Advice for staying warm in winter with no heating

The_Brood

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Mold is due to relative humidity which ironically is common in cold properties so a
dehumidifier would be a good thing to have.

With two people working and a rent that is well below typical it feels odd you cannot heat the place to a safe level.

Yes we are using a dehumidifier and its actually working pretty good thankfully.

As far as moving out - it's always on our mind but we've heard much, much, much worse landlord stories, so don't want to assume the grass is greener on the other side.

Outside the cold months we can't complain about the landlord, but when it is cold and you are sick, you need heat.

Stheno

The_Brood wrote: »

Yes we are using a dehumidifier and its actually working pretty good thankfully.

As far as moving out - it's always on our mind but we've heard much, much, much worse landlord stories, so don't want to assume the grass is greener on the other side.

Outside the cold months we can't complain about the landlord, but when it is cold and you are sick, you need heat.

Do you want the landlord to provide more heat as part of your rent?

The_Conductor

The_Brood wrote: »

Yes we are using a dehumidifier and its actually working pretty good thankfully.

As far as moving out - it's always on our mind but we've heard much, much, much worse landlord stories, so don't want to assume the grass is greener on the other side.

Outside the cold months we can't complain about the landlord, but when it is cold and you are sick, you need heat.

Would you accept that you're going to have vastly higher heating bills for another 6-8 weeks- and bite the bullet and simply turn on the electric heater? If need be- some of the electricity suppliers offer 'level pay plans'- which smooth out the hikes we all experience in our heating bills at this time of the year. Its always more expensive to heat units at this time of the year- it doesn't matter whether its a wonderfully insulated unit or not (and yours sounds like it definitely isn't)- it is a simple fact of life- your heating at this time of the year- will cost more than at other times.

The_Conductor

Stheno wrote: »

Do you want the landlord to provide more heat as part of your rent?

Which would presumably result in the core rent being hiked- and the OP has already advised they are incredibly price sensitive- they are paying significantly below open market rates at the moment- I suspect the prospect of paying extra for heating- is something that they're not willing to do- I could be wrong- but the OP is drip feeding information that suggests this point.

myshirt

Some simple steps you can take are to wear a thermal vest, and sleep with a scarf and hat on. I done it years ago. Don't listen to anyone who says you look silly, especially if it is your wife.

Stheno

The_Conductor wrote: »

Which would presumably result in the core rent being hiked- and the OP has already advised they are incredibly price sensitive- they are paying significantly below open market rates at the moment- I suspect the prospect of paying extra for heating- is something that they're not willing to do- I could be wrong- but the OP is drip feeding information that suggests this point.

Agreed

One of the issues is the fact they work from home while other tenants may be out during the day

The_Conductor

Stheno wrote: »

Agreed

One of the issues is the fact they work from home while other tenants may be out during the day

One of the terms in most leases prohibits people running or conducting business from residential dwellings (I'm not suggesting the OPs situation is this- however, its one reason the OP's complaint is not more widespread).

I'd suspect its a combination of the OP working from home and the other tenants not- alongside the building being an older and poorly insulated building- with a sprinkling of clothes drying indoors and some other factors............

Honestly- if the OP cannot afford to turn on the heating (they did say they have electric heaters)- I don't see how this is ever going to be resolved (save the OP finding somewhere significantly cheaper- that they can afford to turn on the heater in?

El Tarangu

Edgarfrndly wrote: »

Mold is VERY dangerous. Get them to treat it now or GTFO out of there ASAP. A friend of mine moved into an apartment with it, and gradually got sicker and sicker until he was bedbound. When he moved out of the apartment, he got better.

Are you serious? Mold isn't some sort of unstoppable force of nature; cloth, soaked in a bleach solution, *wipe* *wipe*, mold is gone.

Doctors room ghost

myshirt wrote: »

Some simple steps you can take are to wear a thermal vest, and sleep with a scarf and hat on. I done it years ago. Don't listen to anyone who says you look silly, especially if it is your wife.

