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

[ClementineKelandra]

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.

[twistyfeet]

same here. We heat the front room in the evening and only because one of the kids is quadriplegic. The rest of the time it is off and it is freezing. So cold that there's ice inside the windows. While DH is at work I sit wrapped in blankets, hat and fingerlessgloves (so I can MN )
Heating costs are just too much now.

[Vivacia]

I do the fingerless gloves (and laptop warming up my lap) too.

[ApplesinmyPocket]

We hardly ever have the heating on and depend on several layers of clothing topped with a heavy pure-wool sweater - mine cost £35 from an online 'fair trade' type outlet and for DH I keep an eye out in charity shops, where you can often get a good thick pure wool sweater for a tenner or less.

We honestly don't feel the cold that much any more, but we do put the heating on for Christmas or any 'occasions' or when our wimpy (adult) DDs (used to warm flats) are home. We go to bed early in winter snuggled up under duvets and read or watch DVDs or browse on a laptop.

Good luck. I wish you didn't HAVE to get used to it.

[babacoon]

Intending to do this, this winter so watching with interest.

[Damnautocorrect]

Electric blankets, 2 duvets. Good curtains, big jumpers and jarmies.

[colleysmill]

What are your windows like? One thing we found when we first moved in here was a number of wndows were really ill fitting and had big gaps round the seals even when shut.

Dh adjusted the ones he could and those that were still showing big gaps we ended up gaffer taping up and this stopped the wind whistling through in winter. We did this for years.

[usualsuspect]

YY, go to bed early and watch TV in bed.

[Fairylea]

I will be doing this as well. Our electricity and gas combined is £120 a month and we just can't afford it anymore and there is nothing else to cut back on... I already buy value everything and shop at aldi !

[colleysmill]

Oh but don't gaffer tape up all your windows - we left one or two strategic ones for escape routes out in case of fire

[piratecat]

the Primark fleece blankets are really good op, some of them are £3.

Also, their fake Ugg type boots for about £6-7, get the ones intended for outdoors, they have better soles, and are much better than any actual warm slipper,(that cost a bomb). I've converted a few people to wearing those.

[SaskiaRembrandtVampireHunter]

I wear some of the cheap Ugg type boots as slippers too - much, much warmer than proper slippers.

It is awful that people are forced to go through the winter with no heating. It really is about time something was done about the high cost of energy.

[dufflefluffle]

we have a new-ish house with extra insulation, and did everything we could do to try to make sure we aren't crippled with heating bills - we still are! So far we have not turned on the heating but already need extra layers. We have a stove and light that which is our best form of defence against freezing but same as everyone else says: keep to only a few rooms, shared beds, try not to get cold in the first place (my family are great at wandering around in bare feet/t-shirts in winter and then wondering why they're so cold!), hot drinks are a must and remember that there are a lot of us shivering these days so you're in good company!

[browneyesblue]

Apologies if someone has already asked, but have you checked your eligibility for help with heating costs. For example, your energy supplier may be able to give you a discount through the Warm Home Discount scheme

You can see if you are eligible for other help here

[snozzlemaid]

Think I've read before that you should open your curtains when the sun is shining and then close them as soon as the sun moves away from the window. The sun will warm the room and then closing the curtains will help to keep the heat in.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Be careful blocking airbricks etc if you have any gas or wood/coal/oil burning appliances, you needs some ventilation. A carbon monoxide monitor would be a very good idea if you haven't already got one.

[piratecat]

yes check with your energy supplier for discounts, i keep forgetting to do this.

not easy to find on their websites, but if you google something like 'low income and npower discount' or something it could lead you to the right place

[Rainbowshine]

Wear tights under your clothes, as it keeps the warm air close to your skin. You can make cheap draft excluders using old tights and carrier bags. Tights can make the "sausage case" and also the stuffing, and scrunched up carrier bags can be used for stuffing. Curtains make a huge difference too, especially over external doors. I also remember as a student having a huge supply of cuppa soups (cheap ones) which were good to hold and warming. Good luck, it appalls me how much the energy bills are these days. We're trying to hold out for as long as possible before putting the heating on, our gas bill is ridiculous. HTH.

[Bunbaker]

If you can only heat one room an electric convector heater is cheap to run and is very efficient at heating. It is thermostatically controlled.

I remember the misery of being cold in an unheated house because we couldn't afford to keep warm, and the convector heater was brilliant. You have my sympathies.

[aliciaflorrick]

I can't afford to run the heating. I have the water heater on during the night when the electric is cheap. Over the last couple of years I've managed to get electric blankets on all the beds and they are the type that you can keep on all night. As a child I remember being miserably cold in bed so I like us to get a good night's sleep. I really feel the cold so I wear jumper, body warmer and fleece. Last Christmas I bought us all the slippers with the bags you put in the microwave to heat up, so we all had hot feet. Made a massive difference. Bought an electric overblanket from Lidl and we all snuggle under that in the living room very warm under that.

Also cheap fleece blankets on the sofa to snuggle up in. I've already started pulling one of these over me on an evening, even though it's still warm enough to have windows open during the day.

Leave the oven door open after cooking.

I find though that with the cold I find it very hard to move, so very little housework gets done, although ironing does warm me up.

The only day last year I ran the central heating was on Christmas Day, I can't stand the thought of us being cold at Christmas.

[domesticslattern]

I found that older family members had lots of blankets they no longer needed after upgrading to duvets and for some reason they had hung onto them. Worth asking aunts, parents, freecycle etc if they have spares

[OnTheBottomWithAWomansWeekly]

Onesies for bed mean no gaps between top & bottoms of pj's €12 in Primark ATM. Interline your curtains with fleece blankets - IKEA or Primark. Thick curtain over front door.

[KoalaFace]

Getting those insulated travel mugs that keep your drinks warm are great for making a hot (decaf) drink to take to bed with you.

Insulated long underwear are good for under your PJs of you're cold at night.

Apart from that everything we do has already been menrioned!

[Doodlequackquack]

God this thread is so depressing. It's so sad that this country is in the position of having families unable to heat their homes well enough for a basic standard of living (IMO). We have a small house, are certainly not rich, are not extravagant with heating, wear appropriate clothing, and careful with electric etc- but there are things that could give before my we were shivering in our home. That there are good people with nothing left to give, shivering away with their children - well, I would be hang my head in shame if I were in government.

Practically, I've been told that leaving the hot water on constantly is better than firing it up from cold every day. Does anyone know if this is actually true? We're currently experimenting in our house leaving it on constantly, and it only seems to fire up very briefly a few times a day and we always have hot water. We haven't lived here long enough to do a real comparison with the bills, but it hasn't made a noticable difference in the last six months. Maybe it depends on the house. Will be intersting to see what happens over the winter.

OP.