Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

ceridwen

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

I'm getting our hall stairs and landing done in September and have asked the painter to quote for using thermalite - it's basically one huge outside wall (and we have solid walls so can't use insulation) so I'm hoping it'll make a difference. I did ask someone who works in a related field whether he thought it would make a difference and his view was that the technology is there to develop something effective (although he wouldn't be drawn on this particular brand). Will be very interested to hear how you get on..

Well....having read the comments.....I guess it depends on one's house and lifestyle whether its a good idea or no. The rooms I am going to paint are condensation-prone anyway - so dont want to do anything that would worsen that. Also bearing in mind the comment about leaving a window open for an hour or so - which I wouldnt want to do. So - think in my case I'll give it a miss.

Doesnt mean to say it wouldnt be a good idea possibly for some people - but having read those comments and googled to see what info I could find - I think I wont use it myself then.

thanks for the helpful comments.

mumof4our

Hi, I'm looking for a bit of advice.
I usually use my heating in winter only for a couple of hours in the morning and the same in the evening and dry any washing on the radiators that can't go in the dryer.
Now I'm starting to wonder.
Would I be better to leave the heating on for longer to dry all my washing (there is an awful lot of this) and be nice and warm at the same time or is it better to continue as I am and use the dryer for the majority of the washing?

cw18

And a solution for draughty letterboxes.....

We have a dog that shreds the post, so installed an external mail box on the wall. We then needed to give emergency crews sight of where the dog was in case they had to be called out (health problems when the potential patient could be the only person home), so my Dad and I removed the 'brushes' and internal flap, and installed an internal perspex panel instead. Result is no more draughts, but
the postmen can still leave the mail

sammy_kaye18

EssexHebridean wrote: »

Apparently it had a deprived childhood - so it has told us elsewhere. Funny the way these days that having a tough time of it gives you license to be rude and unpleasant to other folk, isn't it. I blame Political Correctness.....!

Well Im not saying I had the baddest of bad lifes but mines been pretty cr*ppy 24/7 for the 24 years ive been on this earth but Ive still managed to keep my manners intact, be unjudgemental and use very little obscenities or nastiness. And hopefully this troll doesnt have children who are learning his/her spiteful and rude ways.

Magentasue

I'm just sitting here planning my day and a thought ran through my otherwise empty head. In front of me is my new toy, an energy monitor that shows we are using less than a hundred watts an hour (laptop, router and radio plus the fridge, freezer etc.).

Two of my four offspring are at work and the two college/school attenders are still in bed. Just thinking about insisting rather than asking that they get up.

But you know what'll happen to the energy monitor reading when they do. Really would be carbon-gorgeous to leave them there!

larmy16

I have a new (but not expensive) electric cooker. The hobs ring thingys stay hot ages after your turn them off. For example the other day I did one of those packet pasta n cheese. I brought it up to the boil, left say 30 seconds and switched off. It was still bubbling 10 minutes later.

I also have started to do the bring to the boil and leave 20 minutes with pasta and rice, but I shall now make sure to keep an eye on the hobs and turn them off early.

PS I have just bought a JML halogen oven - it is my new best toy!!! The meter seems to whizz round when it's on (supposed to save on electricity) but it cooks stuff so much quicker. Love to hear from anyone else using one of these.

Primrose

ceridwen - Occasionally in the past I've used a wide necked thermos flask to cook vegetable type soups, which is a similar technique to a haybox which I imagine would work equally successfully. Lentils cook well by this method. I've never tried beans, especially the kidney type ones, which have to be fast boiled for 10 minutes first to rid them of certain toxins, but I imagine the mini type pasta shapes would be OK. It helps to grate the vegetables (swede, carrots, turnips, etc) rather than cut into small chunks to speed up the cooking. I still have my wide-necked flask and as I regularly make soup in the winter, will have to try it again. The one negative is the smaller quantity which can be made, as I normally like to make a big saucepan-full, to make "seconds" and make it last for two days.

newlywed

miggy wrote: »

I'm not sure if this is true of all electricity companies, but our Economy7 operates between 1am and 8am in British Summer Time, and between midnight and 7am, GMT. (Essentially the same hours, if you think about the clocks going back/forwards).
If that's the same with your company, you could still be paying the higher rate for electricity used between 10pm and 1am? Worth checking - you may be able to hear your meter click from one rate to the other, though this doesn't seem to happen at precisely the right time here!

Thanks I did look on their website and it said 10pm for prepay economy 7 - but will go off and double check - especially as it didn't say anything about BST

madmoys

ceridwen wrote: »

On the decorating front - I've got a bit of painting to do soon. I've seen a couple of mentions of Thermilate - apparently an energy-saving coating one mixes into paint before applying to walls/ceilings and its supposed to reduce heat loss by up to 25%. Has anyone tried this? What do you think of it?

our utility room and downstairs toilet has no cavity wall so last year we bought Thermilate and painted the bare plaster walls. We noticed a marked improvment both with warmth and condensation.
Very please with it and will add it to paint when decorating other rooms.
I can't unerstand why it's not advertised more, well worth it in my book.

victotoro

@cw18's post (1775)- I cook on gas, and leaving the lid on and letting the residual heat cook things works - certainly for pasta and rice (boil for 2 minutes, leave for 10-15 with the lid on). I usually turn the heat off for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking everything else too.