[Misc] Suggestions to save energy this winter…

[Weststander]

For October, our numbers were:

Elec 329kWh - £128.90
Gas 652kWh - £75.44 [It's been an incredibly mild month, I don't think we had the c/h on, but we did for 10 cold days in September].

We're with Octopus, these costs including standing charges, 5 VAT and are net of the Energy Price Guarantee discount.

 

[Bodian]

For October, our numbers were:

Elec 329kWh - £128.90
Gas 652kWh - £75.44 [It's been an incredibly mild month, I don't think we had the c/h on, but we did for 10 cold days in September].

We're with Octopus, these costs including standing charges, 5 VAT and are net of the Energy Price Guarantee discount.

Also with Octopus

91kWh
370kWh respectively

Having a wood stove makes an enormous difference (yes, I know there are issues, and debate about environmental matters - but I get 'free' wood - free as in I spend a day a month working without pay for a chap who then fills up my log store).

Bit surprised by the electric usage, which is lower than in May - I think it might be because we have deliberately used the washing machine less. Have you been asked to join the 'savings club' thing by Octopus, where they email you and ask you to cut down at a certain time for the reward of 'points'? It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

 

[Weststander]

Also with Octopus

91kWh
370kWh respectively

Having a wood stove makes an enormous difference (yes, I know there are issues, and debate about environmental matters - but I get 'free' wood - free as in I spend a day a month working without pay for a chap who then fills up my log store).

Bit surprised by the electric usage, which is lower than in May - I think it might be because we have deliberately used the washing machine less. Have you been asked to join the 'savings club' thing by Octopus, where they email you and ask you to cut down at a certain time for the reward of 'points'? It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

With elec there's not much more I can do. Combatting teens leaving a gallery of lights on and a blooming bathroom extractor fan to infinity, is a challenge .

We have an integrated fridge-freezer (they're often wasteful) and that old chestnut of an electric oven .... they use so much elec with the warming-up just to cook a pie, or some chips or jacket potatoes.

 

[LamieRobertson]

With elec there's not much more I can do. Combatting teens leaving a gallery of lights on and a blooming bathroom extractor fan to infinity, is a challenge .

We have an integrated fridge-freezer (they're often wasteful) and that old chestnut of an electric oven .... they use so much elec with the warming-up just to cook a pie, or some chips or jacket potatoes.

Eviction

 

[nicko31]

Also with Octopus

91kWh
370kWh respectively

Having a wood stove makes an enormous difference (yes, I know there are issues, and debate about environmental matters - but I get 'free' wood - free as in I spend a day a month working without pay for a chap who then fills up my log store).

Bit surprised by the electric usage, which is lower than in May - I think it might be because we have deliberately used the washing machine less. Have you been asked to join the 'savings club' thing by Octopus, where they email you and ask you to cut down at a certain time for the reward of 'points'? It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

How do you get your elec down to 3kw a day, that's super low

Bought some timer switches, now charging all phones and laptops off peak plus putting Sonos amp and kids consoles into an off state overnight, should help a bit.

 

[Bozza]

Also with Octopus

91kWh
370kWh respectively

Having a wood stove makes an enormous difference (yes, I know there are issues, and debate about environmental matters - but I get 'free' wood - free as in I spend a day a month working without pay for a chap who then fills up my log store).

Bit surprised by the electric usage, which is lower than in May - I think it might be because we have deliberately used the washing machine less. Have you been asked to join the 'savings club' thing by Octopus, where they email you and ask you to cut down at a certain time for the reward of 'points'? It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

91kWh of *electricity* in a whole month? That's amazing!

We've managed to trim ours back a fair bit, certainly in comparison to last October when we were living in a care-free energy consumption world. We used 219kWh this October, compared to 340kWh in October 2021.

We used 275kWh of gas in the month (for comparison: October 2021 - 1,212kWh). That's 7-7.5kWh a day to heat hot water twice a day for 15 minutes each time, and we gave the heating a very small run-out on a couple of the chillier mornings in the early part of the month.

