How to live without heating - save £000s

HertsLad

Netexporter said:

But my fag packet calculation mistakenly thought Hertslads might already have a supply and pay an SC and not be off grid.

The winter fuel payment would cover that and leave over £400/£500 change, depending on age. The WFP could easily cover the whole year's cost if you were reasonably careful.

Merry Christmas. I plan to start cooking my Christmas Dinner at about 11am. The temperature in my bedroom when I got up at 4am was a crazy 13C so I am no longer wearing any jackets insulated with down, thinsulate or anything else. When heat starts radiating from my gas cooker, whilst cooking the turkey, I think I will need to take off even more clothes. Incidentally, I never turn on any heating as some kind of treat for Christmas Day because I am perfectly comfortable without.

Thank you for all your suggestions regarding Agile. I am finding it hard to see how I could benefit. Perhaps someone could draft a simple cash flow if you still think I could save more money. My current position is that I don't pay any standing charge or usage costs for electricity. All my electricity comes from 6 solar panels. I understood the days or making much money by selling electricity are over. I might be interested if I was being paid 35p per kwh but I fear it's closer to 3.5p per kwh - derisory. It's their loss because in mid summer, masses of my energy goes to 'waste' as in not being used. It's too expensive for me to 'help out' given the cost of a grid tie inverter, standing charge and likely certification and/or professional input for wiring it up. The loss is likely to become much greater next year because the price of solar panels has fallen.

I plan to add 10 further panels to my house roof with a rated power output of 410w each. and add them to the 6 panels currently in the garden at 320w each. The main justification is to provide more headroom over winter. And in summer, I will have more power than I can possibly use.

 Re. the quote above, my WFP of £500 has already been spent, on a holiday to Egypt where I enjoyed scuba diving and snorkelling. I am so comfortable wearing as many clothes as needed for a given temperature, there's no way I could gain from spending the WFP or any other £500 on heating. If I heated just one room, for example, I know it's far less convenient. I'd freeze - it could even be dangerous - whenever I leave the heated room, as I found when I tried it 15 or 20 years ago.

HertsLad

Today the temperature in my house is 5C. Early this morning, my hands were a little cold so I warmed them up over a flame on the gas cooker. Soon, warmth built up under my clothes until I was what I would call 'toasty warm'. I lived in my elderly Mother's property for the previous 3 days. It's heated to 20C during the day so I was wearing 'normal' clothes. I was no more or less comfortable there than I am back home, now. I am only wearing a couple of garments less than when I took the photos I posted of my clothes at 1C. I am wearing 2 insulated jackets. Then I was wearing 3 jackets. And I am not yet wearing ski trousers over my down filled trousers. Next week, I am going skiing.

dealyboy

HertsLad said:

Today the temperature in my house is 5C. Early this morning, my hands were a little cold so I warmed them up over a flame on the gas cooker. Soon, warmth built up under my clothes until I was what I would call 'toasty warm'. I lived in my elderly Mother's property for the previous 3 days. It's heated to 20C during the day so I was wearing 'normal' clothes. I was no more or less comfortable there than I am back home, now. I am only wearing a couple of garments less than when I took the photos I posted of my clothes at 1C. I am wearing 2 insulated jackets. Then I was wearing 3 jackets. And I am not yet wearing ski trousers over my down filled trousers. Next week, I am going skiing.

Where abouts Hertford, Tring ?  .

HertsLad

dealyboy said:

HertsLad said:

 Next week, I am going skiing.

Where abouts Hertford, Tring ?  .

I am returning to the Dolomites region of Italy - a really good area for skiing.

Markc0011

I asked Chatgpt, 'what is a novelty from different countries that they use to stay warm in winter:

1. Finland - Kuksa Cup:

   • The kuksa cup is a traditional wooden drinking cup used by the Sámi people in Finland. It's not specifically designed to keep you warm, but it's often associated with enjoying hot drinks like coffee or tea, which can be comforting in the cold winter months.

2. Russia - Valenki Boots:

   • Valenki are traditional Russian felt boots made from wool. They have been used for centuries to keep feet warm in the harsh winter conditions of Russia.

3. Japan - Kotatsu:

   • Kotatsu is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often an electric heater. It's a cozy way to stay warm during the winter while sitting on the floor.

4. Norway - Selbuvotter Mittens:

   • Selbuvotter mittens are traditional Norwegian mittens with intricate geometric patterns. They are not only stylish but also provide warmth in the cold Norwegian winters.

5. Canada - Mukluks:

   • Mukluks are traditional Inuit boots that are both warm and stylish. They are often made from sealskin or other insulated materials and are designed to keep feet warm in cold Canadian winters.

6. India - Pashmina Shawls:

   • Pashmina shawls, made from the wool of Himalayan goats, are popular in India for keeping warm during the winter. They are known for their softness and excellent insulation properties.

7. Argentina - Poncho:

   • Ponchos are traditional South American garments, widely used in Argentina. They are made of thick wool and are effective in providing warmth, especially in the colder regions.

8. Mongolia - Deel:

   • The traditional Mongolian deel is a long, loose-fitting gown worn in Mongolia. It is often made from thick materials to protect against the cold winters and is commonly worn over layers of clothing.

9. Switzerland - Swiss Army Blanket:

   • The Swiss Army blanket is known for its durability and warmth. Originally designed for military use, these blankets are often used in Switzerland to stay warm during the winter.

