Double Glazing Film? And other heating and condensation-busting tips...

[delasi]

We live in a small flat and all windows are single glazed with wooden frames. We have no curtains, just blinds, and there is also no gas and no central heating, we use electric convectors in winter. However there is loft insulation and we haven't had to put the heating on since about March/April - it's only now that we're starting to think about putting it on in the mornings, when it's coldest, as the heat continues to build during the day and keep the flat quite warm, even though we open windows daily.

I know that the windows get condensation in winter and was wondering if something like this would help with both warmth and less condensation? Fwiw we have a vented dryer, which I use for DS' clothes and linen. The rest is air dried indoors (no outside space) to avoid being ruined in the dryer (has happened before ). We do about 2-3 washes a week.

What else can we do to help keep warm and also avoid condensation? I am conscious of a mix of needing to keep the house warm - slightly paranoid about baby getting cold and DH gets ill easily especially when the house is cold - and trying not to spend a small fortune on heating or end up with mouldy windows again. We can't afford a dehumidifier at the moment.

I've been reading through a number of threads on here but I seem to find two groups of ideas: how to keep warm for less money and how to avoid condensation. I can't seem to reconcile the two!

Tough in a small flat, but I think you can work around it. First of all, you MUST ventilate wherever you're drying the laundry, especially with the baby, and if your husband's prone to illness. You're not going to want every window in the flat open, so contain it in one room, open the window and close the door. In wet weather we use a heated airer in our study, with two windows open a crack... No problem with condensation. Maybe you could use your bedroom during the day, if you're short of space. But definitely don't spread the wet washing throughout your home.

I'd definitely recommend adding some good, thick curtains. They're one of the better options if double glazing isn't a possibility. If you don't like the look of them,you can always take them down for all but the coldest months. We used to have the window film, and it definitely helps, but you really can't have it throughout, because it means you can't open the windows for ventilation. If you own the flat, see if your mortgage lender does special deals on "greening" loans... We got an amazing rate on a mortgage extension to do our windows. Or if you're in social housing, ask whether the council are rolling out energy efficiency measures. Round here they're making sure every council house has central heating and double glazing.

Remember you don't have to heat the whole house to a constant temperature. Only heat the rooms you're using at any given time. Bedrooms are best about 16-18 degC, living rooms a bit warmer, like 20 degC. Close the internal doors to limit heat loss to unused rooms, and use draft excluders at the bottom.

the window film is good for cutting heat loss.

If you have water vapour in the house, and it can'y condense on teh windows, it will condense somewhere else, probably on the walls which will go mouldy.

Have you got an extractor fan in your bathroom and/or kitchen? You can use it to suck out the water that comes off your washing, if you leave the door and window of the room shut

A typical extractor runs for 50 hours on 14p of electricity, so the cost is insignificant.

Thank you for the tips.

We rent privately. A new extractor fan is being fitted in the bathroom, the kitchen doesn't have a fan but it has a sizeable window which is usually open when we cook.

Our dryer is in a small second room, the window has to be open when it's on for the venty bit to stick out so I usually hang the non-tumble clothes in the same room and close the door. I leave the window open until they dry, its all light things like shirts so they dry quickly. Should that be alright? Or should I move them to drying in the bathroom?

And would curtains be better than film for the windows? Don't want mouldy walls I have a small budget but I've spoken to the LL and he might be up for fitting curtain rails and buying curtains.

Oops - lots of questions!

the film is like double glazing, and will make a fantastic difference to heat loss. If you fit it to casements not frames, you can still open them (but it might get torn). It sticks best to very clean, preferably new, gloss paint. The paint may be marked when you take it off.

You can have curtains as well as film, but I would say the film makes the bigger difference. Linings on curtains improve their performance. You can get loose linings in standard sizes that can be washed separately.

Using the extractor fans will reduce mould risk. It is better than an open window because it never blows into the house, and the suction plus closed door prevents moisture diffusing around your home.
If the fan is new and not worn out, it should be quiet. Some people struggle on with noisy old fans or refuse to turn them on, but a new fan can be very cheap.

I've not seen this film before - it looks like a great idea. Does anyone know if it will work on aluminium frame windows?

A Karcher window vacuum will get rid of condensation buildup on single pane windows. I love mine (even though the concept sounds daft!)

I second the window vac, I do mine every day. You'd be amazed how much water comes off. Then open the windows for 10/15 mins. Curtains are better for drafts in my opinion.
I also use the window vac in the shower, so all the cubical and tiles to get rid of the condensation.