In prior years, in our 2001-built modern detached house in Arborfield, we had the thermostat generally set to 20C, and during the winter months had the heating on from 0600-0830 and 1700-2230. Thought nothing more of it.

Fast forward to this year, we have moved to a larger house in March (also detached) that is 100 years old at the front but with a two-storey extension on the back that's 15 years old. Since we exchanged contracts, Putin invaded Ukraine, energy prices went stupid, my variable rate mortgage has soared, I got a 1.5% pay rise with 11% inflation (so nearly a 10% real-terms pay cut), and to cap it all this week my wife's lost her job.

So we now have an energy meter display so we can see how much we're using at any time. We've been trying to just have the heating on for half an hour in the morning, maybe half an hour in the evening, and otherwise relying on the log burner in the lounge and hot water bottles. With this cold weather this week, we've had to have more heating.

In general in the morning, the house is 12C. Some parts have managed to hit 15C at times but then goes down. Despite that, yesterday we spent £10 on gas. I'm currently wearing 3 jumpers, shirt, t-shirt, ski base-layer under my trousers and a blanket around my legs.

I'm regretting the house move, as lovely as this house is (in the summer months)!

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In prior years, in our 2001-built modern detached house in Arborfield, we had the thermostat generally set to 20C, and during the winter months had the heating on from 0600-0830 and 1700-2230. Thought nothing more of it.

Fast forward to this year, we have moved to a larger house in March (also detached) that is 100 years old at the front but with a two-storey extension on the back that's 15 years old. Since we exchanged contracts, Putin invaded Ukraine, energy prices went stupid, my variable rate mortgage has soared, I got a 1.5% pay rise with 11% inflation (so nearly a 10% real-terms pay cut), and to cap it all this week my wife's lost her job.

So we now have an energy meter display so we can see how much we're using at any time. We've been trying to just have the heating on for half an hour in the morning, maybe half an hour in the evening, and otherwise relying on the log burner in the lounge and hot water bottles. With this cold weather this week, we've had to have more heating.

In general in the morning, the house is 12C. Some parts have managed to hit 15C at times but then goes down. Despite that, yesterday we spent £10 on gas. I'm currently wearing 3 jumpers, shirt, t-shirt, ski base-layer under my trousers and a blanket around my legs.

I'm regretting the house move, as lovely as this house is (in the summer months)!

Ouch!

😯

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In prior years, in our 2001-built modern detached house in Arborfield, we had the thermostat generally set to 20C, and during the winter months had the heating on from 0600-0830 and 1700-2230. Thought nothing more of it.

Fast forward to this year, we have moved to a larger house in March (also detached) that is 100 years old at the front but with a two-storey extension on the back that's 15 years old. Since we exchanged contracts, Putin invaded Ukraine, energy prices went stupid, my variable rate mortgage has soared, I got a 1.5% pay rise with 11% inflation (so nearly a 10% real-terms pay cut), and to cap it all this week my wife's lost her job.

So we now have an energy meter display so we can see how much we're using at any time. We've been trying to just have the heating on for half an hour in the morning, maybe half an hour in the evening, and otherwise relying on the log burner in the lounge and hot water bottles. With this cold weather this week, we've had to have more heating.

In general in the morning, the house is 12C. Some parts have managed to hit 15C at times but then goes down. Despite that, yesterday we spent £10 on gas. I'm currently wearing 3 jumpers, shirt, t-shirt, ski base-layer under my trousers and a blanket around my legs.

I'm regretting the house move, as lovely as this house is (in the summer months)!

Sorry to hear all that and i moved here last Feb and this house had extra wall insulation from the outside but the main culprit is the uPVC windows which seem to be very cold easily so Installed shutters to shut them out.  Really nasty cold air rush in every moring I opened the shutters and give up to 1C further drop indoors.

