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[dbug]

Large open plan 4 bed detached house, double glazed and well insulated, gas central heating and cooking, all normal electrical items including washing machine, 6 tvs, 3 hifi systems, 6 computers etc, sto for £136/month for gas & elec, currently £190 in credit plus the government kindly gives me £200 to help with heating bills.  Thats for me, my partner and our daughter (when she's not at uni), plus 9 dogs.  As I'm now retired I'm home most days and we certainly don't skimp on heating.  Thats from EON btw.

[paul.lovejoy]

who said reverse the meter we pay close on £200 a month from eon for elec and gas 1930s semi and theres only me wifey and doggy mind you wifey has about 10 showers a day doggy dont wash becuase hes a minger and the washing machine is always on always, sure its empty half the time

[Kate]

Thanks for all the comments.

I feel a lot better about it now.

[aaronjb]

I pay about £250/quarter in the winter (that covered the end of October to near end of Feb) for gas (gas ch, gas water, 1970s 4 bed detached with no cavity insulation, precious little loft insulation but 2 year old double glazing) and £190 for electricity..

Much less in the summer when the place is like a greenhouse thanks to all the south facing windows!

I've been looking at cavity insulation for ages now but, sadly, everywhere has told me I 'probably' can't have it as the pointing is raked out to a depth of ~1.5cm in places - not to mention there is literally no pointing (I can poke a stick into the cavity!) on parts of the back of the house  Plus there are sections of wall ("architectural features") that are rendered single brick rather than cavity.. damned 1970s architects.

[Marks DTM Calib]

About £140 a month for Gas and Electic on a four bed detached house with cavity wall insulation (plus thermal blocks etc), good loft insulation, A rated windows/doors, insulated floors etc.

An older boiler though (as old as the hosue but still working ok and not a great deal less effecient than a modern one)

[omega3000]

who said reverse the meter we pay close on £200 a month from eon for elec and gas 1930s semi and theres only me wifey and doggy mind you wifey has about 10 showers a day doggy dont wash becuase hes a minger and the washing machine is always on always, sure its empty half the time

Howdedodat 

£100 a month here for gas and electric but heating never on all the time , only when we get frostbite but we wear thick jumpers 

[paul.lovejoy]

I pay about £250/quarter in the winter (that covered the end of October to near end of Feb) for gas (gas ch, gas water, 1970s 4 bed detached with no cavity insulation, precious little loft insulation but 2 year old double glazing) and £190 for electricity..

Much less in the summer when the place is like a greenhouse thanks to all the south facing windows!

I've been looking at cavity insulation for ages now but, sadly, everywhere has told me I 'probably' can't have it as the pointing is raked out to a depth of ~1.5cm in places - not to mention there is literally no pointing (I can poke a stick into the cavity!) on parts of the back of the house  Plus there are sections of wall ("architectural features") that are rendered single brick rather than cavity.. damned 1970s architects.

  that sounds worrying ......rendered single brick sounds odd are you sure its not 1870s

[aaronjb]

that sounds worrying ......rendered single brick sounds odd are you sure its not 1870s

Very sure - it was built in 1970 when they bulldozed Bracknell Forest and threw up what is now essentially Bracknell 'new town'

To be fair it might be rendered blockwork with a smaller cavity - the best example I have is below, but in another area of the house the rendered area in set back in about 3/4" from the brickwork and on the interior the plasterboard (it's dot & dab indoors) is also recessed back in about 3/4" from the rest of the wall, making that area in total about 1 1/2" thinner and considerably colder than the rest of the wall..

I haven't tried drilling through to see if there's a cavity in there yet, though

But yeah, the fact that the pointing is disintegrating on the weathered side of the house (it's very sandy) is a worry.. it's just a shame that re-pointing work is so expensive

[edit] Forgot the picture  This is where I had the odd 'slit' kitchen window taken out, made narrower and deeper and the area to the left of it re-rendered:

[STMO123]

If you think re-pointing is expensive, get some northern lads down. They will live in their van, steal the materials locally and work for a pint of bitter and a sausage roll.
Oh...but you'll have to feed their whippets too.

[paul.lovejoy]

aye but dont get t scoucers in, or they will spend the morning arguing over a can of special brew then fight eachother in the afternoon then pinch the sand and cement you just brought for the job, dey dont do dat do dey, the miggys safe though they like megan s  calm don

pointings not that difficult just boring as hell thats why brickies charge so much for it

[Marks DTM Calib]

Pointing is easy, invest in a caulking gun and mortar rake and do a bit every evening.

Soon be done and if the mortar is soft then raking it out will be easy.

[aaronjb]

Pointing is easy, invest in a caulking gun and mortar rake and do a bit every evening.

Soon be done and if the mortar is soft then raking it out will be easy.

That's probably the way it'll go - given the cost of having a professional come in and do it.. the only thing putting me off are the horror stories elsewhere of using the wrong mortar mix etc etc.. More googling for me, I reckon!

Some of the existing stuff comes out with fingers, let alone a mortar rake 

'course there's the other problem of me being a fat git and ladders having a weight limit 

[omega3000]

Get the ready mixed motar in bags , just add water  Then H&S goggles gloves helmet boots and safety harness 

[paul.lovejoy]

just use something to gauge the mix ie small bucket trowel 4 sand 1 cement but do get the sand from builders merchants proper building sand wickes stuff is shite more like silver sand gives you a really sloppy mix ditto ready mixed stuff. and invest in some plastisizer to add to the mix makes it workable for longer or use fairy liquid 

once youve done a bit its only going to get better dont make the mix to wet or point the joints to early

you will have the time of your life

probably loads of videos on utube

you can get a pointing gun as dtm said never used one so dont know if they are any good

or have a pointing barbeque in the summer

[Vamps]

who said reverse the meter we pay close on £200 a month from eon for elec and gas 1930s semi and theres only me wifey and doggy mind you wifey has about 10 showers a day doggy dont wash becuase hes a minger and the washing machine is always on always, sure its empty half the time

Yep, and the tumble dryer going much of the weekend and a few sessions during the week........