Tips for staying warm and saving gas/elec please

[Twatterati]

I've become really worried about the price increases of gas and electric, so I'm hoping you'll be able to share some things that you do that will help minimise use and/or help stay warm this winter.

I'm on a much lower income than pre-Covid so am getting increasingly anxious, and I'm sure a lot of us are too, so I'm hoping this will help!

[silentpool]

Weather stripping around exterior doors and windows/install door sweep at the bottom of doors - blocking draughts is key.

Electric throw blanket for the couch. Electric blanket for bed - I warm it up for an hour or so before I get in.

Heavy curtains for windows - draw them closed around 3/4pm to keep the warmth in.

Slippers, jumpers, thermals on.

Brushed cotton or flannelette sheets for the beds.

[FollowYourOwnNorthStar]

I agree with everything @silentpool has said, and emphasis closing curtains/blinds early enough to keep the day’s heat in.

Also dressing appropriately all day. Thermals, skivvy, clothing layers. Your feet and head lose the most heat, so make sure they are always covered and warm. I used to wear socks/slippers around the house in winter, then changed to proper fleece lined ugg boots and it was like my feet had heaters in them! Ditto at my head, I wouldn’t go so far as to wear a beanie, but a turtleneck right up your neck, with other layers (Spencer or skivvy underneath and jumper on top, as needed).

Shut off doors/rooms you don’t use in your house, to prevent heat going into them. I also second making sure no draughts of cold air can get through windows or doors.

[loopylindi]

Try to keep the heat in the room/s you are using. Open plan might look trendy but it's a mare to keep warm. We've got stairs going up to a dormer, and although the rooms have doors upstairs we stop heat movement by having a full length, full width lined curtain at the bottom which we draw across as soon as it starts to get cold. It's amazing how well it works.
Having a door curtain also helps retain heat.
Use solar gain as much as you can. Open curtains in rooms that face to sun, but keep them closed in north/east facing rooms if you're not in them.
Lakeland sell a little hand warmer called Hotrox which can be charged up using a USB cable. It has 2 settings and is amazing at keeping hands toasty if you are using a laptop and your fingers go cold.
If you like drinks throughout the day, buy a big flask, make your drink then drink it in small portions and it will stay hot for ages. Same for soups.
Can't emphasise the need for layers of clothing enough. Start with thin ones against your skin. Keep to natural fibres if possible as they are the best insulators esp wool. If it irritates wear a long sleeved T underneath (extra layer also)
Get your children to wear layers too. Teenage girls are notorious for not doing this.

[LadyofMisrule]

I lived for several (depressing) years with no heating in a chilly stone cottage with flagstone floors and no fireplaces. I did the following:

Go somewhere that is warm:
Stay at work/ library/ warm (and free) public spaces for as long as possible.

Warm yourself:
-Wear really warm footwear, and make sure it is well-insulated from the ground if your floors are cold. Having sheepskin uppers is not sufficient if the soles aren't thick.
-Layers. I have Lidl/Aldi merino base layers. Layer up, using lots of thin layers. I found a fleece gilet was good and not too bulky. (I cut the sleeves of an old fleece). And leg warmers. Our local Oxfam always seems to have loads of base layer kit. Wear the right type of clothes - wool, fleece, etc. Cotton isn't very warm.
-I used to snuggle up on the sofa in a sleeping bag with a hot water bottle (or two) in it. Now I have an electric throw, which can be used when I'm sitting or on the bed.
-Have plenty of hot drinks/hot food. I use insulated cups/ flasks for a ready supply.
-Make sure there are layers on your bed. I used to sleep in a sleeping bag. Make sure there are layers under you as well as on top. In the middle of one very cold winter, I made a small tent-type construction over my bed, like having a four-poster.
-Exercise! Dancing is great.
-Wear a hat and a buff. And gloves/long sleeves. A fleece with a hood is great, as it reduced draughts.

Warm the space you are in:
DO NOT RELY ON CANDLES! They are rubbish for heating, and those candle pot heaters you see on the internet defy the laws of physics. They are also a terrible fire risk, and make your house sooty.
Rely on the oven/shower steam, etc for heating ONLY if you can make sure it's not causing damp. And don't dry your clothes indoors. If the cost of fuel is worrying you, you don't want to add to that with the cost of dealing with mould.
-People give off heat. Have friends over. Tell them to wrap up warm!
-Block off anywhere that isn't used and don't heat it unless there is a risk of damp
-Keep the curtains open when there is sun, and close them as soon as there isn't.

