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How to live without heating - save £000s

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  • Swipe
    Swipe Posts: 5,593 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Two bitterly cold nights incoming. Stay safe.
  • HertsLad
    HertsLad Posts: 370 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    Swipe said:
    Two bitterly cold nights incoming. Stay safe.
    Thanks. If anything goes wrong, you could say I was warned! On Friday night, I will be sleeping in my car overnight, ahead of my annual ski holiday. The temperature could be anything between about -5C and +5C. But I have done it so many times before, I am confident I won't get the slightest bit cold.
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 18,108 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    HertsLad said: The temperature in my house is now 2C, the lowest it ever seemed to go until it hit 1C a couple of years ago
    At that sort of temperature, you have a very serious risk of pipes freezing and bursting. The repair bills incurred will be a lot higher than what a small amount of heating would have cost. In addition, you may well find that insurance won't cover you.
    Her courage will change the world.

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  • HertsLad
    HertsLad Posts: 370 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    FreeBear said:
    HertsLad said: The temperature in my house is now 2C, the lowest it ever seemed to go until it hit 1C a couple of years ago
    At that sort of temperature, you have a very serious risk of pipes freezing and bursting. The repair bills incurred will be a lot higher than what a small amount of heating would have cost. In addition, you may well find that insurance won't cover you.
    In my opinion, there's zero risk of pipes bursting in my house. I took steps back around 2011 when I stopped heating my house. Anyone else thinking of trying this - unlikely I know - needs to take similar meaaures. There has been 14.5 winters since then and no pipes have burst. Moreover, the freezing point of water has never been reached in my house, so far, anyway. I know because I put out ramekin dishes with a little water. The water has never frozen or even turned slushy.
  • MarzipanCrumble
    MarzipanCrumble Posts: 336 Forumite
    100 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 9 January at 8:38AM
    lagging the pipes?  I noticed that there is a 'free' outside tap cover that water companies offer to help offset burst / frozen taps.  It is like a mitten for taps.
    https://www.watersafe.org.uk/news/latest_news/watersafe-winter-giveaway-insulation-jackets/

    Amazon sell similar (ed)
  • Swipe
    Swipe Posts: 5,593 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 9 January at 9:03AM
    lagging the pipes?  I noticed that there is a 'free' outside tap cover that water companies offer to help offset burst / frozen taps.  It is like a mitten for taps.
    https://www.watersafe.org.uk/news/latest_news/watersafe-winter-giveaway-insulation-jackets/

    Amazon sell similar (ed)
    B&M sells them too but I still found that the outside tap would sometimes freeze on -6C mornings such as today. So now I also isolate my outside tap at the valve on the other side of the wall in the bathroom at the start of winter and drain any water from the pipe. I have a full water butt if I need any water.
  • wrf12345
    wrf12345 Posts: 862 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Posts
    The only time I encountered a frozen pipe was during that really cold winter over a decade ago and then because the pipe/tap that supplied the house emerged in the integrated garage that itself was vented to the outside - the house was less than ten years old btw. In an empty house with no water flow you might well have problems, though...
  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 17,839 Forumite
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    My outside tap (attached directly to my house) froze this week. No damage apparent.
    N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
    2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.
    Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.
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  • HertsLad
    HertsLad Posts: 370 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    QrizB said:
    My outside tap (attached directly to my house) froze this week. No damage apparent.
    Good to hear from you again on this thread. My preparations in 2011 included adding a valve inside the house, to isolate the outside tap. Worth considering for anyone, I suggest.
  • masonic
    masonic Posts: 27,024 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Great reminder for me to isolate my outside tap!
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