Soaring heating costs, what's your plan.

By the end of next week I will have a Bosky Chef wood burning cooker installed in the back room.

So I hope that being in the back room the heat will filter through to the front room and the kitchen.

We have been splitting and seasoning wood all year. Two weeks ago we were gifted a huge ornamental cherry tree which is now split and being stacked. This will come in for next winter.

Cherry is a lovely wood to work with and a good burner.

I am excited and trepidatious in equal measure, but it will keep the gas bill down for sure.

I haven't got the heating on yet, and don't feel the need.

I am ready for winter though. I have bought some HeatGen tops and thermal undies, and have sheepskin slippers, fleece-lined slipper socks and chenille bedsocks. I have lots of warm jumpers (I'm a knitter), too.

I also have an electric blanket (but again, haven't felt the need yet) and a heated throw, which I've used once or twice in the evening. It's only Autumn though.

I've just bought one of those plug-in throws, it's arriving on Thursday. I'll let you know if it's any good!

People should listen to MOnica. She knows what she’s talking about. These threads seem to be almost a competition as to how low the thermostat is set and who can hold off turning the heating on for longest. It’s dangerous. Help with fuel bills is being given.

Also, the pubs won’t be in business at all at this rate.
I don’t think that you have thought this through Skydancer

Skydancer

Start the day with a brisk walk. Visit the library. Sit on the bus for a nice long ride. Go to the pub and sit by the fire. Sorted.

I’m ‘onlyz’ 50 and that degree of activity would be impossible.
Not sorted

theconversation.com/heat-yourself-not-your-house-how-to-survive-winter-with-a-15-indoor-temperature-185587
Interesting article on surviving happily with temperature below 18. The advice re wearing a hood makes sense.

I have started turning the heating on for a couple of hours in the evening when I feel we need it, but haven't yet turned it on to its usual timed sessions for the morning and evenings.

I haven't had any heating on yet, and just wear extra clothes, use hot water bottles etc. BUT I live on my own, and although I have health problems they are not made worse by being cold. I also tend to feel more uncomfortable too hot than too cold. I wouldn't blame anyone for using heating for any health reasons, and I will turn mine on if my mum visits, or any of my family. I'm lucky that I don't need to turn it on for myself.

Read yesterday that we might be in for a mild winter. That would certainly help a lot of people. Its actually 19C here today, which is unseasonally mild so fingers crossed.

M0nica

VioletSky I refer you to the reply I gave to Margiknot. You can wrap yourself up as much as you like, but if the temperatu is below 18 degrees and you are breathing cold air into your lungs, you can still get hypothermiait will still be bad for your healt, significantly raising the chances you will have a heart attack.

I don't intend to keep my heating off Monica I'm just supplementing

VioletSky I refer you to the reply I gave to Margiknot. You can wrap yourself up as much as you like, but if the temperatu is below 18 degrees and you are breathing cold air into your lungs, you can still get hypothermiait will still be bad for your healt, significantly raising the chances you will have a heart attack.

I've been putting the heating on when it's been cold. We've got a smart meter, so I can see how much gas and electricity s being used - it's currently at about £3.50 a day. We pay £190 a month, so we'll be fine.

My heating is set to 15 so hasn't come on accept when I turned it up when we were all ill for a short time.

My electric blanket is amazing though and less than a penny an hour.

You can also get electric throws now which I am thinking of investing in, either to pop over me or pop over a chair. They seem to be very cheap to run

We have a log/multi fuel burner, plenty of wood ready for burning and the correct coal bought during the summer at a summer rate. So that’s it for heating, we don’t heat the bedrooms but our room gets some warmth as the chimney runs through our bedroom and gives off some warmth from the burner. Still on our 2 year fixed rate for e energy until Oct 23 but I cook in slow cookers and batches in the oven. We reckon we will be fine

Our CH is controlled by a thermostat set at 18.5 degrees, and there it will stay.

Margiknot if you are over 65, a temperature of 17 is beginning to get dangerous. Keeping warm, is not just about warm cosy clothes, it is also about the temperature of the air going into your lungs and the core of your body. You can get hypothermia from the inside out as well as the outside in and your thermostat should not fall below 18 degrees.

We are away this week so we set the thermostat on 'holiday' option, so that it will not come on while we away, but we return on Thursday evening and if the temperature has fallen below 18.5, then the heating will come back on that evening.

We are doing nothing out of the ordinary apart from being very careful with turning things off when not needed and as we have a wood burner and a good supply of free wood, when the cold weather starts we will be more assiduous in using that for heating on the coldest days.

We've had to start putting the heating on for a couple of hours a day, morning and evening, to warm the house. My partner is disabled with mobility issues and the cold puts him at risk, so it will be even more expensive for us during the colder months when the heat will need to be on for longer. We're using heated throws, blankets, hot water bottles and foot warmers to keep warm when the heating is off. It's a case of us trying to cut down on our usage while ensuring my partner stays warm enough and I'm still trying to work out a plan for when it turns really cold. I agree there's help available with costs if people need it, but as the cost of heating our homes skyrockets, I doubt it will be sufficient for many.

Ours has come on for the last few mornings-just for an hour to take the chill off the house - the thermostat is set at 17 - and today the heating did not get the house up to that temperature. By day the sun heats the house- as the windows face the correct way. We have had a coal burner on in the evening a couple of times- last night because our adult disabled son came home ( from his gardening) frozen! We worked out it is significantly cheaper ( at present- whilst it’s only a bit chilly) to burn a small quantity of smokeless coal than use the ( calor gas) heating.However, the coal burner mostly only heats one room.
Today I found a padded cowl scarf-( I bought it last year at the end of a sale because my neck feels the cold so easily and our house is very old and draughty) - the scarf is ugly but so comfortable and warm! I’m so glad I found it!
Does everyone else get a ‘winter nesting’ frenzy at this time of year- or just me? I keep fancying nice warm jumpers and coats! Fortunately I don’t need a lot as I have always felt the cold! Ive been looking out my winter stuff and putting summer clothes away.

We’ve used the CH a couple of times in one hour evening stints. Once we’re warmed through, it’s swiftly turned off: woe betide anyone (me) should this be forgotten.
A higher tog duvet is now on the bed.
The oven has been replaced by an air fryer (which DS borrowed for a week to try it out. I couldn’t wait to get it back.) Batch cooking has filled the freezer so the microwave - for reheating - will be used even more. I’ve also spent some time researching meals made in the microwave though the recipes have yet to be tested. The BBC offers a few interesting ideas.

I do not intend to go cold or hungry. One can suffer a stroke or heart attack even if the T is around 12C.

I switched my heating on the 30th of September but it is only on when I think I need it. My kitchen is large enough to leave a portable clothes drier so clothes benefit when the heating is on. I have never possessed a tumble dryer.

Since buying my air fryer 11 months ago I have used my electric oven twice. It is used for storage.

Start the day with a brisk walk. Visit the library. Sit on the bus for a nice long ride. Go to the pub and sit by the fire. Sorted.

We’ve moved to a new, modern home so hopefully our costs will be lower than our previous oil-fired system. However, we have nothing to measure our current usage against right now, so we’re hoping we don’t get a nasty surprise.

We already have throws but we will be cautious about their use - I predict a rash of broken limbs from people falling over trailing ends and wires.

Remember everyone is getting help with bills, some more than others.

Be careful MissA, you don’t want to be put on a pre payment meter.

We will carry on largely as before but careful to switch off things and not leave them on standby, turn the heating down when we go out, wear more clothes but I am not walking about like a yeti, bigger duvet on the bed, eat properly (bye bye salad) and take exercise. Oh and what did I forget put more into the budget thankfully we are able to do that but we are still going to be careful.