I'm constantly trying to minimise my costs. One way is to keep my gas/electric bills low. We wear at least 1 jumper at home as well as socks, slippers and an extra cover on the bed. Extreme I know but I'd rather that than pay any company too much of my hard-earned money.
I've done a bit of research and read that the average duel fuel cost is over £1300 a year. Now, mine is just over £660. Which I reckon is more than enough anyway. But this value of £1300 covers every sort of domestic building regardless of insulation and size. So it's a bit of a useless comparison. My house is newish and well insulated so we don't suffer too badly even with low heating.
My question is - am I being too mean? Is £1300 really a true figure for the typical house? I don't want anyone's financial details obviously, just looking for a feel.
3 bed 45 yr old house here foxy - about £900 - £950 and theres 5 of us. So your £660 sounds OK to us.
Sounds like you are doing pretty well too - there are only 2.5 of us.
There is a push to provide every household with fast broadband in the near future. I reckon it would be more useful (or perhaps urgent) to provide every household with at least 4 inches loft insulation and cavity wall insulation.
I've been hearing that the powers that be are recommending about 6 inches of insulation nowadays - it was 4 when this place was built. I wonder of that extra 2 inches makes all that much difference in reality.
Mind you, a curtain across the garage internal door made the hall ever so cosy.
Wait til you get the bill for the winter quarter. Prises are onaverage nearly 35% higher than a year ago.
Also a warning. A man from N power knocked at my door, showed me his ID and said that he needed to read the gas and electricity meter. It was while he was taking the readings that I reaalised I was with Eon and not bloody N Power. So, I told him that he used deception to enter my premises and he had no business with my meters. He said "but we can save you a lot of money on your energy bills if you switch.
Needless to say I sent him away with a flea in his ear and got on the phone to N Power. They made the usuaul noises but I bet this is still a tactic to get new customers.
B'stards
Steve
If you are worried about insulation and heating costs have a read of this >>>
or this:- >>>>
both by the same people.
Had our loft done to 6" and new thermostats on radiators.
If you qualify dont be to proud to apply for it. Its a grant.
medic_1
A very reaosonable fuel bill,comparable to my own. Decent loft insulation works wonders. Have a look, if u can see the rafters on the floor of the loft you probably havent got enough insulation.
If you feel cold...........Put the heating on if adding an extra layer doesn't warm you up....
The cost of not keeping warm is far higher than that of keeping warm especially in the elderly...
If you know any elderly people then go round and check on them during the cold weather please....
Go round getting all the snow and pile it all on your house, An igloo!!!! which will stop the heat escaping :smug:
And on a serious note, putting shelving over top of your radiators can direct the heat more into the room rather than out the window (which is a damn silly design flaw) :doh: and it also stops the heat rising straight away so you get the benefit and not the ceiling.
I'm lucky enough that my external doors are not in to the front room or kitchen and the stairs are not leading from the front door which helps keeps the main rooms and stairs warmer
If you have rad thermostats keeps them low in rooms you dont use as much or rooms that back on to a hot water tank, No point heating a full room that is only used a small amount
Judging by all the underdressed people in the chatrooms, there will be some very high fuel bills this quarter.
It makes me wonder whether swingers are adding to global warming. Don't tell Gordon Brown though, he'll put a tax on sex (not that I would have to pay much).
oh it helps if you put tin foil on the wall behind the radiator.
oh and never tumble dry sheets duvet covers, fold in half and hang over a door , be dry by next day.
xxfem xx
Bloody Hell.
i live in a three bed apartment thats part of a converted old country house. it leaks like a sieve and the bedrooms are in the loft space and follow the slopes, so not much opportunity to get insulation in.
My gas is about £80 per month
My elec is £42 per month.
I pay £700 and odd a year for just the gas cental heating but my house is not warm I sit with a quilt on me most of the week. The house is not well insulated, I cant get cavity wall insulation because the house is of iregular build the walls are dead thin. The house was built in 1945 and was only ment to be up for 10yrs but it is still here and the council will mot do anything about how cold the house is.
raise the decent homes standard that all councils and rsl's are goverened by.
xx fem xx
All councills probably are building decent homes, but they probably arent in the area where people prefer to live.
My place was built about 1900, so no cavities.
i dont need a tumble drier or a washing line cos some of the draughts are that bad, but actually i love living here so put up with it
I save on heating costs by burning the local tramps they can be very difficult to light so I recommend going for the older ones as they're so much drier
Couple of sacks of coal a week in winter, free logs in summer if it's chilly. Minimal electric. Very cheap. If rather small. But I love it. A solid fuel stove takes care of most food waste too.
Studio flat with double glazing; £20pw gas(heating and hot water)
£7pw approx electric.
Our combined bill for the last quarter was nearly £500. Thats on a 2 bedroomed maisonette with 3 adults living here. 2 of those are pensioners. Together with illness and needing heating sometimes 24 hours a day this will probably not get any better. Our bills are capped but sometimes this means you can be shooting yourself in the foot as British Gas just reduced their costs by 10% which we won't get the benefit of. Yes we do get a winter fuel allowance (1) and also severe weather allowance but this doesn't mean that we can afford bills like this. However we must just keep heating the place until the savings run out and then freeze to death I guess. :violin:
:D:D:D 
