Ways to cut electricity consumption?

david1976

I am moving house in 5 weeks time and due to the fact it is much bigger than my current home I am looking to keep my bills as low as is possible.

Insulation etc should help and be ok as it is a new build and so I am looking for ways to save on appliances usage.

The heating system is a amptec not sure if it is economy 7 or 10.

I will be buying the most consumption friendly models I can ie A+++ etc but what I am wondering is what other measures can I take to limit unnecessary electricity use?

I have seen items such as the savaplug mentioned on the internet.

As I am effectively starting from fresh in the property I think it would be a good idea to get necessary things in from the start.

Thank you for any help

David

Empty_pockets

Just buy energy efficient equipment (actually check the specs don't just go off the AAA rating)

Turn stuff off if you're not using it. Even the microwave clock uses juice.

moonrakerz

david1976 wrote: »

I have seen items such as the savaplug mentioned on the internet.

Snake oil ! Don't waste your money on these things.

savemoney

Your main usage is heating, hot water, showers, cooking etc so first start with any of those

Obviously fitted low energy bulbs will make some difference but not that much especially in Summer. I doubt turning microwave clock will make much difference at all

I always buy energy efficient appliances where possible but only when you need them

I tend to turn off things like dvd, amp, xbox360, wii at mains with switchable extension which I can easily reach.

Swipe

Only heat the rooms you use. If you have storage heaters turn them down to the lowest settings in spare rooms to just keep the damp away. If you have an immersion heater on E7 set it timed to come on for the last hour or so of the off peak period. Only heat bedrooms to 15C and throw on an extra duvet, you won't notice the difference.

Joyful

If you have spotlights either fit them with energy saving bulbs or get rid of them. I spoke yesterday so someone who had 13 spotlights in her kitchen alone! One of the queries she had was why so much electricity was being used in her house.

victor2

As well as energy saving bulbs, consider a Powerdown adapter on your TV and/or computer, so that all peripherals can have their power cut when you shut down the controlling device. If you have a PVR then obviously that needs to be running all the time, but my TV cuts the power to a Wii and Freesat receiver when it is shut down. Forget about things like the microwave clock, even modern TVs cost next to nothing to leave on standby. I worked out mine costs just under 20p a year on standby and decided I could afford that for the convenience of being able to switch it on with the remote!

MrHippo

As I understand it, it's stuff that involves heating of some kind that uses up the most electricity...

So I don't do any ironing, only ever fill the kettle with the amount of water I need and don't have a tumble dryer.

I use the washing machine at a low temperature (mine only goes down to 30 degrees but I think some newer ones go lower?) or use a cold wash for less dirty clothes.

I stop my dishwasher as soon as it's finished washing and let everything drip dry rather than the dishwasher going through the drying phase. I also always use the lower temparture "Eco" mode and sometimes just use the lowest "Delicate" setting for stuff that's not very dirty.

Think that's probably about it!

yelowee

You will find this site - http://www.sust-it.net/ - a great place to look it has loads of info on ways to save on your bills and lists of just about every type of appliance you can think of that are ranked in order of efficiency, the size is also taken into account for things like fridges and freezers to give an accurate comparison.

Contrary to what someone said above using low energy light bulbs is very good for your wallet and does make a big difference, having 3 regular light bulbs on for 6 hours uses the same amount of electricity as having a kettle boiling for a whole hour, to use the same amount of electricity with 3 14w energy saving bulbs you would need to leave them on for 43 hrs!

Ilona

I find the best way to reduce electricity, or gas and water consumption, is to remember that everytime you flick a switch or turn a tap on, it's costing you money. Tweaking your lifestyle is the answer. My quarterly bills are very low because.....I do no ironing. I don't have a dishwasher. I limit baths and showers having an old fashioned wash in a bowl of water in the sink. I use the microwave to heat up a mug of water for a drink. I don't put the heating on, I put more clothes on. I wont put my heating on now untill November.

Try switching everything off, then think about what you absolutely must have switched on. Fridge freezer obviously. You dont need a clock on a cooker, microwave, TV/video/dvd player. I don't use a hairdryer, let my hair dry naturally. I only wash my clothes when they are dirty and I have a full load. I wash the dishes in a bowl of water in the sink. Dump the bedside clock radio and get an old fashioned wind up clock.

Try switching your appliances on one at a time, and watching how fast the wheel spins on the meter, that's if the new ones have a wheel, maybe they dont? I don't believe in buying extra gadgets to monitor your usage, seems daft to me to spend money, when it's only common sense. Switch it on and it will cost you, so don't switch it on and save. The computer probably eats most of the electricity in my house.
Ilona

victor2

Ilona wrote: »

I find the best way to reduce electricity, or gas and water consumption, is to remember that everytime you flick a switch or turn a tap on, it's costing you money. Tweaking your lifestyle is the answer. My quarterly bills are very low because.....I do no ironing. I don't have a dishwasher. I limit baths and showers having an old fashioned wash in a bowl of water in the sink. I use the microwave to heat up a mug of water for a drink. I don't put the heating on, I put more clothes on. I wont put my heating on now untill November.

Try switching everything off, then think about what you absolutely must have switched on. Fridge freezer obviously. You dont need a clock on a cooker, microwave, TV/video/dvd player. I don't use a hairdryer, let my hair dry naturally. I only wash my clothes when they are dirty and I have a full load. I wash the dishes in a bowl of water in the sink. Dump the bedside clock radio and get an old fashioned wind up clock.

Try switching your appliances on one at a time, and watching how fast the wheel spins on the meter, that's if the new ones have a wheel, maybe they dont? I don't believe in buying extra gadgets to monitor your usage, seems daft to me to spend money, when it's only common sense. Switch it on and it will cost you, so don't switch it on and save. The computer probably eats most of the electricity in my house.
Ilona

Kind of taking it to extremes, to save pennies. Presumably you don't have a TV either as watching it for an hour would use more electricity than a digital clock probably would in a year. Don't forget your broadband router either, that could easily be using several watts when it's on. Surprised you even use a computer at home.

My electricity usage costs me around £1 a day over the year and I've taken measures to be as economical as posible without sacrificing much in the way of comfort - or more importantly the OH's comfort!:)