spend your winter fuel payment on heating and not on booze fags and xmas and run a 2000watt heater for 13.5 weeks night and day
Brilliant advice, thanks! Are you still waiting for yours to come through?!?! :)
i forgot to add the £10.00 xmas bonus
The £10 xmas bonus does not go up with inflation... funny that ;D
Not quite understanding, Jim, but hey! that's my default position 8)
I'm agreeing that, for those eligible to receive it, the winter fuel payment shoud be used for just that....a contribution towards a winter (Nov through February?) fuel cost - it's not to pay the total winter fuel cost but should certainly help to make winter heating bills a lot more affordable and agree that its purpose is not for Xmas prezzies , etc.etc.etc.
But Jim, what I'm not understanding is the exhortation to run a 2000w electric? heater......how much does one of those cost for someone who doesn't have one and how would that cut into the total payment the govt. allows for winter heating? And which electric supplier will give the most fave rate?
But the £10.00 Xmas bonus. Hands Orf Jim meLad!....that's not changed for years, an it's a Tradition....that £10 is for Riotous Livin...... ;D ;D ;D
If you take a typical low user's charge of 10p per unit, it would cost you 20 p an hour for a 2000W heater - assuming it's not switching itself on & off (which is unlikely). It's more likely that a heater of this size in a room with the door shut would be on about half the time, so 10p an hour, £2.40 a day... £4.80 if you don't shut the door!
How much is the allowance?
Quote from: OllieC on October 24, 2008, 08:54:06
How much is the allowance?
It was £200 per household, but it has been increased to £250, and I shall spend my £125 on brandy. ;D
valmarg
I think my sister (86) gets more than I do so maybe you get a higher rate when you reach 80? I am now looking forward to free TV licence, can't be bad.
Quote from: valmarg on October 24, 2008, 15:22:37
Quote from: OllieC on October 24, 2008, 08:54:06
How much is the allowance?
It was £200 per household, but it has been increased to £250, and I shall spend my £125 on brandy. ;D
valmarg
Good for you val! Central heating from within, and at least if it doesn't warm you up you'll be too pi$$ed to notice!
Yeh. mines known as the winter gin allowance, but no cigarretes this year, (apart from the odd Bob Marley) Don't knock it, it is great for the aches and pains.
if wit was s**t you would be constipated
Quote from: jimtheworzel on October 24, 2008, 16:51:18
if wit was s**t you would be constipated
Now then Jim, why are you so intent on confronting people. You would not say it to our faces in the pub, so why do it here. Nobody on here has any axe to grind with you, so what have we done to upset you?
Do you have a drink problem? because it sometimes reads like that. If this is the case just imagine your computor is a car and don't use it until you sober up.
No, I'm the one with the drink problem - just love the stuff!!
But gave up the other vice 30 years ago so I deserve it.
As to heating - has anyone put theirs on yet? We shall probably put an off-peak heater on in a few weeks time.
Quote from: tim on October 24, 2008, 17:39:38
As to heating - has anyone put theirs on yet? We shall probably put an off-peak heater on in a few weeks time.
brrrrr! Yes, yes, yes and yes! Had it on even in August on the days it was needed in here. And yes, I, and my furniture/books etc needed it. >:(
we've had ours on for an hour a night for a couple of weeks now..and with ray being ill,it's on in the day, only to 15 degrees though :)
Quote from: jimtheworzel on October 24, 2008, 16:51:18
if wit was s**t you would be constipated
'ark at pot.
valmarg
Quote from: lorna on October 24, 2008, 15:30:06
I think my sister (86) gets more than I do so maybe you get a higher rate when you reach 80? I am now looking forward to free TV licence, can't be bad.
lorna, I think for the over 80's it is £400 per household, but am not entirely sure as we've got a bit to go to qualify, and for the free TV licence.
valmarg
valmarg woohoo next Birthday free TV licence for me.. I am going to stay with my sister on 1st Nov for 2 weeks (I keep her company when her son and d.i.l who live next door are in Australia each year). Maybe I can help her spend her "extra". Only joking, she never lets me pay a penny, she always remarks that I pay for my dog to be in kennels and she is so glad to have company.
Quote from: tim on October 24, 2008, 17:39:38
As to heating - has anyone put theirs on yet? We shall probably put an off-peak heater on in a few weeks time.
