To think its too costly to heat this flat?

[ToddlerDecibels]

We live in a tiny freezing flat with electric radiators. We only heat one room (The living/kitchen area) and put up with a cold bedroom by using extra blankets and hot water bottles.

We have to put £10 on the electric meter every day and a half / two days to keep our front room warm, just the front room, and then the heat escapes through the windows and front door as soon as we turn it off.

We can ill afford this but have had to cut back in other areas to keep the heating going as we have a toddler.

Aibu to think surely this can't be a normal amount to be spending?

We've hung a sheet over the door where the heat seems to be escaping, we invested in a big rug for the floor and we have woolen throws on the sofa. The reality is no matter what we do the room is just too cold not to have heating on at this time of year

How often are you having your heating on?...if it's only a couple hours a day then your meter seems to be over charging you (my electric meter did that , was charging me £6, £7, £8 etc a day in electricity even when I hadn't used much)...i told the electric company and they put another one in , just a regular meter not a smart meter...and the difference is unbelievable, now I'm lucky if some days I'm using a £1 a day and i have the heating on approx 6 hours a day (not all at once, spaced out over three times a day)...

Well very few houses would manage without heating, I have mine on all the time.

I'm a bit concerned about the calibration of your meter? Have you contacted them to check it's not running out too much - £70 a week seems like a lot to heat one room.

Is it storage heaters you have? If so, I feel your pain - I had them in an old flat and my electric bill would jump from £30 a month in the summer to as high as £200 in the coldest months. Worst heating system ever!

I had a couple of oil filled radiators that gave off a good amount of heat. They would have been too expensive to run all the time, but were great for first thing in the morning or when I’d just got home.

What kind of glazing do you have in your windows? You can buy film to stretch over the window frames that adds a second layer of ‘glazing’, I’ve never used it but have heard good things from a couple of folk.

That does sound expensive, yes. I’ve got single glazing and lose a lot of heat through the windows, so make sure you have nice thick curtains that you can close, or line them with fleece blankets (I’ve done this in my bedroom and it makes a heck of a difference). It might be worth investing in a calor gas heater as they kick out a good amount of heat and are a lot cheaper to run than electric heating. I had a flat years ago with only electric storage heaters and it was freezing, but a calor heater worked wonders.

We have 'futura eco' wall mounted panel radiators, not sure if that's a storage heater?

The windows are double glazed but constantly getting damp around them on the inside.

We put insulation tape around the windows and front door which made no difference.

We've currently got a sheet hanging over the front door (leads straight into our living room from outside) which looks ghastly but may have helped ever so slightly, but hardly noticeable.

I have the radiator on for 90 minutes in the morning to get the room warm for DS, perhaps an hour in the afternoon and then a couple of hours in the evening. It's not the most economical but it's unbearably cold in here and it's not fair on poor DS (I do feel a bit sorry for myself too when I'm sat with numb fingers!)

I had one of those revolving portable heaters which you plug in to sockets, I dare say that was using even more.

Can you get some of that sticky back foam seal to stick round the door frame and block drafts to outside? We had a flat that was never warm, we put curtains up over the doors, the foam seal thing on all door frames and bought a dehumidifier. The difference was incredible. The dehumidifier was not cheap but paid for itself really quickly (also good for drying washing), they are around £120 new but definitely worth asking on gumtree or selling sites to see if anyone would sell a second hand one.

I have the same problem we dont use heating and it costs £40 a month on electric if we used the electric heaters it would sky rocket.

The flat is damp already and we cant heat it,we have no room for a dryer and no were to hang laundry apart from indoor airers which does not help.I dont have a good chest asthma in the family and it takes a toll on me.

We all just were extra clothes inside and use two duvets

I second the calor gas fire. They're very effective and economical. I also found the plug in two-bar fire warmer than electric radiators. Just a thought - are you boiling the kettle a lot for hot water bottles? (ie not just using them at night) As that might push the cost up faster.

Are you renting? If you are what does the epc show? The rules are changing about the scores soon.

Do you know how much it cost per hour to run? It sounds quite a lot. Is there any debt on the meter

I was also going to ask if you are renting. Get the energy company to check the meters and if that comes back OK then ask your local council housing standards for advice/property check to ensure the property meets all it should standards wise (the housing standards check private rented accommodation as they still have to meet safe living standards and if they don't the landlord will be held accountable by the local council).

I really do feel for you

I live in a well insulated double glazed house but no central heating - have some storage heaters which I try not to use, an electric fan heater in the lounge but it isn't warm.
After a MN post I have bought a heated blanket for the sofa to keep me & DD warm without needing the other heating on.

I have just put my meter readings in and I have used 3615k/w hrs gas and 650k/w elec, lower than last year. My quarterly bill is £267 or £20.50 a week. Electric is more expensive, read your meters and find out what tariff you're on. Also check whether you are entitled to warm home discount, you should be getting this though if you're eligible.

I have lived in single glazed houses, we rented a part house with huge rooms and it cost a fortune to heat. Get thermal linings for the inside of your curtains from Dunelm. What's concerning is that you have condensation on the inside of your windows. You need a karcher window wiper for that or wipe daily with a dry towel. Don't dry clothes in the lounge, hang in the bathroom and open a window. Use electric blankets in the beds to ensure your bedding isn't damp. Definitely try a dehumidifier, and a blanket or throw over you in the sitting room. My neighbour used to do a big wash every weekend of towels and sheets and her husband took then to the launderette to dry in the commercial dryers for about £2.

That sounds a lot, we have an Edwardian three bed, and some of downstairs is open plan so takes some heating. I have a newborn and the heating is on constantly 24hours, upstairs is 21-23 and down stairs is 19-20 , I'm home most of the day and our combined gas and electric is £124 a month

I have a 2 bed downstairs flat. I’m here all day and have health problems so the heating is on constantly. During the night it is set to 21, and in the day i’ll take it up to 23/24 a few times, but it’s never below. I’m on a meter and I put £15 a week on both during the winter, so approx £60 a month on each.