Cheapest & effective way to heat a room!

[Havingamoment247]

My little boys room is so cold it feels wet his bedding is so cold I could have sworn they’re wet but they’re definitely not. There’s no signs of visible damp it’s just a cold, concrete house. I want to put the heating on but I really can’t afford it (I’m a single mum going through a messy divorce). What is the cheapest way to heat a room? Would a space heater be expensive (scared my son would touch it though) or would a electric blanket do the trick?

Put an electric blanket on his bed or failing that get a hot water bottle and warm his bed before he gets in then he can cuddle it or put his feet on it to keep him warm at night. Bedrooms are better to sleep in if they are cooler provided he has plenty of warm covers.

Oh and if the air feels damp running a dehumidifier will tell you if it is actually damp air as it dries it out and takes moisture out of the air.

Definitely get an electric blanket. Heat the person not the room. They're so cosy and economical. Still too warm for me at the moment, but I can't wait for cold nights to put mine on.

Ah amazing thank you! I meant to say I put a hot bottle in with him (two actually) but the duvet is so unbelievably cold and damp to the touch it’s mental!

Electric blanket/HW bottle are both good ideas BUT I think you should hear the room up once first to avoid it being full of cod, damp air

If you can, air the room (preferably whole house) for a few hours the first nice day you have (I’ve done mine today as it’s mild & dry here in SE)

Then, close up & give the whole house 30 mins of heat around sunset time and turn it off … hopefully that will be enough and you can use alternatives for a while longer

I haven’t turned my heating in yet but have given the house a blast a couple of weeks ago as described and that helped… air the rooms a bit most days too if it’s nice outside

Don't just think about heating, also think about insulation

you need thick heavy curtains - can you get a couple of second hand pairs and double them up? Also adding the cellular blinds like this are very effective at holding heat in the room and will make a difference to how much heat is retained and for how long... www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/hoppvals-cellular-blind-white-00290622/ (not very expensive to buy and easy to install) - you can pull down them through the day if required as they let light in but keep heat in too.

Also the infrared panel heaters work out very economical vs any other type of heater. Have a google about them. The cost per hour is about half or less vs other types e.g. oil filled radiator. www.amazon.co.uk/Infrared-Heat-Panels/s?k=Infrared+Heat+Panels

Elec blankets are good.

Hang the duvet out to air (eg over bannisters) - and in the morning pull it back so the bed can dry out/air during the day - don’t make the bed til later on

Re heating, it’s often cheaper to use the boiler but turn unneeded radiators off

I have an oil filled radiator that I use as a backup/heating breaks down/beast from the East situation. They are about £70 and mine costs 40p/hour to run, retains heat well : they do get hot to touch of course (like a normal radiator)

If you ran a heater briefly when needed it might be sufficient

Does he have cotton duvet covers? Cotton chills and makes you cold. Putting a fleecy blanket over the top makes a big difference IME. I can't sleep in a heated room as get too hot but need it warm to begin with - so hot water bottle and fleecy blanket, kick out hot water bottles before sleep and then push off fleecy blanket if get too hot during the night. If he doesn't kick the hot water bottles out I'd take them out once he's asleep as they're horrible once the go cold.

If the duvet feels damp you need to air the room . I air my house every day all year round, particularly bedrooms after sleeping in them all night. THEN heat the room, otherwise you are trying to warm up air that is full of water

Wool blanket - on eBay for between 10 and 20 quid. You'll need a top sheet because they are obviously itchy but wool is best. I had them as a kid.

As a more expensive option but easier to manage - a wool filled duvet. Cheapest I've seen for a single was about £72 on Amazon. I bought ours as factory seconds from Baavet a few years ago. A single wasn't much shy of £100. Bigger is more expensive (even factory seconds).

I cannot stress enough how warm they keep you. I am a life long hot water bottle/electric blanket user and these things have been a game changer. No cold spots in bed. Warm and cosy under it within seconds. No need for hot water bottle etc even in dead of last couple of winters.

This. Putting the heating on doesn’t get rid of damp. You need to get rid of the moisture from the air.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I’ve purchased a heated blanket and a dehumidifier!

