Unable to maintain heat in home

The_Conductor

km991148 wrote: »

The real question is - dont I have any rights with regards to having a home that can be sufficiently heated? I mean - given the windows and existing heater, on some days I can barely get the room to the stage where I can stop seeing my breath - and that is with hairdryer being used to get some warmth into the room (along with existing electric 2kw heater) - and at a cost of 5 euro per night on heat alone!

You did have the right to a BER certificate when renting the property- which will normally give a reasonable indication of the thermal efficiency (among other factors) of a property.

You are not entitled to double glazed windows- and indeed, the landlord may be specifically prohibited from putting double glazed windows into the alcove (my brother is in this situation).

If the landlord does put in double glazing- he is not entitled to claim any of the costs- as it is viewed by Revenue as an 'improvement' (and no improvements to a property are tax deductible).

The very best solution- would be the suggestion (above) to get good thermal curtains- they're spectacularly good at retaining heat in a property. You could talk to the landlord about this- and see if you could come to a conclusion- good thermal curtains given the size and dimensions of the bay window that you've given- might easily be 300-400 Euro (the person who thinks they can get them for 200- good luck with that..........)

chicorytip

km991148 wrote:

Its an old building alright, but he owns 4 in the same street and has put double glazing in the others (but not bay windows). However other houses (different owners) have double glazing.

Many older houses in Ireland were constructed using solid block which retain far less heat than the more modern cavity type. This could be relevant in your case but, yes, you certainly need a new window.

km991148

Thanks for the suggestions - I wasn't expecting my summer electricity bill of 50 per month, but going at the current rate - heating on all night I will be closer or over 200 per month and the warmest I can maintain is around 16 deg (and that is using a hairdryer + bathroom fan heater to get it there!)

Being shafted for expensive rent I can handle - but not getting any comfort at all is takin the p!ss!

The_Conductor

km991148 wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions - I wasn't expecting my summer electricity bill of 50 per month, but going at the current rate - heating on all night I will be closer or over 200 per month and the warmest I can maintain is around 16 deg (and that is using a hairdryer + bathroom fan heater to get it there!)

Being shafted for expensive rent I can handle - but not getting any comfort at all is takin the p!ss!

Did you get a BER certificate when you rented the property?
It normally includes a list of suggestions relevant to a particular property- which you use as a shopping list for making it more energy efficient.

km991148

The_Conductor wrote: »

Did you get a BER certificate when you rented the property?
It normally includes a list of suggestions relevant to a particular property- which you use as a shopping list for making it more energy efficient.

The place was barely renovated and I barely looked at it when I went to see it (I know.. my fu(k up..)!

exaisle

Danbo! wrote: »

<snip>

Believe it or not, the most effective place for a radiator is in fact under a window. I don’t understand why, but it’s recommended.

I've always wondered about that...seems to me that the place to put it would be as far away from the lossy area, ie the window, as possible...but I'd like to hear the views of people who really know....possibly engineers...

CIARAN_BOYLE

not an engineer bit if you place your radiator away from the heat loser you will end up with an uneven amount of heat. you will be warm near the radiator and cold near the window. if you put the rad next to the window the overall heat will be more even.

the_syco

Put a plastic sheeting at the window.

Consider something like this; https://purchase.ie/product/all-products/insulating-window-film

NicsM

I lived in a very draughty, single glazed Georgian building for a few years and they are really hard to heat but some things did help.

If the landlord can't sort things for you, get an oil filled radiator from Argos – I picked up one for less than €100. Combined with either a wifi plug or a plug on a timer, you can switch it on before you get home to add to the heat from your existing radiator. As others have said, heavy curtains or insulation for the windows will help somewhat but if they're as tall as mine were, it's really hard to get the top of the window covered with the insulation material.

I bought a soft movable draught excluder in TK Maxx to add to the existing one on the door and it made a huge (if surprising) improvement. Additionally, if you have a fireplace in your apartment and it's not in use, check if there's an internal cover you can close in the fireplace – older buildings usually have those and closing it over stops draughts coming down the chimney. Unfortunately one of the downsides of older buildings is much higher bills in winter, ours were often triple the cost of summer.

An electric blanket for bed (super cheap to run) and a small heater fan beside the bed which you can switch on just before you go asleep/wake up will take the worst of the chill out of the air. Aside from that, warm jumpers, good socks and slippers are your best bets!

the_syco

NicsM wrote: »

Additionally, if you have a fireplace in your apartment and it's not in use, check if there's an internal cover you can close in the fireplace – older buildings usually have those and closing it over stops draughts coming down the chimney.

If you have a chimney, but not the above, look for a chimney balloon.

geecee

Another (Very!) inelegant thing you could do is pick up a 13.5 tog Super King Duvet and use it to completely block off the bay window from the rest of the room...

i.e. Nail or screw it to the wall outside the bay window. Then stop using the existing heater and buy the oil heater mentioned above or:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/7199646.htm

Its a lot cheaper than curtains... but would look ugly as hell and block your natural daylight!

km991148

geecee wrote: »

Another (Very!) inelegant thing you could do is pick up a 13.5 tog Super King Duvet and use it to completely block off the bay window from the rest of the room...

i.e. Nail or screw it to the wall outside the bay window. Then stop using the existing heater and buy the oil heater mentioned above or:
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/7199646.htm

Its a lot cheaper than curtains... but would look ugly as hell and block your natural daylight!

heh - well I dont really get natural light - the windows are on the street so the crappy blinds are always closed! If I could lay bricks I would block the whole thing up lol!

Are oil filled heaters more efficient? Or are they just better for holding a heat longer?

davindub

km991148 wrote: »

heh - well I dont really get natural light - the windows are on the street so the crappy blinds are always closed! If I could lay bricks I would block the whole thing up lol!

Are oil filled heaters more efficient? Or are they just better for holding a heat longer?

no bricks needed these days...couple of these with a wooden frame https://www.build4less.ie/insulation-materials/wall-insulation/xtratherm-thin-r-80mm-insulation.html

You would probably find the heat escapes through everywhere else except where the boards are though...

bertsmom

I know it's not a big fix or anything but I have a heated OVER blanket/throw and it's brilliant! I got it last winter just as a throw for when up very late over the Xmas hols watching TV or early Saturday mornings on the sofa when you might not want to turn the heating on and I have found it so useful and it's really comfortable and warm. It's also suitable to put on your bed overnight. The only thing that is important is its for over or around you NOT under you like a conventional electrical blanket. My one was advertised as about 3p sterling an hrs to use and I really don't notice it at all on my ESB bill but my oil bill was much smaller with using it. Mine is a faux fur type and was around sixty euro.

jimmycrackcorm

Danbo! wrote:

Believe it or not, the most effective place for a radiator is in fact under a window. I don’t understand why, but it’s recommended.

I do understand as I once wrote software for piping layouts in buildings. The specs called for easy matching of radiators to windows. I was curious why and was told that it was efficient for heating the whole room due to the convection effect from the cold air transfer from the window.

Lumen

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I do understand as I once wrote software for piping layouts in buildings. The specs called for easy matching of radiators to windows. I was curious why and was told that it was efficient for heating the whole room due to the convection effect from the cold air transfer from the window.

Whatever about efficiency, it's good for preventing condensation.