How to live without heating - save £000s

HertsLad

kimwp said:

I was pretty cold. Base layer, thick sports t/-shirt, thermal long sleeve t/-shirt and thin fleece (plus scarf), leggings and jeans while I was inside, then gloves, hat, waterproof jacket when I was outsid...was looking at heated thermals, but there's so much choice and not enough convincing reviews. Any advice welcomed!

I wouldn't waste your money with anything electrical such as heated panels or gloves.. It's so much easier to wear highly insulating layers and be done with it, adding or removing one or two layers as the temperature goes up and down. It's far too much effort to lug around battery packs, then find they don't last long enough. If your "thick sports T shirt" is short-sleeved, replace it with a long-sleeved polyester base layer or mid layer. My current, favourite hunting ground for these garments is Decathlon. 

kimwp

HertsLad said:

kimwp said:

I was pretty cold. Base layer, thick sports t/-shirt, thermal long sleeve t/-shirt and thin fleece (plus scarf), leggings and jeans while I was inside, then gloves, hat, waterproof jacket when I was outsid...was looking at heated thermals, but there's so much choice and not enough convincing reviews. Any advice welcomed!

I wouldn't waste your money with anything electrical such as heated panels or gloves.. It's so much easier to wear highly insulating layers and be done with it, adding or removing one or two layers as the temperature goes up and down. It's far too much effort to lug around battery packs, then find they don't last long enough. If your "thick sports T shirt" is short-sleeved, replace it with a long-sleeved polyester base layer or mid layer. My current, favourite hunting ground for these garments is Decathlon. 

Thanks HertsLad, I'll head to decathlon!

HertsLad

kimwp said:

HertsLad said:

kimwp said:

I was pretty cold. Base layer, thick sports t/-shirt, thermal long sleeve t/-shirt and thin fleece (plus scarf), leggings and jeans while I was inside, then gloves, hat, waterproof jacket when I was outsid...was looking at heated thermals, but there's so much choice and not enough convincing reviews. Any advice welcomed!

I wouldn't waste your money with anything electrical such as heated panels or gloves.. It's so much easier to wear highly insulating layers and be done with it, adding or removing one or two layers as the temperature goes up and down. It's far too much effort to lug around battery packs, then find they don't last long enough. If your "thick sports T shirt" is short-sleeved, replace it with a long-sleeved polyester base layer or mid layer. My current, favourite hunting ground for these garments is Decathlon. 

Thanks HertsLad, I'll head to decathlon!

Good to hear. They do at least two ranges of polyester base garments, some of which are on special offer at present. First is the 100 range for about £8 each, top or bottom. Even warmer, due to thicker fabric, is the 500 range. They are normally about £15 each. I'm not presuaded they are twice as warm for twice the cost but I still like them.  These are in the section for mens, womens and kids ski wear. They also do similar garments for running and football but I haven't bought any of those. I also have a couple of mid layer polyester tops, which I bought fom Decathlon in a sale about 8 years ago. I am wearing one right now, instead of a cotton shirt. I think it must be warmer. It also has the number 500. Good luck.

kimwp

Got a bit flustered in decathlon, but managed to get two 500 base layer tops and bottoms. It was 13C today and I wore a thin short sleeved technical top, then two of the 500 thermal tops, a thin fleece, thick softshell top, scarf and waterproof on top. One 500 thermal bottoms and jeans. I was warm enough most of the day occasionally needing gloves or to move around when the rain made it a bit colder. So not yet tested the -1 that had me asking for help, but have additional thermals for bottoms, plus I ordered some last season on sale insulated trousers, additional fleece and fleece hat. I might need to think more about midlayers and outer, but the reality is that if it is really cold, the farm will probably be snowed in and I won't be able to get there.

HertsLad

kimwp said:

Got a bit flustered in decathlon, but managed to get two 500 base layer tops and bottoms. 

