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Original poster

My house is 8 degrees. 8 degrees

455 replies

Bonecold · 01/04/2022 15:43

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
ILoveAllRainbowsx · 01/04/2022 20:58

Btw, the battery is low on your thermostat. You should change it soon or you will lose all the programming.

Xpologog · 01/04/2022 21:00

I’d spend what money you have on logs, proper seasoned ones.
Collect all the wood you can but it’ll have to be stacked and dried out over the next year.

Kaza40s · 01/04/2022 21:00

@coffeetofunction

I would recommend a fire door for an open chimney. Really wanted a wood burner a couple of yrs back but someone suggested a fire door over open fire & have never looked back. Think cost us £300 - £400 but way cheaper than changing to wood burner & cleaner than an open fire 🔥

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cost of living
campingqueen121 · 01/04/2022 21:09

@Bonecold boiler juice do boxes now £380 for 200l although works out more expensive, you could go halves if you knew someone in a similar position. Hope it warns up for you quickly.

www.boilerjuice.com/shop/fuel-box/kerosene-fuel-box-10-x-20-litre-boxes/

Lineofconcepcion · 01/04/2022 21:09

When we were kids we only had heat in one room from an open fire. You do get used to it. We piled on layers, woolly jumpers and when we went to bed had hot water bottles. We frequently woke up with ice on the inside of the windows. It's not ideal, but we have learned to have expectations that rooms are heated to 20 degrees, and these days, with global warming I'm not sure it's a realistic option.

Flatbrokefornow · 01/04/2022 21:10

@Bonecold

I know how to bleed the pipes as have had to do this before so not so worried about the boiler.

Burning wet wood not ideal i agree - but it does burn! Candles also produce a surprising amount of heat so will use them too

Candles are really underrated for background heat. I burn them to keep from freezing in my office and sitting room. They won’t heat a room from 8 degrees, but they’ll bump it up a few degrees. (They heat a campervan nicely, though)

Scavenging wood is not really going to happen. It will take all day to scavenge, drag home, chop and stack enough fallen branches from a (probably not very) handy woodland. It’s also frowned upon by landowners. And it’ll be wet and won’t burn well. I’d just buy some. Hopefully you won’t need it for long. I’m sorry you are in this situation though. It really shouldn’t happen in this day and age.

Laptopsandmouses · 01/04/2022 21:12

@Lineofconcepcion

When we were kids we only had heat in one room from an open fire. You do get used to it. We piled on layers, woolly jumpers and when we went to bed had hot water bottles. We frequently woke up with ice on the inside of the windows. It's not ideal, but we have learned to have expectations that rooms are heated to 20 degrees, and these days, with global warming I'm not sure it's a realistic option.
It’s really not one extreme or the other, but I feel sad you think it is.
Justnotsureaboutit2021 · 01/04/2022 21:15

can you get some free wood pallets and burn those in your fire? Often see locals advertising them for free on facebook etc.. might be easier and quicker than scavenging for wood. Alternatively see if your neighbour needs any oil and when they get their topped up, get some for yourself. Sorry you are in this situation

Bryonny84 · 01/04/2022 21:16

OK, when the kids are at home for the holidays, go out as much as possible. Make it fun even if it's horrendous in your mind. Day ticket for the bus, go on a tour of the city, take a flask and sandwiches. Make it like the tour bus. Go to the library and have a story, go anywhere indoors that doesn't cost anything, go to museum do a kids quiz.

At home, hot water bottles, heated blankets that you can all squeeze under? You've thought of all that. It's not easy.

I'm indoors now with a fleece coat on. this morning's kettle water in a flask. You're not alone. We have to be inventive!

Booboobagins · 01/04/2022 21:17

Do you have ceramic plant posts? Go on YouTube and see how a candle - yes a candle - can be used to heat small spaces.

You might be able to pick some up free on Facebook and try them out, good luck.

This energy crisis is shit! The government should have moved us away from Russia tge first time Putin did this many years ago....

Mummyingit · 01/04/2022 21:17

No advise, just symptoms.our house has been 10 degrees over the winter, as the indoor are blown and there's no insulation itnonly ever goes up to 13 if putting the heating on for 4 hours but with the increase of price in oil we have switched the heating off since the beginning of March.Luckily we have a lot of wood tu burn so that helps, but it has been a horrible winter.

