Winter 2022/20223: keeping warm

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pwa
Posts: 17357
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Winter 2022/20223: keeping warm

Post by pwa »

Okay, it's a bit early, but huge energy prices are forecast for October and a lot of us are going to find that impacting severely on our lives. So what practical steps can we take to reduce the problem?

We hear a lot about insulation, but something rarely talked about is the volume of air we have to heat. It has occurred to me that if we fill more of our space with stuff, furniture, cushions and so forth, we will have less air to heat, and the stuff will to some extent stabilise temperature. Time to fill the house with beanbags?
mattheus
Posts: 5030
Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: Winter 2022/20223: keeping warm

Post by mattheus »

Trees are very good at keeping urban streets at more even temperatures - and they have some other benefits for the planet.

Worth a try?

Plan B: advertise for used polystyrene packing. That will take up a lot of space without weighing a ton when you're installing it.
Mike Sales
Posts: 7860
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Winter 2022/20223: keeping warm

Post by Mike Sales »

Two of the walls in my living room are lined with books.
Insulation and stimulation!
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Nearholmer
Posts: 3899
Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: Winter 2022/20223: keeping warm

Post by Nearholmer »

Heat fewer rooms if that is a possibility. Maybe a bit drastic, but needs must sometimes.

Having grown up in a house which at the time was ruddy chilly, very basic cavity walls with no insulation, those awful steel-framed single-glazed windows, no meaningful loft insulation, fireplaces in two rooms only, and one of those never used for a fire, I’m overly familiar with the idea of only one room heated, and wearing multiple layers when venturing to the others, so I don’t suggest it lightly.

Incidentally, my mother still lives in the house, and it is now super-snug, with fully insulated walls and loft, and double glazing, which illustrates to me the value of those things. She uses electric heating, good modern heaters, and is able to keep snug using very few kWh/day because of the insulation etc.
briansnail
Posts: 805
Joined: 1 Sep 2019, 3:07pm

Re: Winter 2022/20223: keeping warm

Post by briansnail »

Five and six year old's seem to hardly feel the cold.As we age each decade we feel the cold more.We need to ensure particularly the elderly keep the temperature up and eat properly.
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