 

[Bozza]

With elec there's not much more I can do. Combatting teens leaving a gallery of lights on and a blooming bathroom extractor fan to infinity, is a challenge .

We have an integrated fridge-freezer (they're often wasteful) and that old chestnut of an electric oven .... they use so much elec with the warming-up just to cook a pie, or some chips or jacket potatoes.

I feel an average of c7kWh/day is about as low as we can go with electricity as it stands. I still need to determine just how much our fridge freezer, which is quite aged, is using up, although I know from when we were on holiday earlier this year, our house seems to run at about 2.5kWh/day when we're not here, and I assume much of that is the fridge freezer.

And, like you, cooking will be the main culprit. We try to be smart about cooking multiple things when we use the oven. For example, I don't tend to cook a garlic baguette to go with dinner if I'm making a pasta dish on the hob, but I will if I'm making lasagne in the oven.

Additionally, we often used to use both of our double ovens for some meals, whereas now we make do with just the larger one and shuffle food around a bit if required.

 

[nicko31]

Interesting video, whilst the kettle is more efficient, gas is about 1/4 the cost per KwH in the UK and is the winter months the heat into the room is not wasted

 

[Weststander]

I feel an average of c7kWh/day is about as low as we can go with electricity as it stands. I still need to determine just how much our fridge freezer, which is quite aged, is using up, although I know from when we were on holiday earlier this year, our house seems to run at about 2.5kWh/day when we're not here, and I assume much of that is the fridge freezer.

And, like you, cooking will be the main culprit. We try to be smart about cooking multiple things when we use the oven. For example, I don't tend to cook a garlic baguette to go with dinner if I'm making a pasta dish on the hob, but I will if I'm making lasagne in the oven.

Additionally, we often used to use both of our double ovens for some meals, whereas now we make do with just the larger one and shuffle food around a bit if required.

NSC has got me interested in air-fryers, but it would ruin the aesthetic of our carefully planned kitchen. We don't a spare worktop for it to sit on and the cupboards are full.

I will look at a replacement fridge-freezer sooner rather than later. Currently it's a 'posh' Liebherr model, 11 years old, but for several years now the condensation gully/drain has been faulty. All the tricks of a straw, a vinegar/bicarbonate solution, etc work at best temporarily.

In Sept we replaced a faulty heat pump tumble drier for a great value A+++ competitor's heat pump model. It's so efficient and very much needed on the man damp days ..... WFH I manage the household laundry and it's a conveyor belt . It was definitely £450 well spent. Its predecessor spent hours and hours, and still didn't finish the task.

 

[Bodian]

91kWh of *electricity* in a whole month? That's amazing!

We've managed to trim ours back a fair bit, certainly in comparison to last October when we were living in a care-free energy consumption world. We used 219kWh this October, compared to 340kWh in October 2021.

We used 275kWh of gas in the month (for comparison: October 2021 - 1,212kWh). That's 7-7.5kWh a day to heat hot water twice a day for 15 minutes each time, and we gave the heating a very small run-out on a couple of the chillier mornings in the early part of the month.

Goes up a bit in winter - we have the lights on more. You can see the two months in which we had a week away!

We have gas CH, a wood stove, and a combi boiler. A fridge/freezer that we bought about four years ago that reduced our usage a lot. And there are only two of us.

 

[Bodian]

How do you get your elec down to 3kw a day, that's super low

With no real effort to be honest.

Gas CH and water (for showers), gas hob kettle, no kids with games/washing/lights, we haven't got a huge telly (and only have one), have a wood stove, mainly LED or low usage lights (changed over a decade or so), washing machine is A+ (and no kids) - and we use an eco egg which means shorter washes because no chemicals or soap to rinse off, no tumble drier, fridge/freezer A+ (again - gradually changed over time when old ones packed up), use a slow cooker for casseroles, and a remoska for stuff (use the main oven for a roast or egg & chips once a week). I am WFH a lot though - with a computer and lighting in my loft, and do use my laptop a lot.

