What temparature is your house?

I am fortunate that my flat is pretty warm. Large patio doors and windows face South West and any sunshine warms it very quickly. Rarely have heating on during day time in winter - Living room usually around 20 degrees. If it drops much below this during daytime, will turn heating back on for a a short while. Turn off rad. in my bedroom during the daytime and at night. Just have it on for a short while to get shwoered and dressed in the morning, and for a couple of hours before going to bed.

Must say my gas and leccie bills are pretty low - nothing like the monthly payments that I see on here. I am on a fixed rate until next November, so it will go up next winter - but even if they do double, will be affordable.

It is the standing charges that annoy me - means that no matter how careful we are with our energy use, we will still have to pay this in full. Keeping 'warm' just with extra clothing, throws, etc can be quite dangerous to our health. If we are just sitting around we should be careful about being surrounded by low temperature. May not even feel cold - does not mean we are not.

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18.5 upstairs and I wanted to have my shower, so I put the heating on upstairs. Surprisingly, the rads, especially the ensuite rad, warmed up very quickly. I went to the bathroom and the painter must have turned the valve closed as the rad was cold. I opened it and it went hot almost immediately. That was a lesson. Less than 10 minutes and I was warm enough in the ensuite and bedroom. I have turned the bathroom valve off for the remainder of the cool months. So just 10 minutes will do me fine. Closing rads in unused rooms will definitely make a difference but only worth doing if not prone to damp

I see that gas has taken another jump in price today and electricity takes 60% of our gas for the power stations

ha ha I'd agreed to take a 'resting' racing pigeon off a friend this morning, she stopped me as I was walking past with the dog. It's in her front garden and too exhausted to move. Big black cat next door so I planned to take it have it in the front bedroom. Vets won't help with birds at the moment because of avian flu.

Came home and quickly cleared everything out the way - door won't shut. It's because I tried to get the carpet gripper up to show the surveyor, couldn't, and just bent it. Mad hammering and managed to close the door but it wouldn't 'click', so raced around to find a stretchy spider thing to attach to the handle and a picture hook, I couldn't risk my cat getting in.

Just went back and she was on the phone to our local wildlife trust - they do have a local volunteer, and they are coming. I put the bird in my cage with seed and water, and he's waiting in her garage with a sheet over him. I didn't realise my friend couldn't pick birds up, lucky I was passing.

Home again birdless and will tackle the non clicking door later!

oh yes I agree with that shandy. I did that all through winter and my living room was a nice temperature when I came down. I also shut some vents last night, the stove is not on and I need much less through ventilation right now. It was breezy in fact, the wind shoved the air

It is also good to do any batch baking in the oven when the room temperature is lower, warmth and baking at the same time. I am soaking a load of beans today, will cook on the hob tomorrow morning and that will also help the kitchen temperature. They will be for freezing, same with rice. Beans and rice, just add veg

One thing I've got to start doing is closing the door of the room karmalady. Over the years I've got in the habit of having doors open, need to heat one room comfortably and keep the door shut. I remember my Dad shouting 'were you born in a barn' when I was a kid because I'd leave the room door open.

lucky for us to be going into summer, this thread is going to be scarily active by october

Food is scarily expensive, I really noticed it today. I needed cat litter and went to my nearest supermarket, Morrisons. I had heard a programme on Radio 4 about dried chick peas from Spain being the best to cook with and went to buy some - the Morrisons make came from Russia! Unfortunately no alternative so went without.

I'm going to get a handle on dried pulses this year, I've never bothered before, but enjoyed my recent vegan shepherds pie with green lentils (I only had tinned). I remember visiting my very skint friends in Ireland one year, she only had dried pasta/pulses etc in jars in her store cupboard.

This a period in time when I am very glad that I like vegan food and my cupboards are stocked with the likes of beans, tomatoes and pasta. I did buy more after I decided that I would be better off stocking up again, rather than running down which was my intention. Everything is going up so much.

My electric was high too karmalady. I'm sorry you are band E and won't get the payment.

There is a widow on the WAY UP page who cannot hardly afford to have her heating on at all even during the winter, she wraps up with faux fur throws. I think she has the tv on, but only uses candles, no overhead/side lamps.

