Insulation, insulation and again… that will really help, whatever the form of heating.
There is a move to ask folk to wait until 1st Nov before major heating…
of course elderly/infirm/very young are exempt but still asked not to be wasteful.
We shall only heat the rooms in use… and those will be carefully chosen… + thick woolens… hot food/drinks…
Yes exactly, the reversible units are the common heat pumps you see around all over the place, certainly down here in 34, as they’re commonly used for cooling in the hot Summers, which is precisely why I had them installed - to help get to sleep mainly on very very hot days.
I would say insulation is the real key starting point as that is the ‘low hanging fruit’ as far as payback goes, then you start looking at efficient ways to heat/cool.
For the electrical panels that you’re using, aren’t they expensive to run??
since everything will be expensive to run… I suspect that all we can go for is judicial usage plus good insulation … fingers crossed costs will be bearable/ as low as can be hoped for…
like @AngelaR … I’ve got 2 electric heaters which will play their part… as and when…
Yes indeed they are! Tricky finding the right alternatives though. Being in Normandy, we usually have more of a challenge dealing with cold winters than hot summers and have a portable air conditioning unit (generally unused) in case we really can’t cope with the heat.
Thinking about it a little more, I do also have the electrical inertia type radiators in the house, but I am removing those as can’t see me using them as feel they are quite pricey to run.
One of the initiatives that I put alot of effort into last year was sealing cracks and joints to try to cut out/down draughts. I found it did make an enormous difference in terms of heat retention, but still have some draughts.
Overall, I still think that the wood stove is probably the most effective means of heating, but it isn’t obviously as convenient as other methods where you just flick a switch and get heating. And that’s where I use the petrole heaters. Early morning in the bathroom is a must for these localised heaters, otherwise it is very nippy indeed.
A couple of days ago a local friend showed me a heated gillet that he’d got his wife. It basically uses a rechargeable battery in the pocket to heat elements in the sleeveless jacket to warm your body. I thought it was a great idea, and apparently you can also get gloves!
cutting draughts is good… just be sure to have a sufficient airflow for the woodburner… 
Just had an email from Engie asking me to choose a day to cut electricity use if I wish to subscribe. It came as junk mail in my undesirable box whereas Engie normally comes inthe allright mail box. It maybe a scam but I am not willing to find out so just deleted it. There isn’t really much I can cut as there is only me and not a lot of oven,dishwasher, washing machine,phone charging, TV and I have no tumble drier,use going on anyway. Oh and I use a torch in the night so I don’t switch the lights on if I want a pee!
We can always get old dustbins and be like the grevists with their braziers outside, would solve the cooking costs too. We will be tying our trousers with string next, wearing fingerless gloves and hats with flaps over the ears. Cardboard is warm, maybe sleep in large boxes until spring. 
Thanks hairbear for the explanation of the problem with leds. Same here, OH does astrophotography in the back garden which luckily is quite dark.
my daughter knitted me this some years ago… wonderfully warm
Sounds good. What’s the brand Robert?
We got some very smart looking ones from Lidl. Must out the damn things up, I think we’ve had the 3 or 4 years 
Yes, now that you mention it, I’ve a few Lidl solar lights knocking around somewhere too.
Unfortunately there is no makers name on the boxes which are just marked “Detecteur Lumiere Capteur Solaire” imported by ‘Flaudis’ from China (of course).
However, here is a link to a visually identical item which I think is the upgraded and somewhat more powerful model. https://www.cdiscount.com/maison/lampes/118-led-lampe-solaire-jardin-exterieur-lumiere-3-m/f-117022209-auc6483838347464.html?idOffre=1939710895#desc
The ones I have work very well. The only slight drawback I have noticed is that in the depths of winter when the days are short, the lamp that I have set to dawn to dusk at 30% maximum light with 100% when the PIR activates, doesn’t always last all night when the days are heavily cloudy. I have the other one set to 100% light only when the PIR activates it, and that one is just fine all year round.
This document gives the full information about the three different modes of operation.
Notice Utilisation Detecteur Lumiere Capteur Solaire.pdf (811.1 KB)
Having always thought that people back in the UK who lived in onesies in the evening, both my partner and I have resorted to the Lidl versions already in order to keep warm 
Mind you, the people we knew who were wearing them in the UK had centrally heated houses and we don’t…
I have a onesie, its a tiger outfit complete with claws on the feet, a long tail and a hood with ears and whiskers. Not sure I could open the door wearing it here though, might get some funny looks from the builders on the site next door.
That’s lovely @shiba ! I really fancy one of those
When we were running our business from a (very cold) ancient mill in the UK, I found a site selling ones like you described - very high quality and a variety of different animals. I stupidly made a joke saying we’d get them for the staff and which animal did they like best. One chap threw a complete tantrum
My daughter actually bought me as a joke when she went upto London prior to moving to the US and gave it me the last xmas she spent in France. I put on a bit of weight after that so looked like Tigger who had eaten all the honey in the world but now I have lost 10kg this year it fits nicely and the podge has disappeared.
And it will come in most handy this winter - especially in the evenings when you’re not expecting deliveries or anything…
Easily solved with sensor lights. A light suddenly going on draws far more attention than constantly on light that allows theives to see their way around.
