Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[Snowy]

Kate you are banned from the competition!

 

No heating on here yet, although there is one radiator coming on in the bathroom as the thermostats are broken and the heating comes on with the water (only twice a day, and only in the bathroom - all the other radiators are turned off. ) Trouble is, every time they come out to fix it, they say we need either a power flush, or a new boiler system. Neither of which we can afford. I did notice that the house seemed a lot colder last week during all the rain - I think it was because everything was so damp. We have lots of woolly throws in the lounge, and use them if needed!

[Karen & co.]

We've not had the heating on yet, although I was tempted when it wouldn't stop raining just to help dry washing

 

Yesterday was wonderful and sunny, I opened windows all over the house as it was so warm

 

We can't light the fire until the first week in October as there was a nest in the chimney this year and I don't fancy it all landing in the hearth, so once it has been swept then I can light it again

 

We are seriously looking at solar heating for the water, and have had a couple of quotes, but found another company recently that we need to contact.

 

Karen x

[The Dogmother]

I've been wearing more clothes and lighting the stove.. free wood, so very cheap to run

[Guest]

Oh my granny is deaf and doesn't wear her hearing aid. When we are with her sometimes we tell her she can't hear and she says she can then Mum and I just look at each other and say "quarter to three" she doesn't have a clue!

[Cinnamon]

Well, mine went on this week, but in my defence all the rads are switched off apart from the one in Cleos room.

 

Her room has a lot of outside walls & is by far the coldest in the house, & she was complaining about it being so cold in there, so I relented

[rachel19]

Our house is ok at the moment but even in winter we never have it on as it costs too much and we are stingy students lol - I just throw on a few extra jumpers and it does the trick!

[MedusA]

I admit I've been tempted, but have resisted putting the heating on so far.

 

I'm determined that this winter we will light fires rather than put on the heating, whenever we can. Wood is free, gas will be veeeeeeeery expensive.

 

I'm planning on layering my clothes until I look like the Michelin man. Not a good look but then neither is blue lips (which I always get when I'm cold).

[Plum]

Deathly silence.

[Egluntyne]

I can remember last winter sitting at the computer and wearing fingerless gloves to type some work up.

 

You burn a few extra calories off anyway in being a bit chilly.

 

Every cloud has a silver lining.

[Cinnamon]

I wouldn't have had mine on at all if it were not for Cleo,her chilly room, her skinny little frame & her refusal to get out of bed & get dressed as its too cold

[Blackrocksrock]

I wouldn't have had mine on at all if it were not for Cleo,her chilly room, her skinny little frame & her refusal to get out of bed & get dressed as its too cold

 

 

Tell her that when a child in the scottish highlands we had no central heating or double glazing and had window frames made of metal and the inside windows were frozen as much as the outside! we also had the bad severe winters we dont get nowadays - we had blankets on the beds until the new duvets came in! (showing my age now) It was cold and my mother got up early to light the fire in the lounge so I could get dressed in the warm.! Doesnt bear thinking about now Our central heating now is a multifuel boiler which we burn wood on and we light every night for hot water and the heating automatically comes on so its nice and cosy at night and in the mornings thankfully

[bronze]

Can't afford to even if we wanted to

[gracefruit]

My husband (who is Scottish) and I (from warm, sunny Alabama) are always 'discussing' turning on the heating. I say to put on a jumper! Nothing chaps my hide like handing over money to greedy corporations.

[ubereglu]

We haven't had the heating on at all recently-since about February. We always insist on hanging the washing out outside, no matter what the weather-this is partly because we don't like the smell of washing powder!

[cammy73]

No heating on here either...but I have been very tempted....but just to get the washing dry.

We have a log burner and coal fire, luckily for us the school where OH is the caretaker have had the tree surgeon in over the 6 weeks and said we could have the wood for free!!!

So a little money saved there! We are also saving every piece of skirting board etc that we can find, as for the washing thats put on a clothes horse in front of the log burner!!

I'm going to leave it as long as possible before I put the heating on....

 

Sharon x

[Cinnamon]

Mines off now - gorgeous day here

[Chickvic]

My radiators won't go on for at least another month. We turned it off at the end of March, we have jumpers and woolly socks

[Willow]

Not yet although we have light a fire a few evenings - I'm hoping to hold out a bit longer yet. However I feel the cold and work at home but for the first time ever I have a proper office with a door I can close so it stays warm

I do find I need the house warmer if I'm just sat at my desk than w/e's when I'm moving around.

When we got the boiler replaced and lots or work done on the heating my wonderful plumber zoned the house with two heating controllers so now I can put the heating on ether just downstairs or just upstairs and obviously either can be on different timers. When it gets really cold this is great to reduce the bills.

[Chicken Licken]

Not on here yet - I am aiming not to use any gas until November - I have a rayburn in the kitchen and a log fire in the living room... must get the chimney swept though.

 

I have a shed full of twigs and some lovely chunks of oak that a neighbour gave me which will smoulder for hours in the rayburn. I also got a good quote for anthracite from the coal merchant and I reckon it will be cheaper than the gas! especially if I supplement it with my wood supply.

 

Mind you I have got the bedsocks out and went to bed in a jumper the other night.

[rusky123]

I want to help by turning down the thermostats and wearing layers, but isnt a really warm bath, in a really warm bathroom, and putting on a really warm bathrobe after bath FAB.

[Shirl]

We had our heating on 2 mornings last week. I can't stand being cold and I'm not getting us all dressed before going down for breakfast because with 2 little ones I'd have to give them showers and clean clothes again afterwards. We don't have it on in the evenings although we did have the fire lit once.

 

We mainly burn coal. I won't burn anything but natural wood, as I worry about fumes from treated wood escaping from the burner into the room.

 

I think I've mentioned before but we have solar panels on our south facing roof and when they packed up last year we didn't bother to get them repaired. They cost £200 to get someone to top them up with antifreeze every 2 years, well they didn't save us that in heating the hot water.

[Christian]

We are back from a week in Portugal and it is freezing here!! The heating went on at 00.30 this morning when we got in.

 

The duvet felt wet when we went to bed, as it was so cold.

 

We left 30C in Portugal and have returned to Arctic Britain.

 

I cleaned out the hen's run today and did break into a sweat this afternoon. The heating is on again now.

[The Dogmother]

It's nippy sat heer now, but I'm off upstairs for a hot shower and beddie byes in a moment.

[Egluntyne]

Very chilly here.

 

Just been out to pick my son up and it was foggy and 'orrible.

 

Have a scarf round my neck as I type.

[Seagazer]

Heating is off here - mind you I seem to have my own radiator system going at the moment. I'm not quite at 'that age' but I think I'm in practice mode

 

I'm forever asking the kids 'is it hot in here or is it me?'.