Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

pagangirl

Thanks Olliebeak and Nicki - I used to work in El Kilo's/Abakhan's in Liverpool - I know what you mean - half my wages used to be spent in that place! Had forgotten how addictive is was.

[Deleted User]

larmy16, he`ll come round in time. It is my dh who now fills the solar shower and he puts 3 large jugfuls in (6l) for the lunchtime dishes and then we repeat the exercise afterwards if it is a reasonable day. He is the one who carries it back into the kitchen and empties it into my washing up bowl. I am sure he used to grin behind his hand but not any more. It has made me see solar panels differently now and they cannot be cost effective in our climate

[Deleted User]

miasmummy. If they are 50w each then it is 200w in one hour at a cost of approx 2.54p per hour. Check the wattage as some are higher.

I know it only pence but if they are on 12 hours a day then it adds up to £27 a quarter

sistercas

thanks greenbee I thought i was right:rotfl:

belfastgirl23

I've made it about halfway through this thread, some great tips here!

Just to add one of mine - these days our heating is turned off but we sometimes need a quick boost at night (esp useful if I have clothes to finish off over radiators too). When I put the heating on I set the timer on the cooker for 15 mins so that I don't forget the heating is on....and I can't put off turning off the heating because the timer just keeps going till I go into the kitchen anyway

Aril

My SIL has been over today and she's been telling me about the 23 point plan she's drawn up to cut the family's energy consumption. She drew this up with her 11 year old son and she said he came up with quite a few ideas that she wouldn't have come up with. However, the main advantage she has found, is that by having the kids on board, they've pestered their Dad and he is now switching the pc monitor off when it's not in use and other small things that he wouldn't do when she's asked him. So you can get pester power to work for you if you channel it right:D
Aril

Skint_Catt

You can get more and more LED spotlight bulbs now - they are expensive (£9 each) initially but they cost pence per year(?) to run. Its a slightly bluer light than normal but well worth the saving!

nicki_2

Got myself some thicker curtains for the livingroom today - not as thick as I would like but I have enough trouble drawing the ones I have up, but their lined and only cost £12 for 90x72 ones :j I'll be putting them up at the end of the month

Skint_Catt

Where did you get them nicki???

Larumbelle

Hi guys! I spent almost the whole day reading this thread (in between doing the chores and sorting out my tupperware cupboard) and I've got a list of 35 things to follow up to add to the 30 off the preparing for winter thread I ploughed through yesterday :eek: Some of the tips are great, and I'd never have thought of them. Some of them are things I've been meaning to do - hopefully you've pushed me into action and some of them are things I do but should maybe put up little post-it notes to remind other half! I ahve also discovered that the rod hanging above my mum's front door is called a portiere and that my dad didn't invent them after all :rotfl:

I've been amazed actually, I nearly bought one of those electric testing thingys to see how much electricity they were using, now I think I can work it out for most things by their wattage, and for the other's I'm going to unplug everything else and check the meter while the item is working in isolation. £30 saved there!

I have no tips I can really add, all of my tips have been added by other people. Other than to remind people to keep cookers, tumble dryers etc clean, and to make sure that appliances have enough ventilation, as this makes them work more efficiently. That's all I can think of.