When the roof came off I think I've already said I only had an odd collection of scented candles, horrible, I had all sorts of smells mixed together for weeks.

I get my electricity and gas separately, today was electric. I compared with the exact same time last year, exactly the same number of units and the bill is 45% more

I won`t be getting the £150 as I am in band E yet the house down the close has 4 working adults and they will get it

I have got no idea how on earth to reduce electric cost any more, I am doing the best I can while still retaining a bit of comfort. Gas is not so hard to work out, I simply would switch the heating off. I do full wash loads maybe two a week and dry all my washing outside 90% of the time

I reduced my monthly payment a bit last november, I will have to see if I can accumulate any credit over summer, thankfully I am on a fixed rate until nov 2023, at least I have that certainty

You have to laugh, I was chilly yesterday, so I burnt a candle and tbh it makes a bit of difference

Shandy57

Will you get the £150? I've just moved to a C, I was a D. I am not going to put the heating on until October and hope to have approx £600 credit, my DD is £93 per month.

I've cancelled charitable DD's and am just writing a food planner for the week, I'm sure I can save on food. Netflix might have to go too, just had an email saying it's now £10.99.

Hi. Yes I should get the £150 as I live in a band C property. It will be paid to my energy supplier to top up my account to help in the Winter

Luckygirl I do hope you have put aside £13000 to heat your outdoor swimming pool for this year at 25C because that is what Rishi Sunak will be doing. He has no idea how the peasants live.

I have no objection to him being very wealthy- I would just like him to understand the price of bread and the cost of heating a house.

Will you get the £150? I've just moved to a C, I was a D. I am not going to put the heating on until October and hope to have approx £600 credit, my DD is £93 per month.

I've cancelled charitable DD's and am just writing a food planner for the week, I'm sure I can save on food. Netflix might have to go too, just had an email saying it's now £10.99.

Thank you for the link @Shandy 57.
Unfortunately I fall through the cracks as my income is £10 per year too much to qualify for pension credit

Sorry to read that Happygirl79, hopefully we will all build up some credit towards the autumn. For council tax bands A-D we have the £150 coming - my gas for the month.

I've just had at look at the CAB, a good article here.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

I feel the cold but can not afford to have my heating on unless it's about 14 degrees when it's intolerable. Dreading the Autumn when fuel costs will increase again. I can't afford it now so I certainly won't be able to afford it then. I walk every morning to get warm.

Set for 18 now, but when I sit in my living room I have the fire on. It comes on twice a day, 3 hours am and 7 hours pm.if I am in when it’s cold I turn it back on. The bill this month was 100 per cent more, I rang and queried the costs but was assured it’s right but I used so much less than the previous month. Very sorry for those that can’t afford the heating on as for many it’s the choice between food and heating.

I switched my thermostats ie heating, off three weeks ago, cooler today as there is no sun. 19 all over the house. Petticoat on under a longer flannel skirt today and camisole under a jumper. I got used to warmer temperatures this week. I will not let downstairs get below 19 and upstairs below 18. The sun makes such a big difference here

My laptop is showing 50 degrees outside, my thermostat 16 degrees but I'm absolutely freezing today. Heating on again for a few hours!

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They often wrap scarves round heir faces, pull collars over their chins and in other ways slow down the speed air enters heir lungs so that it warms as it passes through the fabrics between the skin and the cold air.

Breathing in cold air isn't necessarily harmful in itself if you are otherwise fit and healthy. It's when you have underlying health conditions, especially respiratory problems such as asthma or COPD or heart problems, or conditions such as Raynaud's, that it becomes an issue.

M0nica

But if the air in the home is so cold you are breathing lungfuls of cold air deep into your body, it rather defeats the purpose of all the clothes. You are warm on th outside and cold inside - and it is the interior cold that is so dangerous.

I am sure Martin Lewis thought before he wrote. He is not the person to write nonsense so there must be some value in it.

I am of course not including those with mobility problems.
But, regarding breathing in very cold air, what do people do who work outside in cold weather, farmers, fishermen, road workers etc or even the sportive ones skiing, climbing or those who live in cold climes and have no heating to speak of if warm clothing is not keeping them warm?