So sick of being cold!

[brummiesue]

We moved into an old victorian house just before xmas and it's freezing! We have an open fire and radiators which are pretty useless...planning a log burner but not installed yet. Aibu to demand we sell it already or is there a way out of this freezing hell???!!!

First get your windows checked. A HUGE amount of heat goes out of pooery fitting windows.

We live in an old Edwardian building and last winter our boiler was on its last legs. We spend the entire winter freezing cold. Burried in blankets in one room with the fire on. it was miserable no idea how we got through it. New boilet was installed this year and AHHH warmth and I enjoyour home again.

Do you have double glazing and loft insulation? Did you bleed the radiators to remove trapped air when you moved in? Could you get the boiler and central heating serviced? Thermal linings on the curtains? Draught-proofing any gaps (e.g. a brush fitting on the letterbox)?

Our house was built in 1903 and cold is an issue.

1, sort windows

1. Have lined curtains and use them shut them as soon as goes dark to keep eat in
2. Bleed the radiators especially if the heat isn't reaching the top of the radiators when they are at full pelt
3. Get boiler checked to ensure its a) OK and b) big enough for the no of radiators
4. use draft excluders on internal doors
5. Close room doors to keep heat in the rooms where you are
6. Try and keep air dry - ie don't have clothes drying everywhere if you can help it
7. Try having the heating on at a constant slightly lower level all the time you are in. Use appropriate fuel on the fire - ie maybe coal rather than wood for e.g. as it burns hotter
8. If you don't have carpets check the floorboard gaps are sealed and also around the edges between skirting and floor - it may need caulking

10. Wear more clothes & slippers 11. Use hotties or electric blankets 12. Use curtains over external doors where possible to cut heat loss and drafts 13. Get sofa blankets

Both houses we've owned have been freezing, our first house had no central heating and only 2 wall heaters and a gas fire. The guys who fitted the radiators couldn't believe we lived in such a cold house. This house was freezing due to a massive conservatory attached open to our house so even with the heating blasting it would fly out of the conservatory roof. We've had double glazing doors fitted, a log burner, extra radiators and new thick carpets upstairs and finally have a warm house. It's been expensive but so worth it. The hot water bottles/ blankets and thermals are not great. I feel your pain OP.

As has been said above check the windows. Get double glazing if you can.
Use a draught excluder if needs be.

We used to have windows that let in rain if the wind was blowing in a certain direction. We noticed a significant change when we replaced them. We got replacement sash and case wooden ones from a local firm, not any of the nationwide chains whose reps didn't seem to grasp our councils requirements for listed buildings or conservation areas ( ie no upvc, no fixed units on upper floors etc)

Get heavy curtains and use liners. Check the curtains meet in the middle and are a bit wider than the windows.
I've heard of people pinning cheap fleece blankets onto the back of curtains to use as liners.

Check loft insulation. Check the loft hatch fits.

We replaced our old boiler, it was on its last legs. Have really noticed a difference in how hot the radiators get now but the timer and temerature controls are much more efficient. We did get a small grant towards putting in a condensing boiler.

Fill in any gaps between floorboards. If possible get thick underlay and carpets.

Check around windows and skirting for gaps and fill in with decorators caulk.

Door curtain over front door. Draught excluder along bottom of door.

We use chimney sheep when our open fires are not in use. Much easier to use than chimney balloons.
www.chimneysheep.co.uk

All the above! We moved into my DMs completely run-down delightfully shabby Edwardian house 7 years ago and nearly expired from the cold during our first few winters until we eventually had a new boiler and some new rads fitted. If you can't afford to upgrade your boiler, make sure your radiators have been bled AND get them flushed through - a plumber can do this for you in a few hours. If the rads are old, they are probably gunked up with gunge and rust particles and totally inefficient.

What saved us was oil-filled portable radiators. We picked up several second-hand from eBay and charity shops for £20-30 each. I am sitting on top of next to one as I type. They are not terribly cheap to run but heat up rooms v. quickly and have thermostats fitted to keep the room temperature constant on the lowest setting.

Try secondary glazing - like thick clingfilm over your windows. It's a bit fiddly to install but can make a huge difference. We also bought huge velvet curtains cheap from eBay as well, the larger and heavier the better.

Double glazing. Turned our Victorian house from freeeeezing to toasty. We used a company that replaced sash windows with exact replicas