Staying warm this winter

[pje16]

the ones I bought on Amazon last year are no longer available
but they are similar to these
They keep you so warm

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heatwave%C2%AE ... B01M0MWHNG?

Edit
the first set I bought aren't available the other ones are
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

[pje16]

I have Aldi/Lidl and Amazon sets are they are both worth their weight.

To be pedantic, they weigh very little and are the best winter clothing item for warmth I have ever bought

[PhaseThree]

So...
Loft Insulation - check
Wall Insulation - check
Floor insulation - check
Air tightness membrane - check
High gain triple glazed windows - check
Air Source Heat Pump on E7 electricity - check
Ultra insulated phase change hot water storage on E7 electricity - check
Heat exchange ventilation system - check

Overall it looks like the additional cost of building a "Passive" spec house is going to pay off a lot quicker than I was anticipating.

The next step is to self-install a few solar PV panels to offset the vampire loads around the house and to add a few monitors to work out where the power is going.

Overall the P3 family should be able to stay fairly toastie at a reasonable cost this year.

[pje16]

Lots of TLFs come round for a party, body heat warmth - check

[Dod101]

I bought enough logs to keep me going until about mid February and enough oil until at least the same time. I am investigating/experimenting with timings for heating water and central heating in due course. Shutting off rooms I do not use. Checking thermostats on hot water tanks I had not thought of. I am already using a lot less electricity than I used to (20/25% down)

I do not get cold feet and have several sweaters of various weights just in case. If all else fails my car heater is pretty good so I can always go for a drive, but loft insulation checking needs to be my next task.

Dod

[Dod101]

I bought enough logs to keep me going until about mid February and enough oil until at least the same time. I am investigating/experimenting with timings for heating water and central heating in due course. Shutting off rooms I do not use. Checking thermostats on hot water tanks I had not thought of. I am already using a lot less electricity than I used to (20/25% down)

I do not get cold feet and have several sweaters of various weights just in case. If all else fails my car heater is pretty good so I cam always go for a drive, but loft insulation checking needs to be my next task.

Dod

Just remember your hot water needs to be heated to at least 60 degrees Dod as least every couple days to kill off any legionella bacteria. My thermostat was set to 'off the scale' by the plumber(i think about 80 degrees) and it had been like that for a couple of years. The hot water was great for baths- but now we no longer have a bath it's completely unnecessary.

I suspect that I heat far too much water but I agree entirely about the temperature. I think I will aim for 65 degrees and check the lagging. I only ever shower so that is not a problem.

Dod

[scotview]

Loft insultation - check
LED Bulbs - check
Double glazing - check.
Hot water to 65 degrees (and not 'max' like it was previously set by the plumber)

Good post Snorvey.
As above plus+
Hot water set to at least 60C for legionella and checked via temperature monitor (£20)
Make sure boiler HW cylinder coil and electric immersion heater both functional.
Extra jacket to hot water tank & piping insulation. - to do, thanks MIKE4
Move to TV room (Oled gives out fair bit of heat) & Master bedroom, have rest of house on 12C - last resort.
Fit door to bottom of stair case - joiner to cost.
Shorter showers, mixer stat turned down & reduced flow.
Heart condition so on priority user register (Scottish Power)
Gas hob so should be ok for cooking & heating hot water for tea coffee.
Check small battery packs for charging phones/led torches etc.
Spare zone thermostats checked.


Backup for rolling blackouts
Bottled gas & 2 superser heaters, check with local supplier for priority gas bottle order.
Chase up installer for domestic storage battery (£4K ish)

[James]

Lots of TLFs come round for a party, body heat warmth - check

Well I did read somewhere that getting a big dog culd be an option for some.....and they used to keep cows under the living areas back in yonder times (probably still do in Scotland). I read that yer average bovine gives of something like 3kw in heat. Bit smelly though, but you get used to it.

With the cost of winter feed for you bovine after this summer's drought, you'd be better off heating your house with electric radiators while leaving the windows open.

