How to live without heating - save £000s

The_Green_Hornet

Sea_Shell said:

If people could afford £x last year for their heating and the cost has doubled, then even if they have to use 50% of that amount, it will still give some basic level of heat.

This talk of not putting it on at all (in the media) seems like ill thought out, knee jerk reactions TBH .

But that reaction seems more panic from a lack of understanding of kWh and cost rather then looking at ones personal usage and making an informed choice.

I hope we don't hear of cases similar to this one where an elderly couple with sufficient savings died of hypothermia because they had switched their boiler off.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-43992651

HertsLad

The_Green_Hornet said:

Sea_Shell said:

If people could afford £x last year for their heating and the cost has doubled, then even if they have to use 50% of that amount, it will still give some basic level of heat.

This talk of not putting it on at all (in the media) seems like ill thought out, knee jerk reactions TBH .

But that reaction seems more panic from a lack of understanding of kWh and cost rather then looking at ones personal usage and making an informed choice.

I hope we don't hear of cases similar to this one where an elderly couple with sufficient savings died of hypothermia because they had switched their boiler off.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-43992651

I'm sure we will hear of many cases like that and as I said in my opening post, it's very sad. The conditions sound like the inside of my house as in feeling very cold and being able to see mist from breath. But it doesn't say what they were wearing. My guess is it was nowhere near enough which, again, is the whole point of this thread.

casjen

Sea_Shell said:

If people could afford £x last year for their heating and the cost has doubled, then even if they have to use 50% of that amount, it will still give some basic level of heat.

This talk of not putting it on at all (in the media) seems like ill thought out, knee jerk reactions TBH .

But that reaction seems more panic from a lack of understanding of kWh and cost rather then looking at ones personal usage and making an informed choice.

Exactly what i was thinking.... Monitor use to last winters levels if you dont want to pay anymore..... The great British unwashed were pretty clueless during the worse of covid and seem equally clueless now...

Sea_Shell

The_Green_Hornet said:

Sea_Shell said:

If people could afford £x last year for their heating and the cost has doubled, then even if they have to use 50% of that amount, it will still give some basic level of heat.

This talk of not putting it on at all (in the media) seems like ill thought out, knee jerk reactions TBH .

But that reaction seems more panic from a lack of understanding of kWh and cost rather then looking at ones personal usage and making an informed choice.

I hope we don't hear of cases similar to this one where an elderly couple with sufficient savings died of hypothermia because they had switched their boiler off.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-43992651

Sadly, I think we will.

☹️


Not to mention excess deaths through misadventure of trying "alternative" methods of heating, rather than using gas CH.

Herbyme

Mstty said:

Sea_Shell said:

If people could afford £x last year for their heating and the cost has doubled, then even if they have to use 50% of that amount, it will still give some basic level of heat.

This talk of not putting it on at all (in the media) seems like ill thought out, knee jerk reactions TBH .

But that reaction seems more panic from a lack of understanding of kWh and cost rather then looking at ones personal usage and making an informed choice.

Completely agree except I think the price cap last October was not 50% of the price now but much lower especially for gas but they do also get £400 of free heating

Yes isn't if odd how none of the media seem to quote the increase on Oct 2021, just on April 2022? Because that's a 178% increase, from 1277 to 3549 for the 'typical' home, ie nearly trebled from winter to winter. If my rusty maths still works, that means being able to afford 36% of the energy used last winter, that's not counting the £400. For a typical user, the extra £400 would take it to 47% of last winter's energy usage.

I guess much of that would be used warming the place up from cold, then it would switch off quite quickly after, ie it wouldn't be as efficient in terms of benefit per KWh as getting the house warm and keeping it that way for longer.

But it's not fair to blame or denigrate  people for being influenced by the media panic, you shouldn't have to have a certain level of mental ability in order to know how warm you can afford to be.

It makes me weep to think how much less energy we'd need to use if we too had properly insulated houses. It seems to me a total no-brainer but presumably the big builders have chums in high places 

QrizB

Herbyme said:

It makes me weep to think how much less energy we'd need to use if we too had properly insulated houses. It seems to me a total no-brainer but presumably the big builders have chums in high places 

There was a plan under the coalition government for all new housing to be energy-efficient and carbon-neutral (due to come into effect in 2016) but Cameron cancelled it along with "all the green crap" in 2015.

For details of what could have been:

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Allowable_solutions_for_zero_carbon_buildings

From the bottom of that article:

... the move was welcomed by the Home Builders Federation who suggested that zero-carbon standards would have cost purchasers in the order of £2,500 per home.

You can see their priorities.

John464

adindas said:Many people (if not all) could live without heating during the winter if they have to. All you need to do is to buy a thick sweater, Trousers, blankets, duvets, etc.That is what people in war zone, the way our ancestors in the early days were living.