We have had ours on twice since last Spring, one hour one day just to take the chill off and for four hours last week. It's nippy here tonight but I have my thermal vest on, a warm blouse and a thick sweatshirt but I may have to put the heating on in a minute just to warm the house up.
We have put in a lot more insulation though and the house is much warmer than it used to be. It retains the heat better too. It now has cavity wall insulation and a good layer in the loft. Our utility room is of single brick...built in 1959, so OH lined the walls with insulation and what a difference this made. He had to replace the flat roof on our kitchen a few years back and it had no insulation in there at all. He took the opportunity of putting that right.
Our next job is to buy some rolls to line the outside walls in the loft and put it along the rafters. We have a big house and it costs a lot to heat so although it has and still will cost a lot to insulate, in the long term we will use far less oil.
Tim, not one to quibble but doesn't the aga keep you pretty warm anyway. When I read your post I thought I must be nesh. We put ours on 2 weeks ago for a couple of hours a day. Then I remembered how warm it was at my daughters, we spent most of our time in the kitchen.
Janet.
Quote from: OllieC on October 24, 2008, 15:35:11
Good for you val! Central heating from within, and at least if it doesn't warm you up you'll be too pi$$ed to notice!
[/quote]
Yep, Ollie, I'll be like the old readybrek adverts and have a gentle glow all round me. ;D ;D ;D
valmarg
Although our heating is on in the evenings now, during the 'summer' we turned the oil off & ran the immersion for 3 hrs./night. Worked out a lot cheaper, £7/month. We managed two showers/two wasihng ups, & the water was still pretty warm at the end of the day.
The only time my heating is used apaert from heating the water is when the grand kids are here in the colder months other than that its never been on. My last Quarterly bill was £52.
This could be the reason why.
[attachment=1]
Cosy,have happy memories of real fires.
Not so keen on them when they have burnt out and you have to relay them
Mum used to light the oven and make the kitchen cosy.
I remember when the frost patterns was on the inside of the bedroom window.
You only got up in the night if it was absolutely necessary.
Happy days??
Come to think about it ,I don't know why we all didn't die of hypothermia.
Has central heating made us all soft?
Yes Bet the good old days when you had sleeves and brass buttons on your blanket. Outside toilets with writing on the toilet paper and a candle to to keep you warm, sitting there on the loo with your foot on the door cos you were frightened some one would come in and the door opened outwards. we even had icikled in them days LOL
I think there is a lot to be said about open fire these days as its the cheapest form of heating at the moment, ok you have to clean it out every day but ut only takes a few minutes.
Do you burn the fire all day in winter?
Quote from: davyw1 on October 26, 2008, 06:29:04
I think there is a lot to be said about open fire these days as its the cheapest form of heating at the moment, ok you have to clean it out every day but ut only takes a few minutes.
bit difficult when you don't have a chimney ;D
I'd love one, by the way
I dislike being hot so right now I am comfortable without heat but John is starting to complain in the evening so I guess it will go on shortly..aagh XX
Charlie spent the last 5 years of his life in a wheelchair and he felt the cold. Now I am on my own I find that if I time the CE to come on for an hour in the morning. The bungalow holds the heat very well and I do like a warm bathroom!! I also have hot water for the whole day. I do put the gas fire on low if it gets really cold.
Having read some of the earlier posts about ice patterns on the inside of the windows, surely I can't be alone in remembering the morning flit, off the bedside mat across the lino, and across the lino in the bathroom to the loo.
Central heating might 'soften', but I am more than willing to be softened. ;D ;D
What I cannot understand is the current 'trend' for laminated flooring. Again, cold dreadful flooring. Much prefer carpeting.
valmarg
Quote from: valmarg on October 26, 2008, 20:33:27
What I cannot understand is the current 'trend' for laminated flooring. Again, cold dreadful flooring. Much prefer carpeting.
Laminated flooring can be good, but this depends on the quality. Since laying laminate and hard wood flooring, the house has become warming and holds the heat better.
Took this last year.............we are all electric..............still cosy.
No chimney.
Better view...................had to laugh to myself,why are we posting pictures of our fires??? ::)
davyw1
Not gonna show you my grate but it's gonna be fired up tomorrow night as the forecast is freezing at night & 7' during the day for a few days! Loads - a logs - coal bunker full - oil tank up to the brim.
All down to clever buying. Not blowing a trumpet - penshener savvy!
Cos they make us feel cosy Betula :)