If you have paid for the heat, make sure it stays inside.
-Thick curtains. I used to safety pin cheap Ikea blankets in as additional liners. I bought velvet curtains from charity shops.
-Bubble wrap on windows. I taped it on with double sided sticky tape. And on metal windows, make sure you cover the frame of them too.
-Bathroom windows: I use shower curtains over the bubble wrap to let the light in but keep the additional barrier.
-Plug up your gaps. Especially around windows. Don't seal ventilation brick, though - they are there for a reason.
-Rugs. Make sure there are no draughts from under your floors. consider insulating under your floorboards (we used Celotex in the current house)
-Use draught excluders on the gaps under doors.
-Make sure your doors/windows have insulation strip around them.
-Put a cover over your keyhole and letter box.
-Block off unused fireplaces/ spaces where air can escape. Even if it's just with a chimney balloon, or cardboard taped over the front.

If it is dry and cold outside, wrap up and go for a walk. It makes inside feel warmer by comparison.

These days I have central heating, which still feels like a miracle. I have a really good timer so I can choose when it comes on and at what temperature. I also have a log burner, with a fan on top, and a metal kettle that can keep me topped up with hot coffee when it's on. I've also cooked dinner on it.

Get the best tariff so you aren't wasting money.

[Wotwhywhen]

What we do:

Move into as few rooms as you can, shut the others off and dont heat them. We move upstairs into our bed rooms.
Use duvets and sleeping bags to add insulation and use hot water bottles to provide heat. A cheap sleeping bag from a camping shop with a hot water bottle inside can keep you warm for hours for the price of the hot water electric.
It's a bit miserable, but survivable.
This won't be the first year we've lived this way.

[LadyofMisrule]

To reduce oven use, I also did loads of batch cooking. That way, the oven only got put on once, and I'd spend the rest of the week reheating stuff in the microwave or on the hob (which is much cheaper).

[mayblossominapril]

thick curtains, if your radiators are under windows tuck the curtains behind the radiators. Curtain tracks rather than poles. Curtains over doors.
Have a duvet under you and a duvet over you, its that old girl guide saying of one underneath is worth 2 on top
Don't go buying specialist base layers just wear what you've got in layers, it is cheaper to spend on the heating! I always wear a thick wool cardie over everything
Do not dry washing inside and ventilate bathroom after showering and kitchen after cooking
If you've a coal or log fire thats great.
Heat one room and spend all your time in it. Cut down on showers and baths
Look at old WW2 info on saving fuel whilst cooking
I lived for years in many houses without heating, although I usually had a fire and its doable.

[Twatterati]

These are all excellent tips, thank you. My house has A LOT of draughts around external doors and I also only have blinds/thin curtains and large windows, so I'm definitely going to sort some thicker curtains.

It all feels quite depressing though doesn't it? Fortunately my new job involves working out of the house so that's good.

Quick question - is using an electric space heater (the ones that say 'x pence per minute' ) cheaper than the gas heating? I suppose common sense says it is, as you're literally just heating the space you're in, not the whole house.

Anyone with anymore tips and ideas, keep em coming!

[YesPleaseMary]

There is a great thread about this in classics. I think it's called NO MORE COLD MUMSNETTERS - a search should turn it up.

[SirenSays]

Thick curtains over draughty doors work better than any of those insulation strips you can buy, but both is better imo.

[rocklamp]

We use aladdin paraffin lamps to warm a small room. You can buy indoor lamp oil and you have to ensure ventilation. The mantles can be tricky at first if you're not used to them, but these lamps put out a good amount of heat.

This is one, prior to burning the mantle off. There are instruction videos on YouTube on how to do it. You just need to avoid knocking the lamp once it's done.

[Autumngoldleaf]

Electric blankets and hot water bottles.

[JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon]

An extra duvet used as a mattress topper adds loads of warmth, especially with a fleece/brushed cotton/flannelette fitted sheet on top. I put a second duvet on top of the bed too. With brushed cotton bed clothes and PJs you will be absolutely toasty even with no heating on. Low cost, safe and doesn't affect your quality of life.



