Discuss the 'Heat the human not the home' guide

Rosie1001

jackieblack said:

I’ve yet to see any suggestions for drying laundry indoors if not heating the home. I line dry during good weather, but in winter my line is permanently in shade and I can’t guarantee the weather being dry all day while I’m out.  Also, once the sun has set and the temperature drops, by the time I get home it’s dark and the laundry is damp again. 

My compromise solution atm is to have the heating on on a Sunday (the only day that I’m home all day). With better weather coming (hopefully) over the summer, line drying should be easier for a few months, but I am already worried about next winter.

I’ve got a heated drier ..it’s fab … if you get one with a cover it dries every quicker …I put mine on overnight to use the cheaper electric 

I got mine from Argos …( minky brand )  was around £50 …it goes flat for storage 

QrizB

jackieblack said:

I’ve yet to see any suggestions for drying laundry indoors if not heating the home.

Before the kids were old enough to need separate rooms, we'd put an indoor airer in the small spare bedroom together with our dehiumidifier. It would dry a load of laundry more slowly than a tumble drier but used much less electricity to do so.

Dizee123

As children have all fled the nest I have rejigged one of our spare bedrooms into a morning sitting room as it faces south east and gets sun all morning. This means I don't have to heat our colder north west facing lounge/diner, which then warms up into the afternoon and doesn't need heating until mid-evening. I have moved the clothes airer into a corner of the new sitting room so it gets the benefit of any sun coming in the windows in the morning.  This has helped with clothes drying over the winter.  Like QrizB I have a dehumidifier I use if the relative humidity starts creeping up.  If the heating is on, I have small airers that fit over the radiators.  As there are only 2 of us, this works well.  However, when my son's washing machine broke I had to do their laundry for a couple of weeks and I had forgotten how much laundry 2 small children generate so may not work for everyone

Tamarindo

Dizee123 said:

As children have all fled the nest I have rejigged one of our spare bedrooms into a morning sitting room as it faces south east and gets sun all morning. This means I don't have to heat our colder north west facing lounge/diner, which then warms up into the afternoon and doesn't need heating until mid-evening. I have moved the clothes airer into a corner of the new sitting room so it gets the benefit of any sun coming in the windows in the morning.  This has helped with clothes drying over the winter.  Like QrizB I have a dehumidifier I use if the relative humidity starts creeping up.  If the heating is on, I have small airers that fit over the radiators.  As there are only 2 of us, this works well.  However, when my son's washing machine broke I had to do their laundry for a couple of weeks and I had forgotten how much laundry 2 small children generate so may not work for everyone

Yes, I find my southern exposure bedroom is brilliant in sunny weather. You can switch off the radiator there and it is still 21C.  If anyone has a south facing room, consider repurposing it as your main living space if possible. 

Zandoni

buggalugs1 said:

I am not sure if this has been said, but one way to not waste heat in the kitchen is, once whatever you have in the oven has finished cooking, leave the oven door open to let the residual heat out. We do not have a radiator in the kitchen and I leave the oven door open after cooking, it is amazing the difference it makes.

That will only feel good for a few minutes, the heat in the oven enters the room whatever, slowly with door close fast with door open. If it's generated in the house it helps to warm, that includes the heat from all your appliances and bulbs.

Horki

Deleted_User said:

Heated throw to tuck in when sitting on the sofa.

I'm thinking of investing in a heated throw and won't need the living room central heating on when I'm watching television particularly in the evening.

How about a sheepskin? Wool is an excellent insulator and very comfortable to sit on. I have also used them to avoid bed sores and as a car seat cover.

[Deleted User]

Yes, thanks  Horki, that is a possible option - and, come to think of it, no electricity costs.

Crimson 

Slinky

Zandoni said:

buggalugs1 said:

I am not sure if this has been said, but one way to not waste heat in the kitchen is, once whatever you have in the oven has finished cooking, leave the oven door open to let the residual heat out. We do not have a radiator in the kitchen and I leave the oven door open after cooking, it is amazing the difference it makes.

That will only feel good for a few minutes, the heat in the oven enters the room whatever, slowly with door close fast with door open. If it's generated in the house it helps to warm, that includes the heat from all your appliances and bulbs.

Our oven has a cooling fan in it that blows the heat out after the oven is switched off. By opening the oven door, the oven cools down quicker, which in turn stops the fan blowing which must save the cost of running the fan. If I forget to leave the door open, the fan can still be running an hour later.

Mstty

Don't discount an electric blanket.

On the lowest setting they can use 15w so for 8 hours that is approx 3.5p per night at current rates.

We are definitely looking at running ours over winter as our primary heat comfort in the bedroom.

THX_1138_4EB

Donna0926 said:

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 

Put lids on pans when cooking to minimise evaporation and keep the bathroom door closed and window open when showering or bathing and leave the window open until the mirrors have cleared of steam. We use a dehumidifier (upstairs in southern room for highest temperature and therefore better dehumidifier performance (absolute humidity is higher at higher temperatures)) for a couple of hours per day, directed at some drying washing. We have no problem with mould despite letting the house temperature drop to 11 or 12 °C. Maybe you have damaged/leaky brickwork or rain gutters?