Now that autumn is getting a little colder, how do you plan to keep warm without wasting too much energy?

Question

To celebrate National Energy Saving Week, Yahoo! Green and Yahoo! Answers have teamed up with Warren Evans to give away a double Sunday bed and a Grand mattress to the Best Answer to this question.

Get creative and tell us how you intend to keep warm while saving energy this winter. If you want to illustrate your answer, load your photo to http://www.flickr.com/groups/yahoogreenu… and add the url in your answer.

To find out more about the competition, see the Answers blog http://www.yanswersbloguk.com/b4/?p=281

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I have bought as much ECO-WOOL as I can afford (it was on BOGOF at B&Q) and rolled it out on top of the other insulation in my loft. It's lovely stuff to handle - if you wrap it round yourself you can feel how warm it is! I have stapled THERMAWRAP general purpose insulation (it's a heavy-duty, reflective bubble wrap) to the rafters, making the loft feel like a space capsule. My photo (attached) shows both these types of insulation fitted in my loft

We also have an extension with an enclosed roofspace. I have filled this to a depth of 200mm with loose insulation called WARMCEL 100, made from recycled newspaper fire-retardant. As well as keeping the bedrooms warm, this has the added benefit of deadening the sound of the aeroplanes that pass over my house as they come in to land at Heathrow airport.

I have replaced my old boiler with an A-rated condensing boiler from BUDERUS (same company as Worcester Bosch).

My most expensive investment in keeping warm without wasting energy was a whole house ventilation system with 90% efficient heat recovery, from ADM SYSTEMS. This gives us clean (filtered) fresh air 24/7 while the windows remain firmly shut, keeping the warmth in and the noise out!

I have also installed a solar water heater which provides enough hot water for all our showering and washing up during the summer months.

In the year since this I made all these changes, my gas usage has dropped by 23%, saving over 4 Megawatt-hours of energy and avoiding 800kg CO2 emissions annually.

The total cost of installing the condensing boiler was £2500, the same price as installing the solar panel with a new, dual coil hot water cylinder. Having the heat recovery ventilation system professionally installed cost me £4500 and the insulation cost me £500. So I have invested £10,000 in more efficient heating - paid for by selling my car!

It won't all be paid back in reduced energy bills but I did it in order to reduce my carbon footprint. With no car, my total greenhouse gas emissions are about a quarter of what they were a couple of years ago!

These investments have also increased the value of my home so I will see some benefit when I sell up and the emissions reductions from this house will continue indefinitely, whoever is living in it.

Source(s):

My photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24149667@N0…

Manufacturer links:

http://www.eco-wool.co.uk

http://thermawrap.co.uk/general.html

http://www.excelfibre.com/diy/index.html

http://www.admsystems.co.uk/index.htm

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks for such a great answer. Really helpful tips for anyone wishing to keep their house warm this winter (without turning the thermostat up!).

Congratulations you're our winner.

Answer 2

There's lots of things we can do.

Recently somone suggested to me that we only keep the radiators turned on in the rooms we regularly use. Keeping the heating restricted to only the times we need it is good too.

Double glazing is also good, as is insulating your loft properly. So is simple stuff like keeping the front or back door closed.

Then there's wearing more jumpers... and everyone likes a nice warm jumper!

Answer 3

build a fire,dress warmly. Don't turn on the heater~ Save money!

Answer 4

I just wear my warmest hoodie/fleece as my student house room is sooo cold. We turn the heating on occasionally (well, I do coz I feel the cold badly!) and only for a bit - like right before I go to bed.

I wear gloves in my room too as my hands get so cold when I'm not moving. Plus I sometimes go to my friends' warmer houses!

Answer 5

I put on a sweater until it gets below freezing, when I put on a coat. If it gets too cold I go out in the woods and cut firewood with an ax and hand saw- that keeps me warm for a few hours.

Answer 6

We have recently had our cavity wall insulated for free by our local council to stop us heating the street instead of our home!

I always find it's my hands ,feet and head that get cold first, so a woolly hat (i draw the line at wearing a balaclava as don't want to scare the kids!) ,a pair of thick socks, and some gloves help me too.Thin layers of clothes to finish off my own personal insulation and i'm ready for any cold snap...just one problem..it's not exactly the height of fashion .

