Energy costs, the way we were, and how we might cope today.

France limiting the rise in Gas to 4% , Italy saying they will come down hard on any energy company that charges customers extortionate price rises , Sunak.....Nothing!

I enjoy wearing layers of clothes in winter, it feels so cosy and from the time I swap summer for winter clothes, I will be wearing a thin wool sweater ot thermal vest, with a heavier sweater over it. I have Reynauds syndrome in my fingers and very cold feet, so I wear tights nearly all year round, thick in winter, light in summer and with thermal socks over them in winter. All this is my 'normal'.

Thankfully we can deal with higher energy prices, but these layers of clothes and having the thermostat set at 18.5 degrees, and having the heating on for 3.5 hours in the morning and 6 in the evening are what we have always had and find under most circumstances we are very comfortable living like that.

Occasionally, like at present, when it is very cold during the day, we light our wood burner after lunch.

On days like yesterd

I wear leggings under jogging bottoms or trousers. I can't put socks so have shoes big enough for fleece insoles. I sometimes wear my teddy fleece coat indoors on top of fleece top or cardigan.

I live downstairs, upstairs storage only so it's not heated, and the foot of the stairs has a strong up draught useful for drying the washing.

There was an interview on tv yesterday with a lady who said she couldn't afford her heating bills. She complained that she was wearing a vest, tee shirt, tights and a denim dress with the sleeves rolled back and was still cold. Another was interviewed wearing a thin cap sleeved top. I was wearing a thermal vest, long sleeved tee shirt, thick pullover with a high neck, thick trousers, very thick socks and a blanket over my lap. I was quite snug!

I also noticed an advert of someone turning a temperature gauge down a degree and the start temperature was 25! No wonder they can't afford their bills!

I did actually mention heated throws in my post of 10.52 on Monday 17th Jan, M0nica

Heated throws for those who cannot move about much, hot water bottles and bedsocks (I love mine!)

Not so sure any more about electric blankets- the very elderly or those with memory issues can forget to switch them off and even the sort you theoretically can leave on all night would gobble up the electricity. Great for getting into a warm bed though.

Solar can be good if you can afford the gear that goes with it. They don’t give you much back otherwise. Our house is surrounded by huge trees which I love and are protected by the local council ( I know, I know, bushfires are a worry) . Not that many have solar round here but I think in other states they get a better deal. I like burning wood in winter ,we don’t have to buy it so far, just pick up our own branches but we have gas for our main heating.

I am very glad that I (luckily) bought a new build, rather than an old cottage. Insulation standard is very high, even has much insulation between floors, my home costs very little to heat but three years ago, when I was looking, I could easily have gone via the cottage or 1930s house route. I also have a stove and chimney and a huge stash of fuel, I had no idea that I would hardly use the stove but it is a good safety net, in case putin cuts off energy and we go onto a rolling programme of cuts. It happened before and could easily happen again

I grew up with just a coal fire in the small living room. I would go back to that tomorrow if I could, but I'm in a rented house so can't.

nanna8

In Australia our electricity prices are the worst in the world apparently. As usual we just accept this and nothing is done. Often here it is more a case of keeping cool than warm, though where I live it is cold in Winter and very hot in Summer so we get the worst of both worlds.

Isn't solar the way everyone is going in Australia? I know DD's last house had solar panels on the roof although someone I know said their solar panels weren't enough alone to run the air con in the very hot summer.
I've seen huge wind farms too.

In Australia our electricity prices are the worst in the world apparently. As usual we just accept this and nothing is done. Often here it is more a case of keeping cool than warm, though where I live it is cold in Winter and very hot in Summer so we get the worst of both worlds.

If you can afford them - and they are not that expensive - why do we see no mention of the personal warmth provided by electric blankets and throws.

There electricity consumption is negligible and can keep people safely warm, even if they have to limit how much they have the heating on.

You’ll definitely need to keep your heating turned up CBBL! We have family in Wick and Freswick so know the weather conditions you have to deal with.

