# Ideas on how to keep my flat warm this winter!?!



## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

To cut a very boring story short - I live in a converted 1920's flour mill, the flat is a small one bed, but it has ceilings which are 15ft high, a wood beam, orginal large hollow cast iron pipe running up through the middle, open industrial brick main wall, and large windows that are single glazed & 10ft high.

All the above 'features' are great... BUT it makes it bloody cold to live in during the winter. 

Heating only comes in the form of 2 'night storage heaters' (one in bedroom, one in main living room/kitchen area), which do nothing, because after heating up over night by time i come home in the evening all the heat is virtually gone, they also cost a FORTUNE to run (my electricity bill was double during last winters qtr compared to my bill for the qtr period after when I had them switched off!) which is pointless if i get nothing from them. The sun sets to the rear of the building, so i dont benefit from any evening sun to warm it up either.

So without buying plug in heaters that cost a fortune to run, does anybody have any sensible tips/hints/ideas on how to keep my place warm? :?

Cheers
Kevin


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## scott28tt (Jul 30, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> large windows that are single glazed & 10ft high.


What have you got covering the windows in the way of curtains etc? Sounds like you'd lose a LOT of heat from them to me.



> Heating only comes in the form of 2 'night storage heaters' (one in bedroom, one in main living room/kitchen area), which do nothing, because after heating up over night by time i come home in the evening all the heat is virtually gone


I know this doesn't help but I'd personally NEVER buy a place that only has storage heating.



> So without buying plug in heaters that cost a fortune to run, does anybody have any sensible tips/hints/ideas on how to keep my place warm? :?


Have you got the floors carpeted? Is central heating (oil or gas) an option within the building?

I would imagine that common sense prevails here - get more heat into the place and make sure it stays in. :?


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

scott28tt said:


> kmpowell said:
> 
> 
> > large windows that are single glazed & 10ft high.
> ...


I have huge thick curtains covering the windows which help keeps the light out and the heat in, but once open the heat goes very quickly.



scott28tt said:


> kmpowell said:
> 
> 
> > So without buying plug in heaters that cost a fortune to run, does anybody have any sensible tips/hints/ideas on how to keep my place warm? :?
> ...


The floors are carpeted, but unfortunatly it's a 100% electric building with no options for any gas central heating.



scott28tt said:


> I would imagine that common sense prevails here - get more heat into the place and make sure it stays in. :?


I hear what you are saying, it's generating the heat quickly which is the problem though.


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## saint (Dec 6, 2002)

http://www.intheatingsystems.com/

Worth a look. Those storage heaters are a nightmare and you'd be better off trying to heat the house with candles.


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## QuackingPlums (Mar 10, 2004)

Can you double-glaze the windows, or are they listed?

If you only have storage heating, have you also got Economy 7/9? I'm assuming your hot water is overnight electric too, so paying the Â£150 or so to fit an Economy 7/9 meter will be a good investment. You'll pay a little more for things like your cooker and anything else you only use during the day, but fridges and other things that are on 24/7 even themselves out.

My old apartment only had storage heating, and it cost next to nothing to run (<Â£20 a month including my server room, less than my new apartment).

Are your walls double thickness? If there's a cavity you could insulate those (though some people find this makes their houses too stuffy). I imagine if it's industrial though it'll be very thick anyway? Also what are the ceilings made of? How thick is that cast iron pipe and where does it lead to? If you can't block it off/insulate it, you could at least use it as a chimney and start yourself a fire! :lol:


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## malTTeezer (Nov 27, 2003)

how about "removable" secondary glazing & possibly 1 of those ceramic type heaters we used 1 last year & it didn't cost too much to run


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## paulb (May 6, 2002)

We have a parafin heater and it generates a huge amount of heat


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## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

Well the first question is whether you own or rent the flat.

If you're renting, how about a mobile Calor Gas heater? Don't know how much the bottles of gas cost, but they give out a lot of heat and they don't look bad these days either. You have to be careful of condensation though.

