Keeping your home warm / heating / energy crisis / insulation etc

We had the polystyrene wallpaper in one house and it was a waste of time and eventually developed the dreaded black mould.

We've already got the horrible black mould. Spray it down with some stuff every so often. I'm thinking of a PIV system, but out double glazing is old and doesn;t have the vents so not sure it would work that well.

How about a couple of these near the coldest wall?
https://amzn.eu/d/5xdikjy

I keep meaning to grab some from the local home bargains, but don't hold out them lasting much past a few days.

Had a bit of a play with a thermal camera. Nothing earth shattering, altough did discover that my front door lets out a lot of heat

Also need to fix my windows that are a bit draughty

One interesting point is these damp patches. The ones just under the window have been fixed (I hope) by sorting out the sealant but there are still marks in the corner and at the bottom:

It appears that this section of wall is cold which may be part of the issue (I have a similar problem downstairs too) but no idea how to resolve it:

We’ve got very similar (but bigger) damp patches underneath the bay window in our bedroom, also apparently caused by disintegrating window sealant, which I removed and re-applied.

After a few weeks of running a dehumidifier in the room, the patch is still there, and still feels mildly moist to the touch… I hope it’s just residual water that’s trapped between brick and plaster, rather than fresh moisture still getting in…

Did you splash out on a camera just for this?

the wall could be cold because it is damp rather than the other way round

I did think I fixed the sealant but you can never be 100%. It looks similar downstairs too though where there isn't a window.

@tw no, I borrowed it from these for a week https://mhsgroup.org/ Far too expensive to buy

@apc good point. Not sure how to work that out though.

Is there a way to extract the data from a smart meter? I'd like to graph out our usage during the day and across time periods but can't see an obvious way of getting this data directly from the meter. We have a Chameleon IHD7 by the looks of thingshttps://chameleontechnology.co.uk/solutions/smart-in-home-displays/

Unless you want to properly extract the data and plot your own whizz graphs/automate, the Loop Energy app is good to give you a bit more info with helpful suggested insights, you connect it to your smart meter.

Many meters have a red LED that flashes every 1/1000th of a unit used. There are loads of people who have used a photodiode to pick this up and then feed it to some kind of TSDB (e.g. Prometheus and then Grafana on top to graph it).

Don't think anyone has gone as far as making a simple kit to do this, but I haven't searched that much.

Doing something similar is on my big long list of things to do, but it's complicated by the fact that my electricity meter is 10m away from the inside of my flat in an outside cupboard - I have access but no real way to run a cable.

Mine shows up in Samsung SmartThings which I can then access through HomeAssistant for graphs. It's a bit patchy though and I'm not 100% whether it is my phone or TV that is doing the accessing the meter.

As mentioned I go loop for daily, but you can then get the raw data direct from the industry flows as a json file (manual download though) for you to use as you wish. You need to have something that uses the integration already (eg loop) but then going to data.n3rgy.com/consumer will allow you to login with your IHD mac and MPxN reference and get the raw files

then going to data.n3rgy.com/consumer will allow you to login with your IHD mac and MPxN reference and get the raw files

I had no idea this existed. Seems to work nicely (although took a bit of navigation to get working).

Glad to be of assistance :)

Can only get past 90 days of smart readings, but I’ve just got a reminder to login and download once a month for personal use which isn’t that onerous once done a few times.

It’s the source database behind Loop Homes and what you grant access to/permissions for when you associate a smart meter with the loop app

I seem to be able to go older than 90 days, it's just limited to 90 days at a time.

I haven't tried loop, only thing it shows up as having access is that site.

Oh that’s interesting to know re 90 days. Good to know if a miss a download then it’s still available!

Interesting that you have access then without another service. I thought it was paid for, but if you used a service that did pay for access (eg loop) then you could use it as an individual. It’s an industry flow but good to know it’s open!

further to the conversation a few pages back
bought a pair of these to keep my feet warm, they're really well insulated comfy thick sole and were only £10 in the outlet store in gloucester docks

https://www.fatface.com/footwear/mens-footwear/slippers/matthew-knit-boots/975832.html?dwvar_975832_color=grey

would recommend

Has anyone draft excluded their chimney? Ours has been capped but I’ve noticed a big waft up there. I’ve read about chimney balloons and sheep..

https://www.chimneysheep.co.uk/product-category/chimney-draught-excluders/

https://www.chimneyballoon.co.uk/

Old Pillowcase stuffed with newspaper is cheaper!

If it’s an external wall it’s good to have a bit of a draft for ventilation.

Just shove an old pillow up there. Little point overcomplicating things.

I did a binbag stuffed with an old pillow. Removed it when I sold the house.

Simple solutions!

Dehumidifier is a must for U.K. weather when it’s either hot for a week or raining and cold for 6 months of the year.

We have ours on in the evenings and it makes such a difference.

Also need to fix my windows that are a bit draughty

That needs replacement friction hinges, as the hinge isn't pulling the top corner against the seal.

A temporary (partial) fix. If you can reach from outside , open the window a few inches. Push against the top corners as you close and lock the window. That usually gets it much closer until it's opened again.

For added tradesman points call it a donkey’s breakfast.

“There was a bit of a George Raft blowing down the chimberley so I bunged a donkey’s breakfast up it”

So called I think because it would have been a bag of straw. Also works for kneeling pads and the cushions roofers rest their ladders on to spread the load.

You’re welcome.