Keeping warm this coming winter - clothes etc

https://www.kudd.ly/

“Those aren’t pillows…”

Have a fleece lined insulated blanket from passenger clothing (recycled), and a battery heated gilet if needed.
Didn't really use that last winter for anything other than winter swimming.
Wore a fleece lined hoodie for the rest of the time

Good quality thermals

That was the point - what good quality stuff?

Maybe something merino based? Smartwool gets good reviews

+1 for merino; also look at sub-zero website clearance stock.
Thinsulate or similar under walking socks.
Good quality mid-weight duvet; hot water bottle not necessary.
Shearling lined slippers.
Layer up.
If wfh at a keyboard, silk glove liners.
If bald, some sort of head covering; if shaven head, grow hair.
Fuel appropriately - porridge for breakfast.

Action blankets in our house. The heavyweight one is great. That and a pair of ski socks is the first line of defence.

Unless you genuinely don't already own some slippers, warm socks and blankets/quilts, which I find hard to believe, just wear what you own.

My post wasn't a joke btw, my hoodie blanket thing is great! 🤓

Woolie boolie socks. I asked list year, these were the suggestion, they are good.

MrsRNP has one of these for camping in but isn't aware yet she's going to be wearing in the house all winter!
Selk original yellow
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That looks mint RNP.... body bag for the living

Home made / cheap slankets, knock off oodies (oversize hoodies with naff prints on them - try Amazon), slippers are much of a muchness but thick socks too, decathlon merino (Forclaz? their cheapest stuff is not that warm). Apart from that turning off all stuff that s normally on standby for days, maximising dishwasher usage.

We’ve each got one of those Nepali woolly fleece-lined jackets - super cosy.

As a fall-back I’ve got all my Arctic winter expedition gear including a sleeping bag rated to -30C

I am assuming this question is born out of the cost of living crisis. Has anyone done the maths to see what you can save by doing all the stuff like switching off standby, not putting the heating on etc? Is this going to knock 50% off the bill?

This isn't me being a d!ck I promise, I am just trying to work out the potential saving and if it is worth the pain of owning a slanket and a onesie. I could probably Google it but it is much more fun getting shouted at on here 🙂

My rate is fixed for another 12 months. One last hoorah of full wack heating and worry about it next year*

*Obviously not serious.

But seriously just wear clothes? We spent a couple of years with no heating and no underfloor insulation where you could feel the icy blasts from the basement. It's fine nothing special required.

Well in true singletrack tradition my log pile can be seen from space and i plan on running my living room as a kiln.

I am lucky i have endless free timber, i hope this *ing government sorts this energy problem out PDQ.

When i was a kid in the 60s, 70s, 80s i lived in a house with no central heating but a big coal fire in the main room, you basically boiled it that room and got hypothermia in the rest of the house. Early mornings were miserable, clothes so cold it took an act of sheer will to put them on and the duvet had yet to arrive in Northumberland ... i could not live in that way ever again it was shit and here we are millions of people being driven back half a century and a whole raft of gammon * wits saying it didn't do us any harm... well it did you just can't remember.

Has anyone done the maths to see what you can save by doing all the stuff like switching off standby, not putting the heating on etc? Is this going to knock 50% off the bill?

Yeah, nah. Thats not gonna knock 50 percent off, not even close. Maybe not on this forum, but there are millions of people who are already doing that just to help afford the current price cap. Predictions are that this might reach £6600 a year by April 2023.

Lidl lined work trousers socks slippers. T shirt, thick shirt, jumper. Beany.

I find weekdays the worst as I am wfh and not active. Weekends better as even when relaxing I have usually been outside and got my heart rate up and metablisum going.

“Those aren’t pillows…”

Did you see the game?, hell of a game...

not putting the heating on etc? Is this going to knock 50% off the bill?

Standing charge according to Google in 45p per day. Heating and then hot water will be by far most people's highest energy use. The water will still need heating but your heating in mid winter you most likely more energy than water heating.

That was the point – what good quality stuff?

If its just around the house - absolutely anything will do - you don't need fancy or performance fabrics - you're not going to be dealing with wind chill or rain or (I hope) excessive perspiration that needs to wick. Just put some clothes on and if thats not sufficient put some more on. Channel your inner Edith Bouvier Beale. And if thats not enough channel both of your inner Edith Bouvier Beales.

Yeah, nah. Thats not gonna knock 50 percent off, not even close. Maybe not on this forum, but there are millions of people who are already doing that just to help afford the current price cap. Predictions are that this might reach £6600 a year by April 2023.

So it sounds to me like the bigger win would be to cut costs elsewhere to fund the heating rise rather than making yourself uncomfortable? Not quite sure where you can find 3k of savings in an average household mind. Is it OK to sell children yet?

I find wool jumper better at keeping warm with base layer.

Beanie is a must for me otherwise I get headache.

oh ya wool socks too.

Spend the winter months somewhere warm.

Algarve, Sicily, Greece... Main thing is it's warm.

I might think of going into hibernation end of October. Consigned to one room, insulated clothes and a sleeping bag. Emerge about March 😕

I know it's an old person thing but I <love> my electric blanket. Sounds like an additional cost, but it heats the bed meaning you don't need to heat the room. And being snug as a bug under a good duvet that's been pre-heated, in a cold-ish room, is lovely.

Other'n that, cheap thermals and fleeces. There's a temptation to go down the mountain bikey route with merino and suchlike but imo for just around the house there's no need, go cheap and bulky. Mountain Warehouse not Mountain Equipment.

Re: switching off standby, it does bug me seeing all those tiny little LEDs on all the time.

