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Housekeeping

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Original poster

So was i being too unrealistic to think I could keep the heating off, and have you caved in?

206 replies

piratecat · 27/10/2008 16:54

It is still off in my home, but gosh it's cold today.

Upstairs is ok (boiler up here) with the hot water pipes giving off a bit of warmth. Yet downstairs is miserable.

It was ok to say, 'ooh i am going to wear fleeces etc...' when it was 12 degress, but 5 is slightly different non?

I CAN@T AFFORD IT and i feel like poo, for not being able to put it on yet.

OP posts:
nannyL · 29/10/2008 19:43

yes i DO have a thermostat

also have a couple of real thermometers

my house is now nice and warm again and im pleased to find out that after the summer (since May ) my heating is still working nicely

lou031205 · 29/10/2008 19:44

NMC, they try and give a loan, but for families with low disposable income, they resort to a grant. And I also thought that the Disabled Facilities Shortfall grant might help cover some of your £13000 - not amazing, I admit, but anything that reduces it is a little help.

bellavita · 29/10/2008 20:13

NMC - have you got a water bottle? They are a godsend.

MuAHAHAHAHAHmi · 29/10/2008 20:30

No heating on yet but am in a jumper and under covers. Trying to hold out until after I go away for the weekend - as it was beach weather down here only a couple of weeks ago! - by which time it will be November and quite "reasonable" to

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 29/10/2008 20:33

nmc - we got out cavity wall through an NPower scheme as WarmFront wouldn't do it. We don't have our fuel from NPower. A local insulation installer sorted it out for us; worth ringing round - try one of the installers listed onhere

nappyaddict · 29/10/2008 20:36

nannyl - does the temperature on the thermometer match that of the thermostat? it seems a lot don't. think i might get a few thermometers too. I think you said earlier your living room was 16. was that the according to the thermostat or the thermometer or both?

babyjjbaby · 29/10/2008 20:51

i am tryign not to put heating on but my ma and did keep putting it on and we can't really afford it the only bit of me which is cold is my hands i don't seem to be cold once i am in bed i am thinking bout getting a electric blanket and just hetaing the bed up b4 i get in put lo to bed in a vest socks babygro cardy 2.5 tog sleeping bag and 2 fleece blankets and it is only 12c in there does he need more might go and make a nic ehot water bottle just for summit to snuggle upto

nannyL · 29/10/2008 20:51

i have found that there can be quite a difference between thermometer and thermostat

also i have one of those free colour changing thermometers from scotich power and i find that is not very accurate either....
(look to me the same as those you get with a grobag)

my thermometer is set at 16c, which actually warms my house up to 18C
If i set it to 18C it warms up to 20 / 21C ish

Also when the real thermometers say 18C my colour changing one will have the colour visible on the 18 (warm enough) and 15 (turn up heat)

this morning when i left the house according to the real thermometer my lounge was 15C, but the colour changing one said 15 (turn up heat) as well as 12C (danger of hypothermia, turn up heat NOW)
Its worth noting that at the moment my real thermometer is in lounge and colour change one is by the porch door, but im sure the temp is about the same, certainky not several degrees difference.

But yes i DO find the actual temperature is normally higher than the thermostat and scottish powers freebie colour changing one suggest

nannyL · 29/10/2008 20:54

didnt answer the rest of your question

the real thermometer said my living room was 16C so that was the actual temperature...

the heating (set at 16) has bought it up to a much more comfortable 'between 18C adn 19C'

(and my colour one has 18 as the main colour but 15 still visible a bit)

nappyaddict · 29/10/2008 20:56

that seems plenty to me.

DS room is about 14 degrees and he has vest, pjs, socks, 2.5 tog sleeping bag and a blanket.

nappyaddict · 29/10/2008 21:07

babyjj just found this for you

12 Sheet plus four or more cellular blanket layers
14 Sheet plus four cellular blanket layers
16 Sheet plus three cellular blanket layers
18 Sheet plus two blanket layers
20 Sheet plus one or two blanket layers
22 Sheet plus one blanket layer
24 Sheet only

A 2.5 tog sleeping bag is equivalent to a sheet plus 2 blanket layers. A blanket folded in half is also equivalent to 2 blanket layers.

