Best way to run the heating/keep warm this winter?

SameOldRoundabout

As we all know, we’re heading into a huge energy crisis. The cost of energy this winter is horrifying. 

This couldn’t have come at a worse time for me, I’ve been off work with a critical illness since June and although I will be back soon it will be on a very part time basis for the rest of the year and the pay will be low. 

I have been trying to think of ways to keep us warm (2 adults 4 children) in a “warm the body not the room” way so have a few heated throws, warm pyjamas, hot water bottles etc. But I will have to also use the heating! Our house is a 3 storey solid stone Victorian end of terrace. 

We have replaced the double glazing throughout but there is no further interior or exterior insulation other than in the attic. Last winter when the heating broke the house dipped down to about 13° which was bitterly cold. We don’t have the cash to add any more insulation this year. 

Any top tips for a way to use the heating to keep the house bearable but not over-use? We currently have a Nest set to not let it dip below 17° but this averaged about 3/4 hours a day of heating time last year which seems unaffordable this year! 

All of us will be in a similar position I suppose, so even just general energy saving tips to keep warm! 

rob7475

How old is your boiler? Replacing it with a modern one may make some savings but only if your boiler is older than say 15/20 years.

Have you got thick curtains covering all windows - this can make a difference along with thick curtains in front of your external doors if they're letting any air through.

Make sure you have TRV's on your radiators so you can control rooms individually. Also put insulation on any central heating pipes that you can get access to.

Run a system cleaner through your central heating if it hasn't been done for years.

Depending how old your system is - make sure it's not a one pipe system. A one pipe system takes a lot longer to heat up than a properly balanced two pipe system.

wigglygiggly

rob7475 said:

How old is your boiler? Replacing it with a modern one may make some savings but only if your boiler is older than say 15/20 years.

Have you got thick curtains covering all windows - this can make a difference along with thick curtains in front of your external doors if they're letting any air through.

Make sure you have TRV's on your radiators so you can control rooms individually. Also put insulation on any central heating pipes that you can get access to.

Run a system cleaner through your central heating if it hasn't been done for years.

Depending how old your system is - make sure it's not a one pipe system. A one pipe system takes a lot longer to heat up than a properly balanced two pipe system.

Not being funny but if you are short of cash then all of your suggestions are expensive.

I wish I could help OP and you are right, so many people are faced with a similar situation. Fortunately for us we had a multi fuel burner installed a few years ago so we intend on making this the main source of heat this year, although we also know the cost of wood/smokeless coal will also be an added expense.

Norman_Castle

rob7475 said:

 put insulation on any central heating pipes that you can get access to.

My boilers in a cupboard which is big enough to stand in, it was the hottest part of my home. With two lots of feed and return pipes plus the hot water pipe there was about 25 foot of heated pipes in there. Now lagged the cupboards much cooler and presumably its saved me money. I also lagged the entire hot water pipe run including where it runs through another cupboard and under the bath.

Due to my flooring type most of my radiator pipework is above the skirting which I also think saves me money. I've never understood why piping under floorboards is rarely insulated.

SameOldRoundabout

Lagging pipes is a good call. Cheap and easy but unfortunately most of the pipes run under floors that are not easy to get to. 

Are heated airers more economical than drying on radiators/tumble driers? 

Does foil behind the rads actually do anything? 

We are fortunate that we have a wood burner and a good supply of free wood but this obviously only heats the room it is in. 

macman

Only running the CH 3 or 4 hours per day indicates that your usage is already very low.
What is your annual kWh usage on each fuel, assuming this is mains gas for CH and DHW?

Norman_Castle

I've got two radiators on non cavity, outside walls where I've fitted foil behind. The brickwork now stays cool behind the radiators. Probably limited benefit on lagged cavity walls.

Drying washing on radiators is effectively insulating the radiators and will affect both  convection and radiation then affect how thermostats function. I dry either above or in front of radiators which allows the heated air to continue heating the room.

FreeBear

wigglygiggly said:

rob7475 said:

How old is your boiler? Replacing it with a modern one may make some savings but only if your boiler is older than say 15/20 years.

Have you got thick curtains covering all windows - this can make a difference along with thick curtains in front of your external doors if they're letting any air through.

Make sure you have TRV's on your radiators so you can control rooms individually. Also put insulation on any central heating pipes that you can get access to.

Run a system cleaner through your central heating if it hasn't been done for years.

Depending how old your system is - make sure it's not a one pipe system. A one pipe system takes a lot longer to heat up than a properly balanced two pipe system.

Not being funny but if you are short of cash then all of your suggestions are expensive.

I wish I could help OP and you are right, so many people are faced with a similar situation. Fortunately for us we had a multi fuel burner installed a few years ago so we intend on making this the main source of heat this year, although we also know the cost of wood/smokeless coal will also be an added expense.

Agreed on the cash front. And if you have cut gas consumption right down, there isn't much of a saving to be had by putting in a more efficient boiler. As an example, my gas cost just 82p last month (plus standing charge), and if I can keep annual consumption down to ~4500KWh, it is not worth spending £2-3K to save £20-30 p.a..

That £2-3K will buy me a lot of (smokeless)coal/wood/gas.

SameOldRoundabout said: Are heated airers more economical than drying on radiators/tumble driers? 

Does foil behind the rads actually do anything? 

We are fortunate that we have a wood burner and a good supply of free wood but this obviously only heats the room it is in. 

Foil behind the radiators will reflect some of the heat back in to a room, but won't the bulk of it disappearing through the wall. In a well insulated, draught free house, there is little need to put a radiator under a window. Moving it to an internal wall means your heat is being used more effectively and you can reduce the amount of plumbing needed.

Tumble driers eat electricity, so radiators and airers are always going to be more efficient. If you can part dry your washing on a line outside, you should be able to keep condensation down to a minimal level when you bring it in.

With my multifuel stove, keeping the lounge door open, the heat circulates around the rest of the house and helps to keep the temperature up - Part of the reason I can keep gas consumption down.

ka7e

One of the reasons I moved out of a Victorian semi was the fact that we were heating 5' of air above our heads! I wonder if a ceiling fan would recirculate hot air down from the ceiling to the usable living space? I only wash clothes on days when they can have a spell of line-drying, then have a large airer in front of a south-facing window which has a radiator in front of it - I keep a window open a little to avoid condensation. Maybe you have room for an old-fashioned pulley ceiling airer? I too, have bought heated throws and warm slippers for this winter and an electric blanket on the bed means bedrooms need little heating.

TELLIT01

Check for draughts around doors and windows and address those first.  That shouldn't be too expensive.

Ant555

Although not strictly an answer to your question on how to keep the house warm, im definitely going to be using some of my winter running gear when in the house - I have several base layers similar to this link here (£6 at decathlon) - they are remarkably effective at keeping you warm as I used them last winter when working from home.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-ski-base-layer-top-bl-100/_/R-p-302821?mc=8510029&c=GREY

Ive no idea what we will do if its really cold apart from wear more clothes to compensate for using the heating less or use throws when sat watching TV  - in all likelihood during the working week, I will probably just go to bed a lot earlier.