Anyone know about Halogen heaters? or using them?  I read a lot of reviews and many said is cheap and to use for 1 room and around you.  I don't have one but got 2 spare oil filled radiators for emergency use. I tried that last month and it was using lot of electric so I put away.

In general in the morning, the house is 12C. Some parts have managed to hit 15C at times but then goes down.

That's actually about the same as my house atm!   Although I don't have the heating on all day and I only have half the radiators turned on.  

(edit: and I'm usually just wearing a fleece dressing gown)


As an aside, I see that the WHO recommend "Indoor temperatures should range between 21C (70F) in living rooms and 18C (64F) in bedrooms for a minimum of nine hours a day"    Which I think is incorrect, misleading and actually dangerous (insofar as the worry it will cause millions who cannot afford such stiffling temps in winter).   If you wear clothes and have a half decent duvet a normal, healthy, person shouldn't need temps anywhere near that high - unless they are shape shifting lizards from outer space.

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12.5C downstairs at the moment as we have had to turn the underfloor heating off to have our flooring laid this week. Still got the radiators on upstairs and it is 17C which is OK for me if a little cool when you are just sitting at a desk.

@Jiries there are lots of dodgy adverts for "miracle heaters" (including on this site!) which are just nonsense. Any electric heater is going to be basically 100% efficient at converting electricity into heat, so you won't get more heat out by using one type of heater over another. The cheapest way of warming yourself up with electricity would probably be one of those electric heating pads that you can put right on your body.

My heat pump has been running at about 240% efficiency even in this current cold spell but it certainly wasn't cheap to install!

PS @Darren S sorry to hear you have been struggling a bit since the move - not easy times for anyone are they.

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8.5C in the extension this morning. One more day of floor laying before we can gradually crank the underfloor heating back up!

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12.5C downstairs at the moment as we have had to turn the underfloor heating off to have our flooring laid this week. Still got the radiators on upstairs and it is 17C which is OK for me if a little cool when you are just sitting at a desk.

@Jiries there are lots of dodgy adverts for "miracle heaters" (including on this site!) which are just nonsense. Any electric heater is going to be basically 100% efficient at converting electricity into heat, so you won't get more heat out by using one type of heater over another. The cheapest way of warming yourself up with electricity would probably be one of those electric heating pads that you can put right on your body.

My heat pump has been running at about 240% efficiency even in this current cold spell but it certainly wasn't cheap to install!

PS @Darren S sorry to hear you have been struggling a bit since the move - not easy times for anyone are they.

I don't plan to buy them anywaybut I see some false comments on reviews how good they are.   This morning was the coldest indoor temps 11.9Cbedroom. 14C bed 2, 12.5C upstairs hallway and living room was 13.5.  Sun helped to increased by 4C then drop sharply before I closed the shutters.

Sorry to hear all that and i moved here last Feb and this house had extra wall insulation from the outside but the main culprit is the uPVC windows which seem to be very cold easily so Installed shutters to shut them out.  Really nasty cold air rush in every moring I opened the shutters and give up to 1C further drop indoors.

Anyone know about Halogen heaters? or using them?  I read a lot of reviews and many said is cheap and to use for 1 room and around you.  I don't have one but got 2 spare oil filled radiators for emergency use. I tried that last month and it was using lot of electric so I put away.

Problem with halogen heaters is any more ey you could possible save is list as the bulbs are u3sless and need constant replacing. 

I Got lucky and brought my dad 4 halogen heaters from homemade for 5 pound each they were getting tid off them in the summer. 
since then all bu ls have gone in all 4 and hes on to the 5th now cost 25 pound one bulbs gone within 10 days. 

Problem with halogen heaters is any money you could possible save is lost as the bulbs are useless and need constant replacing. 

I Got lucky and brought my dad 4 halogen heaters from homebase for 5 pound each they were getting tid off them in the summer. 
since then all bulbs have gone in all 4 and hes on to the 5th now cost 25 pound one bulbs gone within 10 days. 

