How can I save on my electric bill?

Littlered_3

I'm trying to cut my electric bill, as I'm aware that we use an awful lot of electricity for a professional couple who are out most of the day. Does anybody have any top tips for how to save electricity? All suggestions greatly appreciated!

Cobertizo

A few to get you started:

You can try the old classics such as turning off appliances such as your TV/set-top box/dvd player etc at the wall, rather than using standby.

If you have any devices which have transformers on the plugs (they are the larger plugs, which often get warm when they've been plugged in for a bit - mobile chargers are an example, though my DAB radio and wireless router, for example, also do) then it's worth turning those off at the mains/unplugging them when not in use, as even if the device itself is turned off, the transformer consumes a reasonable amount of power.

Do you use energy saving lightbulbs? I believe I saw something on this forum about a deal in Morrisons currently (2 for 99p?), so these are a cheap way to make a difference.

samcantcope

We have been watching what electric we use over the last 3 months. we take a reading every week on the sameday at the same time just to see if there are any changes. I only use the tumble drier when we are desperate, I use economy on the cold fill washing machine as this take a lot of electric. enegy saving light bulbs and switching things off when not in use.

:beer:

black-saturn

Sit by candlight in the evenings. Only put the washing machine on when it's full up, measure out the water you need in the kettle. Plan what you want to watch on TV and only watch those programmes.

oldMcDonald

There was a thread started last autumn by Mirry called 'Avoid using gas and electric this winter', which you can find HERE.

It is a very long thread but is well worth reading through for many ideas on both how to cut the amount of energy you use and how to get the most out of each unit you pay for!

cinnamint

Thank goodness the weather's getting warmer and we can turn the flipping heating off! Would be nice to live somewhere warm where we don't use loads of gas!

skr00ge

Don't forget your PC. A laptop power supply will be rated 60W to 100W. The average desktop PC PSU is rated 250W to 450W.

Use a laptop if you have one. Better still, charge it up at work and bring the electricity home with you, buy a spare battery. (not green, only savvy)

Leaving your PC on using 200W of power! Thats equivalent to 20 energy saving bulbs constantly on.

Jonesya

Heating uses a lot of energy - do you have any electric space heating, water heating? If so is it as well controlled as it could be - timers, thermostats etc?

Couple of things I've done along those line:

Fitted a timer control to the heated towel rail - only comes on for a few hours a day when it's needed rather than running 24/7. At around 200w it soon adds up.

Fitted a boost timer to the immersion heater - used to be a standard switch that got turned on when needed but tended to forget to switch it off, leaving it on all day or even for a couple of days. At 3kW it could get through £5 of electricity in 24 hours. Now you press a button to select how long you want it on - 1/2hr, 1hr, 2hr and it automatically turns itself off.

Littlered_3

I felt so happy that it had warmed up enough for me to finally turn the heating off altogether. Been using my spare duvet if I get cold in the evenings! And grabbing one of my little dogs for a cuddle - they're always nice and warm.

tr3mor

Jonesya wrote: »

At 3kW it could get through £5 of electricity in 24 hours.

No it couldn't, it's thermostatically controlled. :rolleyes:

Cardew

It would really be helpful if people had some understanding of electricity before posting on this board; then perhaps we wouldn't get such misleading information posted.

At 3kW it could get through £5 of electricity in 24 hours.

As tr3mor states immersion heaters have a thermostat(which means it automatically switches the heater off and on when the water is at the required temperature)

Don't forget your PC. A laptop power supply will be rated 60W to 100W. The average desktop PC PSU is rated 250W to 450W.

My Ferrari(I wish) has 500 horsepower; that doesn't mean it is using 500 horsepower except when at maximum revs under maximum accleration. A 100hp family car might only use 40 hp or less to cruise at 70mph.

In the same way a PC PSU's power rating is no indication of what it uses in practice.

Also can we get this whole business of Standby power consumption into perspective. Modern electronic appliances have very low standby consumption and left plugged in 24/7 the cost can be measured, for most, in pence per year. Even the Sky box which has by far the heaviest consumption on standby(more than the rest of my appliances put together) will cost approx £10 per year left on 24/7 on standby.

By all means switch things off if you wish, but the impression is given by some posts that this is the single most important step toward lowering consumption - it aint!