No Heating or Hot Water. Grim. How do you manage?

[BrrrrrrGrim]

Not so much AIBU. More for traffic whinge and advice please.
The boiler broke a week ago. No heating or hot water. It's grim.
I was made redundant a few months ago and no luck with finding a new job so have now started a claim for income support.
I have no money to pay for the boiler to be repaired, let alone a new boiler.
However, I have learnt of a government scheme which will repair or replace the boiler but it will be three weeks before the energy co. visit the house for help with the boiler. Which will be the week before Christmas and then there's the time for the boiler to be fixed or replaced so looking at the New Year.
I'm grateful for this scheme. But the last week of no heating or hot water for DC and myself has been vile. Bathing as little as possible using as little water as possible as the hot water comes from the kettle and using a portable electric heater (as little as possible too) due to cost to make it less freezing in the room we are in.
I know I'm fortunate to own the house (2 up, 2 down. Can't sell to downsize and release money). But it means no landlord or council help.
The thought of living like this over Christmas and into the New Year at least is beyond depressing.
You work, are fortunate enough to buy a house. Lose your job and then it's vile. The boiler has to break in winter, the year you have no job or money to replace it.
I have thought (and willing to do) any job but then minimum wage won't pay for full-time childcare as well as bills and food and someone to fix the boiler. I don't want to be on benefits (I hate that I'm now a single mother and will be on benefits and seen as a scum) but income support will hopefully be short-term until I get a new job.
If you've got this far, any advice welcome please.

Oh gosh, my heart really goes out to you. I have had times in my life when I have been abjectly poor and it is terrifying and exhausting. It WILL get better and you WILL get through it.

The first thing I want to say is please, please don't feel embarrassed about telling people. Most people will understand and want to help, and those who don't are not worth knowing. Reach out to former colleagues, friends, family -and strangers! Post what you've written above on Freecycle, and someone may come to your rescue with one of those plug-in radiators, or even an offer to send a qualified person round to help. Once you have a heat source, barricade yourself in one room and keep the door closed as much as possible.

Secondly, ring the energy company and explain your situation to them. It may well be that they can shuffle people around to prioritise you, as you have a young child. Do not be afraid to tell them how much you are struggling to cope. Crying can help!

Thirdly, check whether there's a labour swap scheme in your area that would allow you to exchange some of your skills for a boiler repair. There is bound to be something you can swap for the help you need: www.letslinkuk.net/regions/uk-map.htm

I'm in this situation long term and have had to do the maths on everything. Imo if you're broke and it's not about to change, then the outlay for an electric blanket and running costs are a better use of what you have than the hairdryer tbh, because the blanket's cheap to run and makes life feel so much better longer.

If you're using an oven, a couple of house bricks in it, make for good bed warmers in a towel later. Even if you stand them on a hob after use, they pick up some heat.

Ps sticking the pillow up your jumper twenty mins beforehand takes the chill off for dc's.

I know it's miserable to be in such circumstances but you're far from the only one so keep your chin up.

It takes a little while but we used to boil kettles of water up and do a bath, then take turns in it. If you have the kettle upstairs, you don't need to keep going up and down with hot water.

We also have a convector heater like this one:

www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4152181.htm

Only £20 but if you can't afford it you might find a neighbour has one you could borrow. They will heat the room you're in fairly well. Just got to be careful not to put anything on top of it e.g. washing.

It is grim and I think it's disgraceful there's no immediate help for people in your situation.

(((OP)))

ps ASDA hot water bottles are the cheapest I know at £3.

Quite often bottle gas heaters or electric radiators come up on Freecycle/Freegle. If you're not a member already, Google Freecycle plus the name of your town. If you don't have transport the person giving the item away will sometimes agree to deliver it.

Can you ask at the CAB for details of how the Warm Homes Grant and so on is being administered in your area? I'm sure that even as an owner occupier, waiting for benefits with a 3 year old you are entitled to some help.

I'm not sure about your local area but where we are you can get cheap daily tickets for the bus and train, unlimited all day travel for £4.40. DD would be free. You could pay once a week to get to town with museums then go to swimming pool that might do free/cheap admission. Ring the council and ask for the cheapest admission to the pool. Sorry you're going through this. You can also try local churches/charities. The YMCWA, Salvation Army etc will help but I know that you may not want to do that.

Oh I'm lucky, its just me here so I can nest in my bedroom. I have my kettle up here

It took me a few days to buy an electric heater. I didn't even remember I had a hair dryer until it had arrived usefull

Good luck.

So much sympathy for you! My local Lidl are currently selling base layers and ski socks for about a fiver, I found these invaluable when living in a freezing attic flat a few years back.

Op, I work for a charity (but not in your area) and we have emergency grants for just this type of thing. Also there are other charities/ churches who provide food parcels and time banks, where you maybe able to swap skills in order to get a heating engineer out, I have used this and swapped cleaning for transport. I'm sure there will be something similar in your area. Shelter and CAB would be good places to start. Your local vicar will always help (even if you're not a church-goer). You can always give something back when you're back on your feet. It's hard to ask for help, but people like to be asked.

Electric blankets really are fantastic - I know they are not cheap to buy but maybe try free cycle or ask for one for Christmas? They cost pence to run and you could snuggle up in bed after DC are asleep and keep yourself toasty for very little cost.

As for washing, when my boiler has been on the blink before I perfected a kind of bowl shower - boil kettle and pour into washing-up bowl with cold until right temperature. Bring upstairs with jug, strip off and stand in bath (brr!). Pour jugful of water over yourself to warm up, them dip sponge/scrunchie thing in water, add shower gel, lather up and pour the rest over yourself to rinse. It is the only way IMO to feel as clean as if you have had a shower and on just one kettleful of water - also quick so you won't get too cold.

We have just had a broken boiler for two weeks, what I did was heat the kitchen with the cooker just left the gas rings on Then we washed in there we used the saucepans to heat water on the cooker its cheaper than the kettle. As its just you and the little one I would heat the bedroom and turn it into a bedsit, we had £10 Argos blow heaters were cheaper than I tough to run. It is horrid, im on benefits at the moment and I Know every penny counts. My leisure centre lets you swim for £1 if you are on benefits and then you can shower and hang out in the warm café.

I agree with pp who said to try local food bank and churches. If they can't help they may know someone who can, in the interim.

If you could get the cash together from somewhere then the British gas fixed price repairs can be good value.

I would also google your boiler and any error codes and see if it's something easy to fix.

Presume you've checked the pressure etc?

Sorry you're going through this OP There is some really good advice on this thread - please please ask for help, it's there for people who get caught out for one reason or another. CAB are a good place to start as they seem to know what's out there and who might have advice/help. I agree contact the energy company and check they are aware of the circumstances you have described to us. Your three year old may swing it for them to hurry up for you.

Freecycle is fab! I'm sure if you put a wanted advert for more layers for beds/sofa etc, then people will offer.

I've had no central heating for the past two winters - I know how grim it is - but I do have hot water and an open fire. I can't imagine how horrid everything must be for you ATM, but you will get through this!

Thinking of you x

careful with wheat bags, can be a fire hazard!

claim those benefits, it's what they are there for.

BTW any scope in the future for backup, i/e an electric shower and/or an immersion heater?

Lots of good advice here, OP you have my sympathies, our boiler broke when dd was 6 weeks old in the coldest March in 50 years!

If the leisure centre is too expensive, do you have a local theatre? They often have showers in the dressing rooms and may let you use them for a donation if they're empty. Worth a try... (I work in a small theatre and did just that when our boiler went!)

You've got to ask for help. Friends, family, social services, neighbours, shelter, etc. No one should have to live like this, and you will find that many people will pitch in.

Good luck, OP, I'm sure that once you reach out things will get better.

What an awful, awful situation. I was without heat or hot water for just a week last year with young children, and it was bloody awful, my heart goes out to you. Try ringing this helpline: england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/help_with_housing_costs/paying_for_heating to see what you might be entitled to. Also there are some charities that do emergency payments (I think but may be wrong, that the government has scrapped crisis loans from the social fund?) - why don't you ring the CAB helpline and see if they can advise you abt what you might be entitled to. And where do you live, OP? If you were near me I'd be glad to let you and the little one have a bath here.

We've just had a boiler put in under that scheme. It may be worth ringing them and telling them of the situation and hassling them (a lot)

• the reason I say this is they seem quite disorganised and took ages to assess us and then lost some of the paperwork..however when it was finally sorted out it only took a couple of weeks for the people to come out and install it.

Hope you get your soon too

Sainsburys are selling a plug in electric heater.Glenn I think. £20 or nectar points, its not a fan one but a convector. We used it last winter with a timer plug and it worked well for heating.

you say that you own your own home, do you have a mortgage? If so ask for a mortgage holiday then use your mortgage payment to get an engineer to try to get boiler running whilst you wait for the visit in two weeks, also ask if you take some equity out of mortgage? With either options money could be available same day.

I had to do this over Christmas and new year and you're going to think I'm absolutely crazy but it worked. It was our Rayburn that broke so we couldn't cook either, it was not fun.

I was alone as dh had taken kids on ski holiday, so I pretended I was camping. I lived in my sleeping bag, with a hat, and a blanket with arms. I did actually think of getting my tent out, for more insulation. Basically I had hot water bottles and layers and layers of blankets- microwave porridge is really good and warming and I used my slow cooker for stews. Try and make it fun, even though its not. You have my sympathies xx

Do you not have an immersion heater?

hi, didn't want to read and run so not read reply but if I was in this situation I think I would ring British gas get on a boiler plan either new or fixed depending on hat was needed set up the direct debit (no upfront payment required when you join a dd scheme plan) and either pay the- last I did it it was £15er month and if I didn't have that put on card or just let the dd bounce. you should have some heating and hot water, esp' with kids. When your back in work you can awalys sort it out then. hth

hot water bottle and duvet, hats and scarfs are a god send.
it might be worth a convo with Bgas and see if they can help if not do above!

hi just had a quick look at BG website looks like they charge for first fix now seventy odd quid, I would still ring them though. hope you get sorted soon

i think some people who have a combi boiler don't have immersion heaters?
so many different systems aren't there.