To suddenly be frightened of the coming winter?

[KathrynKampbell]

I think it's just hit me how hard winter is going to be. I'm sat downstairs now (watching a film tut tut get to bed) and its really cold. Today was cold too and we had to have the heating on and off all day. I thought we would manage with maybe once a day for a bit and make do with layers but I hadn't realised how much the house would leak heat and how cold laminate floor is. And the temperature is obviously going to get colder over the next few months.

AIBU to be scared about the next few months?

Sports Direct have thin thermals good for layering, DH has them for under his motorbike stuff. Big discount on them.
Hot water bottles, Primark has ones in a furry cover.
I have faux fur throws, B&M Bargains and Poundstretcher have good ones. Pay about £10-15 for them but they are really warm, I put the furry side over me.
Also can recommend a medium sized dog smells less than a goat.

I like expats idea about the foil things, I think Ill get some.

Yes indeed. Look after your goats and the goats will look after themselves. Or something.

Primark are doing their own heat tech stuff now.

We aren't using goats but we can't afford heating. Luckily we have a woodburner and are having to burn old fences and stuff Dh can get from work. Not ideal.

This thread is making me giggle. Can't recommed enough an electric blanket in Winter, they cost pennies a night to run. The dog and I are both snuggled up in bed on mine!

Lidl have loads of thermals in at the moment - thermals and hot water bottles are how we got through last winter! (Hats and socks and jumpers in bed too -sexy!)

I've no goats though...but I have chickens...can they help?

Marking place,I am also dreading winter, the damp in my house is already creeping in and only put the heating on for couple hours morning and night.
Need to draught proof my crap windows and put foil behind my radiators.

No heating on here at all as yet and yes, its got cold over the last few days.
We went last year with the heating on for 1 hour per night. The rule was - unless it snowed? No heating on at all aside from the 1 hour at night where showers can be taken and any damp clothing if it was raining out, dried on airer along with the towels used after showers.
You ought to have seen my Dc's when it did actually snow! They were overcome with happiness for the heat to go on.
It was not ideal but we learned this - its now you will feel the worst about it. Because you will get used to it. Its a sad fact that you do get used to the cold. You get used to wiping mold off walls. You get used to blankets, hats, gloves, socks and slippers. Hot water bottles. Just retreating indoors and living like hermits - having nobody come to your house as its bloody freezing cold and you just do not want to heat it up for them or have them sit in the cold as you are.
Absolute shame on the energy companies for forcing people to live in this way - God help those on meters or those with new babies to keep warm. Anf huge, huge shame on the Government and the MP's who claim for their second homes to be heated while giving us, Jane and Joe Bloggs the advice of 'Ah, put another jumper on...'

try my method for a warm bed:

duvet
fleece blanket
you
fleece blanket
sheet

the BlanketWidge (patent pending)

soooo toasty!

Oh yes! zing is right - try sleeping on a fake fur throw or a fleece type blanket - put it on top of your actual sheet it really, really works. Just shake it out each morning, pop it back on and get back into the bed at night. It really does make a difference :)

old

the best thing about it is not having to lie down on a cold sheet!

Zing - just add a goat and feel the heat multiply.

Ok I have been into living room and stuffed a carrier bag filled with bubble wrap up chimney . We are using calor gas heater at the moment as we are only heating LR to sitting temp. Off to tape up keyholes etc . Also double glazed doors where they leak air ( yes I am looking at you Everest and your crap after sales service ) . YYY to scarfs and hot water bottles during the day. Only me home during the day and a large draughty Victorian house and I never put heating on during the week. DH has thyroid problems and is permanently cold so weekends we have to have heating on or he is just too miserable. Poor soul.

Last year we had a discussion on threads about whether it was better to have heating on low for a longer time, or for only a couple of hours a at a higher temperature. Can't remember where it was now, but that is worth thinking about.

Also Lakeland sells heated clothes airers that are apparently cheap to run. That's useful because you will stay warmer and healthier if clothes are not damp and you haven't got wet washing everywhere.

Just looked at elec meter . I think our base line is one kilowatt per 7.5 hours . I am off to work soon and will check again at 6 pm and see if that is correct. Our average daily usage is 14.5 kwh . So if during the day and overnight hours I am only using base rate that's 18hours = 2.5 kwh.
So the morning and evening times of 6 hours we are getting through 12 kwh.
Hmm washing machine 3kw
Dishwasher. 3kw
Tumble dryer. 3kw
Oven. 3 kw.

Hmm again . If each appliance is on for an hour a day then that's that then. Dirty clothes all round then although we do wear outer clothes more than once its only undies that are changed daily. ( and I do realise that each appliance is not pulling the full rating for the full hour but its a ball park figure.

That's interesting Eldritch would be savvy of me to see which option is best. I wonder if the actual firing up of the boiler is what costs

Yes, getting the house up to temperature takes far more energy than maintaining it at the chosen temperature, as a rule.

Yes its not easy for boilers to heat from freezing, better to have a moderate standby heat and crank it up as needed

If I don't eat enough I get really cold and no amount of hot water bottles etc will warm me up. So my top tip is eat little and often (better for the metabolism anyway, so a bonus if you're trying to lose weigh or keep weight off).

I feel the cold and live in a draughty cottage, so right now I'm wearing a thick fleecy M&S long sleeved thermal, fleece lined leggings, a snuggle top from Next (which I'm finding warmer than my old fleeces), a pair of thick fluffy socks and a pair of boot style slippers that go over my ankles. If I get cold I'll put another thermal on; layering up is a must.

We've done the leaving the heating on all the time on low thing when we didn't have a thermostat and the heating bill was about £150 for mid November to the start of March in a 4 bed house about 2 years ago. We just left the boiler set to 1 out of 5 and turned it up to 2 or 3 if it was particularly cold/snowing outside. It kept the house at an even liveable (but not tropical) temperature and I think it probably worked out cheaper than putting the heating on high for a few hours a couple of times day because the boiler just had to maintain a warm temperature rather than having to heat the whole system from cold to scorching twice a day.

It would be interesting if some MNers without a thermostat who have the heating on high a couple of times a day could record their gas usage for a week and then do another week with the heating constantly on low to see what the difference in usage is.

better

we have 6 kids - there's enouhh body heat.
I just wish I could harness the whinging - it's the free renewable energy source of the future!

(patent pending)

Zing -, You have six kids! Delighted to hear the goat option is being taken up so enthusiastically!

If anyone has the kind of house that will take cavity wall insulation, I would really recommend it. I've lived in 2 flats now where it has been put in some years after I started living there and the difference both times has been really noticeable.

A couple of years ago our council was offering free cavity wall insulation to anyone who had a suitable house - don't know what deals are around at the moment but it would be worth looking. Energy companies sometimes have good deals too!

better

brilliant!

Buy cheap blankets and nail them or Hang them over windows. It keeps heat in well.

bloody mould is the worse as the house smells damp and it takes ages to scrub with bleach.

primark is great for cheap sock slippers/vests/ blankets etc.

hot water bottles and layers.

roll on spring!!!