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

[theSuburbanDryad]

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.

Daisy - yes, my parents get it too, and are utterly bemused by it! I think you get a higher rate if you're on IS though, or Pension Credit Guaranteed Credit.

Last year I heard Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 (I know, I know) talking about the Winter Fuel Allowance, and how many pensioners were still going cold because they spent their fuel allowance on Xmas present for their grandkids, or "frittered" it on bingo and sherry.

the only reason you save if you have the heating on low all the time is if you have the thermostat set to a low temperature so it only kicks in when its cold

if you are keeping the house copnstantly at a higehr tempearture then it will obviously cost you more as heat is constantly being lost and replaced

my boiler has been broken for the last 2.5 weeks so i havent had any heating (no alternatives) or hot water so i assume i am saving money tho it will cost me to repair it of course

having the heating on overnight is just odd imo i am surprised anyway can stand that

2 days without heating here. While elderly poeple, including rich ones, get the winter fuel allowance (my rich in-laws go ski-ing with theirs) disabled people and family with disabled children get nothing. My dd is quadraplegic and can't shiver. She is very thin. Its possible she may die this winter as this house is cold and damp - my clothes go mouldy in the drawers every bloody winter. The windows don't fit properly. I have mould on the walls.
I can cope with me being cold but her? No, its making me frantic. We heat one room and keep her in it so she is also a prisoner of the one room. What a way to live is that?

nmc - that sucks, big time. Are you in a council property or private renting? Or do you own your house?

own the house. Well, we own the front door and possibly half a window
We were private renting but the landlord made it clear he wasn't going to allow ramps and adaptations for dd's wheelchair so we bought the only house we could afford. Its Victorian, damp and bits keep falling off!

sanity, its why we co-sleep. I monitor dd's temp all night. She can overheat rapidly or get very very cold. I haven't slept a full night for years!
My bedroom is so cold you can see your breath but there's no heating up there.

SUD, as KatieDD said the big issue is damp; the average household gives up around 18 litres/day of water into the atmosphere (cooking, washing selves, drying clothes etcetcetc). Warm air holds more moisture than cold air, so when the house isn't heated, it condenstaes more. You can compensate by ventilating the house (brrrr), and minimising the amount of water, eg by not drying clothes inside and opening a window when boiling water and showering. When the house is heated, the air not only holds more moisture, but drives it out through the walls, and getting rid of it forever.

Hang on in there for another month, and your 3 bed semi will likely have cavity walls you can fill and a loft you can insulate with the full building regs level of insulation (over the joist height, so it does cut down on storage space, but personally I'd rather be warm!). And you can get both of those done on a warmfront grant.

nmc-that's heartbreaking

Someone might already have suggested it, but I've just got a load knocked off our heating bills by switching supplier. The one I'm now with should be about £450 less a year. It's a pain to keep switching but there are good discounts out there.

nmc I think that you make a good point re disabled people - not just children - they should definitely be eligible for the witner fuel allowance. I think able bodied children should just have to tough it out like the rest of us once they get past, say 2. They can and do run around to keep warm, and mine are usually warmer than DH and me.

Coming back to the tumble drier thing, I'm in a 2-bed house with two DC and DH and we couldn't live without our huge clothes airer. It's a horizonal one and folds out like an extending table. It lives in DD's room under the window and by the rad. Looks unsightly but is always up unless she has a friend over to play. It was a necessary use of limited space in our 1-bed flat, too. Could you put one in a bedroom in the new house, (away from your marauding DS) at all?

And nmc, that is scandalous. Your poor DD

I'm amazed we get damp cos its certainly well ventilated here! Whistling draft down the stairs cos the windows don't close properly upstairs!
If the in-laws had any feelings they'd give up their WFA rather than go ski-ing but given they think disabled people are better off dead they are probably hoping she will pass away in the winter.

NMC.

Can you not get some insulation etc through the council?

Apologies fi you've already tried this.

nmc. And that's the last time I complain about being cold

its not a competition. Cold is cold!
Its pretty mild today so am actually considering removing a layer

Well no, but a bit of perspective is helpful

Yes, it's much milder up here too. We may not need the heaters in the girls' bedrooms tonight.

we got solid walls so warm front did nothing but a couple of lightbulbs. They wont do windows or roofs.

Just lit the fire as the temp is dropping. BBC lied.

Sounds terrible. If you give me your address I'll send you something towards your heating, or order a couple of electric blankets for you - whichever you prefer.

Sorry - that was to NMC - don't mean to cause offence in any way with this offer - just trying to help a tiny bit if I can.