Energy & Heating
Our second-winter heating plan, written down before it got cold
14 October 2026A boiler service, a magnetic filter, a new heating schedule and the room we've stopped heating. Our plan for winter two, with the numbers behind it.
Keeping a brick terrace cool in a heatwave without air con
10 June 2026Upstairs reached 29°C in last summer's heat. The blinds, the fans and the window routine we used this June, and what each cost to run.
Solar panels on a terrace roof: the quotes and why we're waiting
22 April 2026Our EPC suggested solar panels, so we got three quotes. What a small terrace roof can fit, what it might earn and why we decided to wait.
Our energy fix ended: how we chose what came next
28 March 2026Our first 12-month fixed tariff ran out in March. What we compared, how the price cap fitted in and what we picked for the year ahead.
Our first full winter of gas use, compared with the previous owner's
7 March 2026The smart meter gave us a full winter of numbers. How our gas use compared with the old estimated bills, and what made the difference.
No heating in a cold snap: our £240 diverter valve
9 December 2025Hot water fine, radiators stone cold, minus three outside. What went wrong with our combi, how quickly we got it fixed and what it cost.
Our EPC says D: what it would take to reach a C
4 November 2025Our energy certificate scored the house 63 out of 100. What the recommendations actually were, what they'd cost us and which we're doing first.
Our cavity walls are half full: what the borescope survey found
7 October 2025Our EPC assumed partial cavity insulation. A camera through a 22mm hole showed what was really in there, and why we didn't rush to fix it.
Turning our combi boiler's flow temperature down to 55°C
9 September 2025Our boiler was heating the radiators to 75°C. How we turned it down, how the house felt and what the smart meter showed over the first cold weeks.
What the smart meter showed once the heating went off for summer
26 June 2025With the heating off, the smart meter showed what our house uses just by existing. Our overnight baseload, the old fridge-freezer and the hot water.
Getting a smart meter fitted: how the install went in our house
10 April 2025One meter in an outside box, one under the stairs. How our smart meter install went, what the in-home display showed first and what surprised us.
Bleeding seven radiators (and the one that still stayed cold)
27 March 2025A radiator key, a jam jar and an evening of hissing. Bleeding every radiator, topping up the boiler pressure, and the back bedroom one that needed more.