Winter Ain't Cheap!

[dccruiser]

I use either 2-3 bags of coal a week with the fire in 24/7 or if i run the ebby 24/7 i average 6 1/2 litres of diesel a day ... and never have a cold boat whichever i use! 

Rick

[Robbo]

3 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Our boat's not big enough for Bears.

    Mine is around 20cm deep, so only small bears.

[Athy]

10 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Our boat's not big enough for Bears.

Then what species are you - your portrait does look somewhat ursuline?

Come to think of it, you, er, bear a resemblance to Sly Dunbar too.

[Rickent]

Our boat is never cold, I don't have a thermometer but I guess it's usually around 70° most of the time, a little cooler overnight when the fire is turned down. Like Phil it's normally shorts and tee shirt whilst on the boat.

[Dr Bob]

7 minutes ago, Athy said:

Then what species are you - your portrait does look somewhat ursuline?

 

........er Rowlf the dog? Dr Bob is just my stage name.

[MtB]

On 31/01/2018 at 09:29, Dr Bob said:

Defoe buy an ecofan! £136 is far too much.

 

You may jest but with an Ecofan and a Sterling engine fan on my stove, my fuel bill barely goes over £135 a month. 

[alan_fincher]

4 hours ago, brassedoff said:

 

This month 'January'.

£136 in Coal

£50 in Diesel

Bring on the summertime as the above is eating into my budget uber style.

 

2 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Blimey that sounds like a lot!!

I thought your boat used about £50 of diesel just to turn it around?

[brassedoff]

54 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

Over the years I've discovered most people are not honest about their fuel usage or spend the winter wrapped in layers of thermals while shivering.

We use 65 bags every winter but are only ever dressed in T-shirts, we only have a 4 tog duvet and we enjoy the winter in a toasty boat 

I could forage for wood, Lord knows we have plenty of fallen trees around here but I choose to stay in the warm .

I remember having this conversation with a near neighbour who claimed he only used 30 bags but neglected to mention all the sacks of logs he bought and transported past my boat in a dinghy  

Phil 

I must be a mesh bugger. 

Or your doing something different.

9 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

 

I thought your boat used about £50 of diesel just to turn it around?

What do you mean? 

[Athy]

Just now, brassedoff said:

I must be a mesh bugger. 

 

You must be very wiry.

"Nesh", perhaps?

[alan_fincher]

8 minutes ago, brassedoff said:

What do you mean? 

Comment was directed at Naughty Cal, which I understand sucks up the diesel rather faster than the average narrow boat.

[Dr Bob]

26 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

You may jest but with an Ecofan and a Sterling engine fan on my stove, my fuel bill barely goes over £135 a month. 

I know. I am saving at least 50% on my fuel bills now.

[brassedoff]

5 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Comment was directed at Naughty Cal, which I understand sucks up the diesel rather faster than the average narrow boat.

Arghh sorry.

 

[Grebe]

Just to add a land dweller's costs to the discussion.

We have  a small bungalow of about 750 sq ft.  Our heating is on 0500hrs to 2300 hrs every day. we are both at home all day.  Settings are about 18c to 20c in the day and about 22c n the evenings.  We have a budget account and pay an even £20 per week for gas (heating and cooking) and electric all year, so approx £1000 p/a.  Obviously winter costs are higher thn summer but are spread out. Our latest bill was erly December, Gas = £121, Electric = £96.

The replies so far give no indication of the size of boat/area the OP and others are heting.

[brassedoff]

4 minutes ago, Grebe said:

Just to add a land dweller's costs to the discussion.

We have  a small bungalow of about 750 sq ft.  Our heating is on 0500hrs to 2300 hrs every day. we are both at home all day.  Settings are about 18c to 20c in the day and about 22c n the evenings.  We have a budget account and pay an even £20 per week for gas (heating and cooking) and electric all year, so approx £1000 p/a.  Obviously winter costs are higher thn summer but are spread out. Our latest bill was erly December, Gas = £121, Electric = £96.

The replies so far give no indication of the size of boat/area the OP and others are heting.

Wow expensive, my boat is a Narrowboat  60ft.. 

 

[LadyG]

Yep, I live in a small flat, all electric, no ch, floor temp [kitchen] is set at 24 in summer and 26 in winter, its £65pcm, I get a £200pa extra payment from Scottish Executve [oap]

So the annual cost of electricity is about £1000.. its never chilly. When I had some sort of CH  it was £80pcm  and very, very cold in the bedroom after midnight.

Edited January 31, 2018 by LadyG

[Naughty Cal]

1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

 

I thought your boat used about £50 of diesel just to turn it around?

