delay start appliances?

GixerMoss

pondering this one wondered if anyone here has looked into it further.

I am on economy 7 electricity. both my washing machine and dishwasher have delay start features, which I have been using to run them overnight when my leccy is a third the cost of daytime.

BUT I remember seeing something on one of the scroungers tv progs recently that said some appliances use nearly as much juice on stand by as when running..... so am I costing myself as much/more having say my washing machine sat counting down for 3 - 5 hours instead of just turning it onto its cycle there and then?

thoughts anyone?

phill99

Why don't you plug it into a plug-in-timer so that it comes on at midnight and goes off at 2.00am. The you won't use any leccy when its on standby. You can get them for about £4 in Wilkinsons.

southcoastrgi

phill99 wrote: »

Why don't you plug it into a plug-in-timer so that it comes on at midnight and goes off at 2.00am. The you won't use any leccy when its on standby. You can get them for about £4 in Wilkinsons.

ummm did you think this through, most of todays w/m or d/w require you switch them on or press a button to start them if they aren't on delayed start, so using a plug in timer won't work, try it with yours turn the power off/unplug it then put the power back on does it start or just go into standby ?

TiaBaby

What about getting one of those electric usage checkers? You plug it into the socket then plug the appliance in to it, then You can see how much electricity is being used when on standby.

I'm sure I saw them in lidl or aldi for about £6 not long ago.

ic

You should try measuring the rate, however a washing machine on full blast, spinning a powerful motor at high speed, pumping and heating water will use kWs, whereas even on standby an in-efficient machine might use as much as 20W to 50W. So unless you're leaving it on standby for days, you'll should still be making significant savings on your bills.

GixerMoss

Thanks folks. It is a new machine, A++ rated and I use the eco mode that changes the cycle and doesn't heat the water, everything still coming out clean
It does turn itself off after being idle for 30 minutes so its not on standby from the end of the cycle to morning

re the timer on the socket, no this wouldn't work 1- yes I would need to be there to press go! and 2- the socket is burried at the back of my under sink cupboard (with a master switch above the worktop) so not exactly accessable.

I'll have a look for one of the meter thingies, I did have one from Eon but it died when my toddler launched it at the wall!

sunshinetours

Just do plenty of maintenance washes at 90 degrees with a cheap bio powder to keep your machine clear and clean, if you are using eco cold washes all the time.

No point in saving a small amount of electricity and then have an expensive call out charge

GixerMoss

I still do one hot wash every now and then.... with a 2 year old there are sometimes items that need a good 90 wash! but yes I do a maintenance cycle once a month, learnt that lesson with my old machine!

phill99

keithgillyon wrote: »

ummm did you think this through, most of todays w/m or d/w require you switch them on or press a button to start them if they aren't on delayed start,

Yes I did think it through. Evidently you didn't.

If your Economy 7 comes on at midnight and you go to bed at 11, you plug the WM into a timer that is set from say 10.00pm until 2.00am. When you go to bed at 11, you turn the delayed start button on. The circuit is live and the machine doesn't know it is on a timer. You set the machine to start at 12.05. If it takes 1.5 hours to go through a cycle, it will finish at 1.35am. The timer then turns the elect off at 2.00am.

Now you think it through.

GixerMoss

suppose that would prevent standby until the morning, fortunatly my machine turns itself off properly once finished and idle for 30 minutes