I can’t put the heating on.

[VacancyAtNumber10AGAIN]

Just that really. I can’t afford it. £19 went in 4 days last week. I’m on prepayment. They want £300 to change to credit meters. I can’t afford that.

flat is prone to damp and mould so have to keep windows open to ventilate, washing isn’t drying. Clothes in wardrobe are freezing cold and there’s black mould all round the window frames.

I don’t see why people in the world have to live like this. It’s not the 1800’s. I’m worried for my DD’s health and my own. Does anyone know if there are any schemes etc for help with gas? Also this isn’t a begging thread, I don’t take handouts off people and I won’t even ask my own mother for help with bills.

Counting down the days until summer

I must be tough, we have same issue with the mould around windows but don't let it fester or it will get worse... get cilt bang moulder cleaner it really is the best mould cleaner ever.. i usually treat all the windows and patches on walls once a month in the winter.. drying clothes inside doesn't help with condensation so this year we have got a little Gazebo to try fry clothes outside ..

can you turn off some of the radiators and only heat the rooms you need or are in ??

sorry probably haven't been much help xx

God my spelling is awful sorry 😬

I have lived in a house that was damp like this and it was horrible, so I feel your pain.

Move the dehumidifier from room to room, focusing on the rooms that have the worst condensation/mould. I'd also be tempted to get a small halogen heater to reduce the use of gas heating, and take advantage of the help towards the electricity with the COL payments. As a lone parent I'm surprised you don't qualify for more help, the Warm Home grant payment is automatic now, but if your circumstances have changed relatively recently you may have slipped through the net. It's worth ringing the DWP etc and checking. This is a useful site, www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=579d7de9-3ade-44a1-9f31-3f5eb1133621 and your housing association may also have a money advice service who can help you claim things you may not know about.

I don't know if others posted likewise but I recommended that one 😊 We've been using it in turn in each room to try and remove the damp from each. I guess once you've done that Living Room and Hall are probably the most important.

If you get your meter changed to a smart meter, they’ll change it for free, and it will still be in pay as you go mode (prepayment) Then once you’ve got it installed, you can request a change of mode to credit, which is also free. As long as you pass a credit check, they’ll switch you to credit mode.

Once you’ve done that, if your monthly dd payments aren’t affordable, you can talk to stepchange or CAB to assess you and agree a lower amount based on your finances, and your energy supplier will have to set your payments at the agreed amount. This may mean you build up a balance but you can pay that off later, at least you won’t be cold!

I’m sorry. Im sure you’re already doing this but hot water bottles are where I go. Are you saying your mother is offering? Please don’t refuse on principle alone.

Hi just to say I am sharing your pain! I'm in a HA basement flat in London. The fuel bills are astronomical as this flat gets very cold. I am 68 so am getting a winter fuel payment soon. I'll put the CH on when I get that. But I am very worried about the future fuel costs. I may have to disconnect the lot. Wet washing indoors isn't drying and it's making the place damp. I don't have any advice because I don't know what to do either! I'm astonished that 14% have voted YABU! They are obviously not experiencing poverty, but it's a selfish unenlightened view. Good luck - we can only hope that things get better.

Are you claiming all the benefits you can claim? Contact Citizens Advice Bureau and The Trussle Trust. They may be able to help you get all the benefits and extra help you need.

What is your income op? You might be entitled to more

Some direct payments will go out to some

its my credit score that’s the issue. My ex was financially abusive and has racked up a shit tonne of debt in my name. I’m bankrupt now.

the dehumidifier is coming tomorrow so I’ll do a rotation of rooms when it arrives.
also I do receive the £66. It’s credited to my smart meters. The electric only. I’ve asked for it to be sent in vouchers so I can use them at my discretion so I should get 1 next week

Oh, I didn’t know that. Doesn’t seem to make much sense.

If you are in debt or struggling with a poor credit rating contact Christians Against poverty. They could help you get out of debt and sort out what benefits you can claim.

I'd start the dehumidifier in the worst room, then move it around from room to room. Ours is kept on the landing, it's the most central location and from there I can tuck it into the bathroom after a bath. I think this helps the most as dc's sometimes go to the loo and leave the door open afterwards and any condensation is always worse. I sometimes put it in before bath/shower to warm the bathroom up. We will move it to the dc's room one day a week and then it's often in the living room next to the airer Sat/Sun day time when there's all the uniforms to dry. Bringing it back upstairs to the landing just before or after dinner.

We managed to get the living room temp up by 2c from 15c to 17c this afternoon, just by closing the door and running the dehumidifier.

I can tuck it into the bathroom after a bath.

But SHUT THE LOO LID if you do this.

Otherwise you're spending leccy drying out the toilet...

That's horrible OP. I rented a room once and it had black mould on the walls. When i mentioned it to my landlord and he walked around to look he panicked, apologised and paid for a hotel whilst they sorted it and repainted.

I would do several things:

1. kill the black mould first as spores will be in the air and not good for you.
2. Attack the damp - cat litter (cheapest one), silica packets you get in packages and plants all absorb moisture from the air.
3. close internal doors - this will help contain the damp and heat in each room - like airlocks I guess.

If the flat is prone to damp, then the Housing Association are responsible to fix it, not you, especially if it's causing health problems. You've not mentioned any, but you do you or DD have anything, even small issues since the mould?

Maybe take some photos and send them to the landlord/HA to show them you are not just moaning.

As for heating, oil-filled radiators are cheaper to run than central heating if you are heating just one room. It costs about 17p per hour: a 500W radiator will cost 17p to run each hour under current 34p per kWh rates (500/1000 = 0.5, then 0.5 x 0.34 = 0.17). They also retain the heat longer than normal radiators which go cold quickly and feel cold too.

I would not leave the windows open longer than 10-15 minutes. If you keep the windows dry (with a vac or cloth) then you can keep the windows closed. You need to trap the heat you have as much as you can.

You are so very fortunate to be able to afford to have a warm home all day long-can't advise re heat pumps, sorry

I use these little dehumidifiers all around the house, it’s amazing how much water they collect!

@GerronBuzanDoThaWomwok, if you'd read the thread before leaping in to inform NewNovember that you don't know anything useful but she's lucky, then you would know the reason she needs her house warm is because she's a wheelchair user with a serious degenerative health condition.

But well done on rushing to make yourself look like a twat.

This, or cat litter in tights. Make a small sausage shape like a draft excluder.

I'd put it wherever you dry your clothes, with the door shut to keep the humity in. (The bathroom is probably the best as it is smallest). I can't tell from your diagram where the doors are, but it you could perhaps put it midway between the bedroom and living room doors once the clothes are dry. I've no idea how powerful the humidifier is, it might be too small to work like this, in which case it would be better to move it between rooms as you suggest. Best of luck, it should make a difference.