Combating energy prices
- Thread starter Dirk Diggler
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And a fridge, surely you have a fridge/freezer?
Ah yeah but these are default things. You can't really not have them. And you can't really turn them off.
My wife told me about these electric blankets being advertised as 1 pence per night....
40Wats for the ones I have seen. Assuming 8 hour sleep with it left on:
8 hours @ £0.34 pence per KWH
= 8 x ( 0.34 x 0.04 )
= £0.11 per night
11 pence per night?
So about £3.26 per month? Heating is banned until November 1st now unless I cave. I suppose I could let her have a blanket. I've suggested something better to keep warm every night but she didn't go for that.
40Wats for the ones I have seen. Assuming 8 hour sleep with it left on:
8 hours @ £0.34 pence per KWH
= 8 x ( 0.34 x 0.04 )
= £0.11 per night
11 pence per night?
So about £3.26 per month? Heating is banned until November 1st now unless I cave. I suppose I could let her have a blanket. I've suggested something better to keep warm every night but she didn't go for that.
Are those the Argos ones, I saw those mentioned the other day. I think the lowest setting is less than 40 watts which is where the 1p a night comes from.
Annoyingly these are only the ones you put on top of your mattress rather than a blanket. I'm always too warm in bed even without any heating on, so certainly wouldn't need extra heat from the mattress. A heated blanket however would be ideal.
It’s the same effect really. The electric blanket warms the quilt and mattress up and those keep the heat in which is what you want.
You don’t really want to be leaving electric blankets on overnight, there just isn’t a need. Just turn it on for half an hour to warm the bed up, that’s all you need. Once you are in it, our own body heat is enough to keep you warm under a suitable togg quilt at night without the heating on.
We rarely have the heating on past half 9 in the dead of winter. By the time the house has cooled, you are long asleep.
You don’t really want to be leaving electric blankets on overnight, there just isn’t a need. Just turn it on for half an hour to warm the bed up, that’s all you need. Once you are in it, our own body heat is enough to keep you warm under a suitable togg quilt at night without the heating on.
We rarely have the heating on past half 9 in the dead of winter. By the time the house has cooled, you are long asleep.
I think people have gone soft if they need an electric blanket all night (without a health condition causing low body temperature).
A normal quilt keeps the body warm by preventing escaping heat going away from the area. Yes it may take a while for that effect, but I have never ever felt cold when I wake up, always warm under my quilt. In summer I have to sleep on top of the quilt as it makes me sweat.
Having it on temporarily before going bed like @b0rn2sk8 suggested has some logic to it though if you cant tolerate the first getting into bed. Some people just seem to have become so used to been bathed in heat in the modern era.
A normal quilt keeps the body warm by preventing escaping heat going away from the area. Yes it may take a while for that effect, but I have never ever felt cold when I wake up, always warm under my quilt. In summer I have to sleep on top of the quilt as it makes me sweat.
Having it on temporarily before going bed like @b0rn2sk8 suggested has some logic to it though if you cant tolerate the first getting into bed. Some people just seem to have become so used to been bathed in heat in the modern era.
Soldato
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I'll be removing my SKY Q box tonight, never watch tv much now and I can stick the cbale in the TV and get freesat anyway for any terrestrial stuff. Contract ends in January and sure as hell won't resubscribe.
The insulation I installed over the summer is helping massively, not put heating on yet (can't as I currently don't have radiators upstairs as plastering has only just been completed) and upstairs is 3c warmer than downstairs constanlty even with windows open, this time last year upstairs would be the same or colder than downstairs and temp would drop significantly overnight, but bedroom last night actually stayed static all night despite having the windows slightly open, so should help with humidity levels too.
My house is freezing. Really need to think about better insulation but it’s solid walls so no easy way to do it.
My attic is boarded but I’m tempted to unboard it and install much more insulation. It’s all I can do, but it’s around 14c during the day which is just too cold.
I reckon I have a few leaks around my windows, is caulking the joints the easiest way to deal with this?
My attic is boarded but I’m tempted to unboard it and install much more insulation. It’s all I can do, but it’s around 14c during the day which is just too cold.
I reckon I have a few leaks around my windows, is caulking the joints the easiest way to deal with this?
Soldato
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Might fond of warm due to the plaster
. Our heating kicked on a couple of times, but normally it's still 19 in the morning (heating comes on at 18).
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Soldato
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I think that sounds sensible. You've got mega high ceilings as well, right?
Sealing up any areas of air leakage is a good thing to do. Insulation is paramount though.
If you can borrow a thermal camera (the actual name escapes me right now) that will probably make your life a lot easier.
Do you have radiators?
Soldato
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Flir do ones to go on phones, but they're not cheap.
Yea pretty high ceilings. Not super high but higher than average.
No idea who would have a thermal camera, but you’re right that would make things easier. I can hire one for £80 which may be an option.
Any recommendations to buy loft insulation?
Soldato
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I don't think £80 would be worth it because you'd have to use a lot of energy to make back £80. I don't have any recommendations other than knowin that Rockwool and Kingspan are very popular. @Freefaller has just done his - maybe he can recommend something?
Do you have anything covering your windows at night that could help keep the heat in?
You own this place, right? Does it have single glazing? If so, a decent long term solution could be to install secondary internal glazing.
Probably not, but it’d be a fun tool to have! I could probably convince the FIL that he needs to check his house and go halves…
Yea, I have curtains on most windows but I think it’s a case of the heat escaping mainly from the ceiling and walls. I’m going to put a curtain over the front door and also the fully glass back door which should help.
I guess I just need to get into the loft, take up the boards and see what’s down there and try and replace. I’m not wanting to raise the board level so hopefully adding in enough to take it to the boards will be sufficient.
Yea I own it, double glazing throghout. Also got a few chimney vents but did the candle test last night and doesn’t seem to be a draft from them. Gas ch and radiators throughout, though they’ve not been on yet!
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Caporegime
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The blanket will not be running at 40w for the whole night (8hrs), it will turn on and off depending on the set temperature and what temperature it has achieved.
But 1p does sound too cheap.