i think (yup sometimes i do)

[Alison]

Ouch, over £100 each, ours are about £40 for a 3 bed semi but we're lucky that we're out all day using work's heating and our consumption went down when we got a new boiler a couple of years ago at the same time as prices rose. We have our thermostat at 17degrees which a lot of our family find cold but then again I almost pass out when I go round mother in law's house, we're there on Christmas Day this year and I'm already wondering if it'll be acceptable to go in shorts and a sun top! They have the heating on even during the summer and last time I was there I had to keep going to the loo so that I could put my head out the window to cool down. Dread to think what their bill must be like.

[SarzWix]

So it's low wage PLUS one of the criteria?

Yeah, that's right. "Chronic illness" covers a lot of things though, could be anything from arthritis to bronchitis. I think you have to provide proof from your doctor though.

[jackie j]

Our electric has gone up by £23 a month to £70 I dont understand it. The gas has stayed at £55 a month for hot water heating and cooking and they owe us about £85 didnt claim it back as it means we will have over £250 towards this next bill. Gas goes up and down if you heat by it, surly electric stays more or less the same all year round?

[SlugLobber]

No seriously, turn it up and put your fur pants on.

I have a mad image of Lynda with a cat strapped to the front and back, with paws akimbo.

Actually on second thoughts, I don't want that image!

[lynda66]

There's no heating in our kitchen (we had the radiator decomissioned when we had the kitchen redone), and we had thermostat valves fitted to all the radiators throughout the house - we don't switch on the rooms we don't use. It certainly feels cold when you go in them.

Whilst I've been off I've noticed the temperature drop in the house during the day (when our heating is programmed to be off), but it never falls much below 16-17 degrees. Your walls must be paper thin lynda to drop that far - that or your windows are wide open!

We don't qualify for any aid whatsoever to improve the insulation/efficiency of our home (we could install cavity wall insulation, and improve the loft insulation), but my Mum did, and got cavity wall insulation for next to nothing. Certainly improved the situation in her house.

I think there are grants etc to help, I think the energy saving trust is one place to look.

Hope you manage to get something sorted lynda - it's gonna get colder.

nope, no windows open, live in a semi, but neighbour is out most of the time too, so no heat from his house, have cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, and double glazing ....... today it was much warmer at a 'lovely' 9 degrees in the utility room but cos i don't use the heating at all, it doesn't permeate things like furniture and walls and stuff, which keeps the house warmer between heatings. unfortunately, by the time i've paid my other bills, and the normal gas and electric, theres not much left to pay the extra heating, except for the odd occasion when it's really freezing.

the new supposedly helpful government rules should help more people to get help with new boilers/insulation etc, but who knows what that means in reality??

[lynda66]

I have a mad image of Lynda with a cat strapped to the front and back, with paws akimbo.

Actually on second thoughts, I don't want that image!

stranger things have been known

[HayleyB]

We're on oil CH and the marker has gone down to 8, it has to last all winter cause it costs about £1250 to fill it again. We are putting extra layers on and using log fire where we can.

[SarzWix]

Well, I've just sat down with my Microsoft Money program and worked out our cash-flow for the next month. I can't afford to go and buy a bag of carrots (or even one carrot) until Dec 15th, and I have to find 35 quid from somewhere so I don't go overdrawn next week No idea how I've miscalculated so badly, but the only thing I can get rid of to save the money needed is my broadband. So I might not be here after the end of the week.

[Flummery]

Oh Sarz! What'll we do without you?

[BrideXIII]

Well, I've just sat down with my Microsoft Money program and worked out our cash-flow for the next month. I can't afford to go and buy a bag of carrots (or even one carrot) until Dec 15th, and I have to find 35 quid from somewhere so I don't go overdrawn next week No idea how I've miscalculated so badly, but the only thing I can get rid of to save the money needed is my broadband. So I might not be here after the end of the week.

thats what i have to do nearly every week now, i hate mondays, finished the shopping earlier, well finished the money anyway, not sure what we are eating friday saturday and sunday

last thing to go will be the internet, its a lifeline for me and I would be so isolated without it, not to mention the caterwauling from upstairs if they couldn't get online.

£80 a month to cover the electric and £35 a month for the gas is my biggest outlays, thanx to BG messing my account up so badly, and then they had the brass neck to phone me and ask me if i will come back to them my reply was unprintable, felt almost sorry for the girl on the other end of the phone.

[lynda66]

Well, I've just sat down with my Microsoft Money program and worked out our cash-flow for the next month. I can't afford to go and buy a bag of carrots (or even one carrot) until Dec 15th, and I have to find 35 quid from somewhere so I don't go overdrawn next week No idea how I've miscalculated so badly, but the only thing I can get rid of to save the money needed is my broadband. So I might not be here after the end of the week.

well i can do carrots for ya, when you visit they might be the weirdest shaped carrots, but they are eatable can't help with the £35 though, i owe son £95 cos he's just paid the phone bill, and lent me £20 for leccy ..... who are you on t'interweb with??

[SarzWix]

last thing to go will be the internet, its a lifeline for me and I would be so isolated without it, not to mention the caterwauling from upstairs if they couldn't get online.

I know, but it's either that or my mobile
Or go cap in hand to see my Dad. Which I hate, hate, hate

well i can do carrots for ya, when you visit they might be the weirdest shaped carrots, but they are eatable... can't help with the £35 though, i owe son £95 cos he's just paid the phone bill, and lent me £20 for leccy ..... who are you on t'interweb with??

We're on Orange, and they are gits if you pay late & put charges on. At the moment we can't swap either, no-one else will give us a contract

[geoff]

lynda66 & cold house

If you removed a radiator did you substitute it with a piece of pipe?
If you simply removed a radiator and turned off the taps (aka valves) or blanked off the open ends to stop the water pouring out that would prevent hot water circulating around the system

Check that all the other rad taps are open, and also bleed all the radiators; a rad key is very cheap from a DIY store or builders merchant

Hot water needs to flow from the boiler through all the pipes and radiators, and return to the boiler, where it is heated again, and the process continues till the temp reaches that which you set on the room thermostat. If there is a break in the pipework that will not happen Also check that the Central Heating water circulation pump is working; that would also stop hot water circulating

Even an inefficient system should raise the temp above 3 degrees As well as being miserable a very cold C/H system could lead to expensive damage like freezing water pipes and subsequent flooding, or damage to the C/H system itself , so if you can't solve the problem yourself it would be worth getting someone to look at it

[lynda66]

ermmmmmmmm nope i just asked my neighbour to take it out lol, he never said anything about it not working after ........ the pressure thing on the boiler is on zero, it's done that every other time it's stopped working too, but usually the hot water doesn't work either when that happens and i get a code 3 (if that means anything, but not this time) ..... if that's the reason i'm gonna be in trouble, cos i haven't got the radiator now either lol ....... if it's not the radiator causing the problem then the council will fix it, if it's my fault eeekkkk lol

it's efficient if it works, just i've only been using the fire in the living room so theres no heat getting to the utility room so that was the natural room temp yesterday (thermostat/thermometer is in there) ....... with no heat at all.

[BrideXIII]

I know, but it's either that or my mobile
Or go cap in hand to see my Dad. Which I hate, hate, hate




We're on Orange, and they are gits if you pay late & put charges on. At the moment we can't swap either, no-one else will give us a contract

be careful if you are thinking of finishing your internet contract, its quite possible if you haven't had it over a year, that even if you cancel you will have to pay in full, check first.