h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Provided you don't pay for the electricity, even putting the lights on will generate some heat. Depends on the size of the room, but my son never has heating on in his bedroom at home because his computer is on all the time.

Also draw the curtains, block up draughty windows & gaps under doors (unless you need ventilation for a gas appliance).

Avoid damp, it equals cold.

In some student properties the mattress of your bed will have become damp - putting an extra layer between you and that mattress will make a huge difference, but air that extra layer occasionally and allow it to dry out.

Don't dry your washing in your room if you can avoid it, either.

Cheap doudle glazing. Get some heavy duty transparent sheeting from a Garden Centre and some heavy duty greenhouse tape and tape the sheeting to the window frames this is a cheap yet evvective way to futher insulate your room. I should know I used to sleep next to the patio doors in my student flat.

I spent my last year at Uni in a turrt bedroom in a Victorian Gothic mansion - pure Addams Family! but with five windows and a double height room, and no central heating, it was bitter, bitter cold.

I favoured not one, but two hot water bottls - one for the feet and the othe for cuddling to the chest (if alone in bed) or for the small of the back (if sharing the aforementioned single bed and if you don't have a double duvet)

The easiest 'secret' heater to have in your room without your flatmates/ hall warden knowing is: an electric blanket - easy to hide, effiecient and a great way to get toasty.

Re: cheap double glazing. get a roll of bubblewrap and pin a double layer over the window. It stops people seeing in, but lets the light in, and the double layer of bubbles makes for great insulation.

... and gives a cool, 70's space age disco sort of feeling!

A proper 70's-style space age disco is hard to achieve these days since the coming of the milk carton. Those silver and gold strips with the holes all the way down them that used to hang like a curtain over the equipment were actually the left-over foil from the machines that capped glass milk bottles...

I think I'll risk being modded for SPAMming by posting that in "useless information" too...

*sits down with a roll of tin foil and a hole punch...*

Have you got a hole punch THAT big!

It's a very small disco!

As much as I'd like to grow a beard, I'm still in the 'fluff' stage at the moment. No manly whiskers as yet.

So it's on with my deerstalker.

keeping warm in bed.

fleece blanket underneath you and roll yourself into a double duvet so that it is both underneath and above your body, wear socks, warm pyjamas or old tracksuit bottoms and hooded jumpers. surprisingly a cuddly toy can add comfort and warmth. small hot water or hot oat bottles are also useful. fingerless gloves are a godsend as well as a nice warm laptop.