Handling the cold this winter

[Simster]

In a previous house I was in I had the sash windows draft proofed, they put a draught excluder thingy around the frame of the window and it made a massive difference. It was not the stuff you can buy from B&Q and not sure how easy it would be to DIY. I also cannot remember how much I paid for this to be done but I do remember it was well worth the money.

We did this several years ago and they are indeed excellent. Nevertheless, single glazed sash windows are MILES colder than double glazing!

 

[BensGrandad]

I've used the film before... Its just double-sided tape and cling film. You stick it over the window and use a hair dryer to warm and it stretches tight.

It does block draughts (because the whole window is now sealed in) but heat will still leave the house and cold come in through convection (conduction? - can never remember which is which!).

Therefore it will help with the draughts that inevitably come with sash windows but do nothing like the job that double glazing would do.

It is possible to fit double glazed panes of glass within the sash window but if its draughty then this doesn't fix the issue either.

My grandmother did that for years and I am sure that she eventually bought a pack from B & Q or similar which did the same job.

 

[Gazwag]

I have sash windows, so double glazing isn't possible..

we had double glazed sash windows put in my office in the spring they are excellent and look exactly like the sold draughtly ones they replaced. I suspect they are a bit more expensive than normal double glazed though

 

[Craven Wine]

Depending on various factors you might want to check out the 'green deal', good for insulation etc - notion being improvements are paid for via your heating bill but the scheme doesn't suit all (more of a possibility if it's an old house!).

 

[withdeanwombat]

Brick up your windows. Buy some posters to put where they were. Choose warm, glowing pictures. Sunset in Tahiti, Rottnest Island, Croydon by night. Hot water bottles, big woolly jumpers, a bottle of Talisker.

Warm. Waaaaaarm !

 

[happypig]

Loft insulation is a must and if you haven't already got any, is often free.

 

[MJsGhost]

If you don't need to open the window (easily) during the winter months, you could buy sheets of thin clear perspex that are large enough to cover the whole window & fix them to the frame.

My dad did theirs - it doesn't notice and creates a kind of double glazing. It's a bit roomier than the normal gap between panes in true double glazing, so it's not perfect, but it did make a big difference in their draughty old cottage. He just unscrews them & removes when it's warmer.

I got mine sorted by the sash window man - a poster on here if I recall correctly. Worked a treat, though from the above I can see Simster's already had that done...

http://thesashwindowman.com/

 

[BLOCK F]

Have a log stove fitted.
Not cheap but very effective and a good long term investment.
Get your C.H. system checked over by a reputable heating engineer.He may come up with some cost effective ideas if it is lacking in any way.
As MJ,s Ghost suggests,fit secondary glazing to your sash window areas.

 

[spongy]

I had trouble over the summer sleeping when I worked nigh shift for a while as we only have Venetian blinds in our rented flat. Can't afford curtains to put up and was struggling so I brought some corrugated cardboard home from work that is used as a protector between sheets of stainless steel. I just cut it up to the exact size of our windows and wedged it in the frames. It's cheap, provides that "secondary" layer, easily removable every morning and it provided a black out environment. Got crap loads at work if you want some. We just cut it up and throw it in the recycling!!!

 

[Deleted member 18477]

Buy a onesie...

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Wear two pairs of trousers. It really works.

 

[Rugrat]

Erm ... we moved to our house about 3 years ago ... how do I tell if I have cavity wall insulation

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Get new sash windows?

 

[cloud]

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

I agree that probably the most cost effective action is loft insulation and draught proofing to stop the heat you have already created using expensive gas / electricity being lost or diluted by incoming cold air.

The only caution I would have is that you should still have some route for fresh air to enter for your own well being and to offset the potential accumulation of fumes from an open or gas fire, eg an air brick or at least trickle vents on windows. Having tried to make my place as draught proof as possible and sealing it up tight during really cold spells but having a log burner (brilliant) I thought it wise to fit a carbon monoxide detector as a precaution.

 

[KNC]

I can't be doing with a cold house. We just have the heating on as much as required to ensure we're not cold, topped up with a fire in the lounge when required.

At home I'm in shorts all year round.

Really. How interesting.

 

[BN9 BHA]

I've had enough of living in a cold house in the winter, so I'm looking at ways to warm the place up.

Naturally, I've laid down insulation where possible, and I'm going to buy loads of draught excluders to plug a few gaps.

I have two questions relating to a couple of other ideas:

1) I have sash windows, so double glazing isn't possible. However, you can buy film which is supposed to act as double glazing. Stuff like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BNIB-STOR..._Accents_LE&hash=item27d7c63b92#ht_627wt_1063

So has anyone on here used this stuff before, and if so how effective is it?

2) A dull central heating question
My central heating is a bit sluggish. I suspect the central heating pump simply isn't powerful enough. Does anyone have a secondary central heating pump and if so, do they make a BIG difference? i.e. enough to justify spending a few hundred quid having fitted


And HELL, lets make this into a thread featuring all kinds of "keeping warm" tips in the winter. I might even buy the Albion onesie if it makes one feel SNUG.

Never heard of a secondary central heating pump, you need to upgrade your existing heating pump, get the heating cleaned of sludge, upgrade the radiator valves if old and get the heating balanced.

 

[Grombleton]

I use the film at Grombleton Towers - we have doubled glazed sash windows (i'd change them to UPVC, but money) and it does keep a lot of the draughts out - putting it up can be a right bitch (or it might just be me, i'm a right prat with DIY). Considering the cost (i got mine from Wickes for about £7) it's worth a try- won't work miracles and keep warmth in but it'll save a degree or two which is better than nothing.

 

[algie]

Buy a onesie...

Great answer.

 

[countryman]

A good pair of long johns.