Heating

[Jenkib]

Like many others, I am trying to limit G&E costs where possible.
My house is terraced, old , poorly insulated and with big rooms (high ceilings. etc)
I am on a dual fuel tarrif with EDF and DD is 160 a month. I can not get a smart meter (due to the location of electricity meter and it being boxed in etc) but I do submit readings monthyl
I have the thermostat set to eco mode (it is a nest one) but I really don't know if this is the most economical way to heat the house.
I have limited my son to 5 min showers
I switch off TV so not on standby. I try to wrap up as much as possible in the house but it is becoming unpleasant (esp WFH on 2 days )
I have a heated dryer (no tumble drier) and I also have a heated throw .
Would a small heater be advantageous? Are they alll economical ?
Any tips would be great
TIA

I would worry with an old house you are creating more problems for yourself by not heating it properly. £160 isn't much at all for a period property. Can you genuinely not afford more?

At a squeeze I could. I am a sole earner . Mortgage rate goes up next month (council tax inevitably will too - I do get 25% discount)

There are far worse off I know, perhaps I just need to bite the bullet and have it on more!

Your money goes 4 (yes 4) times further with gas than electricity, so it’s best to avoid electric heaters if possible. Do you have a condensing boiler? If so, the lower you turn the radiator temperature (on the boiler) the more efficient it is.

It is a combi boiler (just googled and this is a condensor )

Yes, I have turned it down to 60

You might get away with turning it down further. The lower, the better, in terms of energy efficiency.

i have a hot water tank - it (google )says it should not go below 60 if you have one !

That only applies if the boiler doesn’t have separate controls for the radiator and hot water tank temperatures. Even then, to kill legionella you only need to heat the hot water tank to 60°C from time to time. However, people often keep it at 60°C all the time, so they don’t forget, and accept the higher running costs.

Thanks - that’s really helpful

Electric is too expensive for heating - our bill just exploded up 30% on kWh usage (bill highest all year!) not sure what actually changed in house usage .. we have been careful.
nest is great, just work on optimal position in house to place thermostat and controls- we have 17 degrees as optimal area heat in main living spaces.
avoid column heaters, underfloor heating in bathrooms (add a fluffy rug) . Reduce drafts from outside.