Avoid using Gas and Electricity

fuddle

pops don't hurt yourself!

Mistral001

Mistral001 wrote: »

I found that my PC was using quite a lot of power by just being plugged into the wall. I do not mean on standby, but when switched off at the PC on/off button and no lights or sign of life in the PC. It uses 35Watts in this mode and it is not a particularily old PC either. This works out at about £1 a week for just being plugged in or £52 a year.

The meter I used to measure power being used cost £15. I have also used it to measure power used by all other electrical items around the house. I found that the TV on standby used very little which is contrary to what we are told on TV.

edit: got my sums wrong. i have edited my figures above. Still quite a bit. I have two computers so I save quite a bit by ensuring that they are switched off when not using them

Sorry gots sums wrong still quite a big saving. I have a large printer as well and it uses 80W when switched on and not being used. Believe it or not I used to leave it on most of the time. that cost me about £100 a year!

PhGage

Soworried wrote: »

Turn the hob and oven off a few minutes before things are cooked. The residual heat will keep cooking them.

quintwins wrote: »

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

YMMV, for my suggestion, and it does vary enormously with how good people are with their hands because you shouldn't attempt this if it's dangerous for you to move hot items.

I use a modern 'haybox' for cooking things that would either involve long , slow, cooking on the stovetop or in the oven. I'll take a photograph of it the next time that I have it out, but I have a big polystyrene box (of the sort that fish is sometimes delivered in to supermarkets) that I have lined with a survival blanket (usually lots of them available as discards after local running events, or they're sometimes for sale in Poundland or similar), and offcuts from radiator foil. When I've brought a casserole/stew/soup up to temperature on the stove, I overwrap it in another survival blanket and put it on the lid of the box (which is now the bottom) with appropriate heatproof item beneath it so it doesn't melt the box, then I put the deep part of the box over it and leave it for the appropriate length of time. (I find it easier to put the casserole/pan on the lid and place the box over it, than to try and manoeuvre the hot pan/dish out of the deep box when the food is ready.)

I know someone who brings her food to temperature on the stove, and then she puts the pan on a piece of wood that is already standing on a fleece blanket/survival blanket which she then wraps over the pan, and puts an big, old, cushion or cut down duvet on top. It works for her. Again, you need to be entirely happy about moving round very hot pans and their contents. Insulated picnic bags can work well for this (if you pad the pan so it doesn't melt the walls) as do coolboxes that you pack out with packaging materials and line properly.

A well-insulated box keeps the temperature remarkably well (I've tracked this with a digital thermometer) and the food cooks beautifully. Now, it means that you have to eat (say) chicken casserole/Butter Chicken rather than cooking a roast chicken, but it does reduce the fuel costs. If you already have all the bits and pieces to hand, a modern haybox is cheaper than a slow cooker, and you don't need fuel to run it. It's not as flexible as a slow cooker, of course, if you just want to place cold items in the slow cooker and leave the house, knowing that everything will be cooked when you return from work, 10-12 hours later. But, if you're home, and you can bring everything up to temperature on the stove top, then you can have a slow-cooked meal for very low cost.

I cook beans and pulses using this method. But, I always hard boil boils for 10mins on the stovetop before transferring to the box.

On a different topic, we re-use the hot water from the dishwasher in the washing machine, which saves water, the cost of heating the water, and the detergent.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=54658431&postcount=983

annie123

Loads of ideas on 'Avoid using gas and electricity' thread.
Original one below

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/247646

and the most recent;

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1458207

hth

attentionseeker1

Thanks- loads of tips to keep me going.

I didn't manage to find out one particular thing though that people seemed to be referring to but not too clearly- is it cheaper to have heating on 24/7 really low or just turn it on and off (in the coldest months).

twiglet98

attentionseeker1 wrote: »

Thanks- loads of tips to keep me going.

I didn't manage to find out one particular thing though that people seemed to be referring to but not too clearly- is it cheaper to have heating on 24/7 really low or just turn it on and off (in the coldest months).

I don't have the figures but when I left my oil-fired central heating on 24/7 I used massively more oil than having it on the timer. The thermostat was at 18C during the evening when we're all home from work, then turned down to 13C overnight, back up to 18C for an hour while we showered and dressed, and back to 13C for the day when we're all out. It's a 3 bedroom concrete semi with poor double glazing and 4 inch loft insulation. I have fleeces pinned behind all the curtains and left the curtains closed all day.

Popperwell

attentionseeker1 wrote: »

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??

I sometimes think you are right about using pans of water especially if you don't need a lot. I have just suddenly been thinking which is cheaper electric emmersion heater or gas?

Gas I suppose if you are using the CH but is it when just heating the water tank? Also I have just realised I can use either so as most of the house is electric, I wonder if I should use it more?

Now I have been frugal and saved lots ofn the energy front but I have signed with NPower and been quoted £80 per month and got muy discounts due to a new tariff and all is done online but having been frugal I realise until the brown envelope drops the mat to tell me I am worse off(and it will)or I come into Mum's savings which will have the same effect sooner or later at this minute I can actually spend on good food and probably have my heating and electric on a lot.

If I save too much I could go over and be told I will not be entitled to what I receive and if I said nothing be in trouble so I am trying to spend all that I get even though in some ways I feel guilty doing so but there will lots of worry and frugal living coming in the next few months so for the minute I am going to put the heating on when cold and hang the expense.

If I get into credit with NPower it means I have some extra to play with or if I use it I amspending my money so I may up the quote and ask them to take £100-£120 per month whilst it's there...

Popperwell

I have two desktop PC's too...

[Deleted User]

It is very essential to keep tabs on what you actually use week by week, so look at your readings and note them down in a table. Then send the readings in every single month so that the company can keep up to date. Then there won`t be any nasty surprises

Some of my energy saving tips:
Pasta into boiling water then switch off.
multi veg in the same pan.
Use a pressure cooker for meat (20 minutes for a stew)
Dry hair without a dryer
Use a timer when immersion is on

lilmisskitkat

Just read through the thread and had a look at the links to older threads on this subject. It is something we really MUST address in our house, i can budget the food, buy clothes in charity shops/sales/ebay but our fuel usage really needs to be tackled. We've recently moved to a bigger house and i'm scared of the bills rocketing.

Not going to be the easiest thing to do though because:

*DH wanders round in a t-shirt, with the heating on, then moans about the bills :mad:

*I have FM and really struggle with the cold, even dressed in layers i struggle in a cold house some days.

* I try and cook multiple things to make the best use of the gas/electric but sometimes my condition limits how much i can actually do.

*Washing and drying for 5 people :eek:

I have lots to change!

K xx