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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Not going to put the heating on this winter. How to keep warm

322 replies

ClementineKelandra · 16/09/2013 00:04

I will have the heating on for one hour a day in the evening so the kids can shower but then after that the heating and hit water will be completely off.

I just need to get some ideas for keeping the house warmer once the weather turns.

OP posts:
CavemanDaveIsVeryBrave · 18/09/2013 22:02

I don't find it too bad valium - most of the condensation is there by the time the bath is finished so leaving it in doesn't tend to add that much tbh.

valiumredhead · 18/09/2013 22:05

We have a meile condenser, it was about 600. Our last one lasted 13 years.

valiumredhead · 18/09/2013 22:09

Big initial outlay but cheap to run and last years.

YoureBeingADick · 18/09/2013 22:21

was your last one a miele val? my last two driers lasted two years each! first one was hotpoint I think and cant remember what happened it. the next one was indesit and the element went- had it replaced at a cost of £65 and it went again within 6 months. replaced it again myself using a new element for that model from ebay supplier and it went after a week so I have given up on the thing. it's sitting taking up space in my utility- the element was a bastard to replace but I don't want to dump the machine incase it is fixable nor do I have the money to get a repairman in to fix it at £65 a pop.

valiumredhead · 18/09/2013 22:24

Yes it was. Or washing machine is a Meile too and is still going after 13 years with no sign of giving up yet. Dh is a bit obsessive about good quality white goods weirdo

valiumredhead · 18/09/2013 22:24

Our

YoureBeingADick · 18/09/2013 22:35

you see I would be a bit like your DH except I was with EXP at the time and he saw no reason at all why we couldn't just buy the two cheapest appliances in the argos catalogue 'because they all do the same job' (as if he would know? he never went near the things!) Hmm you would not believe the fight I had on my hands to get him to agree to what we ended up getting. I was making all my friends and family tell him their recommendations at every opportunity until he caved.

captainmummy · 19/09/2013 08:26

Talking of leaving the water in the bath - make sure you insulate under the bath (you can use that fibreglass stuff) andthe water will stay hotter for longer, not leaching the heat out through the sides

earlgray · 19/09/2013 08:33

In fairness to my washing machine, it was the cheapest in the shop in 2003 and its still going strong! Its had a few little problems but I pay 10 quid a mth for insurance for it. Pays for itself I think as they will replace it when its beyond repair and everything that's failed on it so far has taken about 10 mins tops to fix. Next time I would choose a washer-dryer in one for space saving, we don't have a dryer now but with baby on the way think it might be needed.

valiumredhead · 19/09/2013 08:50

Earlgrey-make sure you have insurance if you get a washer drier as my experience of them is awful!

LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops · 19/09/2013 09:51

Thermal long johns and long sleeve tops under clothing helps.

earlgray · 19/09/2013 10:17

Thanks valium, I think I would anyway but I guess there's more to go wrong in them isn't there. My mum has one and hasn't complained so far but I don't think she uses the dryer much. The washing machine is the only thing i'd ever get insurance for, can't face hand washing anything!

PavlovtheCat · 19/09/2013 10:20

tea-lights and lanterns in the front room while reading, watching tv etc is actually fab. I am not a huge fan of bright lights and find that we only need a few tea-lights to keep the place lit well enough to read. And in the winter it's just so cosy. The kids often ask for me to put them on for their bedtime story and they are enjoying it getting dark early so we can do it more regularly.

Most of the things I would have said has been said, but I will add them anyway, to add some weight for their success!

We close the doors to all the rooms we don't use.
Use a draft excluder (a bit fat roll of stuffing with 'love' written on. you can make your own pretty ones using old material really easily). Our front door leads to a communal hallway which has no heating and we lose a lot of heat this way.
Open curtains in the day, close before it gets dark.
Use tealights to light the front room (not in the bedroom in case you fall asleep, fire hazard).
Don't watch TV very often, read books, play games, kids play with toys, we do art and drawing, DH and I play cards, backgammon.

Damnautocorrect · 19/09/2013 10:28

what did we do before central heating

Some of us still don't have it now. Doesn't get over 14 in my house in winter, it's hard.

PavlovtheCat · 19/09/2013 10:30

before central heating, my mother had a dangerous old parafin heater that proper blasted out the heat, and a rubbish electric heater, we had slippers, dressing gowns and socks, hot water bottles at bed time.

valiumredhead · 19/09/2013 10:39

Earlgray-we had one that we ended up sending back.

They are often in holiday cottages and the main problem is how few clothes they actually dry and they take hours. You do a wash then have to split the load to dry it as it won't dry a full load. Tiresome! I always end up using clothes airers.

earlgray · 19/09/2013 10:55

I've never owned a dryer before, a friend suggested we invest before dc starts to stand/walk as hers used the airer to pull herself up with. Scary! Thanks for the tip.

tobiasfunke · 19/09/2013 13:05

When it's cold and damp here I do at least 3 loads of washing then put some in the tumble drier and the rest on our big pulley. The warm air from our condenser tumble drier means the clothes on the pulley dry really quickly. But then our washer/drier is in the utility room.

Original poster
ClementineKelandra · 19/09/2013 14:12

I've just bought some clear silocone sealer. So I'm on a mission today! :) I'm amazed by how many gaps there are in my house now I've started looking!

Just had the electric company round to fit a pay as you go metre :( because I got in arrears. Does anyone know if you can still swap suppliers when you're on a metre?

OP posts:
YoureBeingADick · 19/09/2013 14:25

clementine you can here in NI so I am sure you can in England (is that where you are?)

off topic question but this thread is saying it has 270 messages, and I have my settings so there are 25 messages per page but *clementine's post of 14.12.27 today is showing as the first message on page 12. that can't be right can it? Confused sometimes I have a complete brain halt and cant do math but surely post 270 should be on page 11?

fluffiphlox · 19/09/2013 17:14

You all sound slightly obsessed to me! Good luck to you all in your efforts.

mummytime · 19/09/2013 17:22

The post thing - it depends on the length of the posts I think.

As for the meter This page might help.

valiumredhead · 19/09/2013 17:25

Fluff-really helpful postHmm

expatinscotland · 19/09/2013 17:27

'Does anyone know if you can still swap suppliers when you're on a metre?'

Yes.

YoureBeingADick · 19/09/2013 17:30

thanks mummytime. I am all disoriented Grin

fluffi = never been skint.