Yes I think you are right.
Although I wouldn't hold our ancestors up as an example because in those days the average life expectancy was something like 12 years.

shinytop

Herbyme said:

Mstty said:

Sea_Shell said:

If people could afford £x last year for their heating and the cost has doubled, then even if they have to use 50% of that amount, it will still give some basic level of heat.

This talk of not putting it on at all (in the media) seems like ill thought out, knee jerk reactions TBH .

But that reaction seems more panic from a lack of understanding of kWh and cost rather then looking at ones personal usage and making an informed choice.

Completely agree except I think the price cap last October was not 50% of the price now but much lower especially for gas but they do also get £400 of free heating

Yes isn't if odd how none of the media seem to quote the increase on Oct 2021, just on April 2022? Because that's a 178% increase, from 1277 to 3549 for the 'typical' home, ie nearly trebled from winter to winter. If my rusty maths still works, that means being able to afford 36% of the energy used last winter, that's not counting the £400. For a typical user, the extra £400 would take it to 47% of last winter's energy usage.

I guess much of that would be used warming the place up from cold, then it would switch off quite quickly after, ie it wouldn't be as efficient in terms of benefit per KWh as getting the house warm and keeping it that way for longer.

But it's not fair to blame or denigrate  people for being influenced by the media panic, you shouldn't have to have a certain level of mental ability in order to know how warm you can afford to be.

It makes me weep to think how much less energy we'd need to use if we too had properly insulated houses. It seems to me a total no-brainer but presumably the big builders have chums in high places 

In a world where the government could speak freely and honestly, this is the simple argument they should use, for anybody healthy and under 75. 

1. Because energy prices are going up, if you use the same amount and pay the same as you do now you.ll get 1/3 of the energy you used to.
2. We (the government) will pay for another 1/3 so that you can afford 2/3 of what you currently use when the prices go up.
3. The other 1/3 is up to you. You can either use the same amount of energy and find the money to pay, cut energy use, or a combination of the two.  If you want to use less energy here are some steps you can take:

- turn down your thermostat by 2 degrees 
- only heat the rooms when they are occupied
- have shorter showers
- wear an extra layer indoors
- etc.

Remember - Heat less,wear more!!!

But no politician would dare.
 

deano2099

The problem is it's not just energy, prices are up across the board including food and most forms of entertainment.
To many, heating is seen as a luxury. The purpose of having the heating on is to feel comfortable. If it's not possible to have the heating on to the point of being comfortable, then one may as well be uncomfortable, have it off, and pay nothing. Then spend that money on being able to buy more food or afford the increased Netflix price so they have something to distract them from the cold.
The notion of "well, you could pay half what you did, and be uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable" isn't of interest to many people. 
And this is a huge part of the reason we're going to see so many fatalities over the winter, as many elderly people don't get that such behaviour could literally kill them. "We did it when we were growing up" - yeah and you were fit, healthy and twenty years old. No-one is denying you have the ability to mentally deal with the discomfort, just whether your body has the ability to deal with it physically. Anyone can have the drive and determination to push through the pain and run a marathon, but if you don't do some training, your body will give up before you do.

HertsLad

John464 said:

adindas said:Many people (if not all) could live without heating during the winter if they have to. All you need to do is to buy a thick sweater, Trousers, blankets, duvets, etc.That is what people in war zone, the way our ancestors in the early days were living.

Yes I think you are right.
Although I wouldn't hold our ancestors up as an example because in those days the average life expectancy was something like 12 years.

I disagree. I think adindas is implying that my thread and suggestions are unnecessary because many people, if not all, know what to wear. Here's why I think such an opinion is dangerous and wrong:

1. If it's so obvious, why do thousands of people die of hypothermia, like in the BBC report above? I fear it's now going to get a lot worse due to the unprecented cost increases.

2. Here's an article from March 2013, a few years after I started living without heating:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2300304/Could-survive-cold-snap-central-heating-As-gas-bills-soar-HELEN-CARROLL-family-pull-long-johns-hot-water-bottles-bravely-t-t-t-try.html

The temperatures they experienced indoors were not even very cold but they were so ill-prepared. It may have just been a marketing gimmick to grab some amusing photos of a family huddled together on the bed or sofa. Expecting to keep warm by wearing a dressing gown is a joke. Pathetic.

3. And another article from November 2021

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/im-shivering-cant-feel-toes-25553609

'I'm shivering and can't feel my toes, but won't turn heating on as it's

too expensive'

'We can't afford to heat our home this winter so instead we're shivering inside'. 

I was as clueless as he is at his age. Again, he is not wearing the right type of clothes. But adindas thinks everyone knows. Wrong!