Saving where possible

RBYHS

Hello everyone! 

I have recently started to be fascinated by budgeting and way to cut costs where possible. 

I am thinking on how to cut costs on heating and thinking about winter already. I have a Dyson fan cool+heat and I do not know if it would be cheaper than running my normal heating. What are your opinions? 
What other ways could I save and prepare myself for winter?

Also, any budgeting tips are welcomed

FreeBear

Get a cat or dog - I prefer cats, as dogs require regular exercise. On a cold night, snuggle up under the duvet, and stay warm.

If/when the availability of fresh food becomes a serious issue, you can always make a pot roast or stew...

TELLIT01

Turn the heating down, not off, in rooms you don't use.  Set the thermostat a couple of degrees lower than in the past and put a jumper on.  Check for any draughts and sort those out.

Ebe_Scrooge

RBYHS said:

I have a Dyson fan cool+heat and I do not know if it would be cheaper than running my normal heating. What are your opinions?

Assuming your central heating runs off either gas or oil, then using an electric heater is going to be more expensive.  There is an argument to say that if you use an electric heater to heat just a single room, and turn the heating off in all other rooms (with doors closed), then it could be cheaper, simply because you're heating a much smaller volume.  But then you've got the potential problems of damp in rooms that are left unheated over winter.  And again, if you're doing that anyway, you could just leave the central heating on and turn the rads off in all the other rooms.

Realistically I have to agree with the sentiments of the previous posters.  Keep any unused rooms just slightly heated, turn the temperature down in the rooms you are using, and wrap up warm.

Make sure your house is properly insulated.  Loft insulation, if it's not up to current recommendations, will give you the biggest bang for your buck.  Cheap and simple to DIY install, it'll pay for itself in just a couple of years.  Cavity wall insulation (if suitable for your house) and double glazing will help - but you're looking at a big outlay for those which will take many years to recoup.  Check that you've not got any major draughts coming in through the letterbox, damaged window frames, badly-fitting doors, anything like that.  Basically, insulate - both the house and yourself :-)

Bigphil1474

In the winter, we have our heating on for an hour in the morning (comes on about 15 minutes before the alarm goes off) and again for an hour in the evening (about 5pm). Thermostat is set around 18oC, although the actual temp. varies between 18 and 20. If we get cold outside of those times we'll get under the blankets on the sofa, or do something active so we don't feel the cold. Or pop round to friends/relatives and use their heating.  Always wear clothes appropriate to the temperature, and a thick dressing gown is always useful. We don't feel the cold overnight. Our house has minimal insulation (old mid terrace) but we do have secondary curtains on the bay window. The attic bedroom is rarely used so the rad is set down to the lowest temp. Fortunately the kitchen warms up well when cooking.
Don't forget the hot water - mine comes on for 45 minutes in the morning, and half an hour in the evening. That's enough for us to have hot water when we need it.