How to stay warm?!

[BumbleNova]

I need your tips! We moved into our new house in September. It's a victorian detached that we bought planning a full refurb. It's not been touched in 40 years and it's a ice box. There is no heating at all in the toilets ...

We have a toddler and a newborn. There is central heating (25 year old boiler!) but it only comes on for 2 hours a day and we can't change that. It's got single glazing, high ceilings and threadbare carpets. Because of being in tier 4 we can't escape anywhere and warm up for a bit.

I'm sat here in 3 jumpers, 3 pairs of socks and the baby has his pramsuit on. Breastfeeding is brutally cold. It's around 17 degrees and the house seems to get colder day on day when the weather is this cold.

Double glazing is booked, fingers crossed next few weeks. We are planning to replace the boiler with an air source heat pump so no point just getting a new one or we would!

Plug in heaters aren't as expensive as you think. You dont sound that skint. Surely you can afford the around £5pw to run them. That's £25ppw for 5 of them.
You really shouldnt have children or babies in a house below statutory working temperatures. It would be against the law to make people work in those conditions.

Naice people in big houses get away with blue murder. If you'd been in a council flat, in that temperature, with baby /kids, then SS would be very involved. You're neglecting a basic need.

Yes to oil filled plug in heater. I WFH and let the rest of the house go to sub 17 degrees while Im at a toasty 22+.

It would be against the law to make people work in those conditions.

That's not true. There is no minimum legal working temperature. The recommended temp is a minimum of 16 degrees and if the role requires physical exertion it is 13 degrees. It's for employers to define what's reasonable.

The rest of your post about neglect is really, really horrible.

Cling film the Windows, doesn't look pretty but OK till double glazing, draft excluders on the doors. Hit water bottles and blankets. We renovated and edwardian property i feel your pain

Oil filled radiators background heat a room well, and a halogen heater aimed directly at you as a booster a they are amazing and heat you up immediately. Heated throw on you for feeding. Hot water bottles and thermals at night.

If you use coal in the fireplace and logs it will stay alight for longer....

I would get some thermal lined curtains from curtains direct?

And defo oil filled radiators too

Type in 'large lined curtains' in ebay, or Facebook local marketplace. You'll be able to find some very cheaply (maybe not the nicest looking, but any port in a storm, & you can replace with ones you actually like once you've finished renovations). Also agree with recommending the small fan heaters (which only cost about £10 in Wilkos). I am sitting in my 16th century house with one on at half speed and I can only manage about half an hour with it on before I get too hot (there's frost outside right now). They are super-efficient. Good luck with getting your temperatures up. There are some great tips on this thread.

I bought a big bear onesie a few years ago. Its brilliant. I put it over the top of whatever I'm wearing if I'm cold and I don't want to put the heating on. Its brilliant.

Also, consider fitting automatic door closers, which are quite cheap and easy to screw in, and get some draught excluders for the bottoms of the doors.

Heat one room with fan heater etc, and do bedrooms an hour before going to bed. Hot water bottles, electric blanket for bed to take the edge off.

When cooking, if use oven leave the door open after so heat escapes into the room.

You said you have a fire. If you buy good quality smokeless coal, you'll hardly need to touch it, just chuck a bit more on every few hours.

There is no heating at all in the toilets
Who has heating in their toilets - they are are hardly used?

I have heaters in the bathrooms . Dont most people?

Some really great advice here. We’re currently three months into our renovation and we’ve been without central heating for four weeks. Oil filled radiators are keeping the chill off the bedrooms, the wood burner is heating downstairs and we’re being vigilant about drawing curtains before sunset and keeping internal doors closed. We get the children into pyjamas downstairs where it’s warmest and insist they keep their slippers on all the time! For clothing I’ve discovered an insulated skirt from Jack Wolfskin that goes over leggings is keeping me really toasty. For breastfeeding I’d recommend a long sleeve b-shirt or similar so you’re not exposing too much. Good luck!

In desperation I stapled a spare old duvet to the bedroom window!

I feel like I’m the awkward one here but if your house is 17 degrees that’s not cold?
Our house is set at 15, when we have heavy snow it goes to 17.
Very rare we have it any higher!
(Large airy ‘cold’ 200 year old farmhouse too!)

Eat lots of soup and not at the same time but chocolate!! Merino layers for everyone, hats and gloves. Fleece all in one for the baby. Feed the baby in a sling / wrap. I was trying to find a warm natural fibre clingy top as lots of breast feeding tops are not warm... this one looks too open at the top.. bambooclothing.co.uk/shop/bamboo-ballet-wrap/ but maybe something along those lines. I used a bandoo round my middle to reduce the risk of bare midrift and a thin top. Curtains from Dunelm Mill. Doesn't matter if they are not wide enough.. get several.pairs..

You can actually get little microwaveable boob warmers!

www.amazon.co.uk/Lansinoh-Therapearl-3-in-1-Breast-Therapy/dp/B01JRLTP9E/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=nipple+warmers&sprefix=nipole+war&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1609521359&sr=8-3

If you are sat down have a hot water bottle and blanket on your knee like a granny. I swear by this.

@dementedpixie

I have heaters in the bathrooms . Dont most people?

I'm thinking separate toilets to bathrooms.

I grew up in a traditional farmhouse workers cottage it had no insulation and single pane windows so cold in winter they literally iced over.

It had no heating except a coal fire in the main room and an old electric single bar heater above the bathroom door.

We shut curtains in rooms not in use like bedrooms as early as possible to keep the heating, kept all doors closed with excluders under the doors.

The main thing we did though was have a calor gas fire (garages used to sell the gas canisters) that we moved from room to room as we needed it so for example as children it was moved into our (shared) bedroom for half an hour before bed to take the chill out of the air.

Dad also put up curtains over front and back door, and actually he put a big one in the very long hallway that reduced how long it was.

The truth is you will never make it as warm as modern houses until you do the work to modernise it but you can make it livable.
I remember the horrible bitter cold getting out of bed in the morning as a child but apart from that living in it was actually ok, you get used to it.

I just want to comment on the boiler. Ours is over 40 years old and built like a tank. We have had a new timer within living memory. British Gas keeps trying to sell us a replacement boiler, saying how difficult it is to get spares nowadays. As it happens they always seem able to source them! Not to doubt the engineer you have consulted, but is it worth double-checking in case someone, somewhere, has a suitable timer?

Look on the boiler for a model number, check online if anyone sells spares. Look on ebay for new old stock. We had our clock-type one with a dial replaced with a little LED touch screen one. I mean, it's not rocket science to upgrade a timer. Anyway, just a thought!