www.iva.co.uk

This clip has been doing the rounds over the last week or so, what with energy bills having just gone up. It’s a way of heating a room using just tea lights, a baking tin and two plant pots, for an average of 8p a day. Have a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brHqBcZqNzE

I thought I’d give it a go, so I bought a baking tin (£2), a pack of 100 tea lights (£2) and two ceramic flowerpots (£2), and set it up in my little drying room. I think you need to experiment with the amount of candles you use, but it seems to work very well.

Now, obviously it goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway just to cover myself. There are obvious risks with naked flames and lack of ventilation to take care of fumes, so please be sensible if you’re going to try this. But if you do, good luck!

Saw it too. Think its worthwhile in a small room but the naked flame thing will put many people off.

Paul

I've set it up in the little drying room where my hot water tank used to be until I had a boiler installed elsewhere in the flat a few weeks ago, so now the hot water tank is gone it's no longer warm in there and drying laundry takes ages! I've yet to figure out if it's definitely worthwhile though - it definitely does give off heat, depending on how many candles you use. The flame is covered by the flowerpots, but I can understand if there are small children or pets around it may be more trouble than it's worth!

I wouldn't be able to risk it with a cat - the whole terrace would be up in flames after he'd 'investigated'!

Not being a gardener in the slightest do people use heaters in greenhouses?

Might be worth a try in there.

Paul

Apparently they do... Give it a go and see!