Don't Sky et al recommend keeping broadband hubs and TV boxes on all the time? Or is it fine to switch off at night?

Am trying to decide if it's more efficient to ditch the gas hob wherever possible, gas is cheaper but a big open flame spilling out around the sides of the pot can't be as efficient as e.g. microwaving or boiling in a kettle.

I also remember saving gas when wild camping by just bringing pasta water to the boil, putting pasta in then turning off the gas and letting it sit. Seemed to cook just as well, maybe 1 minute longer.

I'm wondering if a membership at the council gym might be a good idea. At £30 a month, showering there must be cheaper than showering at home and I drive past in the way back from work anyway.

I've been conditioning myself to cold showers the last few months anyway but I'm not sure how far into the winter I'll be able to keep that going.

We've turned down the hot water temp on the condensing combi boiler so that showering and washing can be done with just hot water rather than overheating it and adding cold water for comfort. Theoretical increase of legionnaires but should still be pretty low for an "on demand" system with no storage.

Still need to fact check this one but we might well be turning the flow temperature down on the boiler as well as the thermostat. I've read that running cooler but longer is more efficient but opinion does still seam split.

Has anyone done the maths to see what you can save by doing all the stuff like switching off standby

Radio 4 yesterday, £55 per year for the average household.

If people are worried about bills then surely the best clothes are the ones you already own.

Use the curtains really well - this seems a lost art. We've thermal/blackout blinds as well a curtains upstairs, and one window we've never had a covering on over the sink that I'm going to upgrade.

We're going to do a few walks around the block - getting your physical activity a d body furnace going works wonders on all sorts of levels.

Onzadog
We’ve turned down the hot water temp on the condensing combi boiler so that showering and washing can be done with just hot water rather than overheating it and adding cold water for comfort. Theoretical increase of legionnaires but should still be pretty low for an “on demand” system with no storage.

Still need to fact check this one but we might well be turning the flow temperature down on the boiler as well as the thermostat. I’ve read that running cooler but longer is more efficient but opinion does still seam split.

Gut feel is changing the hot water temp will make little difference if you end up with the same temperature bath/shower. If you want water at 60c, it's going to take X KW to do that. That is unless you are running a bath too hot and then actually draining it away and topping up with more cold.

For the rads you want it in the range where the boiler can run in condensing mode yet still provide enough heat to warm the house. The installation booklet will tell you what temperature you want on the returning flow to get it working. It's usually around 50c IIRC.

I am assuming this question is born out of the cost of living crisis. Has anyone done the maths to see what you can save by doing all the stuff like switching off standby, not putting the heating on etc? Is this going to knock 50% off the bill?

It's a reasonable point when the standing charge is not inconsiderable.

Best hope is for a mild winter.

Surely the bath is more efficient if you only use water heated to 40° rather than 80% of that volume heated to 60° and then cooled with the other 20% from the cold tap.

Onzadog
Free Member
Surely the bath is more efficient if you only use water heated to 40° rather than 80% of that volume heated to 60° and then cooled with the other 20% from the cold tap.

Can you explain why you think that?

Can you explain why you think that?

Because in one example, you've only added the energy needed, in the other, you've added an excess and then reduced it back down to what's needed by cooling it.

I've not crunched the numbers, just applied logic. If it's flawed, I'd like to see the numbers.

The bath example is also looking at a fixed volume but washing hands or taking a shower isn't volume dependant and the reduced flow rate of only using the hot might save a few pence on the water bill as well.

brown paper and goose grease

Slippers? North Face 'thermoball' tent mules.  Quilted, toasty, downy perfection in the winter. We have a stone floor in the kitchen/living room we spend most time in, and these are just ace. A grippy ish sole on them too, so you can take the bins out in them. Too warm for spring and summer though. My current ones are on their last legs after 4 or 5 years but will definitely be replaced by another pair.

Argos (and Amazon etc) sell fleecy heated blankets and throws. Use almost no electricity compared to heating a room, and they heat up in seconds. Made a huge difference when I lived in a leaky grade-2-listed stone cottage where the radiators may as well have been heating the outside directly.

Best hope is for a mild winter.

I’m praying for this. We have taken always taken the measures that others are considering (and more). A harsh winter can make a huge difference in my experience. The year we had the ‘Beast from the East’ was particularly difficult.

Things to consider:
Forget bathing. Shower quickly.
Wear thermal underwear.
Jumpers, jackets, scarves and hats etc indoors.
Blankets whilst watching Tv.
Only put the water you need into the kettle - measure what you will need.

More extreme measures may be required for some of us. Onzadog, I liked your gym idea - maybe I should shower at work.

Can you explain why you think that?

Because in one example, you’ve only added the energy needed, in the other, you’ve added an excess and then reduced it back down to what’s needed by cooling it.

I’ve not crunched the numbers, just applied logic. If it’s flawed, I’d like to see the numbers.

The bath example is also looking at a fixed volume but washing hands or taking a shower isn’t volume dependant and the reduced flow rate of only using the hot might save a few pence on the water bill as well.

I would have thought that in both scenarios you are heating the same volume of water, to the same temperature and hence you will require the same amount of energy. The difference would be, how much extra energy you lose, by heating water to 60 degrees.

I love the look oh McNair shirts, but I’d rather not sell my house to buy one.

Does anyone know of anything similar but cheaper?

I love the look oh McNair shirts, but I’d rather not sell my house to buy one.

Does anyone know of anything similar but cheaper?

Crazy prices! They look a bit like these LL Bean shirts
https://global.llbean.com/shop/Mens-Chamois-Shirt-Traditional-Fit/22611.html

I plan to burn Tories and Pro-Brexit voters.