I should have mentioned that I air out my house everyday (weather permitting) but I love the fresh air! We have blackout and thermal curtains throughout the house and very good insulation! The issue I have is that we have a non traditional built house (concrete slabs and poured) and it always makes our house so unbelievably cold and heating it is next to impossible.

I wipe and dry all condensation away and also air out the bed everyday but it’s all pretty futile as when the night rolls around, the cold air hits our warm bodies and the everything feels wet and damp.

I’ve also purchased some teddy bear sheets and duvet covers as as someone mentioned the cotton feels even wetter! I came to my mums today and noticed a huge difference in her cotton sheets (ie, not damp feeling!) and I just knew I’d have really do something about this all (hence why I’ve been airing the house out and the duvet etc)

I think I may have to bite the bullet though and put the heating on, but just in his room for a short time. The air throughout our house is just so cold and damp I’m just worried about costs.

I shared a bed with my mum when we had no heating.
Also try brushed cotton sheets.

We are currently sharing bed to try and keep warm.

Outdoor humidity is time of year is often higher than interior so a dehumidifier will dry the room more effectively than a open window. It’s at 92% humidity outside where I live but only 61% indoors because of the dehumidifier. And less than that in our bedrooms. It feels warmer inside too because of the air coming out of the dehumidifier. It’s actually only 61% because we have opened the doors a few times and each time cold moist air comes inside and raises the humidity level. We do keep a bedroom window open at night though.

Not a cheap option in the short term but a game changer when we lived in a cottage with solid walls: insulating wallpaper. You have to use a special adhesive and it is expensive so only use it on the external walls of each bedroom, but the difference in heat loss (and condensation is amazing.

I’ve never heard of this! May be something I need to do as his walls as plastered and then painted so it probably would be a very good idea!

This is very good to know and I think a dehumidifier is going to help loads. I’ve never owned one before so was unsure if they actually worked but this is great!

I purchased my son this fleecy blanket from Dunelm for £14 and use it as a 'fitted sheet' so the bed is warm when he gets in. I then also bought a kids weighted blanket (Amazon less than £20) which has made a his bed nice and toasty and the room feel warmer overall.

My final task in the battle against my energy bill is thermal curtains which are not cheap but will help for future years.

Great thread OP, watching with interest.

We moved to a cottage in the summer (it’s sort of terraced, but the attaching buildings are one floor L shaped bungalows, and only share a wall with each side of my living room) and have already noticed it’s freezing in the evenings. Single glazed too.

I bought teddy fleece sheets and bedding in September, (we have 4tog duvets because none of us like the thick ones), they made a big difference. At the weekend I got our weighted blankets out (£20 each), that’s also made a big difference.

Last year I bought multiple pairs of thermal leggings from ASDA at £7 each, they’re still going strong this year. Knee high socks over the top.

If I need to add an extra layer, it’ll be a second 4 tog duvet with brushed cotton bedding.

The heating here is powerful, but I’m terrified of the cost (single parent to 3), and can’t stand having the heating on once I’m in bed anyway.

I find tealights really take the edge of the bathroom. It’s freezing in there. A steel water tank that holds 165gallons of cold water above the hot water tank (that slowly tops up when you shower, bathe, flush the toilet, use the washing machine, brush your teeth, use the hosepipe (the connector is above the sink) fully tiled walls on the north east facing side, it’s freezing, the window is constantly open (condensation) so three tea lights on the window ledge, one either end of the cast iron bath, and one on the sink. They are all in tea light holders and the bathroom feels warm

i hope it works in your home.

@ODFOx : was it the wall rock stuff? I was wondering about it for a cold room in a single story extension…

www.gowallpaper.co.uk/wallrock/wallrock-thermal-liner.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw5P2aBhAlEiwAAdY7dNYLW02xsMRwknBkeXqQyUHyHkDPJlSepjWSjeuCoBFQNsFE-pZKHhoC-s4QAvD_BwE

Re a warm bed, before my parents fitted central heating (80s) they used to put us to bed with a big fluffy blanket under us - made a huge difference (one blanket below worth 2 on top I think they said)

I put my thin summer duvet under my mattress protector as an extra layer & that’s a big help in warming up the bed