User0ne · 01/04/2022 21:25

Can you buy ovoids? They're much cheaper than wood though you'll need some decent kindling to get the fire going initially. They'd also burn better overnight so you would have a warm(er) room in the morning. For context we spend £18 a week on ovoids to heat a 4 bed house in our stove/range but it would cost around £80 if we used wood.

faustina · 01/04/2022 21:35

This shouldn't be happening in 2022. I heard something on Radio 4 about heating oil fuel banks who will deliver free oil to people who find themselves unable to afford it. I've googled but can't find the actual organisation - sorry! But maybe you can google in your locality. there seem to be a few of them - like this one in Derbyshire for instance:

[[https://www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/fuel-bank ]]
Good luck - hope you find one near you

Laptopsandmouses · 01/04/2022 21:39

@faustina

This shouldn't be happening in 2022. I heard something on Radio 4 about heating oil fuel banks who will deliver free oil to people who find themselves unable to afford it. I've googled but can't find the actual organisation - sorry! But maybe you can google in your locality. there seem to be a few of them - like this one in Derbyshire for instance:

[[https://www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/fuel-bank ]]
Good luck - hope you find one near you

I’m sorry but there will always be those in poverty who can’t afford to heat their homes, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2022 or 2322, poverty will always be a thing.
OutTheOtherSideAndBeyond · 01/04/2022 21:45

Sorry you're in this position OP, I would spend some of your fuel stash on wood and combine that with scavenged wood, topping up in the summer.

I'd also use the electric radiator while it is really cold to keep the frost off bedrooms.

Contact Citizens Advice to see if there is any help you can access. Councils are meant to have been given a pot of cash to help residents locally.

Also the £150 fuel grant or whatever it is should be paid in the next week or so if you pay your council tax by direct debit.

Thesefeetaremadeforwalking · 01/04/2022 21:45

@Lineofconcepcion

When we were kids we only had heat in one room from an open fire. You do get used to it. We piled on layers, woolly jumpers and when we went to bed had hot water bottles. We frequently woke up with ice on the inside of the windows. It's not ideal, but we have learned to have expectations that rooms are heated to 20 degrees, and these days, with global warming I'm not sure it's a realistic option.

Me too !

I agree.

Hesma · 01/04/2022 21:46

Will it make a difference one your civil tax rebate if £150 come through? Don’t forget it op

ReadyToMoveIt · 01/04/2022 21:46

@Thesefeetaremadeforwalking what temperature is your house currently?

SquirrelG · 01/04/2022 21:49

@110APiccadilly - I agree about hot water bottles, love mine! Most people here use electric blankets, but I ditched mine decades ago and went back to the old fashioned hwb. I use two in the depths of winter, and that seems to keep them both warmer longer than using just one.

Cosmos123 · 01/04/2022 21:51

Scavenge Wood
Lots of layers and blankets
Hot water bottle in bed
Bed socks
Warm drinks

taybert · 01/04/2022 21:53

Boilerjuice are giving the option of very small deliveries in 20l boxes. They’re (much) more expensive per litre but would allow you to get oil using your credit. Probably swings and roundabouts if you’re thinking of getting a high interest loan to buy fuel.
www.boilerjuice.com/shop/fuel-box/

Dashel · 01/04/2022 21:54

Hi Op, I am so sorry that you are in this situation.

There is a board called Money Matters with a £10 a day thread where people do various things to earn a bit of cash.

Is there any way you could ask your employer for a pay-rise?

Where do you live? There are some fuel banks in the North East that will give out free wood and charities that will help with food.

Have you used Money Saving Expert to go through your bills?

shinynewapple22 · 01/04/2022 21:56

I would do a mixture of b and c - use the scavenged wood as much as possible but also use an electric heater for a very short while if you need to hear another room .

BMWqueen · 01/04/2022 22:02

Where do you live @Bonecold ? Hubby works with wood so I have some you could take to burn (dry too as it’s in garage)

Mrsmadevans · 01/04/2022 22:04

It's B imho there is no other choice in my book because l would not want to be in debt .