[PhaseThree]

I bought enough logs to keep me going until about mid February and enough oil until at least the same time. I am investigating/experimenting with timings for heating water and central heating in due course. Shutting off rooms I do not use. Checking thermostats on hot water tanks I had not thought of. I am already using a lot less electricity than I used to (20/25% down)

I do not get cold feet and have several sweaters of various weights just in case. If all else fails my car heater is pretty good so I cam always go for a drive, but loft insulation checking needs to be my next task.

Dod

Just remember your hot water needs to be heated to at least 60 degrees Dod as least every couple days to kill off any legionella bacteria. My thermostat was set to 'off the scale' by the plumber(i think about 80 degrees) and it had been like that for a couple of years. The hot water was great for baths- but now we no longer have a bath it's completely unnecessary.

I did a lot of research on this during my house build. It turns out that there is no record of anyone ever catching legionella from unpasteurised domestic hot water system - ever. The idea originated in Canada as an extrapolation of the rules for industrial systems and has caught on as a theoretical risk

[Dod101]

I bought enough logs to keep me going until about mid February and enough oil until at least the same time. I am investigating/experimenting with timings for heating water and central heating in due course. Shutting off rooms I do not use. Checking thermostats on hot water tanks I had not thought of. I am already using a lot less electricity than I used to (20/25% down)

I do not get cold feet and have several sweaters of various weights just in case. If all else fails my car heater is pretty good so I cam always go for a drive, but loft insulation checking needs to be my next task.

Dod

Just remember your hot water needs to be heated to at least 60 degrees Dod as least every couple days to kill off any legionella bacteria. My thermostat was set to 'off the scale' by the plumber(i think about 80 degrees) and it had been like that for a couple of years. The hot water was great for baths- but now we no longer have a bath it's completely unnecessary.

I did a lot of research on this during my house build. It turns out that there is no record of anyone ever catching legionella from unpasteurised domestic hot water system - ever. The idea originated in Canada as an extrapolation of the rules for industrial systems and has caught on as a theoretical risk

You first

Anyway, I find that my water thermostat is set at 60 degrees which is actually quite hot for me and I would not like to use that temperature for a shower, 'undiluted' as it were.

Dod

[richlist]

My plans are to continue to use my solar panels to provide domestic hot water. I have a log burner in the lounge with a massive quantity of logs sitting ready. In addition we have x2 portable gas heaters with over 100kg of bottled gas. I'll probably still turn the gas central heating on (just had the boiler serviced) but I'm hoping winter won't prove to be to cold for the next couple of years.

PLUS......I'm expecting £900 in total from UK Gov towards energy costs....... PLUS whatever the new PM decides to add to that.

The next stage is to plan my strategy for self protection in dealing with the potential civil unrest, anarchy & riots which, along with essential service pay strikes are likely to cause chaos throughout the land.

[richfool]

Is there anything else I could do to further improve our insulation/reduce our heating bills (this winter)?

I live in a 2 bedroom, mid floor flat, in a purpose built block (built c 2001), so well insulated and double glazed. Unfortunately, the flat windows mainly face north-east. We have curtains with liners. A curtain on the inside of the flat door, which leads to an internal hallway anyway. Gas central heating and hot water, from a gas combi-boiler. (So no hot water tanks or airing cupboard). HW and CH set to modest temperatures on the boiler. We don't bath, just shower. Cooking from a gas hob and electric oven.

We have a small electric oven on a work top. We use a microwave and electric kettle. Yes, I can turn down the temperature on the boiler further for the radiators and the hot water. We set the CH room stat, in the living room, to 21C, and it doesn't turn on until 1.0 full degree below that. Duvets on the beds. Most washing is done at 30C or 40C low temperatures. Good quality carpets and underlay.

I can't think of anything else, apart from bricking up the windows (joke), or putting some sort of insulating material on the floor, just inside the east facing balcony window, to absorb some of the solar heat from the sun.

We are on a (variable, capped) dual fuel tariff and pay by direct debit, so there are slight discounts there.