Aragh here we are not eskimos living in a block of ice ffs. If you are going to bed wearing a hat and scarf in order to maintain body temperature in 2018 there is something seriously wrong with that situation.
I agree with the vest but hat and scarf is ott

Doctors room ghost

El Tarangu wrote: »

Are you serious? Mold isn't some sort of unstoppable force of nature; cloth, soaked in a bleach solution, *wipe* *wipe*, mold is gone.

Mold will fcuk up your lungs and respiratory tract.its lethal sh1t that gives off spores.there are specialists who remove it.of all things I wouldn’t mess with mold

El Tarangu

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Mold will fcuk up your lungs and respiratory tract.its lethal sh1t that gives off spores.there are specialists who remove it.of all things I wouldn’t mess with mold

I would be very surprised if there isn't at least some small amount of mold somewhere in the room that you are in right now. It isn't good for you, for sure, but you don't need to wear a bio-hazard suit to spray it with some Flash or whatever.

the_pen_turner

minor mould is ok to deal with .
serious mould really needs to be dealt with properly and kept away from.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Yeah, look it depends on the extent of the mould but I have used bleach on mould before and it was grand.

I'm a little confused by this thread though, surely more heat can be provided by the landlord for a price or an electric heater could be used - I think the oil filled ones are meant to be better.

Bob24

El Tarangu wrote: »

I would be very surprised if there isn't at least some small amount of mold somewhere in the room that you are in right now. It isn't good for you, for sure, but you don't need to wear a bio-hazard suit to spray it with some Flash or whatever.

Usually if people start noticing it and complaining about it as the OP does, it means it has already reached dangerous levels. If you can see spots of mould on a wall or ceiling you *need* to do something about it.

twowheelsonly

What about trying the 'candle and flowerpot' trick ? (Candles or nightlights..)
I've used it sleeping in the back of my van using a baking tin and 2 x small ceramic pots and usually end up blowing out the candles after an hour or so. Obviously a van is a much smaller space but they'll definitely make a difference IMO.

beatricebutrus

Here are a couple of things that have worked for me and my past and current battles against cold:

1. Wool. No joke. It holds heat so make that the layer closest to your body. Check out some charity shops for real wool, to wear under your layers.

2. I got a wall panel heater in Aldi. http://offers.kd2.org/en/gb/aldi/pnwm/. To be honest, it doesn't do a great job of heating my high ceiling georgian flat, but is safe enough to use creatively. Put under a table and put a blanket over the table for a super toasty work spot.

3. Make sure your place is well ventilated. Even when it is freezing out, opening all the windows for a bit really takes the edge off, and my flat isn't even damp.

4. Using the oven for cooking while working in the kitchen. Even with the door shut, it takes the edge off the cold, and most of what I cook can be done in the oven.

5. Booze.

utmbuilder

I should not be advising this Incase your burn the house down.

But old style clay terracotta plant pots , with cheap tea light candles inside make a good source of cheap heat

bleary

I'd second the heated throw.
Use a fan heater just to give a blast of heat but if you're sitting in the one spot you will be freezing without one

Rips

There is no kind of cold that a furry hooded onesie can't keep out

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Next-Furry-Onesie-not-gerber-Size-Medium/263463739010?hash=item3d57a99e82:g:qGwAAOSwVLRabfkO

rawn

I'm confused as to why the LL is bothering to control the heating at all? Surely she could just charge rent and let them pay their own heating bill, like every other LL? What does she gain by including it in the rent and restricting it so much, she must know how cold the place is?

Mrs OBumble

rawn wrote: »

I'm confused as to why the LL is bothering to control the heating at all? Surely she could just charge rent and let them pay their own heating bill, like every other LL? What does she gain by including it in the rent and restricting it so much, she must know how cold the place is?

It's likely oil fired central heating for the building which can be supplemented by the tenant using electric .

OP what sort of electric heaters did you use? I've found that oil filled portable radiator style heaters give far more cost effective heat than fan heaters.

Don't try unflued gas as some have suggested, because it gives off water..

cnocbui

Heat from electricity is the same whether you use it to heat oil or air. Makes no difference whether you use an oil filled radiator or a fan heater apart from noise and the speed with which you can get a room warm.

TheChizler

cnocbui wrote: »

Heat from electricity is the same whether you use it to heat oil or air. Makes no difference whether you use an oil filled radiator or a fan heater apart from noise and the speed with which you can get a room warm.

