Has anyone heard of 'energy free days'?

Gin_and_Milk

I was on Freegle ages ago and someone asked for board games as they and their children were going to start having 'energy free Sundays' using no gas or electric whatsoever. I was just wondering if anyone else had tried this and is it as difficult as it sounds? I realise it could get a bit boring, as there's no T.V etc.

I was thinking of perhaps giving it a go later in the year, which I know sounds daft when it's cold and dark, but energy prices are just stupid and we have a log burner, so I could use that to heat stuff up if needed.

I reckon if me and OH could manage one energy free day per week, we could probably save quite a bit on fuel bills. I nearly had a heart attack when we got our post winter bill this year!

Rainy-Days

Theoretically it would be hard for things such as boilers (electric timer switches) fridges and freezers which have to be powered still. Our alarm clocks are also electric powered and we wouldn't want to switch those off because to reset them back to their times and alarms would be a chore even though they don't technically use a huge amount of electric.

If you set the essentials apart then you may be able to do it, but the big draw on the utilities is in during the winter I'm afraid!

Gin_and_Milk

The fridge/freezer would definitely have to stay on and to be honest I hadn't considered things like clocks, although there's only my alarm clock which is powered by the mains. We don't have any timer switches. Because the energy bills are lower this time of year, I thought it would be better to try during winter because I want to try and reduce our energy bills as much as possible. Obviously I want to do that everyday, but to set aside one day during the week to really cut back will make even more of a difference. It helps that we've got the stove, and there's room for a couple of pans on top. We shall also be wearing plenty of layers too!

Spendless

We got an electric monitor earlier this year and you can see how much in pence is being used. It makes you very aware, though be careful a few months down the line when the novelty has worn off. I found ours unplugged last night. :mad: . Think about how you will wash yourselves too. I saw our monitor at around the £1 mark and rushed upstairs thinking it was my son and mates with xbox and pc on, it wasn't it was my husband having an (electric) shower.

Gin_and_Milk

We did have one of those meters (I think OH threw it out) and it does make you think. I think if one of us fancies a brew and the stove is lit, I'll just put a pan of water on that rather than boil a kettle, because they really do use electric!

Spendless

Gin_and_Milk wrote: »

I'll just put a pan of water on that rather than boil a kettle, because they really do use electric!

I've just put ours on. It's gone up 25pence. You need to remember that the kettle only is on for a few mins though. Depends on how many cuppas you drink.

Gin_and_Milk

You're right it only takes a few minutes to boil a kettle, but if the stove's already on and we're right next to the kitchen, it seems daft not to pop the pan on top. I do like my hot drinks in winter!

lostinrates

Gin_and_Milk wrote: »

The fridge/freezer would definitely have to stay on and to be honest I hadn't considered things like clocks, although there's only my alarm clock which is powered by the mains. We don't have any timer switches. Because the energy bills are lower this time of year, I thought it would be better to try during winter because I want to try and reduce our energy bills as much as possible. Obviously I want to do that everyday, but to set aside one day during the week to really cut back will make even more of a difference. It helps that we've got the stove, and there's room for a couple of pans on top. We shall also be wearing plenty of layers too!

I have spent a few winters without heating. While it is not something i recommend i would say i think being without is probably easier than being without on ONE day. Your body adjusts to temps.

I am guessing your stove is a woodstove or similar? Its harder to control temps, using these certainly, but for those on CH i would recommend the boring but fairly safe advice of just not keeping the thermostat as high.

Ben84

Some orthodox jews have been doing this for years on Saturdays. It's all a bit down to interpretation however with some random rules different people use and some things are a bit of a cheat as they don't use less energy (possibly more) as their aim is often to avoid turning anything on during this time rather than to use no energy. Still, you might find some ideas from what people do on the shabbat that match what you're trying to do.

As for the winter, your days will end very early without electric lights. For the very small cost of using a 60 watt bulb, I'd rather have the time. Time is valuable really, both in a productive and personal sense.

System

When i get up first thing of a morning and before i use any appliances my electricity consumption is under 2p an hour. Switch the two pcs on (mine and my sons) and its up to 5p an hour. Stick the telly on and it shoots up to 8p an hour. The thing that bumps up the price is the tumble dryer, the washer (when its heating) and the kettle.

I did think about going to bed earlier and getting up later just to save electricity.:D

HappyMJ

Gin_and_Milk wrote: »

I was on Freegle ages ago and someone asked for board games as they and their children were going to start having 'energy free Sundays' using no gas or electric whatsoever. I was just wondering if anyone else had tried this and is it as difficult as it sounds? I realise it could get a bit boring, as there's no T.V etc.

I was thinking of perhaps giving it a go later in the year, which I know sounds daft when it's cold and dark, but energy prices are just stupid and we have a log burner, so I could use that to heat stuff up if needed.

I reckon if me and OH could manage one energy free day per week, we could probably save quite a bit on fuel bills. I nearly had a heart attack when we got our post winter bill this year!

You need to define what energy is. Burning wood or coal in a log burner is still consuming energy similar to the burning of coal to create electricity. Also, the fridge must be kept running so it could be exempt. As for saving money I don't think it would save much. You would be moving energy usage to another day such as the washing, ironing and hot water heating would be still have to be done maybe on Saturday evening and Monday morning so over the week the energy usage will be about the same anyway.