[Misc] Suggestions to save energy this winter…

[1066familyman]

Games consoles left ON, lights left ON, long showers, heated towel rails wacked up. I’m trying to educate them but it ain’t easy

I've been banging my head against a brickwall for longer than I care to mention.

Interesting that this cost of living crisis is said to result in increased marriage break ups too.

I can see why.

 

[Berty23]

Why do some people think electricity is cheaper overnight?

That's only true if you're on Economy 7, surely?

And generally only those with storage heaters are better off on Economy 7.

Charging modern phones and tablets overnight uses less power doesn’t it? I thought it is some power caving mode where they optimise which I took as using less power but maybe I am wrong?

 

[Eric the meek]

I’ll need to think about that one. My medication lowers my blood pressure and I couldn’t manage last winter without wearing socks in bed. Goodness only knows how cold I will be with no heating on.

I used to a lot of climbing and camping.

A very simple way of instantly warming a cold bed, is to take a deep breath outside the bed, and exhale into the bed. Simple, instant and free.
You can do it with your clothes - a balaclava of a ski snood works well.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I used to a lot of climbing and camping.

A very simple way of instantly warming a cold bed, is to take a deep breath outside the bed, and exhale into the bed. Simple, instant and free.
You can do it with your clothes - a balaclava of a ski snood works well.

I don’t know whether that advice is ever so slightly a wind up ?
Although to be fair, taking a deep breath is exactly what I do after I’ve climbed two sets of stairs to reach the bedroom. Might work a treat.

 

[Bodian]

Thanks - I'll give that a go as well and see which ones works best.

Yep - ovens use a shit load of energy - it's quite a big space to heat up to 200 degrees. Spot where I cooked dinner!

View attachment 151406

Have you a large family, or is everything electric?

We have gas heating (not on at the moment), combi-boiler, and a gas hob - but on Bank Holiday Monday I was WFH all day, washing machine in the morning, then I did a Roast in the oven when the Domestic Manager arrived home - this was our usage.



3.7kWh for the day.

Gas - shower in the morning, veggies on the hob for dinner.




We eat a lot earlier than you!

All of the above suggestions are good - and yes, the smart meter can get quite addictive. It cost me tuppence to boil the kettle for tea this morning.


edit - initially put the wrong gas usage on. deleted it - but it still shows.....

 

[Rogero]

If you have an old fridge freezer then change it . Ours was 20 years old and on constantly .

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Make a flask of coffee for the day if working from home. Cheaper than boiling multiple kettles.

 

[Daddies_Sauce]

Yep - ovens use a shit load of energy View attachment 151406

We are with Ovo, and have a smart meter. They update our account details daily, so we can see how much gas/elec we used during the previous day and how much each fuel type cost. The website also provides us with the ability to look at the previous days usage so we can can see when we used the fuel. Therefor I have no need for any additional apps.

We already have LED bulbs all around, I have 1 external side door to draught proof, the door does not open, we have never had a key for it, so I might just pump mastic around the frame to stop the draughts.

This year we invested in a Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer AF400UK, this uses far less energy than the main oven, and has the ability to 'sync' the cooking of different food types and healthier too. Though trying to educate the Mrs that food does not need to be cooked at the same temperature or duration as when using the main oven is proving a challenge. A number of companies are starting to label foods now with appropriate cooking times and temperatures for Air Fryers together with the 'normal' oven cooking time and durations.

 

[Eric the meek]

I don’t know whether that advice is ever so slightly a wind up ?
Although to be fair, taking a deep breath is exactly what I do after I’ve climbed two sets of stairs to reach the bedroom. Might work a treat.

Sorry, no. I didn't mean it as a wind up. Apologies if it came across as a bit insensitive. I can be a bit like that sometimes, although I do actually mean well.

 

[Bodian]

If you have an old fridge freezer then change it . Ours was 20 years old and on constantly .

I was defrosting our old fridge, and thought the thing about not using a knife to do it was just some sort of safety warning about it slipping and cutting you or something. Anyway, I pierced the gas thing at the back, which hissed and stunk the room out.

Got a new fridge, A-rating. Our electricity usage plummeted overnight. It's about four years old now, and I reckon it has easily paid for itself in power savings alone.

 

[Blackadder]

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Sorry, no. I didn't mean it as a wind up. Apologies if it came across as a bit insensitive. I can be a bit like that sometimes, although I do actually mean well.

Not at all. I just wondered if you were being a little mischievous and imagining loads of people following the breathing on the bed advice. It amused me anyway and I will certainly give it a go if it works. I hate cold sheets.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Batch cooking. I was going to make a veggie curry this week. I've now bought 5x the ingredients and will bulk cook and freeze the leftovers. saves 4 times the gas cooking time.

 

[Gabbafella]

Hook your entire house up to car batteries, every time a battery is running low, pop it in your car to recharge it on your daily commute.

 

[Eric the meek]

Not at all. I just wondered if you were being a little mischievous and imagining loads of people following the breathing on the bed advice. It amused me anyway and I will certainly give it a go if it works. I hate cold sheets.

No, I'm being serious. It's based on my experience of many freezing nights in a sleeping bag. You breathe into it and pull the cowl hood tight to trap the warm air in.

 

[robinsonsgrin]

candles - although i only use in middle of coffee table.. the battery led candles are ok for more unsafe areas. air fryer convert for past year.. bucket and oven type. keep freezers full. buy wearable hoodie fleece blankets - superb... fluffy socks and slipper boots.. boil kettle and put leftover water in a flask for another time. single duvet / throw on the sofas.. nothing left on standby...and fantasise about happier times...

 

[Normal Rob]

I've asked the wife to work harder and get promoted.

 

[bomber130]

What is the cheapest price that can be paid for logs for a log burner ? We bought a bag weighing 7.5 kg at the weekend which cost £5.69.

I bought 8 ton bags for £380 that should last the winter without having to put central heating on.


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[Whitley Bayster]

Get my kids to read this thread.

my issue too! I have two teenage sons and for a generation that is meant to be environmentally conscious they are terrible. They never turn lights off, leave the microwave door open, leave the oven on when they have finshed cooking and generally have no energy awareness. Thankfully one is off to Uni halving the issue

 

[bomber130]

If you have a piano and a log burner chop the piano up and hey presto free wood.


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