Despite the really mild temperatures outside which have made it feel really tropical when I step outside, it has still felt really cold in my flat to the point where I've still had to wear a big dressing gown during today on top of my big winter jumper in order to keep warm.

I'm guessing though that this is probably just down to it being so cold outside for so long that it was always going to take a while for that much warmer air which we have just now, to filter into my flat.

Having said that though, it am now finally gradually starting to feel not quite as cold in here, so I might not need that extra dressing gown now.
 

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Central Heating required at all times otherwise house will be uncomfortably cold. Mild crud does not warm the house up one iota.

My station console is kept in an unheated room and the temperature plot of indoor temperature (yellow) v outdoor (red) shows that the indoor temperature has not changed at all despite the increase in outdoor temperature. Spikes on the plot are when the sun comes out and briefly warm up the room. No sun yesterday so indoor temperatures remained very low throughout the day. Sun today warmed it up to 20.8C but dropped back to 13.8C once it had gone. Exactly the same as the cold days.



 

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Between 30/11 and 19/12 we spent £243 on gas. 

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We are on £145 for the month for a 4 bedroom semi. 
Has been as high as £10 a day when it was cold, but £4-6 last couple of days. 

 

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A race to the bottom? from 1st - 18th Dec I spent £23.35 on electricity and £49.11 on gas. 

To wind up Jiries, this would be less if it didn't  include the standing charge, £4.33 for electricity and £ 4.78 for gas.

(3-bed terrace house; EDF fixed deal; figures for gas always supplied two days late so 19th to come)

EDIT - this evening, EDF is offering me £3/KWh for using less electricity than normal between 1730 and 1830. I haven't been using much at this time anyway but I could put off cooking until 1830 without difficulty. Maybe for future events which are promised, I should from tomorrow turn every appliance in the house on between these times so as to establish a new normal, and get a bigger discount?

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For 4 Days last week, we had no heating or hot water in our sheltered one-bedroom bungalow on the coldest days for ages.   We used a small electric free-standing heater and wore extra clothing along with the thermals. It took Curo housing 3 days to come and do the repairs. We had to keep on at the as they said no repairs until 3rd January. 
All is ok now. At the moment it is 20 c. 

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As daylight now very slowly drawing out had some good results for indoor temps as now rose tlo 18.5C and 17.5C upstairs after it was 17C this morning.  Heating usage 2 days ago was 2.58 hours then went off at 20.5C when thermostat set at 20C.  Yesterday went off in 2.30 hours, today might go furher less as from 18.5c to 20C is quicker than from 16-17C levels.   Up to date now £120 many thanks for nasty bone dry cold spell had an effect.  I hope Jan will be very mild month with lot of sun between the rain if there no deep cold and snow on offer.  Bartlett HP will do fine so I will get credits next month as paying out £92 per month.

Been so cold and misty down here in the south, have had to have heating on much longer.

-6 last night, been below 0c for 7 of last 8 nights


 

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But further south again,  the South Coast, brilliantly sunny since last Wednesday, and evening heating not needed for more than an hour. 

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17c. With no heating on in the bungalow. The roof was covered in frost.
Now, 20.9c Humidity 52% Rh.

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Been 14-15C every morning and warm up to 17.5C and 16C upstairs from the sun and my bedroom around 14C so heating come on every evening for up to 2-3 hours as I monitor the every 30mins rate of 28-32p first half hour warm up before settling down at 48p to 50p.   I am now £21 less than last month up to 23rd Jan.  Boiler temps at 50C.

As it was -5C this morning so last night I put the max and min thermometer between the shutters and window at my north facing bedroom window to see what the temperatures like so it was 6.9C.  Thank god the shutters was a godsend that prevented the temps from falling to below 10C in bedroom and 12C in living room if shutters was not fitted.  My front door window and back door are covered with thick bubble wraps that came on the package from Wilko also prevent it from coldness of the glass emitting inside.  Will sort out in the summer to install door blinds.