Some interesting models on here

http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/Products.aspx?id=7&Catid=107


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## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

Bottles and gas costs Â£40 for the larger 13KG size and the refills cost Â£16.

http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/Products.aspx?id=82&Catid=83


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## was (Mar 24, 2003)

these should do the trick :roll: :wink:


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

:lol: ... Phaw! 8) :-*


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## genocidalduck (May 19, 2005)

in the place im in now has econ 10 storage heating thing by creda. It's all wired up to a main switchboard to set the temps in each room plus the storage heaters have those fan heaters on them to boost the heat to obviously get the place warmer quicker.

I'm very pleased with them as you can set the temp for each individual room for what ever time of day you need. Heating on in the lounge for most of the day then the heating comes on in my bedroom an hour before i go to bed then switches off then comes on an hour before i plan to get up. It even does it in the bathroom.


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

As Lisa said, a calor gas heater and a small car (cant see you fitting one in the TVR )


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Can be natural gas or propane fuelled or be a man and burn wood.

The cast iron pipe you described could poss be used as a flu, which would give a radiator effect all the way up when it is warm.

Or.










Which could also double for directing traffic in Sainsburys car park on a saturday afternoon. :wink:


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## HardDrive (May 10, 2002)

Get the tarrif swapped from Economy 7 to one called Heatplus or Warmwise or maybe somthing else depending on your supplier. This gives 9 hours of heating a day at random periods controlled by the electric company. I've now had this in two flats and the net effect is that the rooms stay at the same temperature 24 hours a day and you have constant hot water. You also have the option to have your non heating electricity put back to the normal domestic rate or left on E7. Unless you do a lot of overnight washing normal is better.


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

You could try and find a cuddly new GF to keep you warm :wink:


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## doctorbob_1 (Nov 12, 2004)

How about putting in secondary glazing (someone like this but near your area http://www.1st-4-secondary-double-glazi ... index.html ), and when you get in, shut the curtains and switch on a DeLonghi dragon - ive used these to heat an appartment i owned next to the Cavern, of Beatles fame (that was a cast iron pillar'd, wooden beamed warehouse with storage heaters and no gas - listed building) and they were great for heat and perfectly acceptable bills.

Or, how about press ups, sit ups and a few star jumps for good measure? Might help with gettin that cuddly new girl - then you could make her do the star jumps etc and the cold wont be of any interest


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## BreTT (Oct 30, 2002)

R6B TT said:


> You could try and find a cuddly new GF to keep you warm :wink:


I had a cold house like that and got a new GF to keep me warm - that was the theory anyway. In practice, the only item of clothing that she removed were her socks and then she placed her freezing feet on me :?


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## r1 (Oct 31, 2002)

doctorbob_1 said:


> Or, how about press ups, sit ups and a few star jumps for good measure? Might help with gettin that cuddly new girl


Fat girls don't care what you look like do they? :wink:


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## doctorbob_1 (Nov 12, 2004)

I dont suppose they feel the cold as much tho' :?

Anyway, i'll change it to "fun" or "willing", - much better ring to it.


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## GW1970 (Jul 4, 2005)

As a student I found cooking warmed the place up! For quick temp boost, I used a fan heater. [smiley=gorgeous.gif] obligatory of course :wink:


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## pas_55 (May 9, 2002)

:wink: You could,
A,Move
B,Sleep in the TVR
C,Or as my dear departed mum would say put another jumper on!!
:wink: :wink:


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

As a student I found alcohol to be the cheapest form of heating. Girls always required feeding at some point. The only heating in my room would have been a valve amp. But I didn't have a valve amp, so I had no heating at all. You can live with the cold, it's the damp I hate!


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Thanks guys for your helpful (and some interesting!) ideas. 

The place I live in is rented (as being on your own and buying somehwere half decent in Bristol is impossible unless you are earning silly amounts of money  ), so making any permanent alterations won't be possible. Lisa & Gary, i like the calor gas burner ideas. I shall investigate them this weekend.

Thanks again


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## ringy (Oct 4, 2005)

malTTeezer said:


> how about "removable" secondary glazing & possibly 1 of those ceramic type heaters we used 1 last year & it didn't cost too much to run


I used to live in similar circumstances a few years back. It was an old tobacco warehouse converted into apartments with huge single pane windows. It was freezing in winter. A friend in the building (two floors below) had internal (secondary) windows fitted, it absolutely transformed their flat. I was still left in the cold, since was renting at the time. But the internal windows worked a treat.