So if it is 12 degrees he needs his vest and babygro, a 2.5 tog sleeping bag and 2 blankets or 1 blanket folded in half.

babyjjbaby · 29/10/2008 21:11

thanks nappy addict that is greta gonna store it on my laptop now it has actulay gone upto 14c now but always put another blanket on incase it goes cold at night

KaplumbagaBloodyBones · 29/10/2008 21:16

Upstairs it is between 10 and 13 degrees. Feels really cold.

babyjjbaby · 29/10/2008 21:17

me dad ain't very impressed he wante dthe heating on and i have made him a hot water bottle and given him blanket

needmorecoffee · 30/10/2008 08:33

where we live the shortfall on the DFG is made up with a loan against your house. When you move, you have to pay it back out of whetver you get for your house. So it means our house will be worth 15K less than we get for it cos we will hafta pay it all back.

Put the thermomter in the bedroom last night and it was 5 C. Mind you, the 15 tog duvet did make a difference

Bride1 · 30/10/2008 08:41

Cautionary note: our Chinese hamster was actually dead. We tried gently warming him up over a period of some hours but he was gone.

He was getting on a bit (1 3/4 though I would have hoped he'd make 2) and had been very quiet for the last week and not eating much, so perhaps he was going to die, anyway, and it wasn't to do with the cold snap.

But if you have pets just bear in mind that they might need to be in the warm room with you.

Our other hamster (a fluffy Syrian) is absolutely fine. We have put him nearer the radiators. Our central heating is now on for the winter: just for a few hours in am and pm. I work from home and have to be able to feel my fingertips on the laptop.

bellavita · 30/10/2008 08:41

I am for you nmc, I hate being cold.

I asked earlier on in the thread if you have a water bottle? I used one last night in bed and I find it a godsend, although I did wake up in the early hours with a hot flush!

When I got up earlier, it was frosty outside, but it must have warmed up because the cars are no longer white over - so hopefully for you, it will be warmer in the house.

needmorecoffee · 30/10/2008 08:51

yeah, we have hot water bottles. with fluffy covers

tatt · 30/10/2008 09:08

It is worth contacting several firms about insulation - energy suppliers, IME, respond faster than places like warm front. We got cavity wall insulation done before one lot had even given us a survey date. We then cancelled the other requests for a survey.

Rented housing is a problem but just about anywhere can be insulated. You can line stone walls with polysterene foam. It damages easily but is quite effective. There are better, but more expensive, ways to do it.

There are lots of different types of draft proofing and some cover bigger gaps than other. If double glazing is not working properly it may be repairable by tightening screws on the hinges or replacing catches. If not still under guarantee (or if the company never come and do it) there may be double glazing repair people in yellow pages. We have had double glazed windows that didn't close made useable again in minutes with a few twiddles with a screwdriver. You can also fit "secondary" glazing (will really just be primary) if there is no other way to deal with the gaps. If you can post a picture somewhere I could consult someone and see if they can suggest a way to cover the gaps.

Unfortunately to insulate our roof properly would mean removing the roof. We are wearing more jumpers but heating is one thing I won't give up. Luckily we benefit a lot from any sunshine heating the house.

tatt · 30/10/2008 09:09

another thought - social workers can help those dealing with disability access what help is available.

Ripeberry · 30/10/2008 09:45

My friend's parents in the 1980's had single glazing and no central heating and they used to only wear t-shirts in the house.
This is because they would all stay in one room during the day and evening and have the gas fire on constantly so it would be roasting in there.
Then they would rush upstairs with hot water bottles for bed.
In 1981 when the temp was almost -20c outside they all slept in the living room as the upstairs loo was frozen and the bedrooms were just too cold.
Now they have central heating (fitted by the council for free) and they love the freedom of being in any room they like.
Maybe everyone has got soft since the invention of central heating.

bellavita · 30/10/2008 10:07

Ripeberry, I remember in the 70/80's too my mum wearing her coat, scarf and gloves to make the beds as it was very cold upstairs as we did not have central heating until the very late 80's.

In mine and DH's very first house we had central heating and I remember mum asking if she could come round (only a street away) for a bath as our house was like the Bahamas compared to the North Pole in hers.

babyjjbaby · 30/10/2008 10:15

i am losing the battle to keep the heating off my ma turned it on agin this morning

MrsGokWan · 30/10/2008 10:40

When we got up this morning the house definatly had a chill about it.

Gonna try and last until November the first but was talking to DH and we may give in before then and put the radiator on on the landing this afternoon to warm the upstairs a bit before the DC's go to bed.

nappyaddict · 30/10/2008 14:18

halogen heater £8.99