Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

Primrose

Teria - I think we're all facing the same dilemma of how to reduce our fuel usage but a couple of possible changes. How many in your family and how much washing do they generate? Could you try soaking some of the lighter laundry in a bowl or sink of hot water overnight then let it drip dry in the garden? I've been doing this since the warmer weather and have only used my washing machine for towels and sheets so this has been a saving.
Also, do you boil all your vegetables in one large saucepan? Cut the potatoes up small so they cook more quickly and cook the other vegetables with them. (After all, they all end up together on the plate afterwards!). Make sure as soon as the veggie water comes to the boil you turn your gas/electricity down to the minimum, and always use a lid on the saucepan.

Teria

Hi Primrose, thanks for the tips.
There's 3 of us, but my partner is only home weekends (he's a long distance truck driver, so he throws all his in at once, usually on a 60 wash). I wash my bed clothes in with the lights, and my daughters with the darks. I know soaking and handwashing is a good idea, but tend not to do it, as I don't normally use detergent.
When I ws little, my mum had a great pair of saucepans. They were both semi circular, and would fit on one ring of the hob! I can't find what happened to Mums, and haven't seen anything like them since. I usually nuke my veggies for 30 secs, then steam them in a colander over the potato pan. My daughter loves mash spud, and it's too hard separating the veg from the potatoes, though I like mashed carrot

Gigervamp

Teria, I've seen saucepans like that on ebay, often in the section for aga cookers. Another place you could try is Betterware, Lakeland or Scotts of Stowe, they might do them.

Shelly1977

I live alone in a typical 2 bed end terrace with single glazed windows.

The lounge gets really cold in the winter mainly due to drafts from the window and front door so this winter I am going to shut the lounge door, turn the radiator off and move into the dining room.

The dining room has a radiator but no gas fire which is good as I will be unable to have the fire on all night every night like i usually do in winter

Olliebeak

Teria - have you thought about making up a flask of hot water/coffee/tea (without the teabag left in of course) first thing in the morning to save reboiling the kettle lots of times during the day? I was so proud of my 'fast-boil' kettle - but didn't realise how much electricity it uses .

Do you have a Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker - both good ways of using less fuel for cooking? Make double the amount and freeze half for another day!

Is your loft insulation/hot water tank insulation good enough? Any draughty spots in your house - just make sure that you don't block up any ventilation bricks? No point in paying for heat that's going to escape to the great outdoors!

Do you have energy-saving lightbulbs?

What about switching all unnecessary appliances off at the socket at night - make sure you don't switch off the freezer though? If you have a 'dect' phone, you will need to leave that plugged in as well plus your alarm clock/radio (if you have one) though I use my mobile phone as my alarm clock - very reliable!

Do you leave a landing light on at night for your daughter? - have you thought of getting one of those low consumption 'night-lights' that plug into a socket instead?

You've probably thought of all those ideas, I'm just trying to think of the things that I do.

Finally, have you checked that you are with the best energy supplier(s) for your consumption?

rchddap1

My hot water is on for 50 mins in the evening at the moment. I use to have it on for 1 hour in the morning and the evening. I have also reduced the boiler temperature. The bonus is no-one has noticed a thing. So we're not lacking in hot water...and no-one has mentioned that the temperature is getting lower either. Wonder if I can reduce it a bit more?

As for the veggies over the potatoes....hadn't thought of that. Will have to give it a try in the future. We do have a steamer and I generally use it either for fish or for puds. Now veg too...

greenbee

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

On a more serious note British Gas should be renationalised - Oh but wait , they can't British Gas is owned by the French! Better get out of Europe while we still can

Where on earth did you get the idea that British Gas is owned by the French??? It's one of the few that is still UK-owned. The parent company is Centrica - maybe you should buy a few shares to make sure the French don't get their hands on it if that's what's worrying you!

[Deleted User]

teria have you tried washing all your clothes at 30? This works for us and I have a standby bar of household soap for collars etc. It is very os and is what we did a long time ago.

re the heating every other evening: the ch boiler will be working non stop for that hour to heat all the ch liquid up to the thermostat temperature and the pipes etc. There were 7 of us brought up in a very cold house and believe me none of us got ill through being cold and I see that you grew up without ch!!

I think we could all be doing with getting our bodies ready for the cold months ie acclimatising so we get used to it

Re the sun: it will be hot for a few days so I put a camp kettle in the sun and by the end of the day the water is warm enough for a bowl of dishes (like cereal bowls and tea plates)

bonsibabe

Re switching off the hob to save leccy and still cook the food. Last night the kids and DH decided they wanted cowboy pasta for tea (pasta in tomato sauce with chopped hotdogs thorugh it!). Well I went for the cheats method and used packet tomato pasta. I brought it to the boil like the packet said then switched off the hob. 5 minutes later - perfect cowboy pasta!

Only prob is now we are moving to a house with a gas hob so wont be able to do this much longer but it is still good to know - i'm telling my mum when i phone her later!

Yategirl

bonsibabe wrote: »

Re switching off the hob to save leccy and still cook the food. Last night the kids and DH decided they wanted cowboy pasta for tea (pasta in tomato sauce with chopped hotdogs thorugh it!). Well I went for the cheats method and used packet tomato pasta. I brought it to the boil like the packet said then switched off the hob. 5 minutes later - perfect cowboy pasta!

Only prob is now we are moving to a house with a gas hob so wont be able to do this much longer but it is still good to know - i'm telling my mum when i phone her later!

You can still do it with a gas hob! It is the heat of the water and the pan that cooks the food - yes residual heat from the hob contributes but is not essential! I do this all the time with a gas hob!