When making a cuppa have a thermos ready for any of the boiled water you don't use and use this fo your next drinks.

Answer 7

layering

Answer 8

I set my thermostat at 50 to 55 and layer clothing during the day, and if you work around the house it will keep you warmer than just sitting still.
At bedtime, I use a bottle of hot water under my blankets keeps me warmer all night.
I am caulking my windows and such this winter as well, then I am covering the windows with plastic.
I have a plug in electric heater and I only warm the room I am going to be in.
Also I am thinking of hanging my quilts on the outside walls, I hear that is what they used to do when they had no heaters. I will just have to pick out (or buy) the pretty quilts and comforters.
Good luck to all this winter. ToniaB

Source(s):

Books, internet, stories from my grandmother.

Answer 9

well i keep wearing my hoodie and leather jacket round the house
my mum hates me for it
i also walk around the house instead of sitting still to keep warm
oh and extra bedding is helpful
also having a very cuddly labrador and springer spaniel is very helpful as they always lay on me and they are always warm

Answer 10

Lol do wut my bf and his friends do
drink vodka

Answer 11

i close the curtains (good thick ones) then eat a hot home cooked meal, turn off everything electrical i can , then relax on the sofa for read and some tv or fire up questions on my pc .
if ime lucky i may find something that stirs my soul and gets me writing .
or something to raise my cyniical side and raise others temperatures.

Answer 12

I am very luck in that my house is very well insulated and warms very quickly.
I wil be spending the winter months cooking and baking treats for my family. The oven warms the whole house and does away with the need to put the heating on at all.
At the same time i am cooking more than 1 family meal at a time and putting batches in the freezer. This helps save energy and costs as it uses up the same amount of electric to cook 2 meals as it does 1. Also by filling my freezer i am making it more efficient and reducing it's running costs.
I have been buying more board games to get the telly off and get our family interacting together it is amzing how many laughs you can have and how much your children relax and chat more when you play simple card games.

I am really looking forward to the winter months and cosy nights in.

Answer 13

This is a great question and I think that we're all feeling the pinch these days, constant news of rising energy bills and the worry of if we're able to afford those energy bills can certainly send a shiver down our spines and make us all sit down and think. My grandmother and other members of family passed on some great tips to me as I now have my own property and I'm realising just how expensive it can be to heat our homes and stay warm, especially during the winter months, I've been able to have my home insulated free of charge through the help of my energy supplier and this has helped to cut down my bills a great deal and also make my home that little bit warmer. By having double glazing fitted and my radiators checked reguarly, this has ensured that they're giving me optimal service, instead of just burning up energy and my money.

We can all do some really simply things like switching off lights and appliances when they're not in use or when we're not in the room and that works for the radiators in those rooms too, simply by turning down the thermostat a few degrees we can save a lot of money in the long run, but don't turn them down too much as it's wise to keep them at a low level so as not to get dampness or anything else nasty in our homes. I always make sure that the room I'm in is at a comfortable level of heating and that I'm wrapped up warm as you hear so many stories of people dying of the cold in winter time, especially pensioners, I sometimes put an extra duvet on my bed or wear socks in bed at night as that helps a great deal also and even my trusty old hot water bottle comes out when it's really cold, which I must add has been boiled from my coal fire and not the kettle!

It's always a good idea to shut doors when you're in a room so as to keep the heat in, there's no point heating a room if all the heat is just going to escape, If we have draughts in our doors and windows a lot of heat can escape from there and cold can come in, apart from the obvious of making sure that they're sealed and securely shut we can also have them caulked. I just recently had my own windows and doors caulked to stop any heat escaping my home and the cold entering coming in. We can also put a draught excluder down at door entries if it's really cold or put a curtain up to stop that draught, I also take down my thin curtains on my windows in winter and replace them with thick, lined ones as that stops the heat escaping and plus it's another way of keeping the cold out of my house. We really don't need to have too many lights on and I usually just use my lamp which I must add has been fitted like every other light in my house with an energy saving light bulb. In these times of high energy prices it's the little things that really matter, I usually have showers as they're both quicker and don't use as much energy, but even after having a bath, which is now only done on a Sunday and is a little luxury I mantain, don't just let the water pour down the drain, leave it for an hour as the heat and steam from it will heat up your house and leave a lovely smell that will just drift through your home.

