Spill the beans... on your extreme energy saving tricks

rogerblack

curriej99 wrote: »

Since I got a wood burner put in i don't use the heating in my flat anymore. It's amazing how much wood is just lying about in streets and in skips.

http://www.origen.net/ccawood.html
'The Journal of the American Medical Association reported on a family that burned CCA in a wood stove for winter heating. Their hair fell out, all family members suffered severe, recurring nosebleeds, extreme fatigue and debilitating headaches. The parents complained about 'blacking out' for periods of several hours, followed by long periods of extreme disorientation. Both children suffered frequent seizures described as 'grand mal'. The symptoms were finally traced to breathing minute amounts of arsenic laden dust leaking from the furnace as fly ash. The family's houseplants and fish died, too, victims of copper poisoning from the same dust. Peters HA, et al: Seasonal exposure to arsenic from burning CCA wood. JAMA 251:(18)2393-96, 1984)'

LauraFox

I would be embarrassed to share the below with my friends, but you dont know me so here we go:

Reduce boiling time by soaking rice in hot water for at least 20mins beforehand, soak pulses for at least 12hrs.

When cooking pasta, half boil and remove from fire, then let soak in its hot water until completely cooked.

When cooking on electric hob, switch off few minutes beforehand and let it cook on fire that gradually cools down.

Pressure cookers are God-sent.

Hot water bottle to stay warm at night.

All family to be in one room, so only one lightbulb in use. Let the economic crisis bring you closer!!

Ironing - switch off and continue ironing while still hot things like socks and pants lol

Yup, dont be in doubt, I really do all the above, even before the credit crunch. I was on salary of £15K pa and managed to save aside 13K in 6 years. :j

LauraFox

I forgot to mention my electricity and gas is with OVO, £70pm direct debit, last year when contract expired I gave them the actual readings and they realised I was £400 on debit so now my DD is £50pm.

penarthian

We have a wood burner and burn any wood we can find and glean kindling from the hedgerows, very Hansel and Gretel!!! Our best tipis to use pine cones as fire lighters, they are amazingly efficient due to the pine resin they contain. Whoosh and you are toasty warm!

clutterfrazzled

Two out of four external doors 'sealed' up during the winter. One on the north-east facing wall to protect against polar blasts and one on the south to protect against the south-westers.

(No permanent fixings used so can be easily and quickly removed in any 'emergency' and insulation concealed by door curtains.)

Yolina

LauraFox wrote: »

Ironing- switch off and continue ironing while still hot things like socks and pants lol

I've always taken the time to put things out to dry in a a way that they don't crease.. The result is that most of my clothes don't need ironing (some still do though unfortunately) and in any case I never ironed socks and the likes :rotfl:

jgfruitloop

I am in dspute with my other half over the temperature on the thermostat, I like it at 16 degrees but he wants it warmer! Personally I have a throw that I put over me on the settee so I don't need too much heating. I have a couple of the plugs that turn off peripheral electricals items eg. surround sound, dvd player turn off when we switch the tv off but the freeview box is on if you need to record and then switches itself off. I have one for the pc as well, they save you having to switch everything off individually. I have swapped my halogen bulbs for led bulbs, they really do save on electricity as we watched our monitor and it hardly went up compared to the halogen bulbs. I try to last as long as possible not putting the heating on which is usually November (I live in the north) but had to put it on in an evening now my partner is with me. Other than that the usual, insulation, low energy light bulbs, solar chargers for mobiles although not been a good summer for those, wash clothers at 30 or 40 degrees, refuse to have a tumble dryer so dry outside and I have a cover on my whirly washing line, clothes dry quicker, saves them from rain showers and the cat sunbathes on it! That's all I can think of!

A.Jones

Get a job - then your employer can keep you warm during the day (or night if you do night shifts).

sablade

Boiling veg use the hot tap at the start it's still drinking water and also boiled, always turn off oven/hob well before the end of cooking as the residual heat will carry on cooking, use as few saucepans as possible. Central heating: have a wall thermostat and rad thermostats, you control the overall temp of the house but keep some rooms cooler. Always turn wall therm down very low if out for a long time and remember to turn hot water off if not using it for a while. Energy saving bulbs: if possible get 5w for some rooms obviously cheaper than the really bright higher wattage ones, LED bulbs are dropping in price and will use even less electricity and many can be dimmed. Dont like the white colour of low energy, paint the bulb yellow/orange for a more natural tungstan light colour. Try and use gas over electricity when cooking Gas is 7p per KWH Electricity is 13p per KWH.

TimBear

Last Winter we only had electric heating and I didn't turn it on once, not even when we had the terrible snow. My OH and I looked liked Arctic explorers in the house with about five layers on each, plus dressing gown, socks etc!