Lodger Additional Energy Use

BungalowBel

I would just tell them to buy their own toilet rolls (and not mind if they don't buy the brand you prefer.).  I would be mortified if someone told me how much toilet paper I should use.

As for the cooking, most people wouldn't want to wait until after seven for their meal.  

She may have meant by her remark about having two lodgers that, as they pay you rent to live in your house, you have extra money, they have a roof over their heads, it's a two-way transaction so therefore  perhaps there could be a little give and take over things such as toilet rolls and what time the cooking is done.

Put the rent up a tenner a week for the extra heating.

jamesd

With the radiator thermostat set to 5 it's possible that it's undersized and not able to release enough heat to get to the target temperature. Heat losses from rooms does vary so it wouldn't be a surprise if hers was more exposed or has bigger window or outside wall area. If the radiator is always at its maximum temperature that tends to suggest this cause.

An initial investigation might be directing a cold air fan towards the radiator from a meter or so away. That forced air flow will increase its heat output. If this gets the room to a comfortable for her temperature then a radiator capable of putting out more heat can be used and it'd suggest the current one is a bit under the spec it should have.

Another investigation would be to increase the flow rate and/or flow temperature of the system. Flow temperature increases the potential but still thermostatically regulated heat output of the individual radiators. If this works then a higher output radiator for that room could be used. Flow rate increases the total supplied heat of the system and if it happens to be insufficient an increase can send around enough heat to solve the problem, just leaving the higher flow rate if this works is the way to go. It might just be that hers is last to get the hot water flow and there's not enough heat left in the water to hit the set temperature.

You could also just go with a replacement radiator with say twice the potential output and fit a Honeywell Evohome thermostatic valve that has settings in degrees, not numbers. That should solve it whatever the system cause is. Lots more potential heat output but still regulated by the thermostat. They also have open window detection which should turn things off when the door is left open.

Heating engineers who are good at their job should be familiar with how this stuff works.

Alderbank

BungalowBel said:

I would just tell them to buy their own toilet rolls (and not mind if they don't buy the brand you prefer.).  I would be mortified if someone told me how much toilet paper I should use.

I think that one issue is that the OP does very much care what brand they are using.

OP, the solution you seek is reusable toilet rolls.
One example (there are lots of them) is Cheekywipes. Never buy toilet paper again.
One of their customers says

 We estimate that we've saved at least £300 annually on toilet tissue. That's because we're a family of 5 and would probably go through a 9 pack of toilet paper weekly. That soon adds up!

Switching to reusable toilet wipes is a really cost effective alternative to loo roll.

https://www.cheekywipes.com/toilet-paper-alternative-family-cloth.html

Philip_P

£400 pcm including energy bills seems very reasonable, but I wouldn't be happy getting an eco lifestyle forced down my throat. Maybe they should've read the contract more carefully, assuming these points were raised in it. As a few others have said, I'd give notice to raise the rent to £440 in April and see the reaction. If there is pushback suggest to 99% that she stops using the electric heater. Heat pumps are notoriously bad though at actually producing heat, that may be the problem!

timehastoldme

Alderbank said:

OP, the solution you seek is reusable toilet rolls.
One example (there are lots of them) is Cheekywipes. Never buy toilet paper again.
One of their customers says

 We estimate that we've saved at least £300 annually on toilet tissue. That's because we're a family of 5 and would probably go through a 9 pack of toilet paper weekly. That soon adds up!

Switching to reusable toilet wipes is a really cost effective alternative to loo roll.

https://www.cheekywipes.com/toilet-paper-alternative-family-cloth.html

Maybe consider installing a bum gun* as well? They're cheap, remarkably effective and really easy to install in standard bathrooms, reduces the need for toilet paper significantly. 

*Hand held bidet

propertyrental

2 lodgers? Capital Gains Tax potential.......

FreeBear

Philip_P said: Heat pumps are notoriously bad though at actually producing heat, that may be the problem!

Don't know where you are getting that idea from. A properly specified heat pump system installed and set up correctly will be no worse than any other form of heating. Done well, it has potential to be cheaper to run than gas (depending on energy rates).

[Deleted User]

Hi,

propertyrental said:

2 lodgers? Capital Gains Tax potential.......

Nope, Capital Gains Tax is only due on the sale of property/investment if profit exceeds the annual allowance.

jamesd

FreeBear said:

Philip_P said: Heat pumps are notoriously bad though at actually producing heat, that may be the problem!

Don't know where you are getting that idea from. A properly specified heat pump system installed and set up correctly will be no worse than any other form of heating. Done well, it has potential to be cheaper to run than gas (depending on energy rates).

This seems to be the first winter since the system was installed so it seems to need just a little tweaking or maybe one upsized radiator. Aside from the radiator supply it's the sort of thing I expect the installers to do in a free tweaking visit.

My post suggests some investigations but it won't be hard for the installers to sort it out.

Tweaked it'll certainly be cheaper than the current electric top up that might also be causing the radiator to reduce its output.

BungalowBel

Alderbank said:

BungalowBel said:

I would just tell them to buy their own toilet rolls (and not mind if they don't buy the brand you prefer.).  I would be mortified if someone told me how much toilet paper I should use.

I think that one issue is that the OP does very much care what brand they are using.

OP, the solution you seek is reusable toilet rolls.
One example (there are lots of them) is Cheekywipes. Never buy toilet paper again.
One of their customers says

 We estimate that we've saved at least £300 annually on toilet tissue. That's because we're a family of 5 and would probably go through a 9 pack of toilet paper weekly. That soon adds up!

Switching to reusable toilet wipes is a really cost effective alternative to loo roll.

https://www.cheekywipes.com/toilet-paper-alternative-family-cloth.html

Well if she cares that much then she needs to get lodgers who also care.

 People use different amounts of toilet paper for all sorts of reasons which needn't be gone into here.  I can understand that the one lodger might be using what the OP considers to be 'too much' but if she tells her to buy her own I don't think she should be specifying what brand they should buy.  It's like saying, 'buy your own tea, but it must be Yorkshire'. 

No way would I want to use those wipes if I lived in someone else's house!