand quality has gone down (geddit) since the company was sold and all made in China. I doubt it would be worth £150 but for £40 worth a punt? No good in the rain apparently with a down filling but for keeping warm indoors probably fine.

Apart from that I am a great believer in warming the bed with a hot water bottle which I confess I keep in the bed all night contrary to safety advice and it’s still luke warm in the morning under wool duvets and wool blanket. I also put my pyjama trousers under the bottle with socks and pj top on top of the bottle while warming the bed for an hour or so before getting in so I’m warm when I get in the bed and stay that way all night. The risk of the bottle splitting and possibly severe hot water scalding is a worry I suppose because we are made to worry about everything right?  but  luckily that’s never happened yet. In approxiamately 50 years. I never lye on top of the bottle or stress it with body weight and after about ten minutes move it about a foot away from my torso as I’m already comfortable by then but it still gives off heat.  I didn’t like electric blankets as I felt ‘cooked’ by it and found it most uncomfortable whereas I can move a bottle around as desired and find it easier to regulate my body temperature plus I like ‘cool’ bits to move to sometimes.

HertsLad

Yorkshire_Pud said:

HertsLad said:f

RavingMad said:

I'm always on the lookout for a warm winter jacket but most are 750 down, including the popular Rab microlight alpine.

There's a Montane nano alpine but it's £300 so will wait for it to come down in price 

I have never paid anywhere near those prices. Both the down jackets I am wearing as I type were bought on eBay a few weeks ago, used but in 'as new' condition. One was £32 and the other one £40. New, they would be around £300 each.

I bought a Peter Storm loch down 650 jacket 90/10 fill today from millets £40 (rrp £150)....No good in the rain apparently with a down filling but for keeping warm indoors probably fine.

Apart from that I am a great believer in warming the bed with a hot water bottle 

I am sure the Millets jacket is worth a try. I am currently wearing two down jackets (800 fill) with my normal two base layers underneath. That's at 7.5C, quite early in the morning. I expect the temperature to go up a bit later on. I agree about not wanting to get the down exposed to rain. So I wear a waterproof layer over the top if I go outside when it is raining. Are you wearing much on your legs? If not, I suggest you need to get as close as you can to wearing almost as much on your legs as on your top.

Last year, I used a hot water bottle but this year I can't be bothered. I found that the thermal shock of cold bedding comes from contact with bare skin. So I simply get into bed with my 2 x base layers and socks still on, and find it perfectly comfortable.

Yorkshire_Pud

HertsLad said:

Yorkshire_Pud said:

HertsLad said:f

RavingMad said:

I'm always on the lookout for a warm winter jacket but most are 750 down, including the popular Rab microlight alpine.

There's a Montane nano alpine but it's £300 so will wait for it to come down in price 

I have never paid anywhere near those prices. Both the down jackets I am wearing as I type were bought on eBay a few weeks ago, used but in 'as new' condition. One was £32 and the other one £40. New, they would be around £300 each.

I bought a Peter Storm loch down 650 jacket 90/10 fill today from millets £40 (rrp £150)....No good in the rain apparently with a down filling but for keeping warm indoors probably fine.

Apart from that I am a great believer in warming the bed with a hot water bottle 

I am sure the Millets jacket is worth a try. I am currently wearing two down jackets (800 fill) with my normal two base layers underneath. That's at 7.5C, quite early in the morning. I expect the temperature to go up a bit later on. I agree about not wanting to get the down exposed to rain. So I wear a waterproof layer over the top if I go outside when it is raining. Are you wearing much on your legs? If not, I suggest you need to get as close as you can to wearing almost as much on your legs as on your top.

Last year, I used a hot water bottle but this year I can't be bothered. I found that the thermal shock of cold bedding comes from contact with bare skin. So I simply get into bed with my 2 x base layers and socks still on, and find it perfectly comfortable.

On my legs one pair of thermals and jeans with thick socks. I think I would benefit from down filled trousers although I’ve not knowingly seen any advertised. On top I wear a T shirt with thermal long sleeve vest over then two fleeces. Plus at the moment my Peter storm loch down jacket. I do put the heating on however albeit lower thermostat setting and only in the room I’m in which in Winter is usually the kitchen. Going out for a brisk walk to the shops means I don’t need the heating on for up to a few hours once I return home. This jacket is so light I feel comfortable in it but still a bit ‘why am I wearing a jacket indoors’?! I do feel the cold but if I do some gardening I become sweaty and overheat quickly which is bad, have to plan for what I am doing that day.

I have noticed I get a better nights sleep when I don’t use a hot water bottle and let my own body heat attenuate the right sleeping temperature, it’s just the initial shock of a cold bed that puts me off. When camping or hosteling I sleep in t shirt and boxers and it sure makes a difference when you get up in the morning and you’ve already got warm clothes on so I agree about thermal shock which can be avoided twice by your method. My only objection is undergarments don’t get aired but if I change them every two days say could work for me. Washing clothes is ok but drying them a long winded process usually involving the radiator in the end after air drying with the bathroom window open.