The 50% Electricity Challenge - Everyone welcome!

milliemonster

no we don't have any nemo's or dory's in our tank!!!, ooh I will try that then, I'm switching it off now as we speak

pandapaws

But not until next week - control week to measure how much you normally use. It's really hard not using less when you start to think about it!

milliemonster

oh !!!!!!, better put it back on then!!!

shopaholictiedtheknot

pandapaws wrote: »

Other things I've been thinking about, many common sense, are:
Use hot water to fill kettle/saucepans if it's going to be boiled anyway and obvioulsy only fill as much as needed.

I don't think hot water is supposed to be good for drinking but don't quote me on that!

milliemonster

pandapaws wrote: »

Thanks lindsloo. I'm currently showering at work because we're re-doing the bathroom, and I might keep doing that as often as possible because of the saving. God, I never thought I'd hear myself say that a few years ago!

Other things I've been thinking about, many common sense, are:
Use hot water to fill kettle/saucepans if it's going to be boiled anyway and obvioulsy only fill as much as needed. Cook pasta/veg in boiling water in the 'pasta time' gadget I've got rather than on the hob.

• Use the microwave more than the oven.
• Switch the oven off 10 minutes before the end as the heat will stay in that long if the door is kept shut
• Switch everything off at the wall at night
• When sockets are on, make sure only the items in use are actually switched on, eg DVD player comes on with TV, camera dock & printer come on with PC, but usually these aren't being used.
• Turn the thermostat down (or is it up?!) on the fridge & freezer
• Charge phones etc at work - let them pay for it!
• Cook at work where possible
• Use the drier overnight and not through the day if possible. Put it on for shorter durations and catch it before it starts the 10 min cool down period, then if the clothes aren't dry put it back on BEFORE it has cooled down.
• Try and dry clothes so less need to be ironed (saw Chev's thread about ironing - will try and cut it down)
• Make more effort to load dishwasher properly so it isn't on 3 times a day.
• Seems obvious, but turn off lights if not in the room! We have nice lighting in the dining room, hallway, under kitchen cabinets and so on that stays on all evening. Looks nice, but unnecessary.
• Turn the fish tank off for a few hours a day

Any others?

Only fill the kettle with enough water to boil for the amount of drinks that you are making rather than filling it up and boiling it every time

If you have a microwave with a lcd clock display, turn it off unless you are using it

Do your washing at 30 degrees

buy a normal wind up alarm clock rather than an electric one (or use the alarm function on your mobile?)

pandapaws

shopaholictiedtheknot wrote: »

I don't think hot water is supposed to be good for drinking but don't quote me on that!

(I just did!)

I think it's because it sits in a tank for a while, but if you boil it then it's absolutely fine. I wouldn't drink it straight out the hot tap (eugh!) but for boiling up in a pan, or filling the kettle it should be ok. It's a bit like the water that comes out most people's bathroom taps - the cold there usually sits in a tank as well but as long as you're not drinking gallons of it then it won't do any harm.

Nannychook

I'll join in with this one, although I may have to get my boys to move out to see a 50% reduction!
My readings as of 21/10/2008 are:

Rate 1: 26897.07 @ 14.89p per kwh
Rate 2: 5907.11 @ 5.19p per kwh

May have to get some timers so I can run the washing machine/dishwasher in the middle of the night, or save all the dirty washing/dishes for when I'm working the late shift and getting home at 2 in the morning.

Nannychook

Oops, should have included the time I read the meter - 11:30am

tyllwyd

I googled it and there seemed to be lots of pages saying don't drink the hot water from the tank in case it contains high levels of copper (and possibly lead)
http://www.dwi.gov.uk/pubs/tap/index.htm

I'll join in, but only for a 10% reduction - we've got a new energy efficient cooker, washing machine and tumble drier (the others blew up after getting covered in building dust when we had the extension built!) Ditto our gas boiler which is one of the on demand ones with no tank. The dishwasher is only on once a day, I'm washing most clothes at 30 or 40 (with an occasional load at 60 or 95 to try to keep the machine clean), my pc is on most of the time but should have low standby power.

I try not to run the tumble dryer too much - I almost never dry loads from scratch, but I stick them on an airer overnight and if need be put them in the dryer the next day to finish them & soften them a bit. I'm too lazy to do much ironing, so that's a minimum. We've got one of those electric towel warmer things that is good as well.

Apart from following my daughter around the house turning off lightbulbs, I'm not sure how much more we can do. My main indulgence is probably boiling the kettle too much!

Our last meter reading was 7112 - over the previous two weeks we'd used an average of 114 units per week. So to get a 10% reduction I guess I'm trying for 103 units.

shopaholictiedtheknot

pandapaws wrote: »

(I just did!)

I think it's because it sits in a tank for a while, but if you boil it then it's absolutely fine. I wouldn't drink it straight out the hot tap (eugh!) but for boiling up in a pan, or filling the kettle it should be ok. It's a bit like the water that comes out most people's bathroom taps - the cold there usually sits in a tank as well but as long as you're not drinking gallons of it then it won't do any harm.

Quoted you right back:rotfl: