daiking

I've been home alone this summer and one of the things I've been trying to do is cut down my electricity use (£1500 outstanding bill ). So I've been doing:

• Storage Heaters off
• Hot water system off
• Washing machine and dishwasher used overnight to make use of cheaper electricity
• I'd like to move other energy intensive activities like cooking and possibly ironing (1.7kw device but how much does it actually use?) into the night hours but it not often convenient
• Cooking a big batch of something and then microwave reheating uses less leccy than cooking everyday (as well as saving time)
• Unplugging the standby items I very infrequently use
• Not using the halogen spotlights much, use the low wattage ones instead
• Literally only using a cup of water in the kettle

My next steps will be to externally insulate the fridge freezer and start charging batteries/devices at work

Any more electricity saving habits/strategies I can easily adopt/incorporate?

ap0gee

A couple of those are / may be slightly out:

The thermostats on your night storage heaters whould keep them off in this weather anyway;

By 'hot water system off', do you mean the immersion? Keeping the water in your hot water tank hot all the time can be more efficient than letting it get cold and heating it up again every morning and night;

Using electric appliances overnight only saves money if you have an Economy 7 meter installed. Otherwise it costs the same whenever you use it;

Be careful insulating the fridge-freezer as the heat from the back needs to escape, and considering the hottest thing near it is the heat exchanger on the back, that's the thing you need to mitigate the heat soak from the most;

The halogen spotlights are only 50W a piece - 10W or 20W for the little 'torch' bulbs. They're certainly more efficient than conventional filament bulbs, however considering the amount of light they produce, they can be more efficient in certain applications than the 'efficient' gas-discharge lamps...

HTAH

__________________

flinty

Get one of these.
Owl Wireless Energy Monitor from Electricity-Monitor.com

It will let you see the electricity usage at any time. You'll then go round looking for things to turn off (not the beer fridge) and may be suprised at how many transformer plugs you have on.
Change as many lamps as you can for compact flourescent or LED types. Megamann make dimmable CFL lamps.
Megaman (UK) - Why Choose Megaman Lamps

Another idea is an intellipanel. They make one for the PC and one for AV equipment. When the main appliance is swiched off it cuts the power to everything else plugged in saving all that standby power. Switch on and it all springs back to life. I have 2 and it saves me switching everything off. It's surprising how many things are attached to the computer or TV.
Home

HTH

__________________

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

ap0gee

Yeah, that's a good point. All of my PC peripherals are on an adaptor / surge protector that has a single switch in the top. PC off, them all the peripherals off at the touch of a button once the PC's powered down!

__________________

daiking

I think I can mitigate those :

The thermostats on your night storage heaters whould keep them off in this weather anyway - Thermostats? These are dumb storage heaters

By 'hot water system off', do you mean the immersion? Keeping the water in your hot water tank hot all the time can be more efficient than letting it get cold and heating it up again every morning and night; - Off for 8 weeks as in it's sprung a leak when working and needs fixing.

Using electric appliances overnight only saves money if you have an Economy 7 meter installed. Otherwise it costs the same whenever you use it; - Economy 7 tariff with hi/lo meter as flat was built with elec Heat/HW

Be careful insulating the fridge-freezer as the heat from the back needs to escape, and considering the hottest thing near it is the heat exchanger on the back, that's the thing you need to mitigate the heat soak from the most; - Many sources out there but this gives you an idea: Chelsea Green Blog Archive Project: Shag Carpet Your Refrigerator I personally thinks there's scope for a thin reflective layer behind the heat exchanger like you do with radiators but I'm still investigating. I don't think swmbo will appreciate a nice shag on the fridge but silvery bubble wrap is supposed to be good as it is both reflective and insulative (if thats a word)

The halogen spotlights are only 50W a piece - 10W or 20W for the little 'torch' bulbs. They're certainly more efficient than conventional filament bulbs, however considering the amount of light they produce, they can be more efficient in certain applications than the 'efficient' gas-discharge lamps... - My open plan living area has 15 50w GU10 halogen lights in arrays of 4, 5, and 6 so a minimum of 200W at a time Using worktop lights (40w), cooker hood lights (40w) or lamp (20w) instead as my normal low energy light is bust.

