Avoid using Gas and Electricity

Soworried

Hi
Do you use lids on your pans? I find that really reduces our cooking costs. Turn them up fully then when they start to boil turn them right down. The lid will keep the heat in and they keep boiling.
Also never put the oven on with an empty shelf. Cook bread or cakes at the same time.
Turn the hob and oven off a few minutes before things are cooked. The residual heat will keep cooking them.
When you boil the kettle put any water left in to a flask. I always end up with enough for my next coffee.
Reduce how much you iron. Anything that people don't see, don't iron.
I hope these will help. I'll keep thinking.

Popperwell

Just signed up to Npower under a new tariff and a new scheme...paying direct debit and online(saving me £145 some kind of discount)have to give 28 days notice if I intend to leave.

They've set my monthly charge at £80 per month(I think I can get that down)and for what I use I could not use any less than I do.

Frugal isn't the word...

This is what worries me about paying my own energy bills now...I was paying quarterly to British Gas and N Power by credit card or cash. Yet I have been told that to pay for two services from one energy supplier by monthly DD is cheaper.

I hope someone can answer your problem and give good advice...my last quarterly bill for electric was approx £65. I avoid the Gas CH...lately just for water heating as you suggest and hardly run any hot water off so it stays hot for a few days and so I don't heat it as long the next time...

Not having as many baths per week and as in the old days it's more like a quick sponge down. A full bath is a luxury I cannot really afford. And when cold it's into bed and/or more blankets, hot drinks and more jumpers and warm clothes.

Seems a lot for the amount that I use and I can only see it increasing. All they have to do is announce a price increase...any energy company can and even British Gas which has made obsene profits lately are talking of gas increasing in price again this winter.

I can't see much difference between any of the energy companies and the comparison sites just confuse me.

quintwins

have you a slowcooker? much cheaper than using the oven.

Popperwell

My house is mainly electric other than the CH but I do all that Soworried suggests. Eat more cold meals but lately(sorry for the repeat)hot meals are done in a microwave or slow cooker and soon a halogen oven to save energy and yes if I use the electric oven I try to cook something that's quick or a few things at once...

Popperwell

quintwins wrote: »

have you a slowcooker? much cheaper than using the oven.

I'm glad you've said that!

On my blog I have an anon who insists on having a go at me for using the gadgets I own but if they are more energy efficent I have done the right thing buying and using them.

I never iron, even though I bought a new one a couple of years ago...

attentionseeker1

I agree Popperwell- even looking on the MSE Utilities forum, all of the energy companies seem to get slated as much as one another more or less, so I think the only way to deal with them is to stop using so much energy to begin with. You do get a discount paying by DD but it tricks you into relying on it as a fixed amount each month when actually it can vary massively over the year (mine changed from £31 per month- obviously too low- to £158 a month!!!)

Thanks soworried for the tips as well- all are tips I could implement. Given that the gas charges are so high, do you think it would be better to boil the kettle for pans of hot water rather than blast the gas at it initially??

HappyMJ

Time the hot water to only come on for an hour before you use it then off for the remainder of the day. It will save a small amount. The water will be cooler later in the day so weigh up whether it's worth it or not.

Gas hobs don't use much but the advice given so far should help reduce it.

Turn everything electric off. Including the sky box. The hard drive in a PVR uses quite a bit of power.

attentionseeker1 wrote: »

Thanks soworried for the tips as well- all are tips I could implement. Given that the gas charges are so high, do you think it would be better to boil the kettle for pans of hot water rather than blast the gas at it initially??

Gas is cheaper than electric per kWh of energy despite being less efficent so use the pan to heat the water from cold.

attentionseeker1

oops cross posted! Yes do have a s/c as well- will look on s/c thread for some good recipes.

Has anyone got one of those energy meters that tells you what different appliances use? We can't have one as live in a flat with shared meter points but would be interesting to know what uses the most...

HappyMJ

attentionseeker1 wrote: »

oops cross posted! Yes do have a s/c as well- will look on s/c thread for some good recipes.

Has anyone got one of those energy meters that tells you what different appliances use? We can't have one as live in a flat with shared meter points but would be interesting to know what uses the most...

Just look at the back of the product. The big ones are anything that involve heat. Dryers are a big one, electric heaters, etc etc...long electric showers.

Small appliances don't use much and when unplugged or turned off at the switch use nothing.

Popperwell

That's quite a hike!!!

I use my electric most running pc's...but I am obssessed about switching everything off even without all the talk about not keeping items on standby.

And not good when they tell you not to keep switching items off because the change of temperature in electrical gadgets switching on/off damages them and shortens their lives.

The amount of people in work who are cutting back is just as bad.

No electric heaters here(except the main oven which remains off 99% of the time)so it's a kettle, pc's, DAB radio and one light at night that shines into all rooms from the landing with an energy saving light bulb(which I hate)I fill flasks with hot water to avoid heating the kettle or boil the smallest amount required.