Hot water bottles are great too, fill it when you are boiling water for a drink to avoid heating water unnecessarily. You can use it in bed but also on the sofa or while working.



Lots of layered clothes, no bare skin or gaps for drafts. Plus blankets for when you are sitting still.

[Mariell]

Dogs that like to drape themselves over you!

[Danikm151]

Boiler on a timer that way the central heating only goes on when you need it especially if you’re out at work all day.
I used to have storage heaters so cheap tricks I used to stay warm were layers, blanket when watching the tv. Hot water bottles. After using the oven keep the door open(not if you have little ones) so the heat escapes into the room.

[AdoraBell]

Dressing gowns, slippers or extra socks. Fleece blankets for sitting in the evening/extra layers for beds.

Either heavy curtains or attach fleece blankets to existing curtains. Old towels rolled up for draught excluding.

Reduce cooking time, and gas/electricity, batch cook and steam veg on top of the pan of potatoes, fe. Next meal can be zapped in the microwave, ie, big batch of chilli/casserole portioned for 2 days.

[loopylindi]

This will require a little spend(I know! Little is subjective) However, one of the best gadgets I EVER bought for saving money when cooking food is a thing called a Remouska available from Lakeland. It is a deep pan with lid with element in, that heats up to average oven temp in a very short time, and runs from a 13amp plug. It will cook anything you'd normally fry (sausages, bacon etc). It will do beautiful jacket potatoes, casseroles, cakes. It will also do our roast dinner (meat in bottom, roasties in cake pan on (optional) rack, with parsnips and carrots and swede. The beauty of it all is that it will do this in less time than it takes the main oven to heat up and we have saved so much money on electricity since using it. It comes in 2 sizes depending on your needs so if rises in fuel costs are a worry, then this is an investment.

[Billandben444]

All the above and move about - march up and down on the spot while the kettle's boiling bringing your knees under your chin, even twirling your feet round and round on the sofa keeps the blood circulating.

[SoloISland]

A cat or dog in the bed...Blissfully warm and cosy .. In the Arctic they used to grade the chill by the number of dogs they had on their beds eg a five dog night..

[poshme]

If you start burning things inside PLEASE have a CO monitor (you should have one of you have any gas as well).

My tips:
Save the ironing for the evenings when it's colder- it'll help warm you up. Likewise, I hoover in the evenings too as it always warms me up.

Going for a walk outside is good- gets your heart pumping which makes you feel warm, and when you come inside it'll feel warmer than when you left. (And costs nothing)

Use passive heating as much as you can- right now my front curtains are open, as the sun is shining that side. The moment the sun goes down I will close the curtains to retain the heat.

In the winter I use the slow cooker quite a bit- it's cheap to run and makes warming stews.

[Sn0tnose]

All of the above plus vigorous exercise and housework.

[SoloISland]

@poshme

If you start burning things inside PLEASE have a CO monitor (you should have one of you have any gas as well).

My tips:
Save the ironing for the evenings when it's colder- it'll help warm you up. Likewise, I hoover in the evenings too as it always warms me up.

Going for a walk outside is good- gets your heart pumping which makes you feel warm, and when you come inside it'll feel warmer than when you left. (And costs nothing)

Use passive heating as much as you can- right now my front curtains are open, as the sun is shining that side. The moment the sun goes down I will close the curtains to retain the heat.

In the winter I use the slow cooker quite a bit- it's cheap to run and makes warming stews.

They put one of those in my kitchen. It went off every time I cooked and as the door is open and shut a few hundred times a day I disabled it as I did the heat alarms.
My place is too small for all that.

I am nearly eighty and have survived all these decades without these dratted devices.

[SoloISland]

@Autumngoldleaf

Electric blankets and hot water bottles.

Not together please.

[SoloISland]

I find other folks homes stiflingly hot. Maybe try to

reacclimatise? Fpr a permanent reduction in usage.

[NotMyCat]

The mustard foot bath for desperate times when you are cold to the bone
Mustard powder and hot ish water in a bowl, put feet in
Drink a hot drink at the same time
Instantly start sweating