A lot of people are unaware that heat and cold travels, if you don't have underlay then you're more than likely to have problem with the cold entering your house from below, it's always wise to have your carpets/laminate/hardwood flooring fitted with underlay as it's another way of saving energy and keeping you warm. If we're really keen on saving energy and keeping warm we can also do simple things like moving about often or getting up and doing a little bit of excercise, this will stimulate our body and help a little in keeping us warm through the winter wonderland of these next few months, just think from all that money we've saved, we can treat the ones we love to a little something extra special this Christmas!

I have very much enjoyed answering this question and you have got me thinking about other ways I can try and save both energy and keep myself warm, by being made aware of the little things that we can do, more people will try and help out the planet and also help themselves. I post below my picture and a few relevant links which may be of use to anyone with a keen interest in this subject or someone simply looking for more information on grants for insulation, double glazing, boiler replacement or anything else that may be available to them:

My photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14689313@N0…

Some relevant links:
http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html
http://www.homeinsulationgrants.com/
http://www.eaga.com/lightbulbs/index.htm…
http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/wint…

Thank you and best wishes :)

Source(s):

Years of experience living alone and trying to save money and the planet.

Answer 14

my heating bill is high this quarter ,so i need to cut down on heating , whilst the fat cats get richer , so we all lose heat from out head , so will wear a woolen hat plus a hoody,put socks on and take a hot water bottle to bed , as i try to keep warm ,i shall think of the fat cats in luxury warmth ,

Answer 15

I've got one of those quilts with the feathers in (cant remember what they are called) it can be freezing in my room but i wont feel it.
defo good investment

Answer 16

I can't afford to put the gas central heating on,
so I get dressed, tucking my shirt in my jeans to stop cold kidneys, then put on my gorgeous hot pink, very soft, fluffy, long dressing-gown.

It's 2 sizes too big - but it's like being cuddled
by a huge furry teddy-bear. M'mm just wonderfully cosy!
Sometimes (when no-one's looking), I also wrap a blanket around me, and don matching fluffy socks...

Wearing a ski-suit indoors, when the temperature is freezing, is good too!

Answer 17

People are wearing clothes with body heat and so they feel warm while walking the streets.

Arriving at home, keep up the same dress clothes and so does not need to heat the whole house, the heat of your body is enough to keep your warm clothes. The night using a good mattress and a good blanket of winter.

Answer 18

I have the heating turned off during the day and on for around 3 hours in the evening.

I use big socks! and lots of layers of clothes, and sometimes hot water bottles. Blankets!

and exercise!

If it's especially cold, I double the socks and the trousers, and pretty much dress as if I were about to go live in the North Pole indefinitely!

Answer 19

The best thing is to dress warmly, make sure there are no leaks around doors and windows, drink hot drinks throughout the day, eat spicy foods, do my laundry and drying on the days when it is really cold (the dryer helps the house to warm a little), do my baking and cooking on the colder days and eat leftovers when it is warmer. Something I am doing more often is to open up the doors and let the warmer air inside during the warmest part of the day for cooler weather, or when it is too warm during the day, open up during the coolest part of the day in early morning. That really helps the comfort level throughout the rest of the day and it delays a few hours the central heat/air conditioning coming on. My house is well-insulated. The other night I was dreaming I was baking biscuits, because it had gotten a little chilly that night. I bake biscuits or muffins for breakfast on days when it is chilly in the morning, helps to keep the heater from coming on throughout the day. If you use a humidifier during the winter, the extra humidity helps to raise the comfort level. Another thing that helps is to use the color red, because it is psychologically a warm color and may even help physically for us to feel warmer---red socks, blanket, whatever, add some red in the winter time.

