Just liked this video and subscribed to ur channel. Thank you for the no on the door curtain. I have a wood back door and front door which is terrible for keeping heat in. These would be excellent in winter but I’m think of taking some foil backed insulation that u use for lofts. The blanket type and make a cover for it. This might also work for you windows.
Thanks, others have said they use solid insulation sheets for the windows. one chap said he cut them so they fit without the need for mounting brackets and he just stores them over the summer
I made frames that sit in my windows that is foil backed and have a small amount of insulation in them. I put them in windows I knew that I wouldn't use much during winter. This made a nice difference, especially in the bedroom. I would definitely advise a log burner as well because it is cheap heat if you can get ahold of wood and has the added benefit of drying the air out and help reduce the chance of mold.
During the coldest and warmest days of the year I put laminate floor insulation foam against a few of the windows. It is very thin, but somewhat rigid, and it has a gold layer on one side. During the winter the gold layer is pointed inwards the house, and during the summer it is pointed towards the sun. And that makes a huge difference during both seasons. You can really feel the difference. It is just rigid enough so that I do not need to use glue or anything else because I have cut it to fit exactly between the window frame. And when I do not use it I can easily store it so that it is ready to be used again when needed. You can also apply it under the beds, and on the floors inside the cabinet spaces. And on the floor under the seats in the living room space. Or under a floor carpet although that would require some tape. It reflects the heat back into the caravan. I can really recommend it from experience. There is also a plastic film that you can put on the windows to help against the cold. Something similar as the film that is used for tinted windows from cars. For a door window or smaller windows it doesn't matter much if they wouldn't be fully transparent anymore.
Thats a great idea! We are at -10 over the next few nights so I may just raid my pile of offcuts to see if I have anything that will fit. Our bedroom faces North so doesn't get any sun so the under the bed insulation you mentioned is a winner
Any square meter helps right? And it really makes a difference. At some point I had to tape a few pieces together and I used aluminium tape for that. That type of tape sticks really well even when it gets cold. And it can endure the UV light. I think that I bought it at the action store. I remember that it was cheap where I bought it. Another thing that helps a lot is to plant conifers around the caravan wherever it is possible. Or to install some sort of wooden fence structure that is at least 1.80mtr high, or a sand dyke. If you can block some of the cold wind it would also make a big difference. But that might be something for the long term. If each different application makes a half of a degree difference it quickly adds up. I live in an old house and the past two years I have been slightly obsessed with making my house more energy efficient with relative small investments and different applications. It increased the comfort as well. It is a bit of a shame that you only receive a couple of hours of sun, otherwise the soda can solar heater would be a good addition for some extra heating during the sunny but cold days. Or something similar to that. It doesn't have to be soda cans. Corrugated sheet metal will also do the trick. Years ago I have build a solar soda can heater, and it reached temperatures well above 70 degrees Celsius. All it requires is some wood panels and some wood for a frame and a random sheet of glass or a reclaimed window. I made a video about that. But there are many more examples. I have been interested in energy related subjects for years now, and I have done some experiments with all sorts of stuff. @@offgridscotland
Best idea is to insulate the skirting it stops the wind chill underneath, just to note it needs vents tho if you are using LPG as the gas if leaks will build up underneath
Thanks for the idea and yes someone else told me that so I removed one side of the skirting insulation where it was only a few cm off the ground to aid ventilation
You could get mini split there (heat pump). 12000 btu unit should be enough for this caravan. Side effect of heat pump is dehumidifing effect.. Which would be really helpful with three people living in a caravan. It would cost you about 1k with tools (diy 🤫) .... A bit more if done by licensed technician.
We nearly bought one to swap the gas heater for, even had the job planned on my list of to do's but because we will be selling it soon we didn't think we wanted to rip the existing one apart as we weren't sure if it would affect the sale
Ideally want a pelmet in the kids bedroom. Those make a big difference.
great I will have a look into one
Just liked this video and subscribed to ur channel. Thank you for the no on the door curtain. I have a wood back door and front door which is terrible for keeping heat in. These would be excellent in winter but I’m think of taking some foil backed insulation that u use for lofts. The blanket type and make a cover for it. This might also work for you windows.
