Gas bill when WFH

[Leobynature]

I am sat in my house absolutely freezing (to be fair I am always cold). I have a jumper, dressing gown and hot water bottle. I don’t want to put the central heating on as I am concerned how much the bill will be, the electric bill has increased considerably since working from home. I am currently pregnant so I am also trying to save. I have saved money in petrol but not enough to offset the gas prices. I’m pleased DD is being kept warm in her nursery.

How will I cope in the winter? Is anyone else
also worried about this?

I think this is going to become an enormous issue for many households. Fuel poverty is real, even without covid. I'm not sure what the answer is, as I'm fairly certain employers won't be forking out for their staff's increased bills.
I filled my car's tank only twice between March and August- is there any chance savings in petrol will add up for you?

e.g. by walking DD to nursery etc.

So you have thermals and a woollen blanket? I find wrapping a blanket round me up to my armpits helps a great deal.
All the usual advice about heating only the room you're in (maybe getting a small convection heater for under your desk?)

Do you have, not "so"!
I'm very sorry, my phone hates me.

Hopefully the savings in other areas will offset the rise in fuel bills. I only fill up my car once a month now compared to once a week. I spend less on takeout lunches etc. So I don't feel bad about clicking on the heating if needs be. Although I've got slippers, jumpers and cosy throws too.

Urgh....hoping for a mild winter.

I will just freeze until baby comes in the freezing January

My kitchen has underfloor heating that can be turned on separately to the rest of the house. I’ll be locking myself in there.

You don't pay for getting to work though now - no petrol or public transport costs. That‘s the money that should go towards your heating bill surely.

OP it must be awful to be pregnant and too cold. I find putting a blanket over my shoulders and one over my legs helps stay warmer, but rather than turning the heating on in the whole house, could you use a fan heater in the room you're in to warm it up? You could put it on a setting so it switches on when you're getting too cold. I've not been well for a while and although the heating isn't on in the house, I'm using a fan heater in my bedroom and staying in there. It can help to seal the windows better with tape or anything you can block the draught with and the room stays warmer with the curtains closed. I shut them late afternoon as soon as it gets colder outside. A tip I also read was to leave the oven open when you've used it so the heat gets out and warms the room. I really hope you can warm up and feel more comfortable!

We have bought small electric radiators /heaters and using those in the working rooms only. Supplemented by jumpers, thermals, fingerless gloves and hot drinks. That was in March, if we have a proper cold winter it will be interesting.

I have a heated throw so I wrap that around my legs, massive fluffy socks on and another blanket round my top half with a thermal vest, t shirt and cardigan. Thermal layers really help

Electric blanket is how I am keeping warm. They are about £50 on Amazon, work really well and don't cost a lot to run

My fuel for work is pretty low to be honest, so I will still be out of pocket if I left the radiator on all day and I am paying for electric for the computer and laptop.

I think I will heat one room and dress in warm clothes and blankets. I will have to throw them off in a hurry if someone calls via teams

This is a third world problem but I really hope the government will look at this as it will be really difficult for a lot of families.

Thanks @ ncd5785

I always leave the oven door open after cooking. I will also need to get more savvy by batch cooking to keep the use of gas down. I will also look to reduce food budget.
I hope you feel better soon.

@DrinkFeckArseGirls

You don't pay for getting to work though now - no petrol or public transport costs. That‘s the money that should go towards your heating bill surely.

You're assuming OP lives far enough from her work to make a difference. Not all of us commute for two hours a day, some people deliberately choose to live near their workplace.

My work are making the same, very annoying, assumption as you and keep chirping on about all the time and money we must be saving from not commuting to the office. I used to bike to work so haven't saved a penny in the last six months. Yet my bills have gone up by a third and that's in the summer without the heating ever being on.

Sadly coronavirus is going to cause a lot more financial strain. I’ve worked throughout the pandemic. I had to alter my method of transport because of restrictions and now I’ve lost £100 a month because my costings have jumped through the roof. It has changed many people’s finances and with the threatened tax hikes I can only see it getting worse for some of us.

I’ve been working from home for a year and our bill barely increased as I:

Only put on the heating if 3 layers and constant cups of coffee were not enough (but I am a caffeine addict)
Only heated up the room I was in with an oil heater. If that wasn’t enough, I put the heating on for a couple of hours
Stood up and regularly moved around. Sometimes, I put on Spotify and dance around 😄

I have said this recently to my son. Our heating system is old and the radiator valves no longer work, so the heating is either on or off. Oil filled radiators are quite cheap to run.

https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2020/04/martin-lewis--working-from-home-due-to-coronavirus--claim-p6-wk-/
Explains the (small) amount you can claim in tax relief.

I sympathise OP and there will be many in this situation. I’ve never understood it when people say just put another jumper on etc..when the air around you is cold it’s impossible to feel comfortable. Your nose, ears etc. get freezing. And I don’t think many employers would encourage you doing your Zoom calls with a balaclava on!

I think the electric blanket is a great idea though as they can be v cheap to run.And definitely thermals.

And a hot water bottle. ?! You can get long ones which you can wrap around you (and then maybe take off for zoom meetings)? Hang looking good - a fleece or quilted gillet over other warm things makes a big difference too.

Microwaveable slippers have made a big difference for me.

You've probably already done this but have you applied for a tax rebate for working from home?

Hot water bottles and those wheaties. Also what about a nice warm pair of slippers?

By the end of this you won’t be able to fit behind your desk/table wherever you’re working !!

Just bought a heated throw for £50 which allegedly cost from 1p to run for 7 hours. It’s lovely, and I have specifically bought it for WFH.