To start a 'practical warmth tips' thread for the fuel-squeezed

[TirisfalPumpkin]

Hello. Gas/electic/oil are horrendously expensive, and it looks like it's going to get worse. I make a normal junior management wage and live pretty frugally, but central heating is not something I can afford any more. There are many worse off than me, many in the same boat.

So, given this is the situation we're in, and that it's not likely to change before next winter, wondered if we could share practical tips. I know not all of these are cost-accessible to all (they weren't to me, all at once) but we've got the summer to plan for the winter, and doing something is better than doing nothing.

Things that have worked for me:

• Wool leggings. A lot of places have them reduced as loungewear pandemic chic isn't a thing any more. Was surprised at the difference these made.

• Uniqlo - I am not receiving any commission for shilling their products in this way, but layering a heattech turtleneck, wool jumper and down jacket - warm. And you don't really feel like you're wearing a coat indoors, even though you are. You can often get the down items second hand on eBay and they regularly have sales.

• Insulated mug for my tea, I use the Stanley one, about twenty quid on Amazon.

• Hot water bottle. Make sure you get one with the British Standard mark and don't burn yourself. If you wrap it well it will hold heat for a long time.

• my expensive, particulate-polluting, middle-class affectation (log burner) - 3 loads of oak logs (about £350) would heat the room I use through winter. This used to be way more than my gas bill, but it's not any more!

I'm mostly focused on 'heat the people not the space', but for when it gets really cold, would be especially interested in any house insulation tips. I can't have cavity wall cos of brick ties and I can't afford proper loft treatment (was quoted 5k) - is there anything that can be DIY'd?

We have Dreamland ones. Total game changer. We don't use our central heating at all.

Timers for everything, to ensure your electric is being used most sensibly. Even my phone chargers are on a timer so I don't forget to switch them off.

We go cosy in the evening - just one side lamp on, big lights off, everyone in the one room. No TV or apple TV box turned on unless we're all actively watching something we've chosen together. Books and board games don't use any electricity. Our heating and hot water run on gas, so there's very little we can do about that (apart from the timer and hot water bottles), but reduction in the overall bills increases wiggle room / decreases debt incurred. I am healthy enough to walk to the supermarket and carry my big shop back, which means I don't use the expensive petrol at the moment.

Remember this is unlikely to last forever, things boom and bust in cycles with current events, so if we can manage without certain things for a while we'll be in a better position when the prices come back down.

Dehumidifiers are well worth the money. Heat reflective blinds on windows. We have foil insulation behind radiators that helps reflect heat in to room rather than being absorbed by the walls.

Get a greenhouse. At the moment I'm sat in mine absolutely roasting. The thermometers reading 35c with the door open. If I worked from home this is where I'd be but today I'm just sowing seeds. It's a lot warmer than indoors.

I was joking about going to work in my greenhouse the other day, it might actually not be a bad option!

There are some great ideas in here, thank you - I feel emboldened to have a go at sorting my loft myself, rolls of that fluffy stuff aren't that expensive and I have goggles and gloves. There's no insulation at all up there, you can crawl around in the eaves and see the roof slates. Doesn't leak though, which I guess is something. Seems to be a lot of votes for electric blankets too.

I will also check out the thread in classics for further wisdom - and yeah, good point, poster who said this isn't likely to be a permanent situation, I guess it's getting through the immediate cold spell and being resilient for changes in the future.

A dog in the bed is amazing for warmth, Boxer and spaniel = virtually free heating ( minus decent dog food)

Thermals, hot water bottles, slippers and fluffy socks all together with a dressing gown would keep almost anyone warm.

I use a wearable duvet on an evening (giant duvet with arms lol)

If you're really really cold then covering the windows in tin foil can keep the heat in. Not the most normal things to do though.

Posted this before but it's my grans tip!
If you get cold to the bones, stick your feet in a washing up bowl of warm- hot water and mustard powder while you drink a hot drink
10 mins and you'll be sweating

Put silver foil behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room.
Don't use the tumble dryer, but do put washing near radiators on airers to make full use of the heating when it is on.
Wool jumpers are much warmer than acrylic. You can put a Primark gilet which costs about a tenner over the top of it, and also wear a scarf/wrap if you are still cold. Woolly socks or Uggs are warm too - I notice you can get Uggs in charity shops quite easily these days, now they are not fashionable.

@Neighbours87

Used to work in an auctioneer old mahogany furniture goes for nothing think 1970s wardrobes for £2. People would buy them and kindling for the fire

But they are varnished aren't they? People shouldn't be burning that.

658 I think it was Sylvia Plath who reported visiting a grand but chilly home where the hostess asked guests 'Would you prefer an hot water bottle or a cat?'