[richlist]

Is there anything else I could do to further improve our insulation/reduce our heating bills (this winter)?

I live in a 2 bedroom, mid floor flat, in a purpose built block (built c 2001), so well insulated and double glazed. Unfortunately, the flat windows mainly face north-east. We have curtains with liners. A curtain on the inside of the flat door, which leads to an internal hallway anyway. Gas central heating and hot water, from a gas combi-boiler. (So no hot water tanks or airing cupboard). HW and CH set to modest temperatures on the boiler. We don't bath, just shower. Cooking from a gas hob and electric oven.

We have a small electric oven on a work top. We use a microwave and electric kettle. Yes, I can turn down the temperature on the boiler further for the radiators and the hot water. We set the CH room stat, in the living room, to 21C, and it doesn't turn on until 1.0 full degree below that. Duvets on the beds. Most washing is done at 30C or 40C low temperatures. Good quality carpets and underlay.

I can't think of anything else, apart from bricking up the windows (joke), or putting some sort of insulating material on the floor, just inside the east facing balcony window, to absorb some of the solar heat from the sun.

We are on a (variable, capped) dual fuel tariff and pay by direct debit, so there are slight discounts there.

* Have you considered economy 7 or similar tariff ?
You could then run your washing machine early morning on the lower night rate
* Thermostatic radiator valves.
* LED light bulbs.
* Draught proofing.
* Move to Spain for 3 months in winter. Hotels are dirt cheap and the savings on UK gas/electric will cover the cost.

One of my neighbours just had 2 inverter air conditioners installed. These run cold in summer and hot in winter using a variable heat pump. They blow hot or cold air and incredibly energy efficient. I think they are the future.....

[servodude]

I've looked at mini split heat pumps before. Even just for the main room they may be attractive and they look quite discreet on the inside. I'm just not sure about having a washing machine sized lump nailed to my outside wall.

In other news, I'm considering a portable gas heater and a Jackery type power brick to cover off any potential blackouts.

https://www.heatpumpcovers.com/products/

[richfool]

Is there anything else I could do to further improve our insulation/reduce our heating bills (this winter)?

I live in a 2 bedroom, mid floor flat, in a purpose built block (built c 2001), so well insulated and double glazed. Unfortunately, the flat windows mainly face north-east. We have curtains with liners. A curtain on the inside of the flat door, which leads to an internal hallway anyway. Gas central heating and hot water, from a gas combi-boiler. (So no hot water tanks or airing cupboard). HW and CH set to modest temperatures on the boiler. We don't bath, just shower. Cooking from a gas hob and electric oven.

We have a small electric oven on a work top. We use a microwave and electric kettle. Yes, I can turn down the temperature on the boiler further for the radiators and the hot water. We set the CH room stat, in the living room, to 21C, and it doesn't turn on until 1.0 full degree below that. Duvets on the beds. Most washing is done at 30C or 40C low temperatures. Good quality carpets and underlay.

I can't think of anything else, apart from bricking up the windows (joke), or putting some sort of insulating material on the floor, just inside the east facing balcony window, to absorb some of the solar heat from the sun.

We are on a (variable, capped) dual fuel tariff and pay by direct debit, so there are slight discounts there.

* Have you considered economy 7 or similar tariff ?
You could then run your washing machine early morning on the lower night rate
* Thermostatic radiator valves.
* LED light bulbs.
* Draught proofing.
* Move to Spain for 3 months in winter. Hotels are dirt cheap and the savings on UK gas/electric will cover the cost.

One of my neighbours just had 2 inverter air conditioners installed. These run cold in summer and hot in winter using a variable heat pump. They blow hot or cold air and incredibly energy efficient. I think they are the future.....

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.

I forgot to say, we have thermostatic valves on the radiators, and LED light bulbs everywhere including the cooker hood light, and draught excluders built in to all external doors and windows.

