Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

sammy_kaye18

I read somewhere abotu using old blankets etc to line curtains is jsut as effective as usign thermal lining so if you scour the charity shops you shoul dbe able to find somethign relatively cheap.

AM hopign to make a start on decorating today - boyfriend wants to get painting the bathroom and hallway and toilet this weekend/coming week so i said i will pick up the cellophane stuff for those windows soon, so at least i know they are done. (hoping one average pakc will do my front door, toilet windwo and bathroom window as they are fairly long thin windows, and the front door has the glass top panel so should be ok) then i will just have to sort our room, bens room, living room (nightmare!) and the kitchen so a little at a time and i shouldnt notice the money going to much.

Also hopign once its done to get some of those bath mats and the one that goes under the toilet too because it is a plain tiled floor in the bathroom and toilet (they are seperate) and it gets bloody cold!

Boyfriend also agreed this morning to getting a rug for the living room!

knittingnelly

mardatha
"I think its a cunning ploy Nelly. By the end of the week you'll have totally unravelled and be so busy chewing cushions that you wont notice how much elect you're using. So they will get more money out of you! Some free gift ....:)"

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: I have to admit I got to the point where I thought "Right then - how high can I get this bloody thing to go???" Very adult, appropriate behaviour

nicki_2

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

sammy_kaye18

knittingnelly wrote: »

I have to admit I got to the point where I thought "Right then - how high can I get this bloody thing to go???" Very adult, appropriate behaviour

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: have images of you now kitty - turning every and any appliance on in your house - bet your neighbours loved you

mama67

Blairweech wrote: »

This is a bit unsocial, but consider getting separate single duvets for the winter - often, I've just got nice and snuggly in bed, then OH turns over and lets in a freezing cold shot of air!

We do this as well although we actually have a double each and I use mine similar to a sleeping bag in that I lay on some of it and don't have a gap on the outside of the bed.

sammy_kaye18

riginally Posted by Blairweech
This is a bit unsocial, but consider getting separate single duvets for the winter - often, I've just got nice and snuggly in bed, then OH turns over and lets in a freezing cold shot of air!

so not only my bf who does this then? I was considering getting w king size quilt on a double bed. Slightly longer and for soem reason at almost 30 years of age my bf insists on sleepign in the foetal position but thinking about seperate duvets now too. I like some tucked under me whilst im sleeping.

Ment to add I am on quarterly bills and these were the bilsl i recieved this month for the April/May/June

Gas was £83 (but was actually £132 as i forgot to pay last months due to a birthday present beign more than i expected). Still not too shabby especially considering I have cold phobic bf who insists on walking round half naked after a baht, and im in a two bedroomed, ground floor, single glazed council flat.

Electric was £53. This i was shocked at because i have the TV on entertaining little one a fair bit, there is more often that not always one of us on the computer, and i have a fish tank with turtles in that has the light and filter going for 8 hours a day (not to mention the washer/drier, xbox, microwave, george foreman, lights etc)

so all in all not to bad and im hoping my heatproofing etc will help us out with these this winter and they will stay the same

taurusgb

knittingnelly wrote: »

O
I think the scariest bit is that on the front of this gizmo (better than 'thingie'? :rolleyes: ) there is a readout which shows the cost of your months electricity based on the amount of power you are using at that moment. .

I bought a thingie/gizmo electricity usage monitor from maplin recently and I have been checking how much it cost for various washing machine loads. I am on economy 7 and am charged a higher rate during the day for so many units then a lower daily rate for the rest of the quarter, plus a low rate overnight for 7 hours. As I am some way into the quarter I have used the lower day rate to calculate the cost (hope that makes sense!) which is 10.03 pence per unit. So obviously my usage would be much higher earlier in the quarter when the higher rate is charged. The costs came out as follows:-

• 30 deg delicates load with slow spin = 1.88p
• 30 deg delicates with fast spin = 2.19p
• 60 deg mixed fabrics (bedding in my case) = 8.17p
• 60 deg fast coloureds (white shirts and white towels) = 7.51p

Have yet to test a boil wash or an ordinary (as in non delicates) 30 deg wash but will publish my findings when I do!

Am aiming to test the dishwasher after dinner tonight, and am waiting with bated breath for the result (I need to get out more!)

I know the obvious step would be to use the machines overnight on very cheap rate, but after hearing from several sources that the two main culprits for starting house fires when asleep are washing machines and dishwashers I'm not keen.........and anyway, thinking about it I couldn't even if I want to because both of my machines need me to press a button to start, so wouldn't work on a timer delay.

trying-very-trying

taurusgb wrote: »

I bought a thingie/gizmo electricity usage monitor from maplin recently and I have been checking how much it cost for various washing machine loads. I am on economy 7 and am charged a higher rate during the day for so many units then a lower daily rate for the rest of the quarter, plus a low rate overnight for 7 hours. As I am some way into the quarter I have used the lower day rate to calculate the cost (hope that makes sense!) which is 10.03 pence per unit. So obviously my usage would be much higher earlier in the quarter when the higher rate is charged. The costs came out as follows:-

• 30 deg delicates load with slow spin = 1.88p
• 30 deg delicates with fast spin = 2.19p
• 60 deg mixed fabrics (bedding in my case) = 8.17p
• 60 deg fast coloureds (white shirts and white towels) = 7.51p

Have yet to test a boil wash or an ordinary (as in non delicates) 30 deg wash but will publish my findings when I do!

Am aiming to test the dishwasher after dinner tonight, and am waiting with bated breath for the result (I need to get out more!)

I know the obvious step would be to use the machines overnight on very cheap rate, but after hearing from several sources that the two main culprits for starting house fires when asleep are washing machines and dishwashers I'm not keen.........and anyway, thinking about it I couldn't even if I want to because both of my machines need me to press a button to start, so wouldn't work on a timer delay.

I've got one of those things that knittingnelly got from scottish &southern, and I've found the worst thing is the pc:eek: , and I have it on all day. That is going to have to stop. I'll need to see if I can "borrow" dd's laptop, and see if it uses less leccy.

knittingnelly

I read somewhere that just having a thingie/gizmo in the house usually brings about approx 40% reduction in leccy use. When I am not being silly and switching everything on "just to show it who's boss" I can see how that would be - I am switching things off left right and centre and have stopped leaving the pc on all day. I get more done too as I can't "just check a couple of blogs" as I pass by :rolleyes:

mardatha

:eek: how on earth will I cope. Life will never be the same again. I'm going ot SULK now !