Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

ceridwen

stilernin wrote: »

We used to feel the heat in our caravan. Not suprising as they are just tin boxes really aren't they?

Our solution was to cover the 'sunny side' windows with tin foil. You would be amazed at the difference it made to the temperature inside. We used this system so routinely that a hot day became known as a 'tin foil' day.

You could cover card with foil to put up on really hot days if the bedroom windows are on the sunny side. It would be worth a try.

I've read this tip someplace else recently and thought it sounded a possible. One thought - rather than tinfoil - one could use those emergency silvery survival blankets (£1 for 2 in a pound shop).

[Deleted User]

This is a repeat post but is probably the correct thread as I am well into saving energy: I bought a gelert solar shower for £4. It arrived today and I used it on the garden table during the sunny spell this afternoon. It got warm enough in an hour for me to use the water to wash the (non greasy) dishes. It is a flat rectangle with a black side and a large stopper at one end for filling it. It takes 20 litres and I used 6. The other end has a plastic tube with a shower and an on/off plug. I can easily cut and adapt the shower end to give me a shorter tube that I can switch on and off so that the water will flow into a bowl (I took the shower off). This worked very well and has a lot of potential, so much so that I have ordered one for each of my children

lauren_1

Where can i find those solar showers? 4 pounds seems a bargain

frugalswan

Well, I'm going to have a go at making some draught excluders, and invest in a large snuggly blanket for winter. We did experiment with the cling film thingie for the windows (to give that almost double glazing effect) but it didn't really work for us. I think keeping the doors shut and putting a jumper on will help us. I'm going to have a go at a triangular draught excluder to go under our living room curtain as it doesn't quite cover the sill.

I do have one of the solar showers, and I quite fancy the idea of it. It'll be coming to the odd bike rally with me so I can at least wash my hair (I get really irritable if I can't wash it regularly) I got mine from a camping shop - wish I'd tried the pound shop!

Now I need to research (and practice) how to most effectively use my cooker when I do have to cook

Gigervamp

lauren_1 wrote: »

Where can i find those solar showers? 4 pounds seems a bargain

there are a few sellers on ebay that have the solar showers. mind you, some are charging £6-£10, but there are a few that sell them for just under £4 + about £2.50 p+p.

sb44

I bought mine a few weeks ago from Netto but sometimes Aldi and Lidl sell them too.

May be worth keeping your eyes on the sites as they tend to have lots of camping stuff in around this time of year.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/i.home

http://www.netto.co.uk/internet/nettog/menu/main.nsf

http://www.aldi.co.uk/

HaleBopp

Hello Everyone, this is my first post! Just wanted to say how absolutely wonderful this site is and all of you and your tips are! I have absorbed so many truly insightful new ways if doing every day things and find it so exciting to be potentially saving HEAPS, reducing waste and saving the planet at the same time! How energy efficient is that then?! Yay for FRUGALISTAS! It has got to the stage now where despite the fact that I am a die-hard Eastenders fan due to my new addiction being reading this post and the rest of the fab MSE website I haven't watched it for over two weeks! Ha! Anyway best go as I have ten more pages of this to backtrack and read before bed :-) THANKS AGAIN! X

pagangirl

It's taken me soooooo long to read all the ideas on this thread and I will be using as many as possible - news tonight said new British Gas price hike 35%, so E-On won't be far behind - C/H will be on as little as poss this winter. Went to great car boot sale last Sunday - got pair full length- fully lined curtains £1.00 (wasn't bothered about the patten), and fleece blanket (Ikea) for 50p. All now washed ready for bedroom this winter - can't wait to go back this Sunday for more bargains!!! Will be starting to make draught excluders soon like my mum used to do - she used rolled up newspapers inside them - worked fine. Keep the ideas coming please - this is a great read!

ceridwen

..and I was only thinking earlier today about the poster on this Board whose O.H. got them onto a fixed rate tariff for fuel until 2010. I wish - I am thinking "thank goodness - I fixed my prices over to Scottish Power till 2009 - just in time, before that deal went".

So - I guess its down to a heck of a lot of us will be in fuel poverty (besides those that already are). The question is: will it be 2008, 2009 or 2010? In my case - I know the answer to that exactly = 1 September 2009.

<storms off - trying to control that ceridwen temper>

<repeats to self "Breathe slowly, be here now, breathe slowly, be here now">

sammy_kaye18

argh Ceridwen - reminds me i must look into a fixed rate/capped tariff with Swalec - i like the compnay so if i can help it dont want to switch supplier s- must get on that. Anyone had any experience with it ?? Ill have to go do my homework now i think

Well its supposably 18 degrees here at present but its freezing because its been raining all night and im sat here fully clothed and with a fleece on - i really seem to feel the cold for some reason (maybe its to do with the anaemia? been this way since i was 15!) and ive given up caffeine/coke/tea/coffee are all gone which is possibly savign me a small fortune as i was drinking like 15+cups a day!! so the kettle not being on all that time (and unplugged) is a mini moneysaver in itself i think. Anyone done a readout on what a kettle uses????? would be interested to know how much i may save. Plus me and bf are one of those couples who normally one is watchign tv/playing xbox and the otehr is on the pc - not anymore we've actually been watching things together and so the pc has been switched off a fair bit and bf has taken to sitting in the dark watching tv:T . Still cant seem to get him dressed after having a bath though:mad: . May have to make one of the shelves in the bathroom into a pyjama shelf so they are in there ready to grab if we need them after a bath - oh lightbulb moment!:D

HaleBopp - welcome the thread - hope your enjoying it here.

pagangirl - bargains - isnt it nice when you go out and find little things like that when you least expect it.

ive got my draught excluders out airing today - not that i think we will need them just yet but i need to clean them up a little (they've been in the airing cupboard) and they need a good febreezing with my essential oils and water mix! Have also dug out the 3 bedspreads which i think need washing and drying again before i can use them so may do that in september/october somewhen - im hoping i wont need the heating until at least november - i managed to get to it with the heating only on twice and that was because little one had a cold.

Am still hopign to find either some long heavy curtains to put up in the living room or some material to lengthen them - only problem is they are not quite wide enough so we have a gap round the edge - thinking i may need to get some double sided velcro but think i will give the double glazing stuff a bash before i do that jsut yet as it will be more electric used and im already dreading the price of it after watchign GMTV this morning with the gas/electric man on it and the talk about fuel poverty!:eek: :eek: :eek:

Will be lucky this winter becuase little one is in full time school so it will be heated nicely for him, but im going to make sure he has vests under his tshirt and jumper, plus he has a nice fleecy jacket to wear as well. And seeing as he is only 4 years old he doesnt have to change classrooms for everything - his classroom is off the main hall and the main hall is where he will be eating his packed lunch - which is ideal as it means he wont be getting cold etc. Must remember to buy vests for him when i get his school uniform

right off to research, hope everyone elses is having a nice day.