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

BurPFred

Set the Centeral Heating Boiler Temperature @ 60 Degrees Centigrade 140 Degrees Farenheight. This is too low of a temperature for a build up of scale thus the boiler is more efficient lasts longer and saves money.:p

StephenM_2

sablade wrote: »

Boiling veg use the hot tap at the start it's still drinking water and also boiled

It most homes water for drinking and food preparation should come from the cold tap in the kitchen. This is the tap that is connected directly to the mains. Anything else will have been stewing in a tankful of bacteria.

TimBear

StephenM wrote: »

It most homes water for drinking and food preparation should come from the cold tap in the kitchen. This is the tap that is connected directly to the mains. Anything else will have been stewing in a tankful of bacteria.

But if you're going to be boiling it anyway I doubt you'd come to any harm?

timbstoke

Living alone, it's easy. I bubble glazed the bathroom last night, and am in two minds whether to do the front room window (the only other single glazed window in the house). After work, I get home, switch to my furry ugg-style slippers (Yes, I’m male. No, I don’t care), and take my place on the sofa, under the toasty warm furry throw with a jumper on, with an added cat on my knee for added warmth. Grab a beer, fire up the xbox/tv/laptop, and relax. After I’ve cooked, I leave the oven door ajar to let the heat into the room. An hour before bed, I turn on the electric blanket, and by the time I get up there, I’m warm and comfortable.

I haven’t *yet* had to break out the remote controlled heater to warm the bedroom before I get out of bed – I’m aiming for December at least before I need to do that.

Butterwell

Here are a few FREE ideas I would recommend:
- Turn off hob/oven a few minutes before food fully cooked to make use residual heat.
- Leave residual hot cooking water in pans to permeate into kitchen rather than pour it down the sink (but keep covered or you will add a lot of moisture to the air) – same principle with bath water.
- Close curtains early if cold to trap heat and open them fully if sunny to trap solar energy.
- Put a jumper on!
- Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators regularly.
- Leave your oven door open after you have used it for cooking to heat home.
- Put a draught excluder over your letterbox.
- Have a stand-up wash instead of a bath or a shower.
- Insulate under the bath to keep your bath water warm for longer
- Let hot food cool down before putting it into the fridge (or freezer).
- Match the size of the pan to the heating element
- Chop vegetables into small pieces before cooking – they will cook more quickly.
- Avoid using tumble dryers –hang clothes outside?
- Encourage family meals and other activities together - saves energy by reducing the amount of time some rooms need to be heated in the evening and by switching off one or more of those TVs (or get rid of TV’s completely and save on the license fee).
- Do a few stomach crunches which quickly generates some quick heat.
- GET RID OF TEENAGERS!

MartinWickham

jeepjunkie wrote: »

Gave up tea and coffee so no longer boil the kettle. Est saving £70 a year and just drink water now, i did drink a lot [/QUOTE

I know the cost of boiling one mug (half pint) of water is half a penny (at the cheapest currently available tariffs). Therefore, I can calculate your saving of £70 per year is due to not drinking 38.4 mugs of tea/coffee per day.

"drink a lot"? - you must have been plumbed in!!!

Swipe

Yolina wrote: »

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:

I don't own an iron and have never ironed a thing in my life. Buy easy care shirts and hang your clothes as soon as the washer cycle has finished and there's no need.

wilsgranny

I'll be ready this winter with my aluminium foil-covered recycled boxes at the backs of my radiators, plastic window covering (diy double glazing) and manic curtain and door closing. Not forgetting to ensure a good amount of ventilation though.

MartinWickham

luxor4t wrote: »

After bathing we leave the water in the bath until it's cold - well, we paid to heat the water in the first place so we're getting our money's worth from the heat

this one's getting aired increasingly often, but the heat loss or cost associated with expelling the condensation, or the consequences of not dealing with it, make this into a red hot loss.

outtawork

I boil the kettle for veg, then use a sieve to make sure no scale gets in the pan.I also use a travel kettle as it doesn't take long to boil up and uses less water.Any clean water, that would be thrown down the sink is emptied on to the plants outside.ie rinse your cup out, peel the potatoes. Visitors who like to have a drink of water usually leave half a glass so I use it on my plants.I have changed over to a water meter and plan on reducing that bill every year as well.