energy monitors - advice

MillicentBystander

If your fridge is frosting up then you have the temp set way too low. I'm assuming you mean freezer? If so, another good tip to minimise leccy consumption is to always keep it full (if you don't want to incur the not inconsiderable cost of filling it with meat then fill it up with bread from the reduced section to be fully MSE)

lstar337

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Plus if you discover that your fridge is using more electricity than you would like it to, it's not like you can turn it off is it? Or buy a more energy efficient one at great expense to 'save' leccy'.

I did exactly this.

Any fridge that is using a lot of electric is probably cacked anyway, and I don't think it was that great of an expense. Under £200 for an A+ rated model that uses next to nothing in electric daily.

MillicentBystander

lstar337 wrote: »

I did exactly this.

Any fridge that is using a lot of electric is probably cacked anyway, and I don't think it was that great of an expense. Under £200 for an A+ rated model that uses next to nothing in electric daily.

Really? Maybe it's like my boiler, old and fairly inefficient but fully working and safe. And financial folly to replace until it goes kaput. Have you calculated how many years this new fridge will take to pay for itself? This site (and this thread) is all about money saving after all.

Cardew

mumlady1 wrote: »

.
usage on the bill is Electricity 4955 kWh
& Gas is 13083 kWh
How does that compare with everyone else?

Over what period for that consumption? and were either the start or end meter readings estimated?

Is your shower electric or fed with water from the gas boiler?

Dave_save

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Really? Maybe it's like my boiler, old and fairly inefficient but fully working and safe. And financial folly to replace until it goes kaput. Have you calculated how many years this new fridge will take to pay for itself? This site (and this thread) is all about money saving after all.

With a straight swap for a £200 A rated, you can get a pay back in 2 to 3 years. I went through a similar exercise in 2009, the consumption reduced by around 15kwh on average per week.

lstar337

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Really? Maybe it's like my boiler, old and fairly inefficient but fully working and safe.

I said any fridge using a lot of electric.

MillicentBystander wrote: »

And financial folly to replace until it goes kaput. Have you calculated how many years this new fridge will take to pay for itself?

Going by measurements, it's going to save me ~£109.50/year.

The fridge freezer cost me £172 delivered with free recycling. So it'll pay for itself in under 2 years. It's also much higher capacity than the unit it replaced.

MillicentBystander wrote: »

This site (and this thread) is all about money saving after all.

True, but that doesn't preclude people from spending any money.

Sometimes you have to use a little, to save a little bit more.;)

nPower

mumlady1 wrote: »

Hi there
I've just received a HUGE bill for combined gas & electricty of £405.33 from n-power (bear in mind that I already pay them £119 per month) and my DD is about to increase to £209 per month!!!!!!!! :eek:
Before anyone comments, I don't have our heating on all day (I do have a selection of jumpers & have been known to wear 3 at a time to avoid putting the heating on!) & we don't leave appliances on standby, we do switch off lights etc, etc. I just can't see where this bill has come from
I'm in the process of