It can make a difference to how the room feels. If there's more radiation and less convection (oil rad) it can feel very warm near the heater. A fan one will heat the room more evenly but take more energy to get it to that comfortable temperature. Depends on your needs.

Idbatterim

Put on a warm hat when When it's cold and simply only heat the rooms you use. Also hot water bottle with the cover on it, is another cheap way to keep warmer ... You could have electric heater and just put it in the room you are using.

billybonkers

This thread is confusing, the tenant is paying rent which includes heating for 4 hours a day, and also paying separate gas and electric bills??

Mickiemcfist

I lived for a while in a house with zero heating, I found a few 2 birds one stone techniques. One was to hoover the room you're in, hoovers usually have a high amount of heat forced out the back of them due to the motor, you clean the house, warm the room & get warmed up yourself by moving. Second idea was when you've finished cooking & turn off the oven, leave the oven (electric fan oven) open to let the heat out.

shaunr68

I lived in a place like that in the late 80s, three lads sharing a flat that resembled the "Young Ones" house. The flat was a dump, no heating but it was incredibly cheap. We all went out to work during the day and had a Calor gas fire running in the evenings, we took it in turns to pay for exchange gas bottles. But more often than not we spent our evenings in the nice, warm pub, justifying this by the fact that we were only paying a tenner in rent each per week which meant more beer money!

In the OP's scenario, if they accept they are paying a few hundred below market rates for rent and they don't want to move, then the obvious solution is to spend some money heating the place during the winter and reap the benefits of the cheap rent in summer. I would recommend a gas heater and dehumidifer to make the place more comfortable. We live in a 200 year old damp stone cottage in a damp field in a damp corner of a damp country with no heating other than a large multifuel stove. It's quite comfortable as long as the moisture is kept under control through a combination of running a decent dehumidifier and opening all the windows on dry days, and most importantly keeping the stove loaded and roaring in the evenings.

dennyk

billybonkers wrote: »

This thread is confusing, the tenant is paying rent which includes heating for 4 hours a day, and also paying separate gas and electric bills??

Guessing it's in a multi-unit building with a central boiler, but the tenant may also have their own gas appliances (stove, etc.), hence the gas bill. Central boiler is run for four hours a day at no additional cost to tenants; if they require further heating for their own comfort, they'd use whatever supplementary heating appliances the landlord has provided to meet the legal standard of having tenant-controlled heating devices available (e.g. electric heaters in each room). Seems a reasonable enough arrangement if that is indeed the case, to be honest; most properties don't provide any 'free' heating whatsoever.

Not sure why people are accusing the landlord of being a slumlord; there's nothing to suggest that's the case. The lease specifies partial heating is included and that's exactly what the tenant is getting; four hours of heating a day, and apparently the tenant is also paying a reasonable rent for the property to boot. The fact that the OP is unable to afford the utility bills for their own additional heating isn't the landlord's fault, that's something the OP needs to address one way or another themselves; find different/better/second jobs if possible, take on more hours at their current jobs, adjust their personal budget and look for ways to save money in other areas, or, if it comes to it, move somewhere that is more affordable (e.g. not Dublin).

TheChizler

dennyk wrote: »

use whatever supplementary heating appliances the landlord has provided to meet the legal standard of having tenant-controlled heating devices available (e.g. electric heaters in each room)

dennyk wrote: »

Not sure why people are accusing the landlord of being a slumlord; there's nothing to suggest that's the case. The lease specifies partial heating is included and that's exactly what the tenant is getting; four hours of heating a day, and apparently the tenant is also paying a reasonable rent for the property to boot.

As you said above the legal standard requires a controllable heating device to be supplied in each room. The OP only has control of a small heater they had to buy themselves.

dennyk

TheChizler wrote: »

As you said above the legal standard requires a controllable heating device to be supplied in each room. The OP only has control of a small heater they had to buy themselves.

If OP said where they got their electric heater, I missed it. If the landlord provided heaters, then that's all good; if the landlord didn't and the central building boiler is the only source of heat, then that's definitely a violation of the minimum legal standards, and the landlord ought to be installing some heaters for them.