Parents' £80 Elec. bill p.m, surely too much?Emersion heater?

buel

Hello. Please can i ask a question?
I was looking at low energy lightbulbs and i see that a 7w low energy bulb is equivelant to a 35w 'normal' bulb, my parents have 60w 'normal' bulbs but i cant seem to find the equivelant low energy bulbs?
The bulbs i was looking at are here:
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Light-b...%2Bk3lBw%3D%3D

Would you say that this is the best option timer for the pond pump:
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Extensi...SE2kxFjQ%3D%3D

Finally, would this be a good option so that my parents could turn off some appliances and not others overnight?
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Extensi...m/invt/0187196

Norman_Castle

Tesco currently have low energy candle bulbs for 20p.They also have timers and power saving extension leads but I am not sure of the prices.
Have you checked out the freebies thread for a lime power down plug and any other power saving pensioner freebies.
My dad had two freezers and a fridge.When we emptied them some of the food was 10 years old,mmm,yummy.It might be adviseable for you to see what is in the freezers with a view to getting rid of one of them.

buel

10 years eh? My oh my that sounds tasty!:)
Please could you direct me to that freebies link?
Ps- im still confused as to whether you can get low energy bulbs equivelant to the 60w 'normal' bulbs?

MrsBartolozzi

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=259117114

This is an 11w low energy bulb which is the equivalent of 60w. Most places that sell low energy bulbs should sell 11w, but this one is 10p at Tesco.

lu_lu_2

Hi Buel,

Sorry if I sounded "shirty" in my last post. I know you had said that your parents were retired but I now get the impression that they are "senior" retired & are finding it difficult to make changes/adapt.

Low energy Light bulbs:

Old 40 watt = new 9 watt
60 watt = new11 watt
75 watt = new15 watt
100 watt = new18 watt


Have a look at www.energysavingplug.co.uk for a TV saving plug. It is free for the over 70s & people on certain benefits.

Also have a look at www.energybulbs.co.uk go to energy saving products as they have an energy wizard plug & a standby saver for PCs also another one for TVs & Hifis. I am not necessarily suggesting that you buy from them as it could be that they are cheaper in the supermarkets but if time/shops are a problem then this may be of help.

What are going to do with all your free time after you have sorted out the leccy for you parent?

buel

Ha Ha Ha, i must say that i did laugh at that last comment,:rotfl:
You know what, i think i may spend my free time actually applying all the energy saving hints+tips i have gathered from all you wonderful people and use them on the house me and my gf share....but then again my brother told me yesterday that that his electricity bill is similar to what my parents bill was..so i may start advising him. I did yesterday so i hope he listens but, as the saying goes, you can walk a horse to water but you cant make it drink! (I wish I could though!!)

Ok, i have found that the biodisk has to be kept on 24hrs a day but is an incredibly low user of electric anyway so that's not so bad.
The light bulb equivalent guide is brilliant, i struggled to find that anywhere on the net, God damn it!

lu_lu_2

Hi Buel,

I tried clicking on your Wilkinsons links without success so have been to their website.

The Wilko segment time switch £3.99 (catalogue no. 0142473) looks much like the ones I have on my table lamps & should do for the pond pump.

The extension leads I was very unsure about, they appeared to be just the normal ones not the type that will turn off all the appliances that are plugged in when you switch off one item.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

My electricity consumption this year is HALF last year's. All I have done differently is get rid of the 10 year old massive fridge freezer (it broke down and the man said it would be £280 to repair - it only cost £300 new) and replace it with a Bosch A+ rated fridge and a C rated mini freezer. The bill had already dropped by a quarter the previous year when I had to replace the old 26" CRT TV (it went bang ) with a LCD which I switch off at the plug every night.

It might be cheaper to let the dogs sleep in the kitchen this winter.

buel

Lu lu- thanks for looking, i bought 3 timers from Halfords with some tokens i had given to me so one will be going to that pond pump plug, the extension leads are definitely the ones where you can switch off, say, 4 out of the 5 plugs on the extension so they will help too (as in tv, video, DVD player+Sky box off at night, just like you want, ha ha) Thanks for this!!
Jojo, loved the post!! Yes you are right about the freezers, i was very impressed to read about your Bosch one. I will have to find out what make and how old the one chest freezer is that they use and also the two fridge/freezers, i know they are fairly old! Good point about the TV too, yep-you've guessed it- it is an old one! Oooh im excited about the possible/probable savings you know....!:):):)

lu_lu_2

Hi Buel,

You have obviously had another busy weekend.

How old is the washing machine because if it is of similar age to the TV a new A+ rated one might be worth considering?

In the meantime if your parents live in a hard water area descaling the washing machine might help.

The recommended temperature for the immersion heater is 60 degrees might be worth checking.

:j