My friend lives in a north facing flat without central heating and finds it difficult to keep warm.Any ideas?

Question

It's a 1 bedroom flat and it does have one small gas heater in each room but he is also on a small budget and prefers to use these as little as possible. He wears a bobble hat at night to keep warm in bed. The flat has double glazing but it gathers condensation which suggests to me that the seals on the windows have gone. Am I right?

Answer 1

Hi. If he can't get any decent sized clear polythene to run from above down to below the window secured with stciky tape,tell him to get a roll of clingfilm and run strips down over the window,leaving a gap (i.e the window-sill) to create an air pocket. The cling film strips will stick to eachother,and only need securing at the top.
Fill some old socks with newspaper,tie them together like a string of sausages and use as a draught excluder at the bottom of the door.
If he can get an old long length of curtain(s) from a charity shop and some curtain wire he can hang it over the door to both cut out draughts and take one potentially cold surface (the door itself) out of the equation. Should look cosier,too.
If the mattress is permanently damp or feels cold,maybe a thicker layer under his sheet- a cheap sleeping bag should do.
Any extra layers on top of the bedclothes,such as a large greatcoat plus a couple of his jackets may help.
Oh,and a hot water bottle for the feet to bring warmed blood back up the body.
**PLEASE make sure any modifications he makes are kept away from his heater- I wouldn't like to think he ends up going out in a blaze of glory.....***

Also,if there is a fault with the windows,get him to talk to his landlord with a view to repair-if he gets no joy,talk to the citizens' advice bureau or similar; every landlord is legally duty bound under landlord and tenant laws to provide a certain level of maintenance for their properties.
Don't rely on strong alcohol (whisky etc) to act as a quick fix. It makes matters worse and only warms for a short while,then does the opposite,and worse.
I used to live in a one bed flat similar to his,and the above helped me out.
Happy Christmas and a warmer new year!
Misterviv

Answer 2

Not a lot you can do when you've got no money. He could try putting some clear plastic over the windows to cut down draughts. The condensation is probably caused by the heat hitting the cold windows, unless you mean it is misted between the double glazing units. In which case the units are duff.The suggestion of an electric blanket is a good one as well.

Answer 3

Another trick it to open the drapes/ blinds in the window when it is sunny and close them when it is not. The sun helps heat the room, while closing the blind adds a pocket of air to help keep the cold out when the sun is down. (This is similar to the plastic tip mentioned above, but requires no extra supplies). If he doesn't have window coverings, sheets or towels can be used.

Answer 4

a heating blanket at night on the bed and a electric heater doing the day to just plug in to help keep warm.

Answer 5

I think I've become less bothered with face to face conversations as I find it easier to chat online, I wouldn't say I find it more difficult to interact face to face, I'm just lazy!

Answer 6

you are right about the seals , i have the same prob in my flat i just put more things on like long john`s they do`t look good but who is going to see them , hope thats a help untill they sort out his flat

Answer 7

If you go to the DIY website, they can show you how to cheaply and efficiently weatherstrip or airseal windows ... you might want to check it out.

Answer 8

ask your friend to ask the local churches for help with that problem. some members may even donate heaters. GOD SPEEP!

Answer 9

Sleep with him, keep him warm you heartless individual you

Answer 10

tell him to get himself a space heater,,,