Immersion heating water-how to lower bills please help

pjran

Please would you give me your ideas on how to heat water economically. Their flat only has electric heating and an immersion heater. They have a small balcony and I wondered if there are any solar water heating bags like the camping one's.

Please point in the right direction if you can.

Thanks.

penrhyn

Insulate the hot water tank, add an extra jacket even if its a sprayed foam one.
Ensure the flat has economy 7 and fit a timer to the immersion to get a tank full of hot water at the cheap rate.
Adjust the thermostat on the immersion so the water heats to around 60 degrees.

If you are an exhibitionist by all means have a solar shower on the balcony:D

Only heat enough water in the kettle for your needs.
................and an oldy but goody, use just enough water in the pan to cover your vegetables, the same applies when having a bath.

Owain_Moneysaver

The obvious way is to change to an Economy 7 and use stored hot water and storage heaters.

Whether this will actually be cost-effective depends on lifestyle and property as storage heaters don't suit everyone. They can also be quite expensive to buy and install. Daytime (peak) rate electricity on E7 also costs more.

thenudeone

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

storage heaters.
.... can also be quite expensive to buy and install

You can buy them one ebay quite cheap. One was listed recently at £0.01 and the seller said the first person to bid could have it:D.

Installing is a different matter. A new circuit must be installed or signed off by a suitable electrician (or else local authority building control) which will not be cheap.

If you do go down that route, get the storage heaters wired to a new separate circuit board BEFORE the E7 meter is installed so that they can be switched automatically by the meter. Otherwise you will need a heavy duty timer on each one (an immersion heater timer will not be adequate).

PasturesNew

Ration showers to 8 minutes apiece, every two days ... and only turn the immersion heater on once, for 45 minutes before the big event. Boil a kettle for washing up and washing hands/face.

TC1

[QUOTE
................and an oldy but goody, use just enough water in the pan to cover your vegetables, the same applies when having a bath.[/QUOTE]


:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

HappyMJ

TC1 wrote: »

[QUOTE
................and an oldy but goody, use just enough water in the pan to cover your vegetables, the same applies when having a bath.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:[/QUOTE]
How dare you laugh at me and my vegetables in the bath. They should be just covered when boiling......

pjran

Thanks for your tips. I'll pass them all on. I don't think they will go down the storage heating route, it will be more expense especially installing new circuit etc.

Love the idea about bathing in just enough water to cover meat & two veg :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Please keep your tips coming, I enjoy reading them.

Ps. What kind of timer fits an immersion heater? and how to connect it?

mikey72

I've justput on one of these

http://www.screwfix.com/p/horstmann-e30-boost-timeswitch/93158

We normally heat off gas, but for the odd boost it stops the kids putting the timer on manual and leaving the immersion on all day.

penrhyn

I bought one of these from amazon last year, no longer available but found it on ebay.
I fitted it to the existing Switched outlet for the immersion.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RANGER-3-PROGRAMMABLE-TIMER-MODULE-LIGHTS-SECURITY-BNIB-/320753510385?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D320735520164%252B320735520164%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2678380544190597840

rogerblack

http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/333203842-2011-New-arrival-best-price-protable-solar-water-heater-mini-solar-water-heater-batch-orders-only-wholesalers.html - looks potentially interesting for small amounts of water.
Of course, this isn't available in the UK (yet) for sane prices.
It would heat 10l or so of water to very hot - but only when there is 8 hours of sun falling on it.

As others have said.
Lower the temperature setting to 60C - this will reduce the heat loss through the walls of they cylinder.
Jam as much insulation round the cylinder as you can.
Add insulation to the pipes leading from the cylinder - ideally to the point they are not warm on the bit left sticking out.
See if your kettle can safely boil half a cup of water - boiling an extra half cup twice a day uses around 3 quid of electricity.