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

On actual.

Electricity usage was same as last month so it's all gas. Think the gas fire might have been on a bit more than I realised while I've not been around 😬

We're in a 1920s block but with modern double glazed windows so it's not cold or drafty. Think this one is just us not being careful.

That said, that cold snap probably had an effect.

Anyone papered an internal wall with that thin insulating polystyrene wallpaper? Does it make any difference? Getting what can only be described as “well mad” levels of condensation on our bedroom wall at the moment.

The sitting room has a rad in the hall behind, so we'd look to connect to that rather than some sort of extensive new installation work.

I'd like a panel as it would allow a bigger rad, but my OH doesn't want one. The sofa is at an angle so it's not like it'll be backed up right against it

Cheers

Do you have an idea of the temperature and humidity in the room/home.

The paper may well cover up the problem, but not cure the cause.

My December was a bit over £400. Quite happy it wasn't more given we were all home for a few weeks. Think we saved a bit running some electric heaters rather than central heating.

Having the heating on day and night is serious balling

Anyone papered an internal wall with that thin insulating polystyrene wallpaper? Does it make any difference? Getting what can only be described as “well mad” levels of condensation on our bedroom wall at the moment.

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

Not sure how since gas is 3 x cheaper than leccy.

In my last two houses I have built an insulated stud wall to address the problem of cold walls. Each time I have lost approx 100mm of floor space but it has been well worth it.

In my current house I did it with the bathroom's external wall, it is a 1960's house and the bathroom suffered badly with condensation. I now have a warm wall that never condensates.

There are some things to watch out for but there are plenty of online guides.

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

Insulated under my living room floor recently at the front of the house

Lobbed a wood burner In the room too with 3 little fans on top of it.

I almost feel warm now as does the rest of the house.

For heating one or two rooms using an electric heater worked out much cheaper than turning the central heating on for the whole house.

thermostat is set to 21 Deg C

That's mental, ours is 17°. I'd be in shorts and t-shirt at 21°.

I have always hated a cold house, 17 Deg c would be unbearable for me

Stat is probably badly labelled or out of calibration or in the wrong place etc. 17 is uncomfortable unless you are pretty active.

That's mental, ours is 17°. I'd be in shorts and t-shirt at 21°

I wouldn’t rely on a heating stat to give you any kind of an accurate temperature reading. You can’t cross-compare them like that. If I set mine to 17°, I don’t think the heating actually comes on!

What a time we live in for 16 degrees in your home to be considered balling.

You mean my shiny new thermostat isn't actually accurate? :/

First two days of having it, we've adjusted the 'warm' phase downwards from 21 (default) to 19 to 17.5. Think we're used to things being a little cool but the thermostat definitely helps things feel more steady and stable.

I'd suspect the issue is more likely that the thermostat is somewhere that doesn't reflect the house temperature. My thermostat (which is within o.2 degrees of multiple thermometers including a thermopen) is in the hall where there are no radiators so it being set to 17 doesn't really mean much for room temperatures.

I did say the wrong place :)

Ah yes

Does sitting at a desk count as "pretty active"?

It is in one of the colder rooms in fairness

Does sitting at a desk count as "pretty active"?

No! I get really uncomfortable at anything less than 19 in my attic home office thing

We have a few temp sensors around the flat. It helps because the actual temp is never what the thermostat says and also one of the stas is in Fuckingheit, becaues you cretins are stuck in the 50s...

ie. 17.5 on one stat and it's 18.9C near my desk.

These are dumb stats though so it's not like it's going to deal with sun beaming in through the windows.

Do you have an idea of the temperature and humidity in the room/home.

The paper may well cover up the problem, but not cure the cause.

Not really sure. Moveable thermostat suggests between 15.5-18c and I'm guessing the humidity is pretty high. I move the dehumidifier round the house from time to time. Ultimately just interested in whether I can move the dew point to the windows so I can window-vac it off them (once I've bought a window vac)