Avoid using Gas and Electricity

Olliebeak

A couple of years ago, while sorting an empty property (where there were no family/next-of-kin/friends), I came across a '*brace and bit with spare bits' :j!

Needless to say, it DID NOT go to the tip with the remaining items - I did ask permission from the Housing Trust first.!

*non-electric forerunner of today's electric drill

frogglet

BigMummaF wrote: »

With a four-adult household, drying space is at an absolute premium as you can imagine :undecided Guess what I've just asked the offspring to put on the top of my Gift List for my [Nov] birthday/crimbo
Some folk think I'm strange to ask for things like breadmaker [two yrs ago] or number plates [this years MaDay] for the car, but with cash being in such short supply, I would rather have stuff I need as opposed to a bottle of perfume that makes me sneeze

Thats exactly why I got one, I have two teenagers who go to the gym, the amount of towels we go through was really getting me down in winter and their way of tidying their bedrooms is to dump it in the wash, just because something is screwed up. I was a bit sceptical at first but it lives up to it's description. I think I should have actually got a bigger one.

mama67

KatP wrote: »

A quick question, I'm all for reducing my electricity consumption, though not as extreme as you guys

We have E7 electric as we have storage heaters and I am keen to get as much of our electric usage from the E7 period as possible. The heaters use this, and I have had a timer fitted to the immersion so this heats for an hour over night and is insulated suffciently to mean that this stays warm pretty much all day. If we run out we can either boil a kettle or boost the immersion.

I have bought a timer switch that can be used in a plug socket with the intention of making sure that all rechargeable devices are charged over night.

Lights and the computer/tv obviously can't use the E7 as we want to use them during day rate.

The big one that I want to change is the washing machine. I am aware that it uses quite a bit of power and would like to run it during E7 (midnight - 7am for us). It doesn't have a delayed start programe though and I don't want to have to stay up until midnight just to do the washing, and getting up early enough to get a full program in before seven is a bit early too. At the moment I am switching it on as late or early as I can manage and accepting that half the program will be full rate and half E7 rate.

Has anyone got any better ideas for running the washing machine? That don't involve buying a new one (we will but not until this one breaks and we will look for one with a timer function and a 30degree cycle too).

Any other ideas for making the most of our E7 rate?

Thanks

Up until i got the present waher with the delay start button, I have used plug in timers for both the washer and dishwasher, washer for over 20 years, and mum did so before me. Just set as normal but with the appliance plugged into timer. I use the override switch to just make sure it has come on then it goes on timer.

I also set my bread machine on timer so it works on E7.

mama67

Gigervamp wrote: »

If you don't use the hot water in the tank, switch it off and just boil a kettle when you need some for washing.

It won't cause a problem with the appliances.

You might find however, that the water comes on anyway if you have the heating on. Ours does that, but we can have only the water on and no heating.

I had a similar problem (oil), in that we had to put the water on to get the heating on, then run off hot water as obviously the water was hot enuf and kicking the boiler out. Ended up using electric fan heaters to get bedrooms warm.

Turned out when we had it serviced that a switch was sticking, so the heating wouldn't come on independantly.

All sorted and now our electricity costs will be way down this next winter.

jackieglasgow

Gigervamp wrote: »

Thanks. It did seem odd, but it happened like that in our last house too. They're oil fired boilers, so I don't know if that makes any difference.

It shouldn't really, but it depends how it was installed, and how old it is. All dual systems (for heat and hot water) should keep each operation seperate unless specifically demanded at the same time. I don't really want to give you technical advice, as I'm not an engineer, but I do have a good idea what I'm talking about because of the job I have.

Jackie X

Gigervamp

The system is pretty old I think. There's no room thermostat, just the temperature dial on the boiler and that's in Fahrenheit not celsius!

Hoping to get a multifuel stove with back boiler installed at some point, so we just have to put up with our current systems foibles until then!

vodkabarbie

Just wanted to say thanks for the Rotaire tip - we get through so much washing & I find drying it indoors makes the house feel damp, tempting me to turn on the heating.....I've just bought one of these!

MORPH3US

frogglet wrote: »

I got one of these
http://www.rotaire.com/
and it is brilliant, you can hang things out in any weather and it dries and stays dry if it rains, I find it especially good for towels they only need a very short time in the drier to air them. I can hang things out at night with no worry about it raining overnight or bird poo getting on it,

A possible cheaper option

http://www.cordvale.com/

or this one but I can't imagine it working too well...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Replacement-Rain-Covers-for-Rotamate-washing-line_W0QQitemZ220476630953QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Laundry?hash=item33556e67a9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

anguk

Gigervamp wrote: »

The system is pretty old I think. There's no room thermostat, just the temperature dial on the boiler and that's in Fahrenheit not celsius!

Hoping to get a multifuel stove with back boiler installed at some point, so we just have to put up with our current systems foibles until then!

We've got an old system like that too, no room thermostats, just a dial on the boiler that says 1 - 7.

Ours will heat the water when the heating is on but it won't just heat the water on it's own so in the summer (or when the central heating isn't on) I have to use the electric immersion heater. :eek:

I wish we had a combi like we had in our last house. :sad:

rosekitten

love the tips on this thread saved me
loads gas/electric bills just in Gas £26
electric £126.both good reasonable
bills for us.