gas bills will we afford to pay?

Question

does anyone think they will have a massive gas bill for heating this year..i have a 3 bedroomed house, and the weather is,nt that cold yet already i am spending £15 to £20 per week on heating alone. how will pensioners keep warm this winter.

Answer 1

Funny enought that is what it is costing me to heat my 3 bedroom house i feel sorry for the pensioners this year bring back the old coal fire i say

Answer 2

Pensioners, independent college students, and just about everyone except the idle rich are really going to feel the hurt this year.
I generally use heat only in the main rooms (2) and have extra covers on the bed. An electrically heated blanket helps a little. I have it on high for 15 minutes then cut it down to very low, and am usually snug and cozy through the night, even those below freezing.
Also, wearing a jumper helps, and woolie socks. As long as my hands and feet are warmish, I can make do. I adjust the heat just enough to maintain that level of comfort.
Oh yes, my Da's trick--put several large pots of water to boil in the kitchen (he grew up really poor). You get a little heat, and the extra moisture makes it feel warmer.
I do hope this helps all others in a similar crunch as this student is.

Answer 3

Well prices have certainly gone up that's for sure. Just a small point but if you own your own home have you done all you can to insulate it? There are many grants available from local councils nowadays to help towards the cost of loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. We got a grant last year for cavity wall insulation and it really made a difference to how warm the house was.
It is also surprising what a difference heavy curtains make as well...they can also be bought with thermal backings...we have also put reflective panels behind all our outside wall radiators so as to reflect the heat back into the house rather than have any of it going into the walls...insulated or not!.

Have a look here for info....
http://www.est.org.uk/myhome/

If you don't own your own home then maybe you can get the landlord to do something about it...

Edit...
Angel-Lady...the grant didn't come from the council itself, it was arranged through the council with the gas company. If you don't have adequate insulation in your property then contact your local councilor to try and get it sorted...that's what they are there for...

Answer 4

I work for a natural gas utility. The gas prices in this area have gone down a bit but are still high. We tell our customers to cut down their heat to around 65 degrees while you are up and around 60 degrees while you are sleeping. You need to make sure your house is well insulated and make sure there isn't any drafts. You can get some very clear plastic insulation that you can put over your windows that helps a great deal also. Wear sweat pants and sweat shirts while lounging around.

I hope this helps you stay warm while saving you some money!

Answer 5

Have you got a meter fitted? Because I'm putting the same in and normally would only use probably £12.00 now and up to £25 in the colder weather... I'm worried to at how much more its going to cost never mind the electric!!! By the way this week its £18.00 and its only Tuesday still got to go to Friday!! Could be the major gas price increase.

Answer 6

Gas has gone up to silly prices we are going to end up like the victorians if this carry's on rising all living in crowded housing so we can pay the bills.
but you will be glad to know they have just started mining oil from one of the largest oil field in the world (in Canada), which means the bills won't go up much more in the near future.
Canada's oil is expensive to get to, so only now can they make money from it!
Make sure you wrap up warm and drink lots of hot drinks also try heating your living room and staying in there. and other energy saving methods

Answer 7

i have a four bed semi and my heating bill is 25 per wk.we are moving house into cornwall and lucky for me this house has coal fire n central heating, it is going to get lots worse coz when maggie thatcher was in power she sold of lots of british gas supplies to foreign countriesn left us short.gas is going to become a rare commodity in the uk unless it sorts it self. kurdistan has loads of gas suppliy but dont want to sell to the rest of world ,british gas comes from ruusia too now so who knows what price it is going to end up. bring back knitting i say, least u be warm then lol

Answer 8

It's not just gas it's everying else. Council tax goes up over the rate of inflation and if you challenge it then they'll just lock the OAP's up in prison (there were 2 cases of that this year).

Answer 9

I know its a worry i have my heating on but i turn down the rads., in the rooms that i don't use and rooms with 2 rads., in i turn one off,got to dash I'm turning my heating off for a couple of hours now that i have read your question,also try a drop of the hard stuff in your tea/coffee

Answer 10

I wont be able to afford to have my heat on much this year, as everything has gone up, but my wage hasn't, and as for the people who live in private homes, yes you are lucky you can get grants from your local council to draft proof etc your homes, that's great for you, but not for us Council tenants who still have to live in houses with no double glassing and a gale blowing in through windows and doors, we pay the sky high rents and get nothing for it, I pay more for my house in rent than my next door neighbour pays for her Mortgage,house insurance, and contents insurance, yet we live in a sub standard house, but I cant get a mortgage.