The central heating pipes were leaking at the joints and had to be replaced.

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The coffee machine was mistakenly connected to the heating system pipes.

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So it went, all morning and into the afternoon, Nawab trying one thing and then another, heating the pipes, cooling them, joining wires together, circumventing switches and fuses.

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In icy Tomsk, the potential for heat loss is even worse: astonishingly, the pipes that carry warm water around the district heating network of Seversk and Tomsk are completely uninsulated.

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You can find out more about their recommendations on my blog at www.moneysucks.net but simple steps you can take include making sure that your pipes are well lagged and that you keep your heating on at a low level while you are away.

BBC: Fergus Muirhead