The 50% Electricity Challenge - Everyone welcome!

Sue-UU

Intergalactic_Floozie wrote: »

I really desperately need to try and cut down gas and electric useage (especially electricity!) I'm certain my next door neighbour has a cannabis farm in his attic and I am unwittingly heating and lighting it! (joke, before anyone rings Crimestoppers). I've got a husband and two kids who dont know how to turn lights off!

Never tire of keeping on driving the message home about how much it's costing you ALL to use your house as a lighthouse!!! Try putting LARGE stickers on each switch to remind them to TURN THIS OFF they may even become embarrassed into doing so when you get visitors!

I promise I won't be the one who rings Crimestoppers to report about the next door neighbour of Intergalactic Floozie..... it's ME they'd be sending the men in white coats to - not you! :eek:

TurnaroundSue

TurnaroundSue wrote: »

Trying really hard to reduce my leccy bill this week and was saving all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher to do one full load of washing up in the sink and OH goes and puts dishwasher on:mad: , but apart from that have been really careful (although still feel that there is scope to save more if I turned all off at the switch when not in use)

Second reading due tomorrow night so will let you know how I get on then.

OH has redeemed himself by spending ONE hour and 3 sink loads of water to wash ALL the dirty dishes that had accumulated in dishwasher since he last put it on. Has said though that he WOULDN'T be doing that again and if I wanted the dishes hand washed the I should do it:eek: . Will see tonight once I take that meter reading and then next week will do exactly the same as this except for putting on the dishwasher and see what a difference it makes to the weekly reading (and obviously cost):D

ixwood

Modern dishwashers are supposed to be more efficient than hand washing. i.e it would have used less than 3 bowls worth of heated water.

If your water heating is gas, that would reduce the difference, but don;t think it's worth spending an hour doing it by hand.

Different_Corner

*Runs into thread holding boxfresh electricity bill, in mild state of panic !*

Just got bill in at £300 for last quarter ! Am so joining this thread, if I may. Meter reading on bill (4/11) 4046.

Am going to become retentive about this !!!!!

tyllwyd

My readings this week - 118 units, against a start of 114 and a target of 103. Oh well.

tyllwyd

Different_Corner wrote: »

*Runs into thread holding boxfresh electricity bill, in mild state of panic !*

Just got bill in at £300 for last quarter ! Am so joining this thread, if I may. Meter reading on bill (4/11) 4046.

Am going to become retentive about this !!!!!

Eek, £300 for the last quarter which should be one of the cheaper ones! Is that what you would have expected compared to your other bills? Do you have electric cooking/water heating/central heating?

pandapaws

Afternoon all!

Sorry I've not been around much this week to update but I've just done it all now. A few greens and a few reds too from the first week of readings that we've had of supposedly reduced consumption. Well done to those who've done well, and keep trying to everyone else!

Welcome to those who're just joining as well - have added you to the list, just keep posting your progress and I'll get around to updating eventually.

My own readings (which I did take on Monday, but just haven't found the time to post) were: Day - 02564 Night 00351 so my day usage has reduced from 130 to 110 and night has increased by a single unit. Not quite the 50% I'd been hoping for, but I'm quite happy as we had so much going on that week that I'd expected it to increase.

Only the weekend until the next readings. Not sure how that'll go as I've been off work this week but out all day every day. So that should be good...maybe!

Different_Corner

tyllwyd wrote: »

Eek, £300 for the last quarter which should be one of the cheaper ones! Is that what you would have expected compared to your other bills? Do you have electric cooking/water heating/central heating?

Hi tyllwyd
It's a mixture of things, we switched in March this year, two estimated readings and this last one I gave correct reading. Throw in the summer holidays, two teenagers, bad weather, tellys, games consoles, fishtank *was* on all day, and a whole host of laziness and it's about right.
Have an energy monitor now and am changing the way we cook (bought a remoska !)

Onwards and upwards.

Tabatha_Kitten

To quote Different_Corner "fishtank *was* on all day"

Please, please, please anyone reading this DO NOT switch off your fish tank.
Fish effectively live in their own urine.
All fish tanks - cold water & tropical should have a filter. No excuses. It should never be switched off. The beneficial bacteria living in the filter prevent the fish dying a horrible nasty death from ammonia and nitrite poisoning.
Fish do not however need light (but live plants do)
By all means switch the tank light off if you want to save money.

Different_Corner

Tabatha_Kitten wrote: »

To quote Different_Corner "fishtank *was* on all day"

Please, please, please anyone reading this DO NOT switch off your fish tank.
Fish effectively live in their own urine.
All fish tanks - cold water & tropical should have a filter. No excuses. It should never be switched off. The beneficial bacteria living in the filter prevent the fish dying a horrible nasty death from ammonia and nitrite poisoning.
Fish do not however need light (but live plants do)
By all means switch the tank light off if you want to save money.

Hi Tabitha,
Just the light not the filter Light has been reduced to 5 - 6 hours a day, instead of the constant 10 - 12hrs.