Also need to check the exact hours on my low price leccy but if its 7am and I can get up a little earlier, I can run the shower (8kW) on econ7 rates too.

flinty

If you're planning on using power at the start or end off the off peak time check the clock on your meter is set correctly. Mine doesn't change for summertime so is an hour out till the clocks change.

__________________

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

ap0gee

Any help?

Economy 7 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

__________________

daiking

I really need to confirm with my supplier and as flinty says check the time on my meter.

To give you an idea, so far in August, I've managed to get 1/3 of my electricity use on my LO rate - that's without using it for heating and water which is what the lo rate is primarily for.

Things like the shower, I'd use anyway but if changing my routine by a few minutes could halve the electricity cost it'd be foolish not to consider it.

I'm trying not to get into a situation where I'm spending money on silly energy saving gadgets. I've looked at the remote control plugs but in reality I can't remember the last time I used the video/dvd/hifi so I may as well just unplug them. Ditto things like PC/printer/USB HDD/speakers that I don't often use. This is about saving money, not saving the planet

I would assume that my laptop uses less power than my desktop PC with LCD monitor?

One thing I can't quite work out is how to deal with my Modem/Router and 2 different cordless phones. I can switch them off when I'm at work but they need to be on when I'm at home and when the wife eventually returns. Don't think I can persuade her to go back to corded phones so these will probably stay.

flinty

I'd leave the router on. Mine has a tendancy to throw tantrums or loose settings iff switched on and off. Bad enough waiting for windoze to start without having to reset the router as well

__________________

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

daiking

Oops, the Orange Livebox has been on and off like a w****'s drawers

Actually, I think the main problem is swmbo. She must eat electricity or something. I just find it impossible to use even half as much as we do when we're both here.

KenONeill

Turn off and/or unplug things like mobile phone chargers; they use as much power give or take then the phones not charging as when it is.

cheezemonkhai

Get timers for the heating and hot water so that they only come on when needed in the winter and are off the rest of the time. £15 outlay, but cheaper than forgetting a couple of times or being without hot water in the morning.

Externally insulating the fridge may not help as some use the sides as heatsinks to get rid of the heat from the fluids and allow the fridge to cool.

Buy more efficient items where possible. Replacing an inefficient fridge freezer with an efficient one can save a lot of money on the bill. Ditto for other appliances, especially TV's etc and energy saving bulbs.

As an example I've just replaced a broken freeview box with a new one for £30 from currys. Old one was 12W/9.5W On/Standby and the new one just under 4W/about 1.5W. Standard 30W GU10 bulb vs LED one, the LED one is 1.2W

Insulation on doors and windows, pull the curtains over to keep heat in.

Swap normal batteries for rechargeable where suitable, the saved money will allow you to put what you would have spent into the bills and recharging costs less that 10p.

Set any computers to do maximal power saving when not being used and to hibernate so they power off. Possibly look at getting some of the 4 ways that switch everything off when you turn your TV/PC off.

__________________
Cars make CO2 and trees absorb CO2. By driving your car you're feeding a tree and helping the environment.

cheezemonkhai

Does she have a hair drier or straightners etc?

If so see if you can convince her to have a new lower power model, say 2kW vs 3kW?

Also if your house is heated by leccy, try getting a new immersion heater in if the old ones are scaled up as this will save a lot of leccy heating. Maybe have an electric water softener device put in at the inlet as these usually save more in heating and repairs than they cost.

__________________
Cars make CO2 and trees absorb CO2. By driving your car you're feeding a tree and helping the environment.

daiking

The hot water is electrical about 10 years old (Heatrae Sadia Megaflow DD170) and is already on a timer to heat up water at night and it should last the day. Having problems with it anyway which is part of the reason I switched it off and not had chance to get someone in. It shouldn't be too badly scaled up, we have pretty soft water up here but it would be an idea to give it a good once over when I get it looked at.
Storage heater are on a circuit that comes on with the Lo rate electricity but they're simple ones where you choose an input level and when to "boost" the output. Not very adjustable. Changing them would not recuperate the costs for a long time so its not really an option.
I'm going to give it a go Its a 3 yr old Bosch which costs about £50 a year to run so there's potential to save money.