Whilst our heating system is wet radiators run off a gas boiler, I did think about Economy 7 heating, but that would mean a new separate electrical wiring system to a second set of storage heater/radiators (well 2 would probably suffice), so a significant capital outlay, and I suspect using electricity would still work out more expensive than the current gas radiator system. It would also mean our daytime use of electricity for ovens, kettles, microwaves, TV, evening lighting, etc would be at much higher rates than currently.

As a rough guide, over the recent summer months, the electricity cost component of our bills has been exactly double the gas component, noting that we have only used gas for hot water, showers, and cooking on the hob (no heating used), and the electricity will have been used predominantly by oven cooking, microwave, washing machine, kettle, vacuuming, TV and lights. So we would likely still use a significant proportion of electricity in the day, which with E7 would be at more than double the normal tariff.

Yes, I am in tune with moving to a warmer climate over the key winter months, though I do have a step-daughter living at home, who due to work commitments, might not be able to come with my wife and I. Also, my target destinations are in the far east, and flights there over the coming months are way more expensive than previously, so it may have to be Spain.

I have used AC's in Thailand, they cost about £500 a unit, though not the inverter type which are more expensive, but they use a lot of electricity in the cooling mode. I don't know about the heating mode costs or characteristics. Note, in terms of sticking things through, or to, walls, we are in a mid floor flat and the lease may impose restrictions about sticking large units to outside walls.

We have a car port, separate from the main building, which is the only place I could conceive sticking a solar panel on, but then the wiring for that would have to somehow get 35 metres across a tarmac car park and into and then to the other side of the main building, before it could in any way hook up to our flat's electricity supply, so I think a non-starter there.

[scrumpyjack]

If you are using economy 7, it is worth checking when the lower rate period is. It is not stated anywhere and is usually assumed to be midnight to 7am, but I did some checking by looking at our meter dials turning at night and found ours ran from 2am to 9am. So I reset the schedule for charging the BEV

[UncleEbenezer]

Can the government make gas? No. Hot air? Yes. But not heating gas.

A modest change to the diet fixes that. Make your own gas.

I'll maybe just encourage the missus to eat more pies.

Indeed, a companion can help. Some species - like cows - can produce rather a lot.

[funduffer]

Just remember your hot water needs to be heated to at least 60 degrees Dod as least every couple days to kill off any legionella bacteria. My thermostat was set to 'off the scale' by the plumber(i think about 80 degrees) and it had been like that for a couple of years. The hot water was great for baths- but now we no longer have a bath it's completely unnecessary.

This is true for a hot water system with a tank.

Is it true for a combi boiler, which has no tank? I ask because my hot water is set at 50C currently!

FD

[funduffer]

I have used at least 20% less gas every month this year compared to 2021. I have been struggling to understand why.

Yes, I have added some insulation, but this was in May, after the winter, so it can't be that.

Has it been a warmer than usual winter, well maybe. My thermostat settings have not changed.

I have a condensing combi boiler, and following some advice from my energy supplier (Octopus), in December 2021 I reset my boiler output temperatures to 55C for the radiators, and 50C for hot water. I can only assume this means the boiler is working much more efficiently at these temperatures than what I had previously. If so, that is astonishing.

In case anyone says this means the house is colder, I don't think so. The central heating is on longer, but the rooms still reach their target temperature.

FD

[Itsallaguess]

I have used at least 20% less gas every month this year compared to 2021. I have been struggling to understand why.

Yes, I have added some insulation, but this was in May, after the winter, so it can't be that.

Has it been a warmer than usual winter, well maybe. My thermostat settings have not changed.

I have a condensing combi boiler, and following some advice from my energy supplier (Octopus), in December 2021 I reset my boiler output temperatures to 55C for the radiators, and 50C for hot water. I can only assume this means the boiler is working much more efficiently at these temperatures than what I had previously. If so, that is astonishing.

Likely to be a combination of two beneficial factors -

1. Yes - we had a relatively mild winter last year

2. Combi-boilers work most efficiently around the lower temperatures that you've now been advised to set. This temperature range allows combi-boilers to operate in their most efficient 'condensing mode', recovering as much heat as possible from the system to help maintain that higher efficiency.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess