Best use for £3k

[Sprogonthetyne]

I've been paying into a help to safe account for the last 4 years which is due to end next month, so I have £3k coming. With the cost of living going up, this is great timing for us, but want to make sure we use it wisely.

Should we

• keep it to subside living/ heating this winter (but when it's gone, it's gone)

• use it to make home more efficient, possible new front/back doors to cut out drafts, or replace some of our radiators (upstairs are newish, but 2 radiators downstairs are 20+ years)

• put it towards sola panels (or othe green tec), but would need to take out finance or find grants for the remainder

• any other suggestions welcome 😊

If you already have an emergency fund, I'd maybe replace old doors and radiators to more efficient and effective ones.

Yes, already have separate emergency fund, though there's not much leeway for dipping into it outside actually emergencies.

I wouldn't do solar panels. Since the gov scrapped the grant you'd have to live there for decades to see the return.

Do some bits round the house but I would avoid Solar Panels!

Definitely make your house more efficient. That will last for years.

Given you already have an emergency fund, I'd look into the radiators and/or doors. They sound like things that will either need dealing with from the emergency fund, or will save mo ey in the long run.

@Sunflower1471 out of interest why would you avoid solar panels?

You don't really see much returns anymore! They seem to be a lot more hassle than they are worth

Can you easily cover increases in costs of living from your income? If not I'd keep the money for that.

Doors: do they actually need replacing? Can you improve the draught proofing on the existing doors? Someone recently posted that they had the gasket seals on their old double glazing replaced and that had improved it.

Why would new radiators be better? We have the original radiators from when the central heating was installed in the 70s/80s and there's nothing wrong with them. They've had new thermostatic valves over the years and the system itself was cleaned this year when we had a new boiler installed (it was so badly furred up it couldn't heat all the radiators last winter). It was a magnetic clean - our gas engineer said it's gentler on the system than a power flush. When was your CH system last cleaned?

Overall we won't be screwed, but things will be tighter, so was looking to reduce heating use. Last year we used it 3h a day (1 morning/ 2 evening). We could either use the money to continue to do that, or half the time the heating is on but spend the money getting the house to hold heat better.

The radiators probably are the originals and have less surface area than newer ones (single panels instead of two with zigzag metal in between). The ones upstairs were all replaced when we decorated a few years ago and seem to give out more heat. We'd also replaced the 8mm copper pipes that run between the radiators with 20mm insulted plastic pipes.

The doors (and probably windows, but doubt budget will strech that far) will need replacing at some point in the next few years anyway, as the seal round the edge isn't good and they are quite drafty. Could probably do something cheaper to improve and keep them going a bit longer thought.

Draft strip your doors and windows - cheap DIY job. Buy thick curtains or blinds, layer them up ideally. Block up chimneys with an old cushion. You'll have money left over!

I would probably use 50% to do some jobs around the home, and then save the other half for Winter bills, Christmas etc. Best of both.

Go for solar panels. We’re now spending around £4 a week on electricity (plus £10 ish a month standing charge!) If you’re going to be there 10 plus years it’s a no-brainer to me.

It’s a 4 bed house with electric in the garage. 3 adults live here.

Some warm clothing/duvet and the rest in Premium Bonds

Thermal curtains

Some great ideas regarding insulation! Do you have any loans or mortgage to pay off?

What age is your boiler? We replaced our old very inefficient 30 year old one last winter when it broke down. The gas fitter said it was only being about 20% efficient. The difference last year was incredible and our Bill's dropped by about 70%. !!!!!!!!

Boiler is 6 years old, and was aparently fine at it's last service. No debt apart from mortgage, which is on a fixed rate until 2025, so not an immediate concern. Warm cloths, (fake) oodies and slippers for everyone is probably a good first step, as are thermal curtains, thanks pp's for those suggestions.

Can I run another idea past everyone. Would it be worth spending some on a bigger freezer? It wouldn't save energy, but we would be able to swap more of the fresh food we buy to bulk buy frozen, which would help keep the food bill down. We have a space where we could fit a chest freezer.

With the increases we will see in bills, solar panels will pay for themselves within a much shorter time frame than previously. We installed ours in May and (I know its been the summer months) but we're now £600 odd in credit with the energy company and due a rebate of the energy we have "put in" to the system (though OVO are taking their time about paying it). I program my dishwasher and washing machine to come on during the height of daylight hours if I'm out of the house, and I try and charge all my devices during daylight hours. I use the oven during the day if I can, and just quickly heat up the meal when I want to eat in the evenings. On sunny days I can produce up to 29kwh with our south facing roof. Worth looking into I think. From an environmental perspective as well as anything else.