When I was young very few UK houses had central heating and it was normal to wake up to ice inside the windows (pretty fern patterns). We wore layers, as people have already suggested - especially thin vests (wool, silk or 'thermal' all excellent). Then a 'liberty bodice' - a paded woollen vest on top, then original Viyella (wool/cotton) or nun's veiling - extremely delicate wool - blouse or shirt. Then a wool cardigan or jumper and, perhaps a woollen jacket. Woollen socks or wool/cotton tights. So many modern "winter" clothes are made of acrylic or viscose, which simply are not warm. Modern fleeces replace wool and are cosy, but many don't breathe in the same way and are therefore more clammy and much less comfortable to wear.

We also had thick curtains and draught excluders. Somehow, we survived. On a different thread, I remember a poster wondering whether the need to keep warm contributed to slimmer figures in the past. Food was used literally as fuel by our bodies, to keep us warm. Biut I don't know whether this is true.

In bed - hot water bottles or electric blankets. Double duvets (in the old days called eiderdowns) topped with candlewick bedspreads. Most unglamorous but the fluffy fibres were excellent insulation. Even bedsocks (!!), if you liked them.

In the far distant past, it was normal to put on a cloak/robe when coming indoors after being active outside. Quite logical, really. And curtains around beds certainly stopped a lot of draughts. People also liked to wear a nightcap in bed. (You lose a lot of heat through the head.)

We didn't have central heating growing up, just open fires. What I remember was the endless refrain of 'shut the door!' which does make a difference. Two hot water bottles in beds an hour before bed, one to warm night clothes and one for feet plus a cardigan over my nightie and blankets under the eiderdown. Lots of layers and hot drinks.
I wish my Mum was still around to ask her how she coped bringing my sister home as a newborn in the freezing January of 1963. It must have been so scary.

If you are thinking of moving, remember terraced houses are warmer/cheaper to heat and houses built after 2000 are a lot more energy efficient. Obviously this won't help many people but it's worth thinking about when you do. We also have triple glazing.... so different to my old house.

Anyway my tip, I have raynauds so I wear 2tog socks even in my warm house and have fingerless gloves for my cold work

Years ago electric blankets were the thing if your house was cold. We used to have them in our caravan for Easter as well. You can get over and under blankets.
I second a thin down gillet indoors as PP’s have said Uniglo do a range that is perfect. I saw a lovely one in Primark last week but is was thicker but was only £8. It looked a lot more expensive!
And a hot water bottle, I love them all year round and take one away with me in case I’m cold!

I remember always closing the curtains in every room as soon as it started to get dark. Always wore a vest in winter, plus cardigans and woollen tights with a shawl/blanket to go round your shoulders or over your knees.
Only using the oven when you had more than one thing to bake, lots of casseroles with baked potatoes.
When we'd finished using the oven leave the oven door open to let the heat keep the kitchen warm. Porridge for breakfast, very quick baths and not every day, for us little ones it was one on Saturday nights, the rest of the time it was a hands, face, neck, bottoms and knees in a bowl in the kitchen as it was warmer than the bathroom.
Even young children were given very weak, warm tea to drink and pudding were always hot with custard. I guess hot food warmed you up.
Funnily enough I don't remember being miserably cold. I do remember 'cycling' my legs when I first got into bed to warm up every corner of the sheets. We had a little heater with an electric bulb in our bedroom, can't remember it giving out much heat but I guess it must have a little bit.
Like a previous poster I remember candlewick bedspreads which sealed the draughts out and making sausage dogs from old wool tights stuffed with scraps to use as draught excluders.

Electric blankets are brilliant, my bedroom is often 10-12 degrees so pretty chilly but the electric blanket makes it nice & cosy.

I've just bought new fleece lined thermal tights for teen DD for £1.50 a pair instead of £5 from Matalan for next winter. Also the thermal t-shirts (long & short sleeve) were reduced to £1.50 for 2 so stocked up on those.

Christmas 2020 I bought us all fake oodies from Amazon about £12 each & they are so nice & warm in the evenings with fleece pyjama trousers & socks.

I grew up in a cold house but it had unpleasant memories and I really struggle with being in a cold home as an adult due to the association. I'm trying to move past that - bought some ski base layers from decathlon which are very cheap, to wear under work clothes, and a gilet to wear on top. I do a lot of presenting from home and have to look reasonably smart so I'm hoping this will help!

For those with Woodburners like me, invest in an Ecofan to sit on top, they make such a difference!

I think this will be a permanent situation re fuel prices.

In my experience they never come down once they have been raised.

