Which is more economical for me?

ARainyDay

M0KBJ said:

...I've used 20.60 kWh in 3hrs 15 mins, which @ 12.94p/kWh is equal to £2.66, and for example during this time the bedroom temperature has gone up 4 degrees. Is this considered expensive or usual?

1. I'm not surprised that it's taken 20.6kWh to boost the temperature of a cold and damp house. It's going to take some time for the heat to penetrate the fabric of the building and to lift out the moisture. You'll need to be patient to reach the warm, dry starting point and it might cost you a tenner to get there. The rate of gas consumption will reduce over time.

2. I pay 10.334p per kWh for gas, including VAT, under the energy price guarantee. Not sure why you're paying 25% more.

Looking forward to hearing your figures tomorrow.

Thanks MOKBJ, I'm paying 12.94p (inc VAT) as I'm in Northern Ireland where we have a different energy market and different rates under the energy price guarantee. I'll keep you posted on figures. Oh meant to say, in response to original post, the house is rated D

vic_sf49

Following this with interest, especially if the OP notices a big difference ref humidity levels.

What humidity figures do people find their rooms are at right now please? And whether you run a de-humidifer or not.

I'm in a detached 3-bed bungalow. Loft has over the recommended amount of insulation, and I'm hoping the majority of the walls are cavity filled.

Some parts definitely aren't due to parts of the outer wall being "fancy" stone rather than brick, that they either didn't want to drill through, or they missed out. I've insulated one area by lifting a windowsill and filling it with rockwool, but other areas probably remain unfilled.

-2 here this morning, and it took 2 hours for the thermostat in my hallway to climb a smidge over 3 degrees, from 15 to 18 ish.

Some rooms were slightly warmer, some slightly cooler, with humidity ranging from 57-62% (individual sensors to keep me entertained with readings).

ariarnia

completely agree with the advice to run the heating for a few days before deciding. whenever we go away for more than a couple of days we turn the heating off (or on to defrost) and when we come back we really notice it takes time to chase that cold and damp back out. when thats done then the house is really easy to actually keep warm with the boiler only coming on every now and then. 

i also suggest getting a little tube of caulk or filler and going around hunting down those drafts (which is also easier to do when the rest of the house is warm as you can feel the cold spots). and dont forget to check for cold spots on the rads (you can get a key to bleed them online). and if your door or window seals have gone flat then you can get a universal replacement on amazon for less than 10 quid and it's the work of an hour to replace them. 

InvertedVee

vic_sf49 said:

Following this with interest, especially if the OP notices a big difference ref humidity levels.

What humidity figures do people find their rooms are at right now please? And whether you run a de-humidifer or not.

47% right now (22:20) at 20C. No dehumidifier.

In the milder wet weather a couple of weeks ago indoor humidity reached 60%.

BUFF

Alnat1 said:

Thinking of all the single brick 100-150 year old terraced houses in the northern towns around here, it would cost landlords way too much to bring them up to C.

My daughter bought an end terrace a couple of years ago and I've looked up the EPC. It is rated E, fully double glazed, has a modern boiler and heating controls and LED lighting.

To raise that to C the EPC says she would have to insulate the attic bedroom at a cost of £3-5K, internal/external wall insulation £6-18K and insulate under living room floor (cellar ceiling) £2-4K. That would give a score of 70, just scraping into a C. The costs have probably gone up over the last 2 years too.

So £11-27K spend on a property now valued around £105K. If that was a rental, the landlord would probably sell it.

If the underside is easily accessible (sadly in my 1905 terrace I have a solum rather than a cellar) then that underfloor insulation should be easily DIYable for only a few hundreds of pounds.
Yes, external wall insulation generally doesn't work out as cost effective in these unless you can get some kind of grant.

Iirc there is also a cap on costs for upgrades though e.g. £3,500?
 https://www.todanstee.com/latest-news/epc-band-c-rating-and-how-can-landlords-ensure-their-properties-are-compliant/