An expensive winter for many.

[Bernie Garland]

With all the talk about huge increase in the cost of gas,Maxine did a little experiment last night,instead of me lighting the woodburning fire at around teatime,we decided to turn on the gas central heating at 5pm it was turned off a 9pm 4hours went and checked the metre as were prepayment and were gobsmaked £2.40 for 4 hours that's £33.60 a week if we have to use it morning and night,glad i fitted the log burner now.
I just feel sorry for the old and unfirm and the genuine unemployed,as it's going to be a struggle and its not bitter weather yet.

Bernie

[Shambling Shaman]

Yep glad we have a log burner, and a ready supply of logs.

Oil is coming down (was last time I looked) so they should pass on the savings... as if!!

Quick to pass them on when it goes up

[British Red]

I just laid in a cord of wood and we've decided to go with a coal mix this year as I just don't have the time to cut or the money to buy as much wood as we used last year (c. 3 cords). So I ahve just laid in ten hundredweight of house coal too. Along with two dustbin full of kindling it'll keep us warm a good while but I reckon at least one "re-stock" will be needed.

Red

[jungle_re]

oil has come down loads just had an oil delivery and it was over £100 cheaper than well i put the same amount in in Feb. The old man has just purchased a generator as hes convinced that hes going to get loads of power outages this winter, even got a halogen oven to run of it which is fantasic going to get one for the car.

[Bernie Garland]

oil has come down loads just had an oil delivery and it was over £100 cheaper than well i put the same amount in in Feb. The old man has just purchased a generator as hes convinced that hes going to get loads of power outages this winter, even got a halogen oven to run of it which is fantasic going to get one for the car.

The gas comes out the ground the same as oil,so how come that's not dropped like oil?

Bernie

[jungle_re]

not sure Bernie, its drop from arround 65 pence to below 45 pence for a litre

http://www.boilerjuice.com/heatingOilPrices.php

[spiritofold]

I've always wondered why the price we pay for gas and electric haven't dropped. I can only think its down to pure greed...

[Bernie Garland]

not sure Bernie, its drop from arround 65 pence to below 45 pence for a litre

http://www.boilerjuice.com/heatingOilPrices.php

I watched a prog on the tele were people were following the tankers,and pinching the stuff from the newly filled tanks,so would keep an eye out if your in the sticks.

Bernie

[bikething]

I watched a prog on the tele were people were following the tankers,and pinching the stuff from the newly filled tanks,so would keep an eye out if your in the sticks.

Bernie

wouldn't they need a tanker to cart it away??!!

[Mesquite]

wouldn't they need a tanker to cart it away??!!

Not necessarily, just a few 45 gallon oil drums on a trailer would be all they'd need.

[Bernie Garland]

wouldn't they need a tanker to cart it away??!!

Trannie vans with 45 gallon drums in the back so they dont look sus,with fast running electric pumps, they've also been using the same system to pinch diesel from lorries parked in lay bys on the A50 when the drivers a kip.

Bernie

[a12jpm]

wouldn't they need a tanker to cart it away??!!

Unfortunatley not. A water bowser pulled behind a 4x4 will nick enough heating oil to run a small house over the winter. My mate found out the hard way. New tank and a full load of oil later lesson learned. All hidden away now.

[stooboy]

Unfortunatley not. A water bowser pulled behind a 4x4 will nick enough heating oil to run a small house over the winter. My mate found out the hard way. New tank and a full load of oil later lesson learned. All hidden away now.

There was news reports recently of a large rise in the amount of fuel tanks being hit in Scotland, oil heating for houses, red deisiel on farms etc.

My sisters car petrol was siphoned not so long ago, made a real mess of the fuel cap, all mangled with screw drivers.

There was also a recent news article about people getting the peat cutters dusted off as coal was so expensive...

[jungle_re]

Need balls of steel too, the tank is in my gundogs kennel run and they dont tend to like strangers.

[RobertRogers]

I put up 12-cords of firewood this year plus extra from last year. Can always find something to burn.

[Toddy]

This measuring of firewood in cords confounds me.........1.2 x 1.2 x 2.4 m though, that I understand. Two tattie crates sized, basically, or half a garden shed size pile

Cords are ridged pile trousers

cheers,
Toddy

[BigShot]

Other than an approved wood burner - what solutions are there for someone person living in a smoke control area?

Fitting an oil system isn't an option.

[Squidders]

it's ironic seeing a thread commenting on the expense of things directly above one for people giving things away.

I'm all for good will but which is it? tighten our belts or be generous?

[British Red]

This measuring of firewood in cords confounds me.........1.2 x 1.2 x 2.4 m though, that I understand. Two tattie crates sized, basically, or half a garden shed size pile

Cords are ridged pile trousers

cheers,
Toddy

Toddy,

I think of a cord as enough to fill the old outdoor privvy

Its a standard measure though to me the type and quality of wood makes all the difference - I tend to get birch, beech, ash and oak which all seem to burn well. I like birch for tinder though - splits easily with a kindling kinfe when wanting fine stuff to get it lit. Something very satisfying in "chopping sticks" I find

Red

[Toddy]

Toddy,

I think of a cord as enough to fill the old outdoor privvy :

Red

Ah, got it
Somewhere I have a list of the weights and the btu's of native firewoods If I come across it I'll post the details

cheers,
M
.

[susi]

Hum, central heating costs, may I give my experience.

Year 2000, living in UK, GCH.

Started off just having it on for a couple of hours in the morning and 3 or so in the evening (21-22°C for both periods). House felt cold when I got home from work and nights felt frosty.

The second year I bought a combined thermostat/timer from B&Q and set it:

4-6am 21°C
6am-4pm 17°C
4pm-midnight 22°C
midnight-6am 19°C

Compared year on year usage, gas usage went up equivalent of about 4 quid a month, 2 pints of Stella


My bathroom was now warm and I didn't get as much mould and mildew as before. I was cosy at nights and it was nice to come home to a warm lounge! Someone explained that if you let your house (walls) get stone cold, as soon as you bang on the heating, they go "slurp" and absorb all the heat from your radiators. But if you keep your walls relatively warm all the time, it doesn't take much extra energy to get the place cosy. Of course this depends on how good your insulation is (loft, cavity walls, double glazing, etc).

As for energy prices, I think we have "enjoyed" cheap energy for far too long. We haven't had to consider investing in insulation and as a result we have left a lovely legacy of a polluted and unbalanced planet for future generations

We will now pay the price for this

[Spikey DaPikey]

I now live in a 1 bed fround floor flat, and havent have to use my heating yet. It helps that the living room and bedroom are both south facing, have double glazing and so gets great passive solar heating ! Downside is I'm all electric, so if we have power cuts, i'll havta get me camping stove out