What Preps are you doing this week? Part 13

[GillyBee]

I hope you stabilise quickly and start to feel like you have your life back.

[Arzosah]

Sorry to hear all this, pseudonym. I'm glad to hear some of the staff were efficient, but an extra 36 hours because of infighting doesn't sound good

Still, excellent to hear you're at home now. Take it easy, rest and recuperate, eat the real stuff (fancy the food you were served being exactly what you shouldn't eat!!!).

All the best.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Sorry to hear that Pseudonym I hope your back to normal soon and feeling better.Take it easy.

WP.

Many thanks, I am aware that I will endure for the rest of my life more pricks than a second hand dartboard

.that was a polite way of saying it

Hope your on the mend and get everything balanced and back to as close to normal asap

[pseudonym]

Hope your on the mend and get everything balanced and back to as close to normal asap

Many thanks

[pseudonym]

Sorry to hear all this, pseudonym. I'm glad to hear some of the staff were efficient, but an extra 36 hours because of infighting doesn't sound good

Still, excellent to hear you're at home now. Take it easy, rest and recuperate, eat the real stuff (fancy the food you were served being exactly what you shouldn't eat!!!).

All the best.

Many thanks

[pseudonym]

I hope you stabilise quickly and start to feel like you have your life back.

Many thanks, the prepping for extra insulin, test strips, needles and finger prickers begins....

[pseudonym]

Rest up and get back to normal
All the best

Thanks.

[Frnc]

Got my January gas and electric bill. It runs from 20th of month. Four times a year they do a split bill, as Ofcom changes the price at the start of a month. So I had a separate bill section for the last 11 days of December, meaning I could complete 2025. Had lodgers up to the end of August, so the first 8 months of this year should be lower. I've dropped my direct debit from £120 to £100. I think it should just about cover it. Am £170 in credit now, with billing up to date. I'm not saving a massive amount though, as the house still needs to be kept at a reasonable temp. Especially first thing in the morning, the initial spike is almost the same, before TRVs in unused rooms kick in and lower usage. I'm turning the central heating off most days, around mid afternoon, and just using an electric radiator sparingly in my room for a few minutes now and then, if necessary.

Heat loss is much higher during the first couple of hours. The hotter a room is, relative to outside, the greater the heat loss rate. This applies whether or not heating is on. If you turn the heating off, temperature drop per hour reduces exponentially over time, as room temperature gets closer to outside temperature.

For example, yesterday, I turned the heating off around 1pm. Living room was about 18°. It cooled 1° in about 2-3 hours. The next 1° cooling took about 9 hours. Then it only cooled 0.4° over about 5-6 hours, ie about 1° per 14 hours. This, despite it being a bit warmer outside at 1pm yesterday. Heat loss was minimal in my room. I want it cooler when I go to bed anyway. So electric radiator use was only 0.4 kWh, ie about 12p.

[tco-lincs]

This coming week I'll be fitting downstairs some sash stops for the windows. It's single glazed so still not very secure but should make things a little harder (touch wood never is required)

I also have my decoy safe to fit

[Frnc]

Forecast for end of Jan and most of Feb seems pretty normal, nothing extreme temperature-wise. Occasional lows just below zero. I'm gonna turn my boiler up to 64 tomorrow. Winter default is 61.

Wearing a fleece jacket quite a bit these days, especially first thing in the morning and later in the evening. Also sometimes mid afternoon, when my hands get cold from Reynauds. It's only a cheap Regatta, but is warm. Too warm most of the time indoors.

If it's too warm, I have a sleeveless one that seems a bit thinner. It's pretty good. Keeping your core warm helps with Reynauds.

Gas and electric for last January was £178, which is a bit scary. Looking to be more like £143 this Jan. Dec was £119, down from £151 the year before.