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.

Block unused chimneys with a bag filled with newspaper. Try and insulate attic door by draping a blanket over it in the attic. Sort of drape as you close IYKWIM. Ask to get attic insulated.

@VaccineSticker

Btw just to add- Over 46% of our energy source at the mo is from wind power tonight because of the storm. Regardless of anyone being on agile taarif or not, people should be paying much less tonight for heating their homes. No one should sleep in a cold home tonight on a night like this.

If you've had winds of over 55mph, the wind turbines won't be working. They need to protect themselves from damage and will have shut off. Once the wind drops below the shut off point, they will restart. This is to prevent unnecessary strain on the machines. So your power tonight will not have been generated by them if the winds were stronger.

OP get throws and blankets, block any drafts that maybe coming in.

For clothing, I would definitely recommend duck down jackets from mountain warehouse, they are brilliant value and leave you warm without the bulk. Also running tights under loose fit trousers.

Seriously considering adding a balaclava to my ensemble too

@VaccineSticker

Btw just to add- Over 46% of our energy source at the mo is from wind power tonight because of the storm. Regardless of anyone being on agile taarif or not, people should be paying much less tonight for heating their homes. No one should sleep in a cold home tonight on a night like this.

That's a nice sentiment, but it doesn't work for most people in practice does it? We pay the tariff that we're on whatever the weather.

If we did ask for a discount 'because it's windy' our suppliers would probably refer us to the cost of replacing the wind turbine that blew over in Wales yesterday, maintenance of no doubtedly others that have been damaged by the storm and the fact that last year was less windy than normal so they're behind on wind production levels.

I agree with the previous comment about this not being acceptable on a 'corporate' level for the church employers. Vicars and their families have a right to live in decent accommodation that is fit for purpose and reasonably modern, environmentally compliant without spending a large proportion of what is probably not a huge salary on heating the home that they are compelled to live in.

We bought 3 halogen heaters off Amazon for £25 each as we are paying £300 pm on electric- we had to switch our electric radiators off - don’t have gas where we live.we have already saved money by doing this.have a smart meter so we could tell.much more efficient for us

I’d be asking your employer to fit secondary glazing.

Not quite what you asked, but lots of layers on baby. I'm a proper oldie, no central heating and Mum and Dad couldn't afford to heat the whole house. We lived in the kitchen. I think the reason us oldies think baby should be wrapped up warm is because of the lack of heat we grew up with. It is miserable but you really don't need heat in the bedroom.

I remember my Russian teacher years ago telling me that in Soviet times, ppl would get out newspapers and wallpaper glue in October and apply it round all the window frames. Glue everything shut for the duration of winter. That, plus/or clingfilm? There may be dedicated insulating foil, too. And I've found the foam bands you can buy to apply round doors make a difference.

Vicars and their families have a right to live in decent accommodation that is fit for purpose and reasonably modern, environmentally compliant without spending a large proportion of what is probably not a huge salary on heating the home that they are compelled to live in.

I agree. Don’t get me wrong our home is beautiful, but it’s old and draughty. The property team are lovely but there isn’t much they can do bar selling it and buying something modern which is obviously a longer term solution.

The recommendation is 16-20, so we’re right at the bottom
She is also in layers and has a quilt of 3.5. Please be careful if over heating.
I know Orioles live the foodie ( are they the same as a "slanket" that was popular about 12 years ago. Ds had one and absolutely loved it. I found them to awkward. I like to wear long sleeve thermal tops and bottoms. You can buy them cheap from Decathlon if you are on a budget or get merino wool ones if you want to spend more.

@Sexnotgender

Never heard of filming the windows!

We have secondary glazing in 2 rooms, hopefully getting it in the lounge but not right now.

Bubble wrap is even better and still lets light through.

Is the attic insulated and if not can you ask whoever supplies the property with the job if they can do it as there are grants available and it would make such a difference. When I am cold I put on my really heavy robe which is all snuggly but my son hates it and says it makes him feel depressed looking at me in it ha!!!! Good advice on here re curtains and the film for windows. I rented a single glazed house before and it really does make it cold. Those oil filled plug in radiators are great as they switch off when it gets to a certain temperature and are not the expensive to run. Nice snuggly blankets for the sofa also and keep your feet warm in big slippers and layer up clothes.

Thank you all for such amazing advice.

Nest of vipers my arse, wonderful women is what you are.

I think it may be worth invested in well fitted roller blinds in addition to the curtains.

I would be speaking to the estates team to say they need to be funding energy saving measures or perhaps they should rent the vicarage commercially whilst they rent you somewhere cheaper and smaller nearby.

Do you have fitted carpets in all the rooms?

We've got really thick thermal curtains at every window and the same as door curtains at both doors. They stop all drafts and make a huge difference. Youve got to not mind having your curtains closed though. 😁 But the difference is really noticeable.

And I just saw you already have that. Sorry. 😁

Do you have fitted carpets in all the rooms?

Yes fitted carpets throughout.

How old is the house

What sort of windows have you got

Do you have any open fireplaces

How thick is the loft insulation

Bear in mind that the cost of energy from electricity (pence per kWh) is around four times the cost of energy from gas, so electric heaters are very costly to run. The price will be visible on your tariff on the bill or online.

Our house is very cold due to current ongoing house renovations. I've been using heated blanket and hot water bottle. DD has a heated mattress cover which has a timer so goes on at night and turns off after an hour. Heated blankets are great.

We don't have kick boards in kitchen due to works. I have shoved under the cupboards lots of what I class as filter floss. It blocks out drafts. I have also put a curtain rail over the front door and we close the curtain to keep drafts from coming in.

@PigletJohn

How old is the house

What sort of windows have you got

Do you have any open fireplaces

How thick is the loft insulation

Bear in mind that the cost of energy from electricity (pence per kWh) is around four times the cost of energy from gas, so electric heaters are very costly to run. The price will be visible on your tariff on the bill or online.

How was built in the late 1800s, it’s a listed building.

Windows are sash and case.

One fireplace but the chimney is sealed, it’s a gas fire.

No idea about the loft, never been up there!

have a look in the loft, the heat loss from an uninsulated ceiling is truly enormous, and it has a low cost and a fast payback. You may get a grant or other assistance.

The windows are pretty sure to be draughty. You can use the plastic foil (or clingfilm, temprarily)

it sticks best to clean shiny paint. It doesn't sticj to dirt or old rough paint

on new paint, it sticks so firmly that you will never get it off without sanding and repainting.

If you put it on the sashes, it will prevent a lot of heat loss through the glass. But if you stick it to the frame, it will also block draughts from the overlap and slidin joints. You can also seal them with velvet/furry/pile draught strip, which enables sliding. But it will be quite a lot more work and epense.

Hinged casements and doors can have E or P section draught strip.

draught strip in hardware stores

you need a surprising amount.

When our heating wasn't working we put an electric blanket under the baby's mattress.

I would be tempted to move baby back into your room for the next few months. That way you can use heat one room you all sleep in, so your all warm and get ready in the warm.

Bubble wrap definitely helps on window, we have an old utility space under stairs with awful old window. I added thick bubble wrap recently as it was Baltic going to the washing machine and it’s made the space much better until new window arrives

We just insulated our loft. Went from 5mm to 35mm- used loft legs- very effective and good value.

Difference is huge- house keeps its heat so much better, bedrooms are toasty all night.

Babies sleep well in the cold, I'd take the oil rad out of the bedroom and give her a snug suit. Ds's room used to get down to 7 before we did the loft. He slept better then! Remember how everyone used to put prams outside for naps and they still do in Scandinavia.

Also rugs help, especially downstairs if you've no insulation under old floorboards.