PeterPoddy – Member

Ours is NEVER shut at night, whatever the temperature outside

Same here, we both like a really cold bedroom.

House heating is never set to more than 18deg for the rest of the house, our gas bill is in the lowest 10% in our area 😀

When the girlfriend is in. I’ve not had it on tonight while she’s out. But when back she’ll no doubt want it on!

Trail_Rat thanks for the info, I might be forced to look into getting one of these I’m in need of a new boiler. Details greatly appreciated

Heating has been ‘on’ permanently, although as it is set to 18 degrees C and has a fairly low start up temp it hasn’t actually been on over the summer months. Comes on in a morning for an hour then from 16:30-20:30 up to 18 degrees C. That was enough for me the last couple of years since i had the new doors/windows, but MsD is moving in over the next month so my fuel bills are about to match the national debt!

I spent ten years living in a rented house with only one gas fire for heating and an immersion heater for hot water – a modern combi boiler is a thing of wonder compared to that!

Aaah, so you do have at least some sort of heat source in your house then.

I remember that picture you posted of the snowfall with the ruler in it back in Nov or Dec 2010 and I think I know roughly what part of the country you live in and it wasn’t the warmest, or should I say least cold, during that time.

Yeah and funnily enough put it on last night but only as I’d been swimming in the North Sea all afternoon and needed warmed through.

That year was a bit cool, got down to around -15c through the night.

i’m very jealous of all of you who have control of the insulation in your house and the type of boiler/heating system you use. My rented flat has an ancient, inefficient bowler and rubbish radiators with no thermostats.

I don’t have heating any more. The AC is set to 25c though. It’s one of the upsides of living on a boat in the Indian Ocean for 10 months of the year. There are downsides like being “at work” 24/7 and being bikeless for most of the year.
Oh, and being 5 hours ahead of GMT means that I have to endure the late night postings on here whilst eating my breakfast.

“I can be sitting in shorts and T shirt while she has jumpers and fleeces on and still complains she is cold.”

Same here.

Not on yet it’s not October. But as it’s the equinox tonight, I can start wearing a jacket to work tomorrow. it’s certainly cool at 6.30am now.

CaptJohn – hang in there.

Under the proposed Green Deal scheme, in a few years it will be obligatory for landlords to implement Green Deal approved changes if the tenant requests them.

Basically it will be law that if its economically beneficial (i.e. fuel savings are better than the capital cost and financing cost) to install say a modern efficient boiler or insulation or a heat pump etc, then the Landlord has to approve the works and the green deal financing cost gets attached to the electricity meter.

In the domestic sector, we are proposing
powers to require landlords to honour
reasonable requests from their tenants for
energy efficiency improvements, where financial
support is available so there are no upfront
costs to the landlord. We also intend to enable
local authorities to insist landlords of the
worst performing properties make all energy
efficiency improvements for which there is
financial support available, such as Green Deal
or ECO. Our intention is that this local authority
action would be focussed on landlords owning
properties with an EPC rating of F or G.

http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/legislation/energybill/1010-green-deal-summary-proposals.pdf

Still sleeping with bedroom window open

I have been glossing the rads upstairs so I will have to put the heating on today at some point help dry/rid the smell

In our last house the (mains gas) CH was always on, with the thermostat set at 20. If it was cold, it came on. But the house was well insulated and pretty new. Gas cost was pretty negligable, in that if you were warm, you’d open a window.

Now, our new house is a 150 y/o converted mill with an AGA at one end and electric storage heaters elsewhere – it is though well insulated. The AGA is always on (circa £200 pcm for oil). We’re going to install a multifuel stove at the other end. This along with the economy 7 should keep us warm, although the QE2 is probably cheap to fuel…

And I’ve starting wearing long sleeved items 😉

And we’ve moved from the SE to Scotland, so that probably reduces the average temp by 5c.

Good news Stoner. But does it mean the costs are paid for my the tenant via energy bills?

Br – ditch the aga and fit a bottled gas range cooker and a boiler. At 200 pcm wouldnt take long to recoup and agas sell well Second hand.

it is though well insulated.

If it were then £200 a month of oil would turn it into a sauna. See my questions on the previous page which no-one has answered yet – and if they do it’ll be the people who have genuinely well-insulated homes.

People seem ready to admit to heating bills that top £1200 a year but less willing to admit that for not much money + a lot of work they could better than halve the bill.

CaptJon – yes the cost is recovered through the electricity bill…however…

For Green Deal improvements there is a Golden Rule that the financial savings in lower fuel consumption MUST be greater than the capital and financing cost of the installation. So in theory, the electricity bill should go up less than the fuel bill has come down (assuming a few things). It probably isn’t quite like that as some savings will be delivered after the financing phase has been completed but Id hope that overall the occupancy costs are lower than before the improvements.

I’ve had Agas, one coal and the last oil. I ;oved them but the coal one was rubbish at keeping the plates hot whilst he oil one was excellent at both keeping the plates warm and melting kitchen utensil handles.. oh.. and keeoing the dogs warm..

No Aga now, though I miss them I’d not have another.

Edukator i have 300mm in the attic and cheeks of the dormers

The walls are twin skin brick with cavity fill and external render

The north facing internal wall has 100mm king span on it

All the floor coverings on the lower floor have foil bubble wrap under.

Im slightly at a loss as to how to best insulate the floor beyond that – solid concrete pad with 4 ft air gap under with damp to touch solum- might have to deal with that before i insulate.

Front door is upvc and double glazing top to bottom and rear door is Half and half – no idea whats in the sandwich though.

Windows are double glazed hardwood With blinds fitted into the recess and curtains

Any suggestions on how to harden oneself up for winter.Or at least insulate a home with minimal cost?

A reasoanbly well insulated house and you’re another one astonished by how much people are spending on energy, Trail Rat. I was hoping the people claiming to be well-insulated and also reporting huge bills would reply so I could make suggestions. They probably know what needs doing but would rather pay huge bills.

The soil in a sanitary space is usually dry so you need to find why it’s wet. Polystyrene fixed under the concrete floor is the classic answer but still leaves thermal briges around the perimetre.