This is a factor in buying decisions but there's nothing that would be cheaper to change. All the appliances are 3 yrs old or less. I've seen those 1.2W LED GU10 bulbs but they're a) expensive ( I need 15!) and b) I wasn't sure if they gave the same light output. I'd only consider buying them on the basis I could take them elsewhere if I moved.

I've done this although I can't get a good seal/closure on a pair of uPVC french doors

Most things I've got now take proprietary rechargable batteries, only long lasting things like remotes that take alkaline batteries where imho, alkalines are better.

I'm just switching things off/unplugging at the mains instead when I'm not using them
Yes but only GHD will do

I'm not trying to force myself into sitting in the dark and cold eating cold baked beans from the tin to save washing up, just trying to continue doing what I do whilst saving some money but it seems there's no obvious tricks I'm missing out on, legal ones anyway.

heresmo

I can't think of any in particular that haven't already been mentioned, except perhaps for not leaving the TV on when you're not watching it. Using my unit cost rate, I reckon the big one costs about 2.5p/hr, the small one about 1.5p/hr.

The iron uses a lot to heat up though as it's for only a very brief time it's not that much at all; after that it only kicks in momentarily so it's not a great user, unless left on indefinitely I suppose if you get waylaid

My PC, monitor, speaker, modem cost about 4.5p/hr. The speakers 0.5p/hr on standby and the others (together) also 0.5p/hr.

Fridges are better when pretty full as less cold air to maintain, though leaving room for air to circulate, whilst freezers (or freezer sections) are better fully packed. It's not particularly easy to test this theory as a lot depends on how often the doors are opened.

I use less elec when on my own overall (i.e. less than proportionately might be expected) which I suspect is because of lighting, since I was always taught to turn lights out, so the "every light in the house" syndrome doesn't apply and I regrettably restrict use of mood-lighting lamps for myself

I used to leave the landing lights on at night for safety really, though wall sconces do add up, so bought a little "socket plug-in" light using 7W which gives just enough dim light to see where you're going. It's better actually as you don't get that blast of liht when you're still half asleep

By far the biggest drain here is my tumble dryer, which uses a lot continuously throught the whole period of use, whereas washing machines take a lot to reach temperature and in the fierce tumbling action, but just swish around after that for ages until the fairly brief spin cycles. I've found that the energy saving ones take longer, but don't use much elec apart from start and finish bits.

Incidentally, if in a flat, make sure the washer isn't vibrating the whole place if used in off-peak hours as there might be something in your lease about "room noise only" during night-time hours.

Re ovens, a complete waste unless for Sunday roast lunch IMO. Use the grill or hob instead, or try to do a big batch of whatever and freeze then microwave as you mentioned. Rubbish idea for pizzas, so perhaps consider one of the mini ovens available. I have one of the "goldfish bowls with halogen type fan on top" (which either bakes or grills depending on whether on the bottom grid or the top) and wouldn't be without it. One capital expenditure that's deffo worth it IMO.

Re economy 7 storage heaters, I hated those darn things as all the heat came out whilst we were out and were cold by the night time I don't know how much they use, though you could check that by your meter. Perhaps see whether it'd be cheaper to use a supplemental form of heat, e.g. a fan heater if open plan as a radiant heater probably wouldn't go far enough (as they work of heat hitting something and bouncing off, I think, but don't quote me on that). Might work if you are "sandwiched" between other occupied flats, though you'd probably freeze if at ground level.

Sorry for long post. It's hitting all of us though so I suspect many of us will be viewing this thread.

PS Bedsocks available from "Mo's Knitting Emporium - please allow several years for delivery"

Mo

__________________

swedishskoda

Maybe she's doing most of the washing?

Improved insulation probably the most efficient (in the cold season) but also the most expensive/laboursome. If you could rent/borrow one of those thermography cameras you can find the weak spots of your house.

