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.

No heating or hot water for 3 days, gas man due this evening.

The water pressure is too low. It's a common problem apparently.

If your boiler has a readout panel, google the error codes. I did. If it is low pressure, you can sort it so easily with a spanner, honestly.

On Income Support and with a child you are eligible to claim an emergency payment/crisis loan/budgeting loan whatever it's called lately assuming it wasn't part of the welfare reform which scrapped lots of these types of grants.

It's an interest free payable loan with tiny weekly repayments of a few pounds (or more if you wish) with which you can buy a heating appliance (research for the most economical) for example. I think the portable gas heaters are the most economical to run long term.

Electric blankets are not very expensive to run and a double can be bought for £8 at the moment in QD Stores, if you have one local. Good for the sofa as well as the bed.

I have a spare portable air blower heater which I can send you, if you want to PM an address. 'Poste Restante' to your local post office if preferred (anonymous).
Having said that, I'm on key meters and it cost me over £7 just to keep it on for 5 hours today

I'm really sorry you're going through this, I thought 3 days without was bad enough (including one poorly 6 year old).

Op... Please pm me... I'd like to help! Xxx

Have PMed you x

OP. Our boiler was out of action in October/start of November for 5 weeks (long story) and we managed 2 weeks without heat/hot water. I really feel for you as it was depressing and hard work. We had an immersion heater fitted on our hot water tank ( not a combi boiler) after 2 weeks and it cost us £80. At least we had hot water for the last 3 weeks if no heating. We used a small oil filled radiator on cold days.
I'm so sorry for you, I hope that others have given you some ideas and that you manage to get some help.
Unmumsnetty (((hug))).

Have managed to figure out how to PM you!!!!xx

If anyone is in need of an electric blow heater thingie, we have 3 spare. PM me if you're around the Leeds area x

Op, why don't you post on your local Mumsnet local board and ask if anyone can lend you a heater, or better still do a skill swap so you can get it fixed? My heart goes out to you and your wee boy. X

OP, our local council have emergency funds for situations like this. The Govenment shipped out crisis loans to Local Authorities. I would ring them up and see what help they can give.

could you PM me a rough location OP. If your anywhere near me I have a boiler friend who would be willing to come see if he can sort something for you, and if he cant I can swap a bath/ time in the warm in return for your LO wearing mine out!!

Thank you all for your help.
I've learnt lots of things to try and have also read the classics thread about keeping warm. It's all so helpful.
I'm also going to speak with CAB.
It's a combi boiler with no immersion heater. From reading online about the boiler it appears to be the valve for the hot water and the thermostat or maybe pump stopping the boiler working. The pressure went to 0 and I was able to put it back up to 1.5-2 with just the tap at the back of the boiler but unfortunately it's still on safety lockout and not working.
I'm really pleased to read that the boiler repair/replacement scheme has helped someone as I worried that it might not and then this wouldn't just be temporary but it is just a phase and will be fine soon.
There are sadly people worse off and I feel so much more positive now with all these kind replies and PMs.
DC said "I'm cold" this evening going upstairs to get ready for bed which made me well-up but was fine once the heater was on getting changed and thanks to the help on this thread and the classics I'd put soft blankets DC grew out of as a baby on the bed, another over DC and then the duvet and said "are you warm and snuggly" and received "yes" with a big smile and an instantly asleep, all snug DC

That was me recommending a mini calor gas bottle and heater! Ooh I feel special that diy remembered my tip!

Honestly it is a fab solution - my little sister survived winters in an early nineteenth century build student share in Glasgow because of her calor heater. 20 quid per bottle of gas. Obviously the heater is a bit expensive but second hand can get them from anything from £30-£150. They are instant, serious heat. Dsis had ultra high ceilings and single pane windows to contend with!

Light tea lights/ candles to warm up the room that you are in.

Contact the boiler people & mention that you have young kids, they should prioritise you for that.

Check out the Martin Lewis website and make sure that you are receiving everything you are entitled to. You have paid into the taxation system for precisely this reason, you are in need of help so you should get it.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/

This site has lots of good advice on saving money & generating income. If relevant to you claim back on PPI, sell any old baby/toddler gear on local selling boards.

Jobwise have a look at the local university/ higher ed institutions or local council for flexible workibg posts. I am not sure what youe old job used to be but make sure you take advantage of free courses & training while on benefits. After Xmas local colleges have new course start dates so enquire about free childcare places too.

This might sound a daft question, but have you switched the boiler off at the wall for a while, then switched it back on? It may just be that safety lockout tripped due to the low pressure and it just needs resetting. Some boilers can be reset by switchi g them off and then on again, others have a switch inside the front cover. Google the boiler - you may find a manual online.

We had no hot water or heating for 5 months just before we were married a few years ago- we had bought a house with a new boiler, that turned out to be totally useless and broke 4 months later. We just had to wait while we saved up for a new one. It was pretty grim. Scour the charity shops for real wool jumpers and blankets, I find then much warmer than synthetics. Candles are also good for heating one room in the evening. I used to spend hours sitting in front of the heater cuddling a hot water bottle, it was a very cold winter. At least we didn't have kids at that point.

The flowerpot/candle trick is helpful and cheap : www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/heat-your-room-8-pence-day

And wearing thermals makes such a huge difference! I've also stuck my mini exercise trampoline in the middle of the front room, and every time we get cold we take turns bouncing to warm ourselves up!

where are you my dp is a very good plumber and if your near he says he will come and see if he can fix it for you free xx

Is it worth calling back the company that's coming out in three weeks and explaining that you've got a LO with no heat / hot water and asking them to come out sooner?

Hi again just to say glad it helped hearing about the boiler through the scheme. the one they installed is a condenser boiler (I think) called Valliant ecoTEC Pro.

it seems to be ok so far, it is more sensitive than the last one (an old Potterton boiler) the new one can adjust the temp whereas the old one just had two options on- blasting out hot or off - freezing!

Although- I say that and it has just come up with a problem, it's heating the radiators OK but when we put the hot water on it seems to trip and come up with a fault message- so we're having the engineer out on Monday.

It comes with a one year warranty and we're planning on taking out more insurance for it after that ends.