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

Draft coming behind our bathroom cabinets (low, around the sink) I think it's time to address them.
Do I just get some wool/fibre and shove it into the space between the cabinet's back board and the wall? If so, which product should I get, e.g. what will go in easily (pushing in with a coat hanger, presumably?) without the need to take the whole counter off?

There's probably gaps around the pipework, or old holes through the wall if pipes have moved. Gap between wall and floor where skirting has been cut out to fit the cabinet.
Plugging them would be better, but more work moving the cabinet.

might be better to get some airtightness tape and seal it properly - if the size and shape of the gap allows you to. Insulation is for keeping temperatures steady but not that great for blocking a draft.

Hey folks, I’m getting some posh new radiators installed and picked up some nice new brass valves but they dont fit my Tados out of the box like the old valves. Any idea what adaptor I need for these?

These are the specs of the new ones.

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Quite interested if you work this out. I have what I think are the same valves and had been considering tado / Drayton wiser type smart valves. I put it aside as wasn't sure of compatibility. Good luck

Your tado valves should’ve come with a bag full of plastic adapters?

Not sure if they sell them as spares online?

yeah my tado valves had adaptors and the guide from following the tado QR code had options for different versions.

I probably have spare adaptors from the boxes if you need them as I didn't need any

Ah I think I have it, its this one. But I only managed to find one pack of adapters. Could anyone spare a few of this shape one with the little pin extensions? I need x5. Will pay with postage, good vibes and beers.

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Check eBay. People are always trying to dispose of the adaptors they don't need for the Drayton system

I ordered 2 new thermostats in the fire sale yesterday so will have 2 available v soon. I may have more from the existing ones unless I threw them out a while ago. I’ll take a look.
They seem to be very optimistically priced on eBay.

Have some but no time to go and queue at post office, in SE19 if you can collect

Will drop you a PM

Hi, selling my Tado kit (owing to new weather compensated control), includes starter kit, plus 4 rad valves. Can also include wired thermostat that can be used for opentherm if required. PM me if you're interested.

the benefits of cold

cold therapy a series by michael mosley on radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09by3yy

listened the last couple of nights and it's quite educational, the first one was about living in a colder temp house and the benefits it can have on the metabolism and fighting common ailments

Considering switching to Octopus tracker. Anyone on it and regret it?

I’m very happy with all aspects

https://share.octopus.energy/happy-foal-359

Haha, I got all excited there. You’re probably already on octopus.

We’re on the super tracker changes every half an hour tariff. Tbh I don’t have anything to compare it with, but we have had one or two instances of negative pricing where we got paid for using power, which is nice.

Yeah, we’re already on Octopus I’m afraid, but thinking of switching from the standard flexible tariff to the tracker.

Thanks for the info though. Hadn’t even heard of super tracker so will look into that.

It’s called Agile. Our heating controller downloads the rates 24 hours in advance and plans a schedule so hopefully saves a bit of money. Generally though if you can shift your usage away from 4pm to 7pm it’s good.

There's an iOS app Octopus Compare that can tell you what you would have been paying on different tariffs. Tracker has been consistently cheaper than Agile, even with minimal 4-7pm usage.

If I understand correctly Octo-Aid just looks at daily averages when comparing rather than more granular per half hour usage.

I’m talking about this:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/octopus-compare/id1545004095

Which I’ve verified appears to do all its calculations based on half-hourly usage/prices.

Very handy! Thanks

A good follow on xformerlytwitter

https://x.com/Octo_Tracker?t=xRRuwEJmrlx6PXf6IdUlww&s=09

That sounds a bit like ecomony 7, but on steroids.