Elderly cat breathing difficulties when purring

[Guest]

I'm rather proud to say I havn't. In the morning Mum lights a calor heater in her dining room. I get up jump in a hot bath (water only needs 20 mins!) then when I get out I get dressed quick and head down there.

 

In the evenings it's been a little nippy so its been fire time. Probably slightly more than needed as Honey is in her cage in front of it - cats like fires and we are spoiling her a little bit!

 

We've even had a result with the wood - some of you might remember Mum trying to set fire to my house with a plastic bucket full of hot ashes? Well finally we got the floor fixed (on the insurance!) I said to the bloke could he put the bits he'd taken out in my car port as I could use them in my wood burner. We get talking about the wood burner and it turns out he is always having to sneak off cuts into the local tip (to avoid paying!). Now he doesn't have to sneak he just leaves them in my car port!!!! Good stuff too - load of oak skirting board offcuts he put in there this week!!!!!

 

I AM NOT buying oil every 6 weeks this year.

 

Also seriously considering borrowing 10k for solar when I move the mortgage this year - finally stopped being blond and realised that although we are East/West facing the WHOLE of Mums annexe has a flat roof so I could have SOUTH facing solar panels mounted on frames there!!! Payback might be a long time but if I went for the ones you could use for electricity rather than just water I might shorten that as half the house is electrically heated (albeit on econ 7 - but storage could be changed) AND I'd have the added bonus of not being without power due to cuts at least a dozen times a year (overhead cables!)

 

Who else is managing to cut their heating bills???? Sorry mods if this is in the wrong section - with fuel poverty I'm thinking this is more of a discussion issue!

Edited December 2, 2008 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

I have lit the fire a couple of times, but refuse to put heating on before Oct 1st...even though we live in a freezing old barn of a place.

 

If anyone complains of the cold here, they can put a vest or an extra jumper on.

[Guest]

Our house is still very warm - the sun has been out, so our sun-porch and solar glazing has been retaining plenty heat to keep the house warm (perhaps too warm)all day and night.

 

I would defintely recommend solar glazing to anyone looking to replace windows.

[Redwing]

It has been really nippy these last few nights. We dont use a quilt most of the year but have had to break out the 4.5 tog!

 

We haven't put our heating on as we dont have any!

 

I feel sorry for you Penginmad, it must be to have oil fired heating with the current price of oil!

[Nicola H]

I have resisted putting the heating on we just all have to wear another layer........

 

We are in the process of putting solar heating in after having a new bathroom fitted, i got a quote for 11K..... I told the salesman that he had better walk as my budget for the bathroom and heating would be less than that....... Any way we have managed to get the cost down to just under 5K for the heating, we are doing a lot of the work ourselves, but I think it will be worth it we are south facing so should get quite a lot of free hot water in the summer and in the winter the boiler will kick in.

[Guest]

Sounds good chookiehen - just had a quick google on it. My windows are scarily many though and I dread having to replace them although I think they are relatively new (there are 3 sets of french doors across the back - AND a glass panel with a door to the flat roof on the upstairs landing!).

 

Did yours cost a lot?

[Guest]

Sounds good chookiehen - just had a quick google on it. My windows are scarily many though and I dread having to replace them although I think they are relatively new (there are 3 sets of french doors across the back - AND a glass panel with a door to the flat roof on the upstairs landing!).

 

Did yours cost a lot?

 

We're in a 'green' newbuild, so they were already fitted. We have a picture window to the front, a sun-porch to the front (glazed on two sides, plus roof), plus all the other windows (3 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen etc), and they make a tremendous difference. Our heating is night-store heaters, which show seperately on the elctricity bill, and it cost us a grand total of £60 to heat our house from October to March last year.

[KimmyCustard]

Yup, had the heating on for the past 3 nights (OH on night shift - dont tell him), have got socks and another jumper on but am always cold when the temp goes down . Have also heated a wheat bag to put on my feet (whilst watching Strictly!) and will lay my dressing gown over the duvet when I go to bed! What a weed.

 

Kimmy

x

[Guest]

I feel sorry for you Penginmad, it must be to have oil fired heating with the current price of oil!

 

I think we bought this property (get me! but it is 2 houses!) with our hearts rather than our heads. Also neither of us really knew anything about oil heating. I know now that you only need to buy it for about 8 months of the year but its damned expensive when you do! I like that I don't have radiators (its warm air) BUT there are 2 of us (me and James) living in a large 4 bed house.

 

Mums annexe is electrically heated using storage heaters - downside of that is the price of our JOINT electricity bill! Like me she has a wood burner but she doesn't spend a lot of time in her living room, so its calor in the conservatory/dining room and the storage in the bedroom. I think this year she will have to alter her plans some more.

 

Oh and we need to get the cavity wall insulation sorted - when we had the loft boarded last year we had EXTRA insulation added.

 

We have also been buying warm clothes. Mum bought us some "Chav suits" fake D&G velour tracksuits at the booty to wear on cold days! Also I've picked up a super thick cardi in the charity shop.

[Mumpty]

I'm with you Kimmycustard, I like it warm and toasty, kitchen is lovely cos of the AGA and heat on in the lounge, lovely.

[Mumpty]

Mum bought us some "Chav suits" fake D&G velour tracksuits at the booty to wear on cold days! .

 

This I'd like to see!

[KimmyCustard]

Do tell Pengy - what colour are the Chav suits?! (she asks, hoping for at least one to be pink!)

 

Kimmy

x

[Guest]

Do tell Pengy - what colour are the Chav suits?! (she asks, hoping for at least one to be pink!)

