To ask how I don’t freeze to death or bankrupt myself.

[Sexnotgender]

My house has single glazing and high ceilings, rooms are consistently 12-14 degrees. We try and only heat the rooms we use but it’s bloody miserable 😞

Rising energy prices are putting the fear of god into me!

Any genius ideas to keep warm?

I wear layers, blankets on the sofa etc.

Also have a young baby so it needs to be a reasonable temperature.

What type of heating are you using at the moment?

Gas central heating. We do have a hive though so we can heat rooms quite accurately.

Thick socks and mitts on your dc.

Thick curtains, draught excluders, extra blankets. Babies survived without centrally heated homes for centuries

Hot water bottles. I suffer from the cold, so I keep one under my feet with a blanket over the top to retain the heat. They are brilliant for warming up the baby's mattress whilst they are feeding before a nap in winter.

Glad to see you have a Hive.

Film for windows and electric blankets for the bed and oil radiator for babies room. Electric blankets are really
Cheap to run and give direct heat so you'll feel the benefits, always socks and slippers and get a fleecy oodiie/hoodie thing they are fab

Electric blankets are the future!

You need an Oodie.

B and Q and other DIY stores are your friends here. I have the film over half a window which is letting in draughts, the other half is so I can open a window for ventilation every morning for 10 minutes
www.diy.com/departments/diall-clear-window-film-l-4000m-w-1-5m/1802835_BQ.prd

There are other sizes too, for windows and doors
www.diy.com/departments/diall-white-self-adhesive-draught-seal-l-6m-w-9mm-t-5-5mm/1802906_BQ.prd

Try wilkos, the range, b and m etc for thermal curtains, including door curtains

Use a dehumidifier to dry out (and therefore help with warmth) rooms. You can get them with wheels for easy manoeuvring. Mine was around the £100 from argos and on wash days the amount of water it collects is frightening. Think bucket loads!

If you get an oil filled radiator for baby's bedroom you should then be able to have the heating off for the rest of the house overnight - this is what we do.

One of those fluffy hooded blankets with sleeves , cost £20-£30. Don't see much of a difference between the standard ones and the overpriced Oodie.

Not the most flattering but prefer around the house of an evening. Definitely keep you warm.

I’ve got 2 great dehumidifiers! I keep one running by the washing and one central in the house. I empty about 45 litres of water a day out of the 2 of them!

Lots of excellent suggestions. Thank you.

we have these from here they’re good!

I think 16 is quite warm for a bedroom overnight even for a baby?
Ds was a baby during the really cold 2010/11 winter and we had ice on the inside of the windows!

If you live in a vicarage (we do too) I’d be making a fuss to the area dean/arch deacon/bishop. It is ridiculous that the CofE want to aim for net zero churches while many of their clergy live in houses that are badly insulated and impossible to keep warm.

@Sexnotgender

My house has single glazing and high ceilings, rooms are consistently 12-14 degrees. We try and only heat the rooms we use but it’s bloody miserable 😞

Rising energy prices are putting the fear of god into me!

Any genius ideas to keep warm?

I wear layers, blankets on the sofa etc.

Also have a young baby so it needs to be a reasonable temperature.

My house is the same temperature but low ceilings - stone house early 18th century.

Best tips I can offer:

Hang two sets of curtains, one over the other.

The first set use every alternate hook and the second set, hang on the remaining hooks. The curtains will look fine from the outside but you will keep heat in and cold and drafts out - if you have no curtains like this, I have got great 2nd hand ones from Ebay (don't buy the new Chinese stuff - those curtains are like tissue paper.) If you can sew, all the better: Buy fleece material and make curtains to fit - no need to hem the fleece just put curtain tape along the top and you're done.

Door curtains: As above. Put up a pole - you can get ones now where you son't have to put screws in - just use 3M sticky weight bearing hooks to hold up a pole. Run curtain over the pole - done.

Draft excluders - you can make these from old pillows or lumpy cushions or I got mine from a £1 shop
.
If you have spare duvets or blankets packed away, get them out and put them under your bed sheet, on top of the mattress to insulate you.

If you have a chimney, get the lining checked, get it swept and start using a fire.

Over the years on here, many people have suggested the window film, so I'd give it a go on your single glazed windows.

When I first moved in here, it didn't have central heating. The oil filled radiator did a great job, but I won't use plug in timers (firevrisk) so it was always cold in the mornings/coming home, but what I hated most was only heating one room & it being too cold to want to go into other rooms!
I do like the type of warmth they give off though!

It's kind of the same with blankets, heated throws etc, yep you can snuggle under them but it means sitting still & not moving around the house.

Obviously needs must!

I've not had any heating on today, I'm in a t shirt, thermostat says it's 18° in here, I'm in a only just starting to feel a bit chilly. Other days I can have the heating on at 21° & feel cold.

I'm guessing the baby is ok or they'd cry! Better a bit chilly than overly hot!

I grew up in a house without central heating, we had oil fired and electric heaters that we ran if we were in the room, yes going from room to room was a bit chilly but we survived, I remember ice inside the windows of a morning.
Electric blankets on every bed- really cheap to run.

You'll be fine, it was fairly normal in the past, I'm 50.

I bought one of these in blue. So cosy.

I use a smart dehumidifier. Its inexpensive to run, is only on if humidity is over a level, and pumps out warmer air. Dryer air is warmer air. It also stops you getting a mould problem.

Bubblewrap on windows, ebay sell it.

glassdoctor.com/blog/diy-project-insulate-your-windows-with-bubble-wrap#:~:text=Find%20large%20pieces%20of%20bubble,to%20ensure%20a%20firm%20hold.

@Mostlyjustrunning

I think 16 is quite warm for a bedroom overnight even for a baby? Ds was a baby during the really cold 2010/11 winter and we had ice on the inside of the windows!

The recommendation is 16-20, so we’re right at the bottom.

@2tired2bewitty

If you live in a vicarage (we do too) I’d be making a fuss to the area dean/arch deacon/bishop. It is ridiculous that the CofE want to aim for net zero churches while many of their clergy live in houses that are badly insulated and impossible to keep warm.

How did you guess 😂

There are some basic things you can do to help.

Have lined curtains for winter - heavier the better. Make sure they fit close to the wall and gaps are minimal, if there is a radiator at the bottom of the window have them so they will tuck in to radiator trapping the warm air in.

Use draft excluders on external doors. Get draft brushes for the bottom of the doors and use an old fashioned stuffed sausage as well. Have draght excluder tape around the doors in the right place

Draw your curtains at dusk keep the heat in. Consider having door curtains. Use rugs or carpet rather than bare boards or laminate. Shut doors to rooms to keep heat within rooms. I means bedrooms can be cooler but that is healthier anyway. Consider using thermastats on radiators or if you have them turn them down a bit or even off if a room doesn't need it - just keep an eye for damp if its a little used room.

Actually use throws when sitting around - if you have wool blankets or throws they will be warmer. Use slippers, use dressing gowns over clothes when home. I bought some lovely merino base layers from a sale in mountain warehouse I think it is and they are amazing to keep the chill off in the house.

Stay active in the evening or exercise in the evening as your metabolism raises and keeps you warmer.

Switch things off at the socket until needed. CHeck out your TV and other general everyday use equipment to see what they use each day and if you can replace or reduce the size of them. Make sure you do have low energy lightbulbs in place, reduce lamp use and turn lights off when you leave a room. Reduce size of baths, reduce time of showers, Only do full washes and take advantage of windy days as well as sunny.

It will be getting warmer by the time the cap goes up. Wear baby in the daytime, I'd co sleep at night next winter, so much warmer.