Thanks, others have said they use solid insulation sheets for the windows. one chap said he cut them so they fit without the need for mounting brackets and he just stores them over the summer
Oops wrong video
I made frames that sit in my windows that is foil backed and have a small amount of insulation in them. I put them in windows I knew that I wouldn't use much during winter. This made a nice difference, especially in the bedroom. I would definitely advise a log burner as well because it is cheap heat if you can get ahold of wood and has the added benefit of drying the air out and help reduce the chance of mold.
That sounds like a great solution! I bet it was super satisfying as you had made them yourself and it worked
During the coldest and warmest days of the year I put laminate floor insulation foam against a few of the windows. It is very thin, but somewhat rigid, and it has a gold layer on one side. During the winter the gold layer is pointed inwards the house, and during the summer it is pointed towards the sun. And that makes a huge difference during both seasons. You can really feel the difference. It is just rigid enough so that I do not need to use glue or anything else because I have cut it to fit exactly between the window frame. And when I do not use it I can easily store it so that it is ready to be used again when needed. You can also apply it under the beds, and on the floors inside the cabinet spaces. And on the floor under the seats in the living room space. Or under a floor carpet although that would require some tape. It reflects the heat back into the caravan. I can really recommend it from experience.
There is also a plastic film that you can put on the windows to help against the cold. Something similar as the film that is used for tinted windows from cars. For a door window or smaller windows it doesn't matter much if they wouldn't be fully transparent anymore.
Thats a great idea! We are at -10 over the next few nights so I may just raid my pile of offcuts to see if I have anything that will fit. Our bedroom faces North so doesn't get any sun so the under the bed insulation you mentioned is a winner
Any square meter helps right? And it really makes a difference. At some point I had to tape a few pieces together and I used aluminium tape for that. That type of tape sticks really well even when it gets cold. And it can endure the UV light. I think that I bought it at the action store. I remember that it was cheap where I bought it.
Another thing that helps a lot is to plant conifers around the caravan wherever it is possible. Or to install some sort of wooden fence structure that is at least 1.80mtr high, or a sand dyke. If you can block some of the cold wind it would also make a big difference. But that might be something for the long term.
If each different application makes a half of a degree difference it quickly adds up.
I live in an old house and the past two years I have been slightly obsessed with making my house more energy efficient with relative small investments and different applications. It increased the comfort as well.
It is a bit of a shame that you only receive a couple of hours of sun, otherwise the soda can solar heater would be a good addition for some extra heating during the sunny but cold days. Or something similar to that. It doesn't have to be soda cans. Corrugated sheet metal will also do the trick. Years ago I have build a solar soda can heater, and it reached temperatures well above 70 degrees Celsius. All it requires is some wood panels and some wood for a frame and a random sheet of glass or a reclaimed window. I made a video about that. But there are many more examples.
I have been interested in energy related subjects for years now, and I have done some experiments with all sorts of stuff. @@offgridscotland
Thanks for the vid
You are welcome
Best idea is to insulate the skirting it stops the wind chill underneath, just to note it needs vents tho if you are using LPG as the gas if leaks will build up underneath
Thanks for the idea and yes someone else told me that so I removed one side of the skirting insulation where it was only a few cm off the ground to aid ventilation
You could get mini split there (heat pump). 12000 btu unit should be enough for this caravan. Side effect of heat pump is dehumidifing effect.. Which would be really helpful with three people living in a caravan. It would cost you about 1k with tools (diy 🤫) .... A bit more if done by licensed technician.
Thanks! I hadn't thought of that as a solution I will check it out
have you thought of a small woodburner Rob
We nearly bought one to swap the gas heater for, even had the job planned on my list of to do's but because we will be selling it soon we didn't think we wanted to rip the existing one apart as we weren't sure if it would affect the sale
oh i thought that, personally i think it would enhance the sale ,take care@@offgridscotland
Maybe you are right @@eileenowens8888