@scottishnames

658 I think it was Sylvia Plath who reported visiting a grand but chilly home where the hostess asked guests 'Would you prefer an hot water bottle or a cat?'

When I was young very few UK houses had central heating and it was normal to wake up to ice inside the windows (pretty fern patterns). We wore layers, as people have already suggested - especially thin vests (wool, silk or 'thermal' all excellent). Then a 'liberty bodice' - a paded woollen vest on top, then original Viyella (wool/cotton) or nun's veiling - extremely delicate wool - blouse or shirt. Then a wool cardigan or jumper and, perhaps a woollen jacket. Woollen socks or wool/cotton tights. So many modern "winter" clothes are made of acrylic or viscose, which simply are not warm. Modern fleeces replace wool and are cosy, but many don't breathe in the same way and are therefore more clammy and much less comfortable to wear.

We also had thick curtains and draught excluders. Somehow, we survived. On a different thread, I remember a poster wondering whether the need to keep warm contributed to slimmer figures in the past. Food was used literally as fuel by our bodies, to keep us warm. Biut I don't know whether this is true.

In bed - hot water bottles or electric blankets. Double duvets (in the old days called eiderdowns) topped with candlewick bedspreads. Most unglamorous but the fluffy fibres were excellent insulation. Even bedsocks (!!), if you liked them.

In the far distant past, it was normal to put on a cloak/robe when coming indoors after being active outside. Quite logical, really. And curtains around beds certainly stopped a lot of draughts. People also liked to wear a nightcap in bed. (You lose a lot of heat through the head.)

I often wake up boiling hot in winter because my two cats have decided to get under the bed covers with me for warmth, so I end up sandwiched in between the two of them.
Mind you, one of them has just cost me a fortune in vet bills, so unfortunately not really a cost saving!

I think it's very possible that prices stay the same, but hopefully incomes rise and cost of living in general will fall, so it at least becomes bearable. I mean, if I heated my house 'normally' my bills would be more than my mortgage. Fortunately I'd been weaning myself off that for a while and had it set to 17, so dropping to no heating wasn't as big a shock as it could've been.

I think the psychological barrier and emotional attachment to warmth is the big one to get past, and can understand the association of a cold childhood home with bad memories. People who 'refuse to be cold' perhaps envisage us all as miserable and freezing, but my core temp is probably the same as theirs, my hands and toes are warm, I'm just achieving that result in a different way. The need to be warm is powerful cos it's a survival drive I guess.

We wore layers, as people have already suggested - especially thin vests (wool, silk or 'thermal' all excellent). Then a 'liberty bodice' - a paded woollen vest on top, then original Viyella (wool/cotton) or nun's veiling - extremely delicate wool - blouse or shirt. Then a wool cardigan or jumper and, perhaps a woollen jacket. Woollen socks or wool/cotton tights. So many modern "winter" clothes are made of acrylic or viscose, which simply are not warm.

I am really interested in the history of clothing/textiles, so this was fascinating - thank you. I think a lot of our problem keeping warm now is clothes aren't made like they used to be, as they haven't needed to be. Used to think I was extra sensitive to the cold but in fact, an acrylic knit and a polyester coat don't keep most people warm in UK winter conditions - wool, down and silk do.

I am grateful to be able to knit! Also going to look into eco-fans for the woodstove.

My DS has a mattress topper from Dunelm. It’s cotton on one side - for the summer - and in the winter we flip it to the teddy bear side.
He also has a brushed cotton bottom sheet and says he’s toasty warm, and he’s in the coldest room.

I agree about shutting doors - makes all the difference in our house as the hallway is cold. Not from a leaky front door, but from the poorly insulated converted garage. Shutting the living room and kitchen doors keeps all the heat in the living room. Bedrooms are still cold, but I like a cold bedroom anyway.

One other tip to make use of any heat you do have is to leave the oven open when you're finished with it and let the heat dissipate in the room. Feels quite unnatural to leave the door open, and you have to make sure you don't walk in to it, but it's heat that's already been bought and paid for so you might as well use it!

Fingerless gloves (I love my turtle doves) are really useful, especially if you're working on a computer. Otherwise I have a big wrap that I put around my shoulders as I work then blankets on the sofa.

I grew up in a cold house so am quite comfortable with putting on layers. DP, however, would much prefer to be able to sit in a t-shirt with the heating on full blast. If he keeps at it I may suggest he start paying the gas bill himself!

You lose a lot of heat through the head.

This is a common misconception @scottishnames. The scientists who did that research didn't actually cover the heads of participants so obviously that's where they lost most of their heat. There's absolutely nothing wrong with covering your head to keep warm but it's not actually more necessary than other body parts.