Answer 20

nice big down-filled doona ...

winter's a nice time to spend in bed with the wifey too, haha

Answer 21

Most UK homes don't have the recommended amount of insulation. By properly insulating your home you could save £180 a year on your heating bills. Also, cutting down the energy your home wastes will help fight climate change as well. That's because home energy use is responsible for over a quarter of all emissions of CO2.

By fitting an insulation jacket 75mm (3 inches) thick on your hot water tank and you could save around £30 a year. If every UK household that could fitted an adequate tank-jacket tomorrow, it would save over £132 million of energy every year. you can also insulate water pipes - and do full loads of washing and dishes rahter than half, to get the most out of your money.

Around half the heat lost in a typical home escapes through the walls and the roof. a insulated loft should be around 270mm thick, to save you money and keep you warm, and pays itself back in no time a tall. also insulate your walls, If everyone in the UK filled their wall cavities, it would save around £670 million of energy a year. by simply adding pvc seals on exterior doors you can stop small but constant draughts getting in.

if you take a bath to stay warm, just take a shower instead,it uses much less water.

and wrap up warm of course!

simple tips to save money and energy

Source(s):

www.direct.gov.uk/actonco2

My uploaded pictures on flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/31666535@N0…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31666535@N0…

Answer 22

I see from all the answers that we are going back to having homes heated as they were in my youth. In those days the only rooms that were heated were the Parlour or Living room and if there was a boiler the kitchen. The rest of the house was unheated and I remember having ice on the inside of the windows, no double glazing in those days, the advent of central heating has made the whole house warmer but of course costs money.

Personally I run my house at about 54 F and only let the heating come on when there is a threat of freezing or I am sitting about.

As for lighting all my lamps are energy saving.

Answer 23

We keep the heating turned off as much as possible. We haven't had it on yet. The radiators in rooms that aren't used as much are turned to their lowest setting.

To add a little warmth cheaply we have a hot water bottle each. It keeps the chill off without having to heat the whole house.

In the summer we spent a lot of time outside. We also get out in the winter too. It helps you acclimatise to lower temperatures.

All our lighting is energy efficient and if it isn't needed it is turned off.

We also have a good winter duvet on our bed. It's so warm we don't need heating in the bedroom that often.

Source(s):

common sense and low pay.

Answer 24

lots of ways

1. Having the central heating on times mode, prior to getting up, if the house is warmer you only need it for about 20 minutes, not a couple of hours

2. Take showers and less baths

3. use the radiators to put damp washing on, not the tumble dryer

4. but a maiden for airing clothes on

5. use the washing line even if only for half an hour

6. do a once a week big cook, have lots of things in the oven all together, put in portion sized boxes, freeze and defrost the night before you need them

7, buy a big bag of potatoes, saves fuel on shopping trips

8, encourage people to wear two layers around the house

9. turn the thermostat down on heating and water appliances

10. take up exercise

11. turn everything off that you can, telly, sky, pc,

12. use a hand whisk, wooden spoon and good old fashioned bowl instead of the electric mixer

13, make up large portions of hot puddings, take some to work and reheat to keep you warm after your lunch

and there's loads more you can do if your serious about saving energy, we are, its to expensive not to be

Source(s):

own household

Answer 25

Wrap up warm, breathe into your bed to warm it up, run around. on the spot for a minute...

Source(s):

My Mum lol

Answer 26

First wear several thin layers in doors - they can easily be peeled off if you get too warm. It is better to be warmer than cold in the British winter! Small children can wear vests, t-shirts and a thin jumper etc.

Set your thermostat to 20 in the daytime, at night you should have it no higher than 18 for a comfortable nights sleep. The best way to heat your house is to have the radiators on downstairs, switching the one off in your kitchen is a good idea (or at least turn it down as in theory you are cooking and this warms the kitchen) and half your radiators on low upstairs. Set your boiler for half hour before you wake up and to go off about half hour before you leave for work school - and set them again for half hour before you return home and for half hour before go to bed. This way you will only use gas when you are at home - but don't put the thermostat above 20 as you don't need it any warmer. Heat rises so your upstairs should be well covered.

Drawing your curtains will trap in heat. Use low energy lightbulbs (they are on offer in Tescos @ 2 for £1 at the moment) and invest in table lights to only light the are you are sitting in.

