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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be a bit pissed off that having our heating on is a luxury we just can't afford...?

136 replies

theSuburbanDryad · 03/11/2008 17:39

I know we're not the only family in this position, far from it, and I should be grateful that I can at least afford to feed us adequately and keep ds in nursery so I can work, but still.

ARGH - just want to rant really. I'm cold and pissed off! I don't see where else we can economise - we have a condenser boiler but the insulation in this house is a bit shite. Nothing we can do about that as it's rented - but our new house is poorly insulated as well, and bigger so will be even colder. Ah well, i suppose it's character building, or something.

OP posts:
MorningTownRide · 03/11/2008 21:01

I'm shivering!

LittleWhizzingBella · 03/11/2008 21:01

So KatieDD (you seem to know your stuff) is it cheaper to leave the boiler on low and then turn on one mobile heater hten?

And also, re leaving boiler on, do you believe the propaganda that you should leave it on overnight low as that's cheaper than it chuntering up every morning.

Have tried to do experiment re this but too many other variables like baths, washing machine, cooker etc.

ladytophamhatt · 03/11/2008 21:07

UD, get a timer so your tumblle dyrer comes on after 00:30, and teh washing machine, and dish washer if you have one.
DH looked into it and between 00:30 amd 07:30 is about 1/3 the price of daytime leccie units.
Check teh actual tikmes with your supplier.

LittleWhizzingBella · 03/11/2008 21:17

D;you knwo LTH I tried to get that info from my fuel co and couldn't get a straight answer out of them

ladytophamhatt · 03/11/2008 21:19

I think it does vary from supplier to supplier but I would imainge they are all rouughly the same.

I know one, E.on i think, puts the tarriff back up from 2-4am or somsething.

Original poster
theSuburbanDryad · 03/11/2008 21:21

LTH - our house is too small. The noise of the washing machine/tumble dryer would keep us all awake.

OP posts:
LittleWhizzingBella · 03/11/2008 21:22

ooh, sneaky farkers

Starbear · 03/11/2008 21:23

I use my old single quilt to keep warm and watch telly snuggley and warm. I used to have big bunny slippers they worked as well but not sexy.

Ripeberry · 03/11/2008 21:34

All i can say is God help us if there is a COLD winter ahead. How on earth did everyone manage in the 1970's and 80's? Lots of jumpers and hot water bottles said my grandparents! In the UK its not the cold that gets to you, its the DAMP that's the real nasty thing.

Friendlypizzaeater · 03/11/2008 21:42

Read recently that to keep central heating on all night is between 50-70p all night electric blanket is 2p

notsofarnow · 03/11/2008 21:45

I think we are going to have a huge spurge of elerly people dying this winter as they are frightened to death to put thier heating on. There is one thing I refuse to be and tht is cold but I have started turning the dial down if dc are in bed and I here on my own. Would rather sit with throws and dressing gown than heat whole house unnessarily.

Original poster
theSuburbanDryad · 03/11/2008 21:46

You can't use an electric blanket with dc though can you? We co-sleep with ds, it keeps us all warmer!!

OP posts:
Original poster
theSuburbanDryad · 03/11/2008 21:47

Hmph - I dunno what the elderly people are so worried about. They get a fuel allowance towards their heating bill!

OP posts:
ilovemydogOBAMAFORPRESIDENT · 03/11/2008 21:51

dryad, no, I wouldn't sleep with an electric blanket on all night with DS in bed, but it would be lovely to jump into a nice warm bed. And when DS gets his freak on about 2:00 am, it would be cosy....

LittleWhizzingBella · 03/11/2008 21:52

oh god I couldn't sleep with an electric blanket, would wake up in hot sweats

menopause looks like a cheap option atm

Original poster
theSuburbanDryad · 03/11/2008 21:53

That would be lovely. Maybe when we move ds into his own room we'll think about getting one.

At the moment ds works quite well as a hot water bottle/electric blanket substitute, he is lovely and warm to snuggle up to when I go up t o bed!

OP posts:
Original poster
theSuburbanDryad · 03/11/2008 21:54

LittleBella - pregnancy also works wonders, but is quite expensive in the long run, I'm told!

OP posts:
FourArms · 03/11/2008 21:56

I don't understand how they can change the price of electricity at different times Confused. How can they tell when you used it? We just have a meter in the hallway which they read once a quarter or so, and we pay by monthly DD.

My mum and dad have two halogen heaters which apparently don't use tonnes of electricity, and heat the room up quite effectively. They're about £35 in Argos.

One year in desperation of the cold in DS1's room (it was the last radiator in the circuit, and just never heated up effectively), I taped tin foil all across his window. It meant that he didn't have any natural light in the room, but it made a massive difference to the temperature of the room. I also put a sheet of cardboard covered in tinfoil between his radiator and the wall so that the heat didn't go into his wall, but was reflected back into the room.

Twinklemegan · 03/11/2008 21:56

Ditto to the OP. It's crap isn't it. We thought we were being so good with economising on electric (we have no gas or solid fuel). We have turned off all the storage heaters, we've acquired a portable calor gas heater which we're using instead of the electric ones, we never leave anything on, etc. etc.

Well I worked out our usage last night and we are still only just covered by our direct debit of £120 a month. That is supposed to be partially repaying the massive bill we ran up last winter with one storage heater on.

If it wasn't for sodding Scottish HydroElectric putting up our prices by over 30% we'd be doing alright. I hate the b*stards. They send us a letter boasting that electricity prices have only gone up on average by 19% and then they apply nearly double the increase to households with no other choice of heating. Nice one - cheers for that.

So basically, I sympathise. Being cold is horrible.

BTW Lulu - did you not get that sorted then? That increase is totally outrageous!

MissAnthrope · 03/11/2008 22:06

I know what you mean. Our only source of heating is via storage heaters, and after last years huge debt we haven't even bothered switching them on yet this year.

Have tried economising in other areas, but with it also getting darker so much earlier (and therefore having to have the lights on) I still can't afford heating.

Might give the tin foil a go FA

KatieDD · 03/11/2008 22:08

Definately keep the boiler on the lowest setting and do your best when perhaps you're bathing the children top it up for half an hour with the emersion or turn it up but make sure everyone has a bath/shower. Then leave it on a low setting until March.

Twinklemegan · 03/11/2008 22:12

We've just put clear plastic sheeting up over all our windows, using drawing pins to fix it to the frames so there's an air gap. We think it's made a difference, but then the weather has (allegedly) turned a bit milder up here so it could be an illusion. But the plastic isn't icy cold unlike the glass so it's got to help.

Ditto to the draught excluders. I made one yesterday, and we're using it to push the thick curtain we have right back against the front door. I'm sure that's making a real difference to the downstairs.

StewieGriffinsMom · 03/11/2008 22:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

RainbowChaser · 03/11/2008 22:14

There shouldnt be any elderly people dying from the cold or scared to put the heating on. Some are getting £400 winter fuel allowance!

Twinklemegan · 03/11/2008 22:16

It actually pees me off that having young children in the house is no grounds for getting any assistance at all with heating costs.

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