Cheap ways to keep warm when WFH

[gukvguk]

Just had a smart meter installed and the heater I have by my desk during the day is 35p per hour which I'm shocked at. Was using it so as not to turn on full house heating. I'm a warm person usually but it's colder than am used to in my (newish to me) Victorian House.

I'm already in a jumper but can't type in my Oodie as too bulky!

What do other people do that is cheap? I don't mind something with a cost to run but not 35p per hour - and prices will go up when out of contract in Feb too.

Thanks

You need to control your heat loss.
That occurs in a few ways
Evaporation
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Respiration

Radiation can be controlled with a sleeping bag with reflective properties. (The Snugpak Jungle Blanket is perfect for this. It can keep you warm at around 5c) Open sleeping bag out and it's like a throw that both insulates and reflects heat. (Stick a hot water bottle on your lap and that's a heat source beneath the reflective material that warms up your core.

Big tip: make sure to go to the toilet for a wee when you need too. It takes a lot of energy to warm a bladder full of liquid up to body temp.

Conduction can be helped by replacing a lightly padded and plastic spinny office chair with a more high backed, thick padded armchair, but might be impractical.

Evaporation shouldn't really matter much, but try wicking materials by the skin to keep moisture evaporating on top layers where it won't cool you.

Convection.. eliminate draughts is the easiest method.

Respiration, breath through the nose. If the air is cold, put buff around your neck and pull it up over the nose. It controls the flow and takes some.of the chill out before it reaches the core.

(TBF these are more for when outdoors in cold weather, but it's worth looking into for whenever it gets cold.)

@FissionMailed that took me back to my GCSE science revision!!

[quote Spudina]@FissionMailed that took me back to my GCSE science revision!![/quote]
sorry (maybe?)

I probably got some terms wrong. But as an avid outdoorsy type, winter comes along, it becomes important.. I should probably refresh my knowledge.

I know radiation is what we give off. Conversations is what's blown off. Evaporation is what's heated off.
Respiration is what's breathed off and conduction is what's sucked off...

Just put the heating on. Unless you really really can’t afford to heat your home. If you can’t afford it, fine but if you can, then just give yourself warm house instead of sitting like it’s 1850

Mountain warehouse sale on. Ordered bases layers and a fleece.
Have throw over my legs and an oil radiator attached the my hip.

2 layers on top with a scarf or neck gator.
I also keep my work headphones on to keep my ears warm

@Oneforthemoneytwo

Just put the heating on. Unless you really really can’t afford to heat your home. If you can’t afford it, fine but if you can, then just give yourself warm house instead of sitting like it’s 1850

PissingTheMoint

I work on my laptop under my duvet with the electric blanket AND an Oodie.
Obvs not advisable for Zoom meetings with camera ob!

Just to clarify.....I'm under the duvet. Laptop is on top of the duvet!

Going for a walk before you start work helps a bit.

Turn on the boiler, but turn off all the radiators except for the room you work in. Gas costs ¼ the amount of electricity. Even allowing for inefficiencies in the boiler, and heat lost around the flat in the pipework, you'll probably pay less than half what you do now, and you'll have no outlay in buying other stuff.

Teddybear onesie. Live in mine.

Big tip: make sure to go to the toilet for a wee when you need too. It takes a lot of energy to warm a bladder full of liquid up to body temp.

This does sound like nonsense! Unless liquid passes through you at the speed of Niagra then by the time you want to piss it's already at full body temperature. It's too late to try to save energy by expelling it before it's been heated up!

Yet another vote for heated throw, I drape mine over my shoulders.

@MurielSpriggs

Big tip: make sure to go to the toilet for a wee when you need too. It takes a lot of energy to warm a bladder full of liquid up to body temp.

This does sound like nonsense! Unless liquid passes through you at the speed of Niagra then by the time you want to piss it's already at full body temperature. It's too late to try to save energy by expelling it before it's been heated up!

It likely is nonsense, it's just what my ex Royal Marine teacher swore by when outdoors in the cold, I still do it.. science probably proves it nonsense, hey ho.

@dane8

We have our heating on all day set at 21 , on the smart meter it’s using 35p an hour

I don’t think that’s a lot to keep warm ?

35p an hour 8am to 10pm £4.90 a day £149per month (based on 4.9x365 / 12)

Not a lot for you, some people don't have income to cover that much.. some people have incomes less than £1k a month and have rent, council tax, food, child care, petrol etc etc

Your calculations are deeply flawed! It's costing £4.90 a day at the coldest point in the year. She won't be running the rads in July. It will probably average half of that over the year
Say £75 a month.

And just because some people can't afford it doesn't mean it isn't a good deal

@dane8

Our is £105 mth gas/elec combined !

We have a mortgage, council tax , food petrol car tax etc
We have 2 small private pension and 1 government pension and are at home all day
Heating comes on at 7.30 goes off 10.30pm

Ours used to be similar, until our supplier collapsed. Now it’s double.

@MurielSpriggs

Your calculations are deeply flawed! It's costing £4.90 a day at the coldest point in the year. She won't be running the rads in July. It will probably average half of that over the year Say £75 a month.

And just because some people can't afford it doesn't mean it isn't a good deal

That's why I showed my calculations were.based on multiplication and division.

And just because.its a good deal doesn't mean it's a good suggestion on a thread where people are trying to save money.

Would you go onto a thread about cutting food bill and suggest they only buy the £30 chicken instead of the £60 chicken because it's a good deal? I doubt it...
Bit then this is MN, so it wouldn't surprise me....get a month of meals out a single chicken round here. 😝

Ours used to be similar, until our supplier collapsed. Now it’s double.

I'm.dreadong this
I'm on a fixed until January. I pay £50 a month just for.electric, I fear.its.going to rocket and all the "Good deals" in the world wont put an extra £100 in my bank account every month.

I wear my hiking base layer and a wool sweater, and have a throw wrapped around my bottom half. Plus ski socks under my jeans.

I'm getting good at looking professional on zoom while actually wrapped up, fit to spend a night on a mountain side

My DH got me this - I look like a giant rabbit in it but it works a treat!!! John Lewis fleece onesie

I work upstairs, it's warmer as hot air rises. I wear wristwarmers which keeps my fingers from dropping off and wear natural fibres like wool and cotton. I have a microwave wheat bag that stays warm for about 2 hours (a kids one from wilko) and drink hot drinks regularly. I have a lightweight down gilet if it's really cold (a bargain in the h&m sale)

If you had your heating on 24/7 at 21 degrees and it’s costing 35p per hour then it’s around £60 per week, allowing for a standard charge to be included. So £259 approximately per month for the colder months

But summer months would be cheaper

My gas is around 3p a unit so I turn of radiators into not needing & put the central heating on at 17 to keep a base level heat.