Bringing down my gas and leccy bill challenge (start August 2008)

espresso

oldMcDonald wrote: »

Hmmmm, I wonder where the electricity is getting used, then? Most cooking is either done in a remoska, slow cooker, steamer or slow cooker - so a proportion would go there.....water / heating (not that it is on at the moment) is gas. Other than that, usage is laptop on throughout most of the day, dishwasher run 2xday and A rated fridge freezer. Do you think it is the dishwasher and the laptop? I really had no idea about the cost of these to run - I am learning a lot from this thread and similar, though

Running your dishwasher twice a day will cost lots more than using a laptop! Get yourself some rubber gloves if you want to save money.

oldMcDonald

espresso wrote: »

Running your dishwasher twice a day will cost lots more than using a laptop! Get yourself some rubber gloves if you want to save money.

*groan*

Knew this was going to be an answer but secretly hoped that there were magic faeries that did the washing up if the dishwasher didn't! The comment about rubber gloves kind of throws out this desperate hope

Rubber gloves it will be, then. I will buy some today.

We run the washing machine on either a 30c or cold wash, no tumble drier, so no savings can be made there.

Magentasue - thank you for the links, I will pop off now and have a good read Are your 13 units a day that you mention for the winter, or what your average is at the moment?

[Deleted User]

our 24 hour usage as an average from the last quarter bill is gas 5.1 kwh and electricity 6.7 kwh

[Deleted User]

dw at 50 degrees costs 15p in electricity plus 4p in water

newlywed

oldMcDonald wrote: »

*groan*

Knew this was going to be an answer but secretly hoped that there were magic faeries that did the washing up if the dishwasher didn't! The comment about rubber gloves kind of throws out this desperate hope

I'm opting for using the quick wash on the d/w more often and using it LESS (not giving it up yet). I wash up things I don't mind doing or need soon, and then stack the rest in the dishwasher to be done when it's full.

Think a previous comment was it costs about 15-20p per cycle for the electricity.

Magentasue

oldMcDonald wrote: »

Magentasue - thank you for the links, I will pop off now and have a good read Are your 13 units a day that you mention for the winter, or what your average is at the moment?

13 units a day this month.

Dishwasher for me but average once a day with judicious washing up and loading,

oldMcDonald

I've just been working out the cost of the DW!

Sust-it has our DW @ 17p x 2 loads = 34p day (not on water meter, not inc. tablets etc) x 7 days = 2.38 week x 52 weeks / 12 months

= £10.31 month:eek:

add a pack of DW tablets (Tesco Value apx £1.80) means that I'm easily paying out £12 a month to run the dishwasher. I am really going to have to cut down how much I use it:(

newlywed

oldMcDonald wrote: »

Sust-it has our DW @ 17p x 2 loads = 34p day (not on water meter, not inc. tablets etc) x 7 days = 2.38 week x 52 weeks / 12 months

= £10.31 month:eek:

Should be fairly easy to get that down to once a day and halve that cost though (depending on how many are in your household).

mardatha

We are using 7-8 units a day, just the two of us in a mid-terraced cottage, no upstairs. Cant get it lower no matter what we do--and the heating is coal .

myleta253

I have just started to do daily meter readings.
I can`t believe it, but in 3 hours we have used 3 units.
The only items on were 1. plasma tv
2. sky box
3. cooker for warming sausage rolls in oven and 2
rings for potatoes and baked beans
4. fridge /freezer
Since then I hoovered upstairs and down and put the dishwasher on and used another 1.5 units in half an hour.

I`m gutted and terrified.

On this site, people are saying they are only using about 5-10 units a day. My 4.5 units were in 3 and a half hours, and that was before my children were up and using their tvs, sky boxes and playstations. As a family we are getting very good at turning lights off/switching of plug sockets instead of leaving things on stand-by but it doesn`t seem enough.

Please help me.

As a start, could someone please explain to me how my washing machine-1 year old and I think it was an A rating-has an eco-wash setting but it washes on 60 degrees and takes 2 hours and 20 minutes but it has a daily wash at 40 degrees and only takes 30 minutes. Can a longer/hotter wash really be more economical? The same applies to my dishwasher-longer eco-wash compared to daily longer wash.

Thank you to anyone who can help.