Cheaper ways to keep a home warm this winter

[Griselinia]

Currently on oil, prices of which are already crazy.
Looking for ideas for safe, effective cheaper ways to heat the house this winter.
DH wants oil heaters in every room. I'm concerned about the smell and the DC burning themselves on them.
Infra red panels? Splash out on a Dyson? Get over my fear of electric blankets?

We have a little gas stove with a butane tank, but it does get hot if you have small children.

I've just paid £1000 for 900litres of oil. In January I paid £788 for 1250 litres. It makes me cry!

Electric blankets on beds are a really good way to keep wamr
you can get with timers so no worries about leaving them on
oil filled rads are also efficient at heating rooms if you get a decently sized one - leave on a lowish setting if you can

Don’t heat every room - heat the absolute minimum
heat yourself as much as possible. Electric blankets downstairs and hot water bottles upstairs if you worry about the blankets when asleep

insulate - use door curtains and sausage dogs on the rooms you are heating , extra layers of curtains on the windows, stuff your loft ( leave ventilation )

Following this thread with interest.

I'm in a rented property with single glazed windows in Scotland. Landlord's putting in secondary glazing but not until December, and I'm already freezing in the afternoons!

We paid 650 for 500l around March time. Horrid prices. Not sure I could sleep with a butane gas stove on but hope it works for you

Following. I have oil heating, and in the evenings it is already cold. Me and the dog snuggle down into a blanket together to watch the TV and I have a good duvet on the bed. But I am trying to hold off putting the heating on until the end of next month if possible.

Good point about not heating every room and I'll look into those blankets with timers, thanks :)

Has anyone tried infra red panel heaters?

We're on gas rather than oil but found the following tweeks helped:

Turning the hall 'stat down to 18

Open/close doors to make use of solar gain at front of the house and so unused rooms are not heated.

Heating off from 09:00 to midday and again from 14:00 - 17:00 unless very cold.

Hot water (gas boiler) only on for minimum time morning and evening.

Non dishwasher stuff washed up once a day - kitchen tap takes forever to run warm - gallon plus left cooling in pipes.

A pot of tea for 2 is 600ml. Only boil that much in the kettle.

Have you scope/funds for solar/batteries.

We don't sleep with it on, we use it in DHs study.

We don't sleep with any heat. I can't even bear the click of the heating coming on in the morning, I hate central heating! The heating goes off at 7.30pm so that the bedrooms cool down for bedtime.

My comment was more about warming a room during the day.

Nope no funds for solar unfortunately

Not tried infrared but ive just purchased a self heating blanket from Groupon for £28. Im on gas/electric so not oil but ill need to be more frugal with use this year due to finances. Also in a rented property, which is even more tough because my tenancy agreement states I need to keep it heated to a 'reasonable temperature' to prevent damp/mold. Which i understand, but the landlord isnt the one paying 😕

I do have an oil filled radiator in the loft bedroom where my son sleeps as it never gets warm up there even when the heating is on, so ill have that going on a timer/thermostat when the time comes too. I recommend the oil radiators, they work well

we have some electric blankets but I find the heat coming from them a bit wearing unless it’s very cold.
im more a fan of a really good fluffy blanket and a hot water bottle.
i also have a hot water bottle that goes around your neck which really warms you up fast.

Not on oil.... but...

I have never had an electric blanket that hasn't gone wrong. I am a massive hot water bottle fan

Ah see

Ah see hot water bottles risk scalding... Can you tell I'm a bit risk adverse!?😂