A water jacket on your immersion will help to stop your boiler going crazy if you don't have a combination heater. It's important to get your boiler serviced once a year as a boiler that isn't running safely or efficiently is likely to run your bills up, or worse.

Drink plenty of warm fluids and make sure you move about. Sitting down on your bum watching tv will slow down your heart rate thus slowing your blood flow - get those arms and legs moving and circulate your blood!!

Use an extra blanket on the bed, and if possible put a fleece blanket under the sheet you normally sleep on. Socks are great at keeping feet warm!!

Proper food containing slow release carbs are a great idea - make sure you eat breakfast as missing this will affect your body all day.

Always keep one room warm by shutting doors to keep the heat in, and in the evening hot water bottles are great to cuddle in front of the tv.

Lastly rugs on laminate flooring traps heat - as like carpets they stop it from escaping so if you have wooden flooring consider getting a couple of nice mats.

The Government offer schemes to insulate your roofs and even cavity walls, so check out your local council to see what is available to you.

Source(s):

Experience of living through the winter months with two children on a low income. If I can do it so can you!

Answer 27

You could keep warm by ;
**wrapping yourself in blankets**
**cover the curtains**
**use a fire**
**instead of making a cup of tea you could use boiling water by putting it on the fire**
**use a nice warm wooly jumper**
**close all doors and windows**
**use the washing line to dry clothes**

Answer 28

Use more efficient storage type heaters and only when neccecery during the day and turn them off at night.

Dress in layers to trap warm air, and turn down that thermostat!
Warm drinks and cozy slippers.

** Wearing something warm on your feet warms your body up more than heating the house by another 5 Deg. C!

Answer 29

instead of central heating in the sitting room why not try blankets or wear jumpers
in bed wear warmer pyjamas and double dovet on a single bed(doubled up)

Answer 30

I note the seriousness of the answers given so far, and think they are all wonderful ideas, however, I have to go with my initial reaction to the question...When it gets a little colder I get in from work, close all the curtains, have a home cooked meal with my partner (usually a one pot casserole, less personal energy used up and less washing up!), and then we climb the "old wooden hill", and snuggle ourselves down in our huge duvet, with the big fluffy throw over the top...when we don't want to expel too much personal energy we generally laugh and talk about our day, and the things we have found interesting throughout the week, but also about the exciting things the future holds for us and our friends. Its a fantastic way to keep warm, not use too much energy and yet still get to know your partner really well...helps the environment in more ways than one :o)

Answer 31

This is a wonderful question! :)

We make and use Passive Solar Heaters using recycled Aluminum soda cans and wooden skids (thrown out by local factorys).

These heaters can be made at any size or specification to fit right in any south facing window (for those of use in the North Hemisphere). As long as the sun is shining on them, they can raise temperature as much as 50 degrees warmer (in freezing temps) and send that circulating out of the Heater.

How?

1. Build a box.
We use 1/4'' plywood for the back of ours and side boards from used skid tops for the sides. You could also use 2x4's for the sides.


2. Paint the entire box inside and out with Black Matte Paint.

3. Drill a 2'' hole in the top and bottom of the back of the box.
The bottom hole will be where the cold room air comes in and the top hole will be where the heated air exits.

4. Take your EMPTY, non-crushed soda cans and drill holes in the bottoms (you already have holes in the tops).

5. Stack the cans on top of each other in columns inside the box and use any strong glue on their backs to hold them to the box.
(We use Welder's Glue for this).

6. Paint the cans with the same Black Matte Paint.

7. Cover the face of the box with a clear Plexiglas.
You may also want to line the sides with caulking before doing this, to provide a good air-tight seal.

8. Place in a south-facing window with good sunlight exposure and enjoy the FREE HEAT from the Sun. :)

Pros:
- Free Energy from the Sun being used to your advantage.
- No electricity required.
- You've helped the environment by recycling those soda cans.
- You're saving money.

Source(s):

We have a Free walkthough -complete with Photos- on how to construct the above Solar Heater.
Please take some time and use it if you are interested! :)

http://www.myspace.com/trinityenergies