Intellipanels are great, use them for my home pc and now never forget to switch off printer, speakers &c. What annoys me is that the video/dvdrecorder and the stereo tuner needs standby feed in order not to lose clock/station settings

Try to wash at lower temp and shorter programmes - if you change your underwear reasonably often it will probably still get nice and clean.

Depending on how your house is built an air-to-air heat pump could be an idea.

If there's a local gym nearby maybe you could sneak in at night, install dynamos on their machines and a lead to your house imagine the waste of energy that could be made useful!

__________________

It's feral ! It's fervid! It's a Felicia!

flinty

Just a thought about your hot water cylinder. IIRC the DD types have two immersion heaters. The lower one should be the off peak and will only come on when off peak power is available. The Megaflo is well insulated and should be able to store heat all day without needing to be boosted by the top immersion. Make sure the top one is switched off to prevent the cylinder trying to reheat during the day at high rate prices. (Unless SWMBO likes a nostrils deep bath every evening!)

BTW what's the problem you're having with it. A common 'fault' on these is water running/ dripping into the tundish (overflow thingy). This usually means the air gap in the top (used for expansion of the heated water) has been lost. To refresh the air gap drain down the cylinder to the level of the P&T discharge valve then refill. The instructions are usually on a sticker on the side of the cylinder.

__________________

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

heresmo

Quote:
Originally Posted by cheezemonkhai
Does she have a hair drier or straightners etc? If so see if you can convince her to have a new lower power model, say 2kW vs 3kW?

Quote by daiking: "Yes but only GHD will do "

Oi! Lay off GHDs! They're far better (from experience) even though they cost an arm and a leg. There is tell of them conking out just after the 1yr g'tee period so holding breath on that one. They use only 30W though and my monitor is calibrated re kW/hrs so they don't even register. Calm down Dear, it's only a hair straightener

Re swedishskoda and washing at a lower temperature: most "people" washing needs to be cooked at 60 deg to kill bacteria. I'd go for a temp at least that high, but agree, yes, a shorter wash after reaching temp if only lightly soiled.

I suppose a lower temperature and something like Napisan or Vanish (oxygen generating bleach) might kill things off, but washing at lower temperatures (other than obviously polyester that a high temp would wreck) just means in my experience that things become more and more grubby over time probs a bit like a car needs a good run to keep the carburettor clean. "Ionic Washballs" are good for removing washing powder buildup from things that have been washed at too low a temperature, though these seem to work better depending on hardness of natural water. Theoretically, one can use washballs exclusively, though many think about 1 in 3 times is good. Pretty useless for mud-soiled rugby gear

Mo

__________________

swedishskoda

Already the Arabs of the 10th century had opinions Re the dirty Vikings but I agree, never go below 60C if the textile doesn't demand otherwise (in that case, don't buy the item). And I have to admit I still wash white cotton sheets and towels in 90C But a shorter wash cycle is often OK.

__________________

It's feral ! It's fervid! It's a Felicia!

cheezemonkhai

Fair enough on the heaters, on the hot water you can get an additional timer switch that will just put the tank on for a couple of hours in the morning, in place of the usual on/off switch. This would go after the econ 7 switch and then just keep the water on for the minimum time.

Another option that isn't worth it until it packs up is a lower power shower.

They are pretty good, with a steel blue tinge to the light. I'd say they are as bright as the 30W ones for the 1.2W and 50W for the 2W ones. They are not that expensive ordered online and also they last 30k hours so you won't have to replace them. I'd get a 2 pack from B&Q and try them. Only down side is I would leave one normal bulbs above any desks etc, but even if you replace 8 of your 15 bulbs with them that's a huge saving. I replaced 6 out of 9 of these that a friends house and the drop in leccy meter speed is noticeable.

Where are you having problems sealing? The central bar or the where the outer hinged sections? I used to work here so may be able to help.

I know the GHD/Similar argument Oh well, although I'm sure they are more than the 30W Mo suggests to heat up that quickly.

Hmm, it's just a case of swapping things for more efficient models as and when they break down me thinks

It's all well some people saying a halogen spot is more efficient, which it is, but then when you have a single 60/100W bulb will do a room and you need 6 50W spots to do the same it lose