Hi All,

Looking for advice please, as our house is very cold and its costing us a fortune to keep it that way!!

Our previous home (similar size but modern with gas CH cost £70pcm to heat. In this house we have spent £300 for the last 2 months and even in the summer £200pcm).

First problem is that we are on LPG, which is unregulated and the price has increased massively. We've got a 2 year contract so cant change suppliers. Assuming LPG is twice the cost of mains Gas that doesnt account for all the £ difference.

The second problem is the house is old and drafty and there is a flat roof to the rear. We've tried the obvious: better loft insulation, draft excluders, radiator panels. We cant do cavity wall insulation and cant fit double glazing as the house is listed.

The bolier is about 20 years old - would a new boiler reduce costs much?

We were thinking of putting a woodburner or an open fire in the lounge - any idea of efficiency/costs?

And, any other ideas for insulating the house and/or reducing our LPG bill?

Many thanks, Debbie

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Debbie

Check out the following sites or contact them for guidance, information on grants for listed buildings and heating efficiency.

Talk to building regulations at your local council to see what internal improvements they can recommend.

Line the exterior walls with insulated plasterboard (see old post)

Use the search facility at the top of the page and check out all old post by entering ‘insulating’

Hampshire council highlights boiler efficiency scheme | Latest News | About Emo | At Home | Emo Oil

Energy Saving Trust - Energy Efficiency & Energy Conservation to combat Climate Change.

steve

Debbie,

It won't help much but the last six weeks has been particularly cold. We live in a 2700 sq ft house, with cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, double glazing and even a thermal roof solar panel, but it didn't stop our gas bill being £250 for the last 30 days. I did ask the installers to put a 140,00 BTU boiler in 4 years ago and they insisted 100,000BTU was "more than enough". I've spent the last two weeks with only my younger son (wife and older son off on hols), and I've had to sit at my desk with a blanket around my knees with the GCH on full bore for the last two weeks.

I noticed today (when it stopped being minus 6 and started being plus 3 degrees) that I could finally wind it down from "always on".

the only other suggestion I have is to close the doors between the rooms when you are in the home.

I hope for everyone's sake that the ambient temperature improves soon.

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Hi Debbie

We bought our victorian four bedroom house 11 years ago. we had a simliar problem with it being a big old drafty house.

we also dont have any cavity in the walls of the property.

i was in the front room of the house one night and was amazed to watch the carpet rolling along the floor like a small wave.

We have air vents in the walls under the floors which cant be blocked up due to air needing to be circulated around the joists.

What i decided to do was treat each room as a seperate unit to insulate i took up the floor boards of each room one at a time and put commercial insulation between all the joists. I also called at the garden centre and bought bug proof netting to stop any insulation from dropping out from between the joists over the years

I did this in every room. And the loft as the roof is the same slate roof when the house was built in 1899. and the roof still doesnt have any felt under it.

I recently installed a dual fuel wood burner in my main living area.

It cost £500 from machine mart. it costs £8/10 for a 25kg bag of coke/coal it gives great heat out once the initial fire is going. close the doors and back the vents right back and it stays alight until the next day.

I appreciate at this time you cannot get away from the LPG but the other advise regarding the outside wall insulation would certainly help with keeping the heat in.

PS

The commercial insulation i used comes in large compressed squares that i cut with a saw a lot better than the rolled up insulation. Its main purpose is to keep certain chemicals at a constant temperature to stop it freezing.

Hope this helps

Les

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Beazley & Beazley Residential Ltd
51a Rodney Street, Liverpool. L1 9ER

(T) 0151 706 0505 (F) 0151 706 0666
www.beazley-beazley.co.uk

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Thanks all for your replies esp Les and the carpet waves! Luckily our floors seem to be OK, its just the windows, walls and roof...

Is a dual fuel stove better/cheaper to run than just a wood burner?

We're also going to bite the bullet and replace the boiler, although with a quote of £4k this seems expensive? Apparently the boiler efficiency now is 65% compared to 95% with a new one.

In the meantime we've had some insulation guys out and for £199 (free if aged over 65) we can get cavity wall insulation in the rear 1980s extension. Have to wait for warmer weather though so the glue doesnt freeze.

We've also discovered thermal paint - you mix in the powder with your normal paint and 2 coats later your walls are insulated. We'll do the external walls and ceilings of the flat roofs, and exterior sides where the brickwork is painted for about £50 so not too expensive. See Doctor Energy Insulating Paint

Also, some window clingfilm like stuff - not particularly attractive and will only last the one winter, but it has cut out the window drafts completely. This was about £3 a window. See Secondary Glazing Film - Draught Excluders - Insulation -Building Materials - Wickes

We've also got the old fashioned metal type secondary glazing (so hideous and not efficient) and there are companies advertising modern versions, glass panels stuck on with magnets, acrylic panels etc, but expensive at £600 a window. Any DIY types with ideas to seal the windows?

Longer term I'm looking at ground and air heat pumps. There are government grants coming in in April, but so far they seem to need bloody big holes dug or dont seem to reliable.

Debbie

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"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there"

Wanted - BMV in Hants/Wilts/Manchester.

Hi Debbie

The dual fuel is much better to operate.

The modern version

( I am old enough to remember making a coal fire at my parents when i was young :-() )

With the dual fuel you can use coal/coke. without the dual fuel you can only burn logs. This may sound appealing but wood doesnt last long when burning.

However coal coke mixed is great. I usually put a small amount of both in the fire with a few sticks and also 2 BBQ lighters put the lighters between the sticks put small amount of your coal coke/mix over the sticks.

forget matches go and by a burner that plumbers use to solder pipes and give the wood a blast instant fire then just build it up from your coal scuttle.

You will love the heat it gives out. If anything you will want to turn the vents down as it gets to hot but once you have run the fire in takes at least a week of constant heat.

( you need to keep the cast iron heated ) otherwise there is a risk of the cast cracking )

Sit back and enjoy.

__________________
Beazley & Beazley Residential Ltd
51a Rodney Street, Liverpool. L1 9ER

(T) 0151 706 0505 (F) 0151 706 0666
www.beazley-beazley.co.uk

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