We haven't done anything drastic, and miss out on nothing - just had it in our minds for a long time, long before the current concerns. We have had energy usage in our minds for 20 years or so because we've always been quite consumption conscious (both did environmental degrees, and so on).

 

[Denis]

I live alone so only use the main electric oven when I have family around for lunch. I have a combi microwave so I can bake /grill food just for me. It must help kWh usage.

 

[jakarta]

3 bedroom Victorian cottage (well was 2 bedrooms when we moved in), unless one of us is snoring 2 beds don't get used, so rads off.

As previously stated we have had a shed load of building work at Jakarta Towers, every time the amount of insulation installed by builders seems to double.

Have also double glazed every window in the place. House is markedly warmer from the one we moved into in 2001 so insulation clearly the way to go.

As it is now November about to delve into our Wood Store - most days in Winter live in the Sitting Room with a Fire going so again rads off in rest of house.

 

[Since1982]

We are using around 9kwh of electricity per day. Not really sure how we get that down any more (it’s around 2kwh per day less than a year ago). There are only two of us, we are rigorous about not having lights on in unoccupied rooms, all are leds. We use the air fryer frequently, the oven is on twice a month on average, the hob is induction but we try not to use that unless no choice. We’ve a fridge freezer and chest freezer, the former around 11 years old the latter two years. All are full. I think our phantom load is around 0.2kwh per hour based on what I see on the Loop app which means we are using 4.8kwh before we do anything, but I wonder if that is just rounding on the data Loop is showing. We are away later this month, will be interesting to see what the data shows.

 

[Weststander]

With no real effort to be honest.

Gas CH and water (for showers), gas hob kettle, no kids with games/washing/lights, we haven't got a huge telly (and only have one), have a wood stove, mainly LED or low usage lights (changed over a decade or so), washing machine is A+ (and no kids) - and we use an eco egg which means shorter washes because no chemicals or soap to rinse off, no tumble drier, fridge/freezer A+ (again - gradually changed over time when old ones packed up), use a slow cooker for casseroles, and a remoska for stuff (use the main oven for a roast or egg & chips once a week). I am WFH a lot though - with a computer and lighting in my loft, and do use my laptop a lot.

We haven't done anything drastic, and miss out on nothing - just had it in our minds for a long time, long before the current concerns. We have had energy usage in our minds for 20 years or so because we've always been quite consumption conscious (both did environmental degrees, and so on).

Just two of you at a sensible age is possibly the clincher. You probably turn lights and extractor fans off!

There’s 4 of us, 3 of whom like hot baths, the other 3 showers a day, devices/games/tv’s are on much of the time.

Laundry - 10 to 14 full loads a week, there seems to be a lot of bed linen changes.

 

[Bozza]

We are using around 9kwh of electricity per day. Not really sure how we get that down any more (it’s around 2kwh per day less than a year ago). There are only two of us, we are rigorous about not having lights on in unoccupied rooms, all are leds. We use the air fryer frequently, the oven is on twice a month on average, the hob is induction but we try not to use that unless no choice. We’ve a fridge freezer and chest freezer, the former around 11 years old the latter two years. All are full. I think our phantom load is around 0.2kwh per hour based on what I see on the Loop app which means we are using 4.8kwh before we do anything, but I wonder if that is just rounding on the data Loop is showing. We are away later this month, will be interesting to see what the data shows.

Assuming you have gas for heating and/or water, it feels to me as though there's something amiss there, at least compared to our own usage.

We were away for four weeks over July-August and our usage was 2.5kWh per day over that time. Stuff that would still have been on...

- Fridge freezer
- Fish tank heat and light. It's a small tank and wouldn't have needed much heat, if any, during the hot summer period
- Router
- BT smart thingummy that goes with the new fast router
- The smart meter monitor

None of these would use much at all, with the likely exception of the fridge freezer which is pretty old. We bought it second-hand when we moved back down from Somerset, where we had an integrated appliance, and needed something to tide us over in a short-term rental. That was nearly 10 years ago now. We've kept it because it just felt sensible to not get rid of something that was working and functional. Very possibly not now.

We've managed to reduce by 4kWh per day from October 2021 to October 2022. One of the biggest culprits would have been the wall lights we inherited in the lounge of our house. Three fittings with two bulbs in each, so six bulbs at 42 watts meaning 252 watts per hour. On long dark winter days, these would have been running up a fair chunk of usage alone. Now we leave them off unless we really need bright light, and use a single standard lamp with a 14.5 watt bulb.

 

[Jim in the West]

Really interesting seeing other people’s usage - our figures for Oct were: Electricity 217kwh; Gas 277kwh.
However, we were on holiday for the first 10 days of October, so these are artificially low.
We live in a 300 year old cottage which is pretty poorly insulated (eg: no double glazing on the rooms at the front of the house because we’re in a conservation area, etc).
But we have been steadfast in NOT having the central heating on, and only have lights on in the room we’re occupying. So definitely struggling to find ways to reduce usage much more.
And if temps start heading below (say) 7 or 8 degrees, the heating is definitely going on.

 

[Since1982]

Assuming you have gas for heating and/or water, it feels to me as though there's something amiss there, at least compared to our own usage.

We were away for four weeks over July-August and our usage was 2.5kWh per day over that time. Stuff that would still have been on...

- Fridge freezer
- Fish tank heat and light. It's a small tank and wouldn't have needed much heat, if any, during the hot summer period
- Router
- BT smart thingummy that goes with the new fast router
- The smart meter monitor

None of these would use much at all, with the likely exception of the fridge freezer which is pretty old. We bought it second-hand when we moved back down from Somerset, where we had an integrated appliance, and needed something to tide us over in a short-term rental. That was nearly 10 years ago now. We've kept it because it just felt sensible to not get rid of something that was working and functional. Very possibly not now.

We've managed to reduce by 4kWh per day from October 2021 to October 2022. One of the biggest culprits would have been the wall lights we inherited in the lounge of our house. Three fittings with two bulbs in each, so six bulbs at 42 watts meaning 252 watts per hour. On long dark winter days, these would have been running up a fair chunk of usage alone. Now we leave them off unless we really need bright light, and use a single standard lamp with a 14.5 watt bulb.

Yes, gas for heating and water. The Loop app shows 0.1kWh per half hour overnight, hence wondering if that’s just the lowest energy use the app is capable of showing. I’ve simply multiplied 0.1 x 48 to get to 4.8kwh. Our “always on“ stuff is the fridge freezer, chest freezer, three tvs and set top boxes on standby, security camera, router and BT thingy plus a wireless mesh system with four discs and five google minis / homes. When we are away for a week and a half this month I’ll be able to get a better feel for it. Mind you, most of last year we had a hot tub as well

 

[A mex eyecan]

Yes, gas for heating and water. The Loop app shows 0.1kWh per half hour overnight, hence wondering if that’s just the lowest energy use the app is capable of showing. I’ve simply multiplied 0.1 x 48 to get to 4.8kwh. Our “always on“ stuff is the fridge freezer, chest freezer, three tvs and set top boxes on standby, security camera, router and BT thingy plus a wireless mesh system with four discs and five google minis / homes. When we are away for a week and a half this month I’ll be able to get a better feel for it. Mind you, most of last year we had a hot tub as well

re fridge freezer. we also have a tall fridge freezer which works well but must be circa 20 years old.
i have absolutely no idea what that would cost to run and what the savings would be if we binned it and bought a new one

 

[chrisg]

Just two of you at a sensible age is possibly the clincher. You probably turn lights and extractor fans off!

There’s 4 of us, 3 of whom like hot baths, the other 3 showers a day, devices/games/tv’s are on much of the time.

Laundry - 10 to 14 full loads a week, there seems to be a lot of bed linen changes.

10 to 14 full washing machine loads per week is ridiculous, how can you have 1 full load+ more each day of the week ?’
You must all wash trousers , shirts and hoodies/ jumpers every day which is mad.