Discuss the 'Heat the human not the home' guide

Donna0926

I would like to know more about the cost efficient ways of stopping your home deteriorating through the lack of heating. It is our fifth year of not being able to heat the house properly and the mould is growing and as we own our house I worry so much about the year on year damage the damp must be doing. Is it cheapest to just put the heating on, or to buy dehumidifiers? Lots of tips to keep warm which is great, but we struggled for years to be able to afford our house and in the winter the walls are turning green and I am wiping the condensation off the windows every morning . I will be getting out the hot water bottles and stocking up on blankets when it gets to winter but honestly the amount of damp in our house is scary 

luvchocolate

I've never had damp or mould in a property and lived in about 25.
Always open windows...ventilation is the key 

Janet53145957

We have been wearing warm clothes etc for years, to minimize CO2 emissions as well as to save money. I  recommend wearing at least one wool or partly wool layer, as its massively warmer than cotton and artificial fabrics as well as being much more environmentally friendly. Well worth the extra expense in the long run and extra care needed in washing. The latter can be minimized by choosing machine washable items such as those made from merino wool or a mixture of wool and artificial fibres.  Items padded with feathers and/or down are also very good.

Carrot007

DrJDK said:

You can loose up to 25% of your body heat through your head.  Wear a hat, is something I don’t see in the “Heat the human not the home” advice. 

Becuase it is simply not true. It a popular made up figure that has "STUCK", otherwise people in iceland may walk around naked with a hat. However a hat can indeed help still.

dualnash

This isn't directly related to 'heating the human' but may help in the general attempt to save money/use energy more effectively. An employer of a TV/Broadband company called into the radio a couple of days ago and said that leaving your TV/TV box/wifi box on stand-by can cost you up to £75 a year in energy, so if you can switch these off by the plug when not in use, you may be able to save yourself some energy and can redistribute it to your heating, for example (if they're both electric, of course). Hope this helps as I know it's quite basic advice

srhope

I understand that the guide is for people in a desperate position but it shouldn't be used by those that can afford to heat their homes as the impact on their health and house could be disastrous. 

So the rest of us who can no longer heat our homes must endure the consequences.

philcbristol

Down jackets and sleeping bags (opened out as quilts or throws) are incredibly effective at heating the person, not the place. They are a pricey investment, but for light weight personal insulation they are amazing. I have used them when camping sub-zero and trekking in high altitude, but they are equally effective at home.

CAlexM

As has been mentioned above, wear a hat! I wear a hat (cotton or wool, depending on weather... wool can be a bit itchy!); and then, with a hoodie, the hood over the hat - snug! Keeps my head & back of neck warm :-)

k_man

Carrot007 said:

DrJDK said:

You can loose up to 25% of your body heat through your head.  Wear a hat, is something I don’t see in the “Heat the human not the home” advice. 

Becuase it is simply not true. It a popular made up figure that has "STUCK", otherwise people in iceland may walk around naked with a hat. However a hat can indeed help still.

I decided to let this one go and at least it wasn't 50% 😁

For completeness, the head loses hardly any more heat than any other part of the body (relative to size).
But it does still lose heat, so if everywhere else is well insulated, then it will lose disproportionately more, but not 25%, unless wearing a lot of insulation everywhere else.

Necks (especially) and wrists and do lose more heat than other areas though, as blood vessels are closer to the surface. So wrist warmers, and neck warmers do make a big difference (and help stop warm air getting out).

philcbristol said:

Down jackets and sleeping bags (opened out as quilts or throws) are incredibly effective at heating the person, not the place. They are a pricey investment, but for light weight personal insulation they are amazing. I have used them when camping sub-zero and trekking in high altitude, but they are equally effective at home.

Technically clothing etc keeps you warm, rather than heating as such.
So it helps to try and get warm (light exercise/movement) before wrapping up. And add a hot water bottle.
As anyone that has camped knows, you want to be warm before getting into a sleeping bag if possible.

FelipeArbusto

I use this method in conjunction with a flask/s. My set allows me to heat 1 litre of water at a time, but depending on the quantity of hob use I can heat more, but I use a 1 litre rule, as safety comes 1st.. 

Whether you fast boil or simmer - this method should work out in the same manner as it does for me.
Suffice to say, you'll heat less if you fast boil vs a simmer. If making a casserole, this method could yield you loads of heated water  


1) Place whatever you are going to cook in a saucepan but DO NOT USE A LID.

2) Instead of a lid, place another saucepan on top.

Please ensure that the saucepan on top is secure, so it can not dislodge and cause you any mishaps.
For safety reasons, only you can judge the correct quantity of water to use. 

3) Fill the top saucepan with some water (as above, safety first)  now use a lid.

This will cook the food in the bottom saucepan and heat the water in the top saucepan which then can be used to clean the dishes or to make hot drinks or even go as far as placing some of that hot water in a builders bucket which you'll shower in (using the electric shower to only rinse yourself down)  then use that grey water to flush the toilet either directly into the bowl or via the cistern.  

Investment in a flask or two would be very beneficial esp the type that guarantee to keep it warm for say 24 hours.

I hope this helps someone. 

**

How did you find the info? Very informative.
Was it useful? Yes
Do you have any other tips you'd add? Above post