To be sick of not being able to afford the heating on

[KeepMeCalm13]

Thankfully no children involved.

We are yet to have any form of heating on this autumn/winter as we just cannot afford the bill. We only have central heating, no fire. I'm currently sat in a t-shirt, thick jumper, dressing gown, jeans, 2 pairs of socks, and slippers and I've got a hot water bottle and I'm frozen. The thought of another 4 months of this makes me want to cry.

[marriedinwhiteisback]

Audeca have a gas fire fitted then if it's cheaper; assuming people have gas central heating they presumably a gas supply to fit it to.

Large sheets of polythene - the sort that builders use - cut to cover the size of the whole window and taped around the frame to stop draughts. Cheap double glazing.

[slickrick]

I have skrimped some money together I can buy 3 heaters for those that really need it. This thread has been on my mind I cant bear to think that people are cold in this weather. When my DH asked me to put the fire on earlier I burst into tears. Please PM me if you want a heater but I really only can afford 3, for now sorry

[LynetteScavo]

Electric heaters are not the way forward if you can't afford to put the central heating on. They are much more expensive.

I think turning all the radiators off, except in one room is the best option if you have CH.

[WallyBantersJunkBox]

Angry - my ex army DH would agree with you there

The most important part of the body - warm dry feet.

If you don't have a hot water bottle and a sleeping bag to sit in then good socks are essential. As a student I used to blast my feet for 30 seconds with a hair dryer and pop on my hiking socks before bed.

Actually my nan never used a hot water bottle - she used a glass lemonade bottle wrapped in a towel. (screw the lid tightly)

[songlark]

The country's gone backwards. You work all week and should be able to to come home to a warm house. Why should having a warm house be such a luxury. I wonder what action the couldn't care less government would take against the utility companies if we all got coal fires and polluted the air.

[ThornSayre]

slickrick what a lovely thing to do!

[ModernToss]

Audeca have a gas fire fitted then if it's cheaper

Christ. Which part of 'having no money' is giving you particular trouble?

[slickrick]

Lynette, I meant calor gas heaters not electric

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

Fuck that.I have the heat on in the mornings and evenings. I pay 80 a month, and there will be more to pay on top at the end if the year, but not too much. I hope.
I always switch suppliers/ tarriffs a lot which helps ( same with media services- even the people in the virgin media call centre can't believe how little I pay. I worked damn hard on that deal! )
Having said that, I still owe a couple of hundred to nnpower from last year. I am not paying it off in a hurry. They can fuck right off and join the queue of people I owe money to.
My landlord is shit though. He could get a grant to insulate, but he won't. Most landlords won't spend a single penny on their houses in my extensive experience.
make sure you have ghd best deal you can in energy though op, and go by price per unit.

[Mimishimi]

A couple of stationary exercise bikes? You would definitely get warm and it would have the added bonus of keeping you fit through the winter. Eg if you sit down to watch tv, use computer etc you could go on it. A few nips of brandy? Make sure your head is covered.. You lose a lot of heat without a hat. Perhaps a small butane camping stove to heat water up on and you could warm yourself by it too? I'm not sure about the UK but here in Australia, butane cans for those stoves are very inexpensive.

[Audeca]

Hi again @marriedinwhiteisback.

As ModernToss says above please try and be a little bit more understanding about the financial situation people are in.

A lot of your ideas would work, but people's circumstances often mean they are not practical. For instance "have a gas fire fitted then if it's cheaper" assumes that the individuals:

1. have the money to buy a gas fire and hire a gas engineer to fit it, and
   
2. are not privately renting.
   
   Your other suggestion that people use large sheets of builders polythene again assumes that people have:
   
   
3. the cash to make the initial outlay on the polythene (prices vary from £20 for a roll lightweight, £50+ for heavyweight), and
   
4. people can afford the transport to shops (or delivery charges) that sell this kind of material.

[marriedinwhiteisback]

Practical suggestions to help people. 20 on polythene might save 60 over the winter. Unfortunately it is up to individuals to maximise their warmth and it is their responsibility to do so. It is not the state's responsibility to do that but there are lots of ways costs can be minimised and heat can be maximised.

Everone on this thread probably has a broad band subscription, may have a TV and a licence, may have a mobile phone, may smoke, may drink alcohol, may catch the bus for two stops rather than walk. If after making all those economies they still have no money for heating then they might need additional help. If they aren't making those sorts of economies then they must take responsibility for themselves.

Trying to remember the hierarchy of needs: shelter, food, warmth, and then to meet the more gratifying needs.

I do understand I work next to a very deprived estate where the locals are on the wall with their fags and tinnies at 11am. I expect they live in poverty but it's pverty that affords them nicotine and alcohol.

[valiumredhead]

I think it's the state's responsibility to ensure companies aren't putting their prices up purely for greed and profit.

[marriedinwhiteisback]

I'm not convinced they are

[expatinscotland]

Yes, so they all smoke and drink.

I don't have a broadband subscription. I have PAYG. Mobile Wi-Fi but expense it for work.

[MinimalistMommi]

Can you afford to heat one room and close it off from rest of the house so you have somewhere warm to sit during day/evening?

[marriedinwhiteisback]

No, expat I said may.

I'd also like to see a year on year assessment of the cost of heating an average home on an average income compared to average household incomes on a year by year basis for the last 25 or even 50 years. It must exist.

I am kust not convinced that the cost now is in fact higher than it was say 25 years ago.

[valiumredhead]

I must've imagined my astronomical bill then.

[hiddenhome]

People couldn't afford to hear their houses 30 years ago either. Dh told me that he grew up with no central heating, ice on the inside of the windows and a greenhouse paraffin heater in the kitchen (the only warm room in the house). His father had a good job working as a government scientist and his mum also worked.

I think we're returning to those days and central heating is a thing of the past. People can barely afford to heat one room now.

[expatinscotland]

The Daily Mail did one, married. Even they ad,it the cost is FAR higher in relation to wages since 2000 alone.

[catsmother]

As a bit of an aside, whilst I agree that smoking, drinking and TV aren't essential, please don't assume that everyone who has a broadband connection does so purely so they can enjoy the luxury of speedy internet. I HAVE to have broadband because without it I couldn't do my job - any aspect of it at all, and there must be others like me for whom broadband is similarly essential because we'd be even more up shit creek if we couldn't do our jobs. Just annoys me that on any thread about any sort of financial struggle broadband is inevitably cited as a 'nice to have'. Some people just don't think through what they're saying.

[valiumredhead]

Also I have no friends who smoke anymore s they can't afford it, they are still struggling with heating their homes.

[Pinupgirl]

I have had the heating on for 4 hours but my house is still freezing-shitty old boiler and radiators that don't work properly

Plus I tried to put on the gas fire in the living room today and that is now kaput-I hate this house,hate,hate,hate it.