I didn't live in a centrally heated house until I was 60 (when I retired).
However, I agree that modern houses (I now live in one) are built without chimneys for open fires, so this is simply not an option for many, whatever one's views on using fossil fuels!
I live in the very north of Scotland (near John O'Groats) and have taken out a loan to upgrade my windows to Triple glazed - both for extra insulation and to increase the thermal rating of the property. I will be saving up to get the doors replaced as soon as possible after that (the windows will be fitted next month).
In common with many other posters, I worry for people who are already struggling to pay their bills. There must be many more out of work because of businesses closing due to Covid.
The scale of the increases is unprecedented, and will be disastrous for many!
I can only suggest that those of you with cats and dogs, should perhaps consider letting them sleep on the bed - they will keep you a bit warmer! For those who have them or can afford them, thermal clothing can be a godsend!
I'm thinking of getting out my knitting needles and crochet hooks, even though my arthritic hands will struggle to make things now.

I live on an estate where the heating is provided centrally, so even if I keep our home cooler I'm still paying for everyone else's high temperatures.

MerylStreep

Nexus
£100 per month is a lot of money for what your using. Is there a reason you have to use a keycard.

i use a keycard as i prefer to know how much i am using, i live on benefits so panic at the thought of a bill coming in, mine is also high as i am in the house 24/7.

My house is very cold just now. It is, a big barn conversion with double height glazing and large open plan spaces. Glorious on sunny days but cold now. My boiler has died and I now nearing week three of no hot water or heating apart from a woodburning stove in a very large ten metre long room. I also have one of those oversized fleecy hoodie and an electric fleece blanket - bliss. I have a plug in oil heater that goes on in the shower room to warm it up before I perform my complicated jug shower! Still waiting to hear back about the new (and no doubt costly) boiler. I have always had a quite cool house as my late husband hated heating but even I am finding this a bit much esp the lack off hot water. I have a friend who has her heating on all the time and her teenagers wear strappy tops all year round. I dread to think what her fuel bills will be.

I suspect if we are all healthy now, it has more to do with wartime rationing and the extra milk etc for children.

This egalitarian policy gave many poorer families better diets than ever before bcause they could now afford, meat and cheese.

Am I the only person who had chilblains. I seem to remember them as being endemic among my class mates at school.

jaberwok, I remember that winter, the pipes in the outside toilet used to freeze and we all walked to school, through deep snow. We all, most children, had very cold feet and wet socks, none of us had boots. The wet socks stayed on all day

I agree with Rosina, we grew up with only one coal fire in the living room. A geezer for washing, coats on beds in the depths of winter, ice inside the windows. I look back and my mum managed with a lot of very hard work, seven children and 3 bedrooms. We are all very healthy in our 70s

When I was a child . Not only was our only sort of heat was the coal fire in the living room but very often my parents couldn’t afford the coal for it . They would buy a bag of coal each weekend but even though the fire was just lit of an evening , the coal wouldn’t last a full week . My parents used to burn anything that they could find . Old shoes/ boots , logs from around the neighbourhood, even potato peelings !
We weren’t really bothered by it and we were all very healthy and didn’t come to any harm . I admit I do like to be warm but our hose is usually too warm for me now . I live with my DD and her family and she likes heat. She has the temperature set at 23 degrees , which is far too hot for me . As soon as the family are out at work I tur the heating off . I also have the radiator turned off in my bedroom at all times . At least when the heating in the house is going full blast I can retreat to my freezing cold bedroom

It was certainly NOT a good idea to sell all our essential utilities to foreign nations, especially now in the context of Brexit.

Mistyfluff8
I too have Polymyalgia rheumatica. How long have you had it and are you on steroids for it? I'm on Prednisolone and have been on it for the last 18 months. Although I have had both my covid vaccinations and the booster, I have no antibodies because of the steroids! This means that I need to be extra careful not to catch covid. No parties for me, I'm afraid!

I can remember ice on the inside of my bedroom window and, during the winter of 1962/3 my bedroom walls had ice on them too. I remember my mother being very worried about this and putting in an electric fire for me to use. Two friends shared digs in Oxford and one of them was given a bunch of tulips by her then boyfriend, later husband, and the water froze in the vase!! It was a dreadful winter,but aged 20, I can't remember being particularly phased by it, I think my parents were, but then when you're young things don't seem anything like as bad as when you're old, as I now am!

We to only had 1 fire and also got ice on windows inside even the cat would crawl under the blankets etc to keep warm I keep my electric blanket on at night as I have polymyagia

used to work as an usherette in a cinema. older people used to come in in the afternoon and stay until teatime to keep warm. We knew the regulars and askes about them if they didnt come. Some pensioners came most days but probably wouldnt be able to afford it now.-