We have an old house that has been badly extended (loft) in 1981 with very poor and gappy insulation. Rooms that are not heated go mouldy almost overnight if the door is left open and warm damp air from heated areas can get in. This is despite being able to feel the draughts.
To combat it we shut the door to any room that is not heated above 16C by keeping the day to day wet from living out it stops those rooms getting damp.
The main living areas are all kept at 16C except for our computer room which is where we live, that is about 20C.
Washing is dried in the hallway, all doors are shut and we run a dehumidifier yes it costs some to run but it is silica type so it also produces a fair bit of heat.
Remember to always run the fan while cooking and open a window after taking a shower if you don't have a fan there.
A dry cold house feels a lot warmer than a wet cold house, so keeping it dry is worth sacrificing a few degrees of temperature.
I agree @Skandi - as with plants, wet cold is far worse than dry cold. Drying washing inside is difficult because it just adds to that dampness. It's unlikely to get anywhere near zero here today [currently minus 5] let alone above that, but it's sunny, and there's no wind, so it's absolutely fine, as far as I'm concerned. I always feel colder when it's wet and windy too. Draught excluders are also useful. Any old bits of material - old jumpers/fleeces etc, can be turned into those. I have one under my bedroom door, because the windows are open during the day. Stops draughts getting into the already cold back hall [unheated] let alone anywhere else. Certainly helpful on older properties, which are always draughty in all sorts of places.
An interesting tip I heard a while ago was turning the microwave off, because otherwise it's just an expensive clock. How much of a difference that'll make is hard to judge though
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Hubby sat down and checked the wattage of everything, after reading that all these "vampire" devices are costing hundreds of pounds a year,they aren't. The smart TV... If you switch off at the mains,you have a ruddy great big re-set. I use my slo cooker a lot. Not making any solar this weather, but a big old casserole going on overnight. Chap from Octopus,who put in the smart meters was very surprised I wanted to keep my economy 7
I've got a heated towel rail in the bathroom. We do put damp towels on there to dry after use. Then remove them. Bathroom is north facing. you wouldn't be able to get much washing on there to dry,it's tiny.
The (unheated) greenhouse is warmer today than yesterday, but the plants won't get much light. Do I leave it or brush it off 🤔.
Your garden looks lovely in the snow. I would leave the snow on the GH, it will be warmer with snow on it and the plants should manage a few days with less light.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I was paying £200 a month for the dual fuel scheme. I had used less in the summer and was in credit. In the last 9 weeks I have used £600 of fuel. That was before the cold weather hit. I have had two payments of £66 rebate from the fuel company. I put the electric blanket on the bed for an hour every night. I have always felt the cold more than others seem to. As we have no holidays booked, I will put the heating on and be damned. I'm not using a private jet to jet off to conferences to tell others how they should be saving the planet.
When we had the power cut the other evening, it did cross my mind to move the fridge contents to the garage if the power didn’t come back by the morning. I think fridges/freezers can take about 6-12 hours with no power.
Dreading this month’s energy ‘bill’, as an increased use was because we have been ill at home BUT there has been a ‘saving’ on petrol, canteen lunches and no washing/ironing of uniforms for 2 weeks! Also, as much as I don’t want to give my hard-earned money to the energy company, I am in ‘credit’ (fixed monthly DD) so with that and the government top-up it should balance it (for now).
I'm not using a private jet to jet off to conferences to tell others how they should be saving the planet.
I don't think this is about saving the planet - or that's not the primary concern. If you can afford to heat your home as much as you need, then you're one of the fortunate ones. It is true that this is making everyone think a lot harder about energy they waste, and I am glad of that, but very sad that the process requires many people to suffer real hardship. If our houses were built better and our electricity pricing worked differently, if everyone was warm enough and had enough to eat, then we could go back to worrying about whether more than that is too much.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I spent a lot of my working life freezing my a*se off [and many years were indoors without proper heating] so I thought, why should I be frozen in my own house. Now, the cost is certainly a major factor, and we're trying to economise as much as we can.
The thing is- I can afford the bills even if they're 3 times last year's prices. Many people simply can't. That's what's so depressing, and abominable.
I wouldn't worry about that wee amount of snow @Allotment Boy. Snow is an insulator, so I'd leave the greenhouse. I only brush it off if it's on plants which have stems/branches that can get broken. If it's more than a couple of inches- they just have to take their chances
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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Draught excluders are also useful. Any old bits of material - old jumpers/fleeces etc, can be turned into those. I have one under my bedroom door, because the windows are open during the day. Stops draughts getting into the already cold back hall [unheated] let alone anywhere else. Certainly helpful on older properties, which are always draughty in all sorts of places.
An interesting tip I heard a while ago was turning the microwave off, because otherwise it's just an expensive clock. How much of a difference that'll make is hard to judge though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
The thing is- I can afford the bills even if they're 3 times last year's prices. Many people simply can't. That's what's so depressing, and abominable.
I wouldn't worry about that wee amount of snow @Allotment Boy. Snow is an insulator, so I'd leave the greenhouse. I only brush it off if it's on plants which have stems/branches that can get broken. If it's more than a couple of inches- they just have to take their chances
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...