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 have been in the same position for the past 2 weeks. We have been freezing as it has snowed here and have only had the fire on the living room to keep the house warm. I went to bed last night with 2 pairs of socks, a t shirt and lounge suit and hot water bottle but thankfully we got get a delivery today. If I was you I would try to get as much wood to burn as possible and if you have hot water bottles, use them to keep warm. I had mine inside by body warmer today as the oil didn't come till 3.30 pm.

@A3285633

We have in the past lifted and propped up our oil tank (so that oil reaches the oil feed) with bricks. Given us a couple more weeks of heating.

We have jacked ours up a time or two, but not sure I’d risk doing it enough to fit bricks under as my husband and dad think it could damage connections/pipes. (They’re engineers)

Have you tried gathering wood? A novel idea I know. Failing that, I think the little Blighters might gain experience up the chimbleys! What say you?

OP,
Have you taken the landlord to task over the lack of insulation?

^What landlords need to supply as part of the tenancy agreement
Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 a property for rent has to be ‘fit for purpose’ and therefore:

In good repair
Structurally sound
Free from damp
With natural lighting
Have adequate ventilation
Have a water and electrical supply
Provide methods to heat water and space
Sufficient insulation and energy performance
With facilities for personal hygiene
With drainage and sanitary conveniences
With facilities for preparation and cooking of food and for the disposal of waste water
Each of these features is inseparable to normal modern life, and landlords has to maintain each of them in good working order throughout the tenancy.^

Where is the kid's father in all this, OP ?