10. Greece - Fustanella:

    • The fustanella is a traditional pleated skirt-like garment worn by men in Greece. While not specifically designed for warmth, it is often part of traditional attire and is worn with other layers to combat the cold in winter.

HertsLad

The chatgpt list is interesting, thanks, but I don't think I see any scope for upgrading what I currently wear.

Apart from my shock when colder temperatures first arrived in October, I have found it even more effortless to stay warm, so far this winter, than ever before. The temperature in my study as I use my desktop computer is 9C, whch is not very cold at all, by my way of thinking. I think it was about 5C just before I departed for skiing on 12 Jan. But the low of 1C, as noted in December 2022, has not been seen so far this winter. I tend to err on the side of caution with what I wear. By that, I mean I may  be be wearing more than is strictly necessary, but it's easy to remove one or two garments if I start to overheat. 

So, at present, I am wearing my standard foundation for winter of two polyester base layers, both top and bottom, Then on my legs, down filled trousers and denim jeans. On my top, I am wearing a polyester mid layer, a pure wool jumper, two down filled jackets and a fleece. Plus a hat and a neck warmer. I am not the slightest bit cold, but neither am I overheating. I reckon this would be sufficient down to about 5C but it probably won't happen again until December 2024 at the earliest.

How is everyone here getting on, especially anyone who is taking significant step to use minimal energy for heating the air in their home? 

peter3hg

I'm still very much of a mind that the small saving on heating doesn't justify the loss of comfort from being layered up in my circumstances.
I've added up my bills for 2023 and I spent a total of £302 on gas. £159 of that approximately is accounted for by the standing charge and hot water so heating cost about £143.
I'm not willing to be even slightly more uncomfortable for the sake of £143.

Obviously whereas I have an efficient modern house with low bills, others will have much bigger potential savings to make and probably more tolerance of being layered up and more tolerant visitors so the answer isn't the same for everyone.

dealyboy

Doing OK here @HertsLad, much better than last year and so far I think I've had mild chilblains once on my right hand's fingers.

So first of all I'm using heating overnight with two oil-filled radiators (E7 off-peak about 6 kWh per night). My bed has several duvets plus a heated throw for luck and both myself and my cat are plenty warm (until he gets kicked off).

In the front room I arrange any washing that's not dry from hanging outside onto an airer/dryer (but not switched on) and have one radiator about a foot away and a dehumidifier on 'smart' another foot away (unless the forecast is for below zero temperatures which might cause the dehumidifier to freeze up). I also have the airing cupboard door open (cylinder not on).

The kitchen/dining area and the shower room are not heated.

I check the relative humidity forecasts and open windows during the daytime when it's clear-skyed. The double-glazed windows have had condensation sometimes but I've wiped them off.

Turning to me ... during the daytime to be frank I haven't worn as many clothes as I did last winter ...
top: T-shirt, thermal long sleeved vest, thermal mid/top layer, indoor thermal coat
bottom: thermal leggings, trousers
I wear gloves as appropriate, thin ones for keyboard.
... last year additionally I wore joggers over the thermal leggings, a fleece over my thermal mid/top and doubled up thermal socks.

One thing I have noticed is that the floor is not freezing cold as it was last year plus I am not fearful of taking a shower.

My electric usage of course is more than last year, I would estimate it will be 600-800 kWh more overall but all at off-peak rates, so about £100. Of course I decided to use the Winter Fuel Payment £500 this year rather than being silly, so I have plenty of 'spare'.

... and thanks for your update  .

masonic

I've made a 45% reduction in consumption over the past month compared with this time last year, and I'm allowing myself the luxury of heating to 14 °C in my living room. I'm finding that comfortable, but would not push it further. I'm really pleased with that saving for very little inconvenience.

Rewards from the DFS scheme have covered December and January's standing charge (I have elec only), and I project that February will be paid for too.

HertsLad

dealyboy said:

Doing OK here @HertsLad, much better than last year and so far I think I've had mild chilblains once on my right hand's fingers.

So first of all I'm using heating overnight with two oil-filled radiators (E7 off-peak about 6 kWh per night). My bed has several duvets plus a heated throw for luck and both myself and my cat are plenty warm (until he gets kicked off).

In the front room I arrange any washing that's not dry from hanging outside onto an airer/dryer (but not switched on) and have one radiator about a foot away and a dehumidifier on 'smart' another foot away (unless the forecast is for below zero temperatures which might cause the dehumidifier to freeze up). I also have the airing cupboard door open (cylinder not on).

Regarding warmth in bed, I noticed hot water bottles on sale for less than £3 a few days ago, at Home Bargains. So I bought one to double up on the bottle I already have. I heat up two saucepans with water to about 75C using the gas hob, then place the hot water bottles in my bed about 15 minutes before I go to bed. Two are defintely better than one and the warmth is at least as good as when using an electric blanket, just to pre warm the bedding.

I started to get lazy in terms of hand washing clothes in buckets of heated rain water. I have been using the largest washing machine at a local launderette, instead. It's not very expensive to wash a 100 litre duffel bag full of clothes. Before I went skiing, I then dried some of the gear using a tumble drier, but that's more expensive. I am now thinking about building my own wood fired tumble drier and/or using the additional energy provided by my additional solar panels to bring my dehumidifier back into play.