Today the gas bill arrived. Well, technically, the gas-and-electricity bill. I can happily say that, according to Ovo, our gas usage has gone down about 8%, which is impressive considering the thermostat is set 3 degrees hotter this year (at 19°C or 66°F); meaning that whilst it’s certainly slightly cool in the house, but it’s not last year’s very cold running the fan heater lots condition.
However, the bill’s arrival has prompted the usual angst ridden reconsideration of the heating situation. Despite having heaped insulation in the loft and strapped it underneath the house; the fact that we have solid brick walls means that this house is never going to be incredibly energy efficient without slathering the interior walls in insulation (or covering the outside of the house in insulation). Neither of which we can afford.
I am still sorely tempted to install a stove on the basis that we could, theoretically, wind our craptastic thermostat down to something like 16 or 17 degrees, and then throw the stove on when we got home. It’d hardly feel warm in here until the stove got going, but we have an incredibly large source of free wood; and the space under the deck would make a pretty fair wood store… However, it’s a moderately large expense now with the hope that we’d save money later. Mainly next year, when we might be coaxed into not switching on the heating until later in the year; perhaps.
Anyhow, more consideration of the problem is definitely required, but needs to occur fairly rapidly because they’re coming to do our roof soon and whilst the scaffold is up is probably the right time to insert a chimney liner.
