My house is 8 degrees. 8 degrees

[Bonecold]

Heating oil ran out yesterday. I have £200 in the savings pot with boiler juice. For a minimum order I need 500 litres which is £468.

So I’ve left the heating off until either the price per litre drops, the weather gets better, or my savings pot reaches the amount needed to do an order (£65 DD a month).

In the meantime I have a fire place so I can heat one room (but no wood so have to outlay for that).

I can’t work out if I should:

a) remove the £200 from the savings account and spend it on wood/coal to get through to warmer weather. Pro - would be warm now, Con - even further away from filling the tank

b) heat one room with wood, live near a wood so could scavenge enough wood weekly to do this?

c) plug in electric radiator. Pro: heat, con: eats electricity

D) small loan for £300/400 and top up oil. Pro: heat, con: small loans have huge interest and would be another bill each month

I’m at work all day and kids at school usually so it’s not like we would be freezing all day and can boil water for cooking and have electric shower for washing. But it’s Easter holidays here so they’ll be home for the next two weeks now

What would you do?

I would order £200 worth of proper house coal (not the smokeless stuff which is more expensive and gives out much less heat).

You may have to order from a coal merchant with the new rules.

From our coal merchant £200 would get you 600kg of house coal delivered, or 650kg of house coal doubles (slightly smaller stuff). It would get 500kg of a low grade smokeless but they kick out far less heat and struggle in an open fire. If you have a multi fuel burner though they are fine.

Wear more clothes and only heat one room

Back to how we all lived in my childhood.

This is how some of us in overseas countries still live - not because of costs, just because it is not necessary - and it's wasteful - to heat a whole house when you spend most of your time in one part.

I would have a long look at my earning potential and ask myself how I got into this situation in the first place and then I would work my way out of it. That's what I would do, I think that was the question you asked.

Shop around for oil deals. I used to go with Boiler Juice, but they are a fuel broker. I cut them out and saved £ by going direct to the supplier.

A 500 watt free-standing oil filled radiator will heat a small to medium sized room up to a comfortable temperature within about half an hour, if your ceilings are not too high and you have common place insulation such as double glazing. I have one that heats my living room to 18-20 degrees within that timeframe.

With the current price cap on electric on a standard variable rate of 28.34 pence per kilowatt hour, (national average) you could heat one room for 7 hours a day for 99p per day, (equivalent to under £30 per month). Somewhat less than this if your radiator has an integral thermostat to switch off and on when the desired temperature is reached.

Double up the heat to a 1 kilowatt radiator which would be ample for a larger room and it would cost under £2 a day to run for 7 hours a day.

www.screwfix.com/p/cypa-5-freestanding-oil-filled-radiator-500w/482ky

Also just because "some of us oldies grew up like this " doesn't mean the OP's children have so they aren't equipped
Like you to handle it
How is it helpful to come out with the we got used to it ? The OP I wasn't asking about how you coped in the past

m.youtube.com/watch?v=nzKbFzUEWkA

Apparently a candle and a plant pot can be very efficient? I'm sorry you're in this position.

I feel for you OP. I remember my childhood being cold. I would do whatever it takes to avoid a loan. Maybe invest the savings in a more efficient electric heater and heated throws (teens can have the throws on during the day when you are working over the holidays) as you know you are going to be in this situation again at some point next winter.

Plus all the obvious stuff you've probably already done. Check benefits, bills, side hustles etc.

@foxlover47

Also just because "some of us oldies grew up like this " doesn't mean the OP's children have so they aren't equipped Like you to handle it How is it helpful to come out with the we got used to it ? The OP I wasn't asking about how you coped in the past

I assume that people who say this are trying to help by showing that its not the end of the world and people can cope with it, children can cope with it as long as there is the right equipment (hot water bottles, socks, jumpers, heated blankets, hot drinks etc)

Incidentally, I would use the electric radiator, and hot water bottles for bed. I used to have one, and didn't find it "eats electricity", just the opposite - it's much cheaper than a radiant heater, which is what I'm using at the moment. Hopefully it will be warmer there soon.

@SquirrelG - we seem to have the same idea about electric radiators!

I would go for cheaper option of coal/wood & wait to see if prices drop a bit. We have started buying mix of anthracite & normal coal as seems to burn longer. Look into getting electric blankets, put hot water bottles in beds to heat up before bedtime, extra layers on. Hope things improve soon 😔

You should get your £150 council tax rebate this month

Take your money out of Boiler Juice. Last week I needed to fill my tank Boilerjuice was £1.16 per litre with a two week wait for more orders. I went directly to an oil supplier and it was £1.06 for next day delivery with no minimum order. I always phone around several companies before I buy oil and have been successful in getting a price match with the company offering the earliest delivery, if their price is higher. It's a hassle, but worth it.
I have a fireplace too, so burn wood and move your mattresses into that room.

@BattledoreAndShuttlecock

But burning scavenged undried wood is a real health hazard so try to avoid that as much as possible.

Yeah something in the back of my head said the same thing.

Sounds shit OP. Sorry man.

I should explain that I joined Boiler Juice several years ago and their price has never been cheaper than going directly to an oil supply company. I live in Scotland btw.

Can you buy an electric blanket? They're pretty good.

My local council has grants for this sort of situation, OP, though I appreciate that's probably not very helpful on a Friday night. If yours doesn't, try your local Citizens Advice Bureau (not the national website, google [yourtown] Citizens Advice) who may know of other local schemes. In the meantime do you have any nice neighbours with wood burners who could get you through the weekend?

I'm really sorry you're having to do all this. It's completely unacceptable that the government have written off billions in covid loan fraud and yet you're here £200 short of heating your house.

@seekingasimplelife - I live in NZ where central heating isn't really a thing. When I was at home all day I found an electric radiator was fine for keeping the temp at a pleasant range during the day, and only used the more expensive heaters at night. It worked well - and I only have single glazing. I don't understand the British way of heating a whole house when you aren't using the rooms. Cold bedrooms are a way of life here!

@Bonecold
Just as there are food banks, there are fuel banks which help people who are finding it too expensive to heat their homes. I think there was something about them on You and Yours (Radio 4) not long ago. Here's the link.....And I really hope it helps!
www.fuelbankfoundation.org/heatfund/
Also - pay The Citizen's Advice Bureau a visit. They can be really helpful.

I grew up in a house where the central heating never really worked properly. Hot water bottles are brilliant - as a child I loved being given one to go to bed with - so cozy to snuggle up to. If you get the ones with covers you can go to bed with one and it won't quite be cold in the morning. (Though as long as it's not for a young child, wrapping one in a small towel is nearly as good as getting one with a cover.) If you're lighting a stove anyway then you could even boil a kettle on top for the hot water bottles.

I hope you manage to sort it OP. I’d be asking if anyone has any wood they no longer require and trying the tip.

I live in an old house in NE Scotland and this stuff makes a huge difference.
If your woods wet you can dry it infront of the fire in a few hours. We will be out collecting branches tomorrow too. If its very cold here we all share a bed for warmth.
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0038JE7X6/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_72QF8ZYYAY5ERJ8D8EHZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I would either withdraw the £200 and ask a local supplier to send you £200 worth of oil.

Some credit unions are doing heating oil loans with low interest, if you decide to go down that route.

I went to Tesco at 4 to warm up.