Not sure on prices etc and it obviously depends on whether you own or rent.

http://www.everest.co.uk/everest-windows/secondary_windows.cfm


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

You used to be able to get some film from DIY places which acted like secondary glazing, which you stuck onto the window frame and then heat shrunk with a hair dryer - non permanent, unobtrusive and fairly effective for the winter months.

Or go and pick yourself up a warm and cuddly fat lass Kev ....


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## DXN (May 18, 2002)

You could cover your self in Deep Heat :lol: or

look at www.homebase.co.uk and go to oil heaters


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## PaulRS3 (May 7, 2002)

only trouble with calor gas heaters is the smell

makes me feel sick. and they do seem pretty directional.

do they still do those electic oil filled radiators?

heat lamps :roll:

move out? :?:


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## DW225 (Jun 22, 2005)

R6B TT said:


> You could try and find a cuddly new GF to keep you warm :wink:


or for those REALLY cold nights..............two HOT bisexual girlfriends!!!! :twisted:



Dave 8)


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## garvin (May 7, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Lisa & Gary, i like the calor gas burner ideas. I shall investigate them this weekend.


They do put out a lot of heat but beware the condensation issue mentioned earlier and they can make your eyes water after a while so good ventilation is a must ............. which generally means 'fresh air' or, in other words, 'cold air' of some description.

Before we were married my other half shared a flat with another girl and used a calor gas heater to keep warm in winter - it was OK but only in short bursts. TBH we frequently adopted the alternative alcohol route ............. i.e. we went down the pub with the raging log fire for a bevvy or two ......... or three ....... or ...........


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

garvin said:


> Before we were married my other half shared a flat with another girl and used a calor gas heater to keep warm in winter - it was OK but only in short bursts. TBH we frequently adopted the alternative alcohol route ............. i.e. we went down the pub with the raging log fire for a bevvy or two ......... or three ....... or ...........


... or take a very HOT SHOWER and watch all the steam in the cold air!  :wink:


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## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Kevin
Go round to Rob's, Gary's or the pub?

Alternatively....
Buy 2/3 oil-filled rads, one per room - they come with thermostats and decent outputs now. (maybe Â£30-40 each). Don't get the halogen/infra red ones as they are really inefficient.
Fit some draft excluder round the doors and windows (cheap)
Check out secondary glazing - maybe persuade the landlord to chip in or get the plastic film stuff

What do they do in the other flats/aptmts? - maybe ask the neighbours?
Underfloor heading is clearly not an option - think its likely to be pricey.
HTH


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Kevin,

Have you considered masturbation?


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

jampott said:


> Kevin,
> 
> Have you considered masturbation?


 :lol: :lol:

I'll bet he has......even before he moved in :lol: :lol:


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

jampott said:


> Kevin,
> 
> Have you considered masturbation?


Constantly.


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## t7 (Nov 2, 2002)

What ever method you use to heat your rooms you are going to have to heat a large volume of air above your head before you see an acceptable temp at floor level... and without double glazing a lot of it will escape no matter how fast you pump heat into the room. Guess you need to look for an instant heating method that gives the most KW/h for the least Â£ - a long time ago I had all the conversion factors between Btu/therms/KJ/KW but being an enterprising chap I'm sure you can work it out. fwiw if you have ceiling fans keep them on to circulate the warm air back to floor level.

It sounds as though your landlord has never lived there in winter - as previously suggested check out how other owners have fixed the problem and ask that he implements some/all of the measures or you'll move out. Worth adding that in your opinion he will find it impossible to find another tennant until it warms up again in 6 months time - long enough to scupper the ecnomics of the lowest leveraged buy to let landlord and maybe enough to scare him into investing in his property.

In the short term an electric blanket and some flanalette sheets are worth considering... :wink:

Lou


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## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

And a big slipper....


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

Of course, you could go into another source of rented accomodation so you don't confront this problem next year.


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## che6mw (Nov 13, 2003)

garyc said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > Kevin,
> ...


don't you chaff ?


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