 

Kimmy

x

 

 

I'm hoping that at least one is THIS colour.....

[Guest]

Actually mine is THIS colour and Mums is THIS colour. They are VERY classy and all I need is Bianca Jacksons earrings to go with them... Although I don't recall having actually seen Mum wearing it yet. I wear mine, but not out of the house!

[Guest]

I'm with you Egluntine - absolutely no heating until October. I'm very proud that one year recently I got through to November 5th without heating!!

My house is warm though - still measuring 20 degrees inside most of the time - and it is not big, so soon warms up when I cook. Today has been a gorgeous summer's day here though with lots of sun and blue skies.

[KimmyCustard]

Love it! Please tell me you dont look like Vicky Pollard?! Make sure you only go outside to put the rubbish out, you cant pop to the shops in it, you'll be flung out the village!

 

Rickaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

 

Kimmy

x

[Redwing]

Ooooooh, stylish!

 

Do they have the words 'Classy Lassy' or another suitably poetic phrase stenciled across the back?

 

I am putting 'Chav Suit' on my Christmas list, are you listening Mr Redwing?

 

Talking of Vicky Pollard one of the pubs in Bristol is called 'The Victoria' and the sign is a picture of Vicky Pollard! (It used to be Mrs Beckham) thats how classy parts of Bristol are

[bokbokbok]

We had stopped our direct debit to the oil company for a while. I think it was because they owed us money. While the DD was stopped we weren't included in their *when we are in the area we will top up your tank no matter how little or much you need* package. It was always handy when we were in it because we never had to think about keeping an eye on the oil level.

 

Then when the DDs started again they decided to put us back on the package and one day we arrived home to find we somehow had a full tank of oil and a docket through the door for £800. We are now totally paranoid about oil thefts.

 

Because of this we are determined NOT to put the heating on. At FOUR times the cost of previous fills we are hoping this will last four times as long so have to use it four times less . . .

 

So the answer to your question is:

 

No, we haven't had the heating on since about April.

 

The neighbours have. I have heard their boiler coming on in the middle of the day when I have been outside in a tee shirt, and for hours when they aren't even in the house!

[Guest]

Ooooooh, stylish!

 

Do they have the words 'Classy Lassy' or another suitably poetic phrase stenciled across the back?

 

I am putting 'Chav Suit' on my Christmas list, are you listening Mr Redwing?

 

Talking of Vicky Pollard one of the pubs in Bristol is called 'The Victoria' and the sign is a picture of Vicky Pollard! (It used to be Mrs Beckham) thats how classy parts of Bristol are

 

 

Oh I wish they did have something embroidered on the back side. Its just a diamante D&G on the leg and another on the left boob.

 

Actually reading this thread perhaps we could have a competition for who can be the last to put their heating on????

 

Also that fortnight in Florida is starting to look like a money saving expedition. Follow the train of thought - its December and its the WHOLE of the school holidays when I would otherwise have been at home with the heating on.....

[abwsco]

No heating on here yet and we don't intend to either until it's cold. Infact we've had a lovely sunny day today and we've been working in the garden with t's on.

[bokbokbok]

Also that fortnight in Florida is starting to look like a money saving expedition. Follow the train of thought - its December and its the WHOLE of the school holidays when I would otherwise have been at home with the heating on.....

 

 

An extremely valid theory . . . . very workable!!

[rusky123]

OK i put the heating on last week, but the house and granny flat are connected, and gran, my mum, is 82. She deseves a bit of warmth . She is an absolute angel despite being deaf, anyone else live with a deaf person who refuses to put their hearing aid in? . God I could KILL. I have looked after her for 20 years, love her to bits, cannot forgive the 'Dont shout, I'm not deaf' bit!!!. When we moved into our very old big house over 20 years ago, learned how to wear cardigans, and shawls, together . Layers sre now fashionable

[Olly]

nope - me too, heating is NOT going on before October! I've resorted to putting the electric blanket on recently, though - can't sleep if my feet are cold.

 

I'm waiting for a date for my woodburner to be installed! I'll need to use the heating in the mornings, but I am really hoping that if I am going out, then I won't need it on in the evenings, and if I'm in, then I will light the woodburner and it will heat the whole house.

 

That's the plan. May not work out quite as I expect, but I am really hoping to see the gas bills go down.

[Cate in NZ]

 

Actually reading this thread perhaps we could have a competition for who can be the last to put their heating on????

 

 

Think I might win

 

20oC today, absolutely glorious and we've spent the day house-hunting. Seriously considering a place with thermal heating. Free heating that comes right out of the ground, how is that? After weeks and weeks and weeks of rain I'm finally beginning to see why they rave about the climate here .

[Lesley]

Kate - you're cheating!!!!

 

Rusky - I'm with you on the hearing aid thing....my Dad won't wear his and I'm always having to stand in the middle of the Farmers' Market shouting out my news for all and sundry to hear - my stepmother was always threateninf to remove her 'mastectomy boob' if he kept removing his hearing aid but he took no notice

 

We also live in a fairly green newbuild house - if we had built it ourselves, we would have included some things which weren't though We have changed the little gas 'log' fire, which was as environmentally friendly as opening the bulk gas tank and leaving it running ,with a log burner and as soon as we have the money, we will replace the LPG gas boiler with a wood pellet burning version and a thermal store so that it can provide hot water and the underfloor heating. The house is very well insulated and we've only lit the fire on one evening so far. We use the conservatory as a heat store and open the door into the lounge in the early evening to provide enough warmth. The problem with that is catching it at the optimum moment as the conservatory cools down rapidly and then makes the lounge cold as well.