Electric blanket on the sofa £20 from aldi - works wonders and I actually get too hot - costs about 2p per hour to run. I only turn central heating on to 15 degrees for about an hour just to take the edge off. my bills haven't been too bad at all. My highest bill (combined elec and gas) was £140 in December, less the £67 from the govt so £73. I work from home 3 days a week too.
Whats worked for you this winter in staying warm + keeping the bills down?
- Thread starter tenofspades
- Start date
Is this any cheaper? My daughter loves her coffee machine but it costs me a fortune in coffee pods.
Our tumble dryer broke so we replaced it with... a rack. Completely free drying.
Good shout. I had forgotten about those. I might get one.
Associate
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Extra layers, doors closed, curtains, blocking as many drafts as possible around windows, doors etc, but there have been times when it’s just too cold so I just whack the heating on.
With temperatures hitting new lows over the next few days I’ll be putting the heating on rather than trying to keep myself warm with other methods…
With temperatures hitting new lows over the next few days I’ll be putting the heating on rather than trying to keep myself warm with other methods…
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Turned heating down to 16 when it does go on (would have been 19-21 last year depending on the time of day)
Also have it off a lot of the time in the day when working from home
I’ve roughly halved usage but still paying a similar amount due to the obscene increases
Also have it off a lot of the time in the day when working from home
I’ve roughly halved usage but still paying a similar amount due to the obscene increases
I got myself a La Specialista last year completely unrelated to cost savings. Uses whole bean coffee.
We now use the instant hot water function on it for any time we need hot water (my wife and kids prefer tea and hot chocolate). It only heats the water we use.
Our washing always hangs for a couple of days. However the heavier cotton items seem to take forever, so the load then goes into the tumble dryer to finish it off. Each night a wash load goes on, and a load from a couple of days ago gets tumbled.
On the sunnier days it's been dried outside. But we usually need to turnover PE, sports kit and school uniforms fairly quick so need a way to expedite the washing process a bit.
My wardrobe has morphed into mainly walking gear, fleece tops and baselayers, some merino, lined polycotton trousers etc. Most will dry overnight on a rack (maiden) and be ready to wear next day.
This cuts down drying time, moisture in the air and number of clothes to keep. Most of my previous work wear for the office has gone as I have been retired for five years now.
My look now is a geriatric hillwalker but I am comfortable and warm.
This cuts down drying time, moisture in the air and number of clothes to keep. Most of my previous work wear for the office has gone as I have been retired for five years now.
My look now is a geriatric hillwalker but I am comfortable and warm.
Associate
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We have only ever had heating on in evenings anyway. But we did turn the thermostat down.
Trouble is we live in an old council house and we just start getting mould.
Even our salt grinder clogged up because it was drawing so much moisture out the air.
So even though we could hack the cold we had to turn the heating back up for the houses sake.
Trouble is we live in an old council house and we just start getting mould.
Even our salt grinder clogged up because it was drawing so much moisture out the air.
So even though we could hack the cold we had to turn the heating back up for the houses sake.
I think a lot of people are going to start having damp and mould issues with no or very little heating. I think the recommended minimum temp setting for health is 16 degrees or similar.
I managed to get on it too. I need to get me a gas smart meter as only have an elec one. Also need an in home device thingy. Can't see an easy way to get an appointment for installation in the app. It just seems to go round in a circle of "thanks for registering interest you can get an appointment in your area in the app" or something like that.
For urgent PE kit turnaround we put it on a radiator or heated towel rail which we turn on for a short burst to keep us warm in the evening. We don't put it on specifically to dry things, but just take advantage of it when it's on.
Soldato
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One heater and only turning it on to take the edge off the cold. Also extra layers currently wearing a bodywarmer and a wooly hat!
So, how much does the aircon cost to run?
Soldato
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I feel the heat and I'm more than happy to use the air-con when outside temp hits 23C+ and set the thermostat to 19C in the Winter time. As long as your open fire / electric blanket gives you anywhere between 18C and 21C (normal room temperature), then I guess thermostat at 16.5C is fine
My policy is 19C when awake and 9C when I'm asleep.
I sleep all year round in a 4.5-tog and windows open, even on a night like this. My granny is nearly 94 and does the same, so it runs in the family!
Why would you use air con instead of heating? Unless it's in a single room? The spark gap is massive.
See how much she loves her coffee machine when you stop buying her the pods
you'll save some cash but you may gain some extra earache in the process 