Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

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Mo
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Mo »

An open fire can warm the whole wall, the chimney breast warms the bedroom too. And it holds the heat overnight (a brick 'storage rad')

manda wrote:I can't remember if you have them over in the UK ... we fitted a heat exchange system which takes the warm air sitting in the ceiling and transfers it down to the bedrooms.

If you take away the warm air from the ceiling you're surely going to need to heat more air to replace it. So it's not exactly 'free heat', though it may be more efficient than radiators.
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

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We just purchased one of the little fans that sit on top of the stove, it seems to work )t'
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Meanqueen
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Meanqueen »

I shall go down the wearing extra clothes route, I'm wearing a fleece dressing gown now over the top of my clothes. The only thing that is cold is my nose. It's time I was getting my extra curtains out of the cupboard, I hang two sets on one rail, doubles the thickness. When it's really cold I stuff a hot water bottle down my jog bottoms and drink plenty of hot drinks. I like hot fruit juice. I don't seem to feel the cold very much, I spend a lot of time outdoors.
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Richard
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Richard »

There's a lot to be said for open fires, wood stoves etc., as some say, they don't just throw heat out into the room, they warm the walls and any pipes / chimneys going from them.

I applaud you for your methods Ilona but does not having heating on affect your property in any way as in damp, condensation leading to maintenance costs?

I have to say that although I'm not a well off person I have more than I had a couple of years ago (through hard work I should add!) and have decided to just keep myself warm whatever this winter. One or two health blips dictate this is the way to go, no other reason.

I spend quite a bit of time in my Shed Office and that heats very easily on a small low usage heater, costs not much more than a couple of light bulbs.

I feel sorry for those who are on the breadline, those where age is getting a grip.

Is there such a thing as heating credit?

In that I mean, a Pensioner gets their heating allowance and by the time that arrives it's probably just swallowed up in other living costs.
If there were such a scheme, it could be paid directly into an Energy Company?

Insulation is the key though.

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Meanqueen
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

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Richard wrote:
I applaud you for your methods Ilona but does not having heating on affect your property in any way as in damp, condensation leading to maintenance costs?

Richard


Hi Richard
The only condensation I see is on a window in the living room overlooking the back garden, it's the only one which isn't double glazed. There is no damp on the walls. All my interior doors are open all the time, never close them, so there is air flowing through the house. The back door is often open when I am here, so the cats can go in and out.

I think if you are going to sit huddled in one room under a blanket with the door closed your body heat is bound to cause condensation. I am constantly moving about from room to room, don't sit for longer than 20 mins at a time. There is a house up the street where the insides of their windows are always wet. Don't know what causes that as their house is the same as mine. Two people live there. I have noticed that they are not outdoor people, never see them walking about, doors and windows always closed.

I am not sure what maintenance costs I am supposed to have, I spend hardly anything on the house. I got a grant for cavity wall insulation, and loft insulation. I found a second hand door to replace the back door which was rotting from the bottom up, cost me £20 to get it fitted. In 17 years the pipes have never frozen. I had a new kitchen, mostly fitted by me with the help of a plumber. And another plumber put a new bath in for me. They were not general maintenance jobs, but replacing old worn out parts. As long as I have four walls and a roof, I'm ok.
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Richard
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Richard »

Going well Ilona

)t' )t' )t'

Could be to do with what walls face what direction, it's surprising how much that affects a house.
Also they could just be heating one part of the house giving a lot of uneven temperatures. Interesting.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Meanqueen »

Richard wrote:
Could be to do with what walls face what direction, it's surprising how much that affects a house.
Also they could just be heating one part of the house giving a lot of uneven temperatures. Interesting.


Just had a thought, maybe one of those thermal imaging cameras might throw some light on it. cannab1s farm perhaps, ha ha.
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manda
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by manda »

Mo wrote:
manda wrote:I can't remember if you have them over in the UK ... we fitted a heat exchange system which takes the warm air sitting in the ceiling and transfers it down to the bedrooms.

If you take away the warm air from the ceiling you're surely going to need to heat more air to replace it. So it's not exactly 'free heat', though it may be more efficient than radiators.

No it's not free heat Mo but it is heat...and it's the only way we would get anything down there as the woodburner is the only thing producing heat in the house.....I'm not sure about heating more air...doesn't that have to happen regardless as the heat would either go up through the ceiling or cool and be re-heated anyway..the exchange system is more about moving the warm air around the house.

We're grateful for it because it's made a big difference...mind you we are in a one storey house I don't know how it would it would go in a two storey house...
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Stef »

OK, old house, metal windows and no door fits its hole. Open cellar under half of the house. One open fire and oil fired heating.

We have thick curtains over every window and door, door sausages, couch blankets, tote socks, multiple thin layers of comfy clothes rather than a bulky jumper, hot water bottles, candles (we think they make a difference too). One thing we have noticed if that if your nose is cold you can really feel it... but I refuse to wear a nose scarf - yet!

I am looking for new ideas but have the sinking feeling that there isn't much else we could do.
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by lancashire lass »

Stef wrote:I am looking for new ideas but have the sinking feeling that there isn't much else we could do.


I’ve no idea how well this would work, but I’m considering on making some frugal (homemade) “solar heating” using nothing more than a cardboard frame fitted to the south facing windows. The west side windows are for the bathroom and top of stairs – both of which I already have closed off with heavy curtains/blinds to keep the cold out – and should make good candidates too. The south facing windows are at the back of the house so it’s not like it will be noticeable from the street, and while I’m at work during the day, I don’t need to worry about the windows being blocked off and having no light (except the back bedroom where I keep my overwintered plants and seedlings in spring …)

The principle is to have the window side of the box painted black – this will absorb the heat from the sun and warm the air inside the box. Even a weak winter’s sun has some heat. Warm air rises so have a small vent at the top on the room side of the box with a small vent (maybe with a hose attached) at the bottom to give a chimney effect. But be aware that when the sun has gone down and temperatures drop, cold air will fall and drag air from the top back down giving a cooling effect unless there was some way of closing the vent/fitting some sort of trap to stop that from happening (I will have to put my thinking cap on unless someone has any ideas)

Try googling homemade solar heating and there are many other similar diy ideas. The painted soda cans box looked like it could be modified – same principle of hot air rising, and as metal conducts heat better than cardboard, should be more effective. It looked like a big project though whereas the window box idea should be fairly easy to knock up and see how it goes.
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Mallard »

I've already invested, keeps your nose warm too! Found it on Amazon, £20 including P&P. The heating's turned off and I'm literally as snug as a bug in a rug!
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

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Mmmmmmmmmmm! Not sure about the get up....

But window boxes sound good... may have a look and make one for the dining room, as it is above the open cellar and gets coldest.
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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

Post by Richard »

Interesting that Lassie.

Mallard - as long as it's you in the photograph and not 'someone else', you're OK mate )t'

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Re: Winter Home Energy - Tightening up but keeping warm

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Richard wrote:
Mallard - as long as it's you in the photograph and not 'someone else', you're OK mate )t'

Richard


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