I hope you managed to grab the special offer, with a reduction down to £10 from the normal price of £15 per garment. I bought two further pairs of '500' tops and bottoms (4 items) last week @ £10 each, as I seek to effectively upgrade my previous holding of Campri base garments from Sports Direct.

kimwp

HertsLad said:

kimwp said:

Got a bit flustered in decathlon, but managed to get two 500 base layer tops and bottoms. 

I hope you managed to grab the special offer, with a reduction down to £10 from the normal price of £15 per garment. I bought two further pairs of '500' tops and bottoms (4 items) last week @ £10 each, as I seek to effectively upgrade my previous holding of Campri base garments from Sports Direct.

I did indeed, with some further reductions for the second of each, so £36 total. 

I started off fine (even too warm) in 7C today with Monday's getup, but had to add a second fleece and hat and was still chilly (albeit sitting still and no gloves on) by the time I left, when ice was forming on the car. Hopefully thermal trousers will arrive soon, with space for the additional thermal baselayer

HertsLad

kimwp said:

 Hopefully thermal trousers will arrive soon, with space for the additional thermal baselayer

Have your thermal trousers arrived yet, and have you tried them? I ordred a further pair (down filled) after the price fell on aliexpress. What is the insulation material? My current policy is to wear them with two base layers, and with denims over the top, whenever the house temperature is below 10C. My gut feel is that all parts of your body need to be almost equally insulated, so it's still less than I am wearing above the waist.

The temperature in my house today is about 5C, the same as yesterday, Christmas Day. A friend suggested I might treat myself to room heating on Christmas Day but why should I? I'm at least as warm as people who wear normal clothes, plus room heating, and warmer than if the same people wander into parts of the house which are not heated.

wrf12345

"My gut feel is that all parts of your body need to be almost equally insulated"

Interesting, wore my 50p Amazon Haul wool-like gloves for the first time today on a circular five mile walk to Asda, definitely warmer overall than having  my hands wedged in my pockets. Did try wearing a parka indoors yesterday but made no difference, Have two layers of pants, t-shirt and two pullovers and padded jacket normally, temp indoors just below 10 degrees. I will have to try the gloves indoors. I have spent an extra £2-3 so far on occasional use of my 660W halogen heater, leaving me roughly £197 for the next two months (winter fuel payment at £200). I will probably turn the gas back on at the meter soon, see if the boiler fires up again, unless the "cold" snap disappears, Only heat two rooms so it is around 50p for an hour but the house does not retain the heat very well but not the coldest house I have lived in. A few spots of mold in the bedroom. zapped with Bleach, so probably time I was sensible. On the other hand I want to fund a DIY solar panel install and that £200 would byt four 450W panels... one luxury is an electric underblanket that costs almost nothing to run for an hour before bed, that is really worth it, IMO, as sleep almost naked under two duvets and one throw across the bottom of the bed.

kimwp

HertsLad said:

kimwp said:

 Hopefully thermal trousers will arrive soon, with space for the additional thermal baselayer

Have your thermal trousers arrived yet, and have you tried them? I ordred a further pair (down filled) after the price fell on aliexpress. What is the insulation material? My current policy is to wear them with two base layers, and with denims over the top, whenever the house temperature is below 10C. My gut feel is that all parts of your body need to be almost equally insulated, so it's still less than I am wearing above the waist.

The temperature in my house today is about 5C, the same as yesterday, Christmas Day. A friend suggested I might treat myself to room heating on Christmas Day but why should I? I'm at least as warm as people who wear normal clothes, plus room heating, and warmer than if the same people wander into parts of the house which are not heated.

They did, they are last year's craghoppers kiwi pro lined trousers, it's a thin fleecy lining. Unfortunately with both thermal waistbands, plus the trousers waist band, it's quite uncomfortable to sit as they dig in, but I realised that my jeans were stretchier than I thought and both of the decathlon base layers fit under them. So I'm wearing those for now and will wear the lined ones for if it rains and I'll mainly be standing. I like the idea of down trousers!

t0rt0ise

So much clothing to wash. I wonder how much money is spent on all the extra washing. Or does it never get washed?