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gil
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416
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Mary-Jane
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales
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nora
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex
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 Posted: Thu Jan 12, 06 4:57 pm Post subject: |
 
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As others else have said, insulation and draughtproofing are top of the list! But don't eliminate all ventilation. Start the storage heaters on a low setting to see how you get on with them. Personally I hate them 'cos they heat up at night when I want the house to be cool.
This kind of halogen heater is very effective for quick warmth and cheap to buy. www.ajmshopping.co.uk/listing.asp?Category=MarqueeHireEquipmentSales&SubCategory=MarqueeHeater&gclid=CNPR6ua6xYICFTxqEgodlAZCsw . Similar running costs as a fan heater, I guess, but the glow is more comforting somehow.
Carpet the floors - any old carpet/rugs will do to start with. It doesn't have to be properly fitted, just whack down a piece of secondhand carpet that roughly fits the room. The furniture will hold it in place.
Wear plenty of warm clothes, get some really good bootie-type slippers and wear a woolly hat if it's really cold.
This type of microwavable hottie is great www.airandwater.co.uk/product_details.asp?pid=555. Don't know how heating it in the microwave compares to boiling water for a rubber bottle, though. Lasts for ages, but worth making a washable cover for it as they get filthy (and a bit whiffy) eventually. I often use mine as a bit of extra warmth in my lap when I don't want the CH on, but sitting at the computer is chilly.
A few blankets between the mattress and the bottom sheet add cosiness if you don't fancy an electric blanket. Flanelette sheets are nice in winter. Wear pyjamas and buy really cosy long dressing gowns - fleece ones are cheap.
You can get special heaters for bathrooms which are combined with a light fitting - can't find one right now, but I know they exist! Cold bathroom is the pits. Have good thick bath mat and try to ensure towels are at dry before having a bath.
Have a rug or two available to tuck round your knees when you are sitting down to do something.
Keep active and eat well. The first two weeks will be the worst, after that you'll have adapted.
Your youth and love will keep you warm too    .
I lived in an unheated detatched house as a young adult and don't remember it as cold at all - we had a gas fire in the living room and a wall-heater in the bathroom. There were storage heaters, but we couldn't afford to use them. There were usually at least half a dozen people in the house (3 beds, 2 recepts) so I expect we generated a lot of hot air between us  .
Happy new house  |
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Naomi
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 1945
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Penny Outskirts
Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....
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woodyandluna
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Posts: 71
Location: Milton Keynes
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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Will
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 571
Location: Grenoside, Sheffield
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judith
Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
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dougal
Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 06 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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Condensation is a sign that
1/ the inside of the window is cold, and
2/ there is an unusually large amount of moisture in the air inside the house.
The moisture may be from many potential sources, none of which are likely to be welcome. Air movement should reduce moisture *build-up*. Now while the air may have been very still with the house unoccupied, there shouldn't be any sources of moisture to build-up. BTW, note that people, and flames without chimneys (like gas cookers), are *sources* of moisture... (which wouldn't be contributing moisture while the place was unoccupied).
As regards point 1 above, this too often steers people towards double glazing. DG is the least effective (in energy saving terms) form of insulation - and yet it is the most agressively sold.
Before you investigate woodburning stoves, (and the chimney work required, and suitable storage for a tonne or so of wood, and local sources for suitable wood) the PRIORITY has to be proper insulation.
And there are generous grants to help ensure it is done *properly*.
If you don't have cavity walls, then you shouldn't start redecorating until you have planned how you can incorporate insulation into the outside walls.
The more expensive the heat energy you are using, and the less well controlled it is (storage rads and open fires are neither well controlled or cheap to run) then the more important insulation is.
And as the cost of energy (ALL energy) is much more likely to rise than fall, insulating to get maximum benefit from your energy purchase, and minimising that purchase requirement, really does make most sense. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46343
Location: yes
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moongoddess
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
Posts: 673
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 06 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Brica,
How's the new house treating you?
We don't have central heating; we have an open fire in the lounge and a woodburner in the dining room (which is open plan with the kitchen and conservatory). We are able to get wood for nothing by going out daily into the forest.......
Our insulation is lousy, but we do what we can - we have old duvets around the hot water tank, keep the doors closed and have curtains lined with blankets. Insulation is something we would like to work on in the future.
We use hot water bottles (just a preference to electric blankets) and have two feather duvets on the bed. We also have a duvet downstairs for extra snuggling if we're sitting still, but basically we move around a lot - housework, chopping wood, tidying etc and wear warm clothes and extra layers.
Our daughter was born in this house and it is *amazing* how hot-blooded she is - She complains it is too hot if the room gets above about 18 degrees and starts stripping off.
It's also amazing how fast you get used to something. I was bought up with gas central heating which was on all the time *plus* an electric convector heater in my bedroom, alongside cavity wall, double glazing and an electric blanket. And guess what? Alot of the time I was cold. Now I can't bear going into my parents house, I feel totally stifled.
Eat porrage and jacket potatoes and you'll be as warm as toast! Things like garlic and ginger are not only good for you, but warm you from the inside out.
Oh, on really cold nights, we put a load of cushions and duvets on the floor and sleep infront of the fire - it's a great excuse for some family quality time and we keep warm in the bargain!
Have fun
mg x |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46343
Location: yes
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homeinsulationservices
Joined: 19 Jan 2006
Posts: 24
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, you can fill them with cold water and put them in a (non-electric) oven to heat up, then carefully transfer using oven gloves to the bed.
so you have all summer to sort it .
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