Depends how fast we turn around

All joking aside it does use a lot when going fast but just pottering around it ain't that bad. We last filled it up in September and we still have 1/3 tank left, so about 75 litres. So since September have used 150 litres at 75ppl (£112.5) on heating and propulsion. 

Of course we don't liveaboard and only spend on average 4 days a weeks at the boat so we also have to heat the house. Our gas and electric bill combined at home are £50 per month.

We don't like to be cold so at this time of year when we are on the boat the heating will be on for at least 16 hours each day, we turn it off overnight as conversely we don't like to be too warm in bed. At home it is on for a couple of hours in the morning and then four or five in the evening but it doesn't take much heating and retains it's heat very well.

[Dr Bob]

1 hour ago, Grebe said:

Just to add a land dweller's costs to the discussion.

We have  a small bungalow of about 750 sq ft.  Our heating is on 0500hrs to 2300 hrs every day. we are both at home all day.  Settings are about 18c to 20c in the day and about 22c n the evenings.  We have a budget account and pay an even £20 per week for gas (heating and cooking) and electric all year, so approx £1000 p/a.  Obviously winter costs are higher thn summer but are spread out. Our latest bill was erly December, Gas = £121, Electric = £96.

The replies so far give no indication of the size of boat/area the OP and others are heting.

Our house was never as hot as it is on our boat (....in winter). The stove is just asking to be turned up to see the nice red embers and flaming coal. Toasty on board! One of the joys of being on the boat this time of year.

[Quaysider]

We're in the "hot boat" club too...  currently burning through about 2 and half bags of ovoids a week at the moment (but they're only 6.50 a bag) and the heating is coming on about 5 am so i don't have to rush to get the fire back up to temp when we get up.  As has been said, "lounge wear" on our boat is shorts and t-shirt.. sometimes bra and pants (and that's just me) !

The temp in the saloon is currenlty 24.2 degrees and will be running about 26 until bedtime when I'll make the fire up and turn the vent to about 1/3 open... it'll still be 22 ish when I get up but at least having the heating set to come on, there'll be hot water too.  

House wise, we paid circa 80 quid a month combined year around but never turned the heating off and always got a cheque back for about 200 quid in the summer...  

[bizzard]

5 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

Defoe buy an ecofan! £136 is far too much.

Its no use telling Defoe to buy an ecofan, he died a couple of hundred years ago.

[Robbo]

I like a nice 21C with no drafts when I'm sitting down doing nothing.   I find 14-16C at night nice, anything more I find to warm and stuffy.

 

I wonder if this ecofan debate is that if you find it works you have a boat at more a warm temperature, and those who claim they not to work have their boat hot so cold spots are not really as noticeable?

 

 

[pearley]

5 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

I don't keep count but use about 4 quid a day in fuel so not much different to you then. My boat is always warm ( very ) all day and I let fire burn slowly all night.You may be like me and actualy have a properly warm boat. I go on others and they are in my opinion often cold and the fire isn't glowing bright red through the glass. My boat is well insulated and fitted so this helps.

We are much the same. 3 and a bit days per 25 kilo bag, currently Excel. 

However, last year we took a winter mooring so could buy 20 bags of Excel a time direct from John Jackson at £10 a bag. This year decided to CC around Black Country so buying Excel no more than 6 bags at once as they have to go on the roof. Their price is £13 for 25 kilo. 

[mrsmelly]

6 minutes ago, pearley said:

We are much the same. 3 and a bit days per 25 kilo bag, currently Excel. 

However, last year we took a winter mooring so could buy 20 bags of Excel a time direct from John Jackson at £10 a bag. This year decided to CC around Black Country so buying Excel no more than 6 bags at once as they have to go on the roof. Their price is £13 for 25 kilo. 

I'm using wickes " Brazier " this year. Reasons being I tried it and its good but best things are its in 10 kg bags so easy to handle and bags are spotlessly clean each time straight off a pallet. We have got a car with us this winter and in a marina so leave most of it int back of car. works out at just under 12 quid for 30kgs.

[Dr Bob]

50 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Its no use telling Defoe to buy an ecofan, he died a couple of hundred years ago.

I thought he used to play for West Brom a while back?

 

[bizzard]

1 hour ago, Dr Bob said:

I thought he used to play for West Brom a while back?

 

Shanghai I believe. The Chinese knew him as Lobinson Clusoe. His pal Man Fliday prayed for them arso.

Edited January 31, 2018 by bizzard

[MtB]

1 hour ago, bizzard said:

Shanghai I believe. The Chinese knew him as Lobinson Clusoe. His pal Man Fliday prayed for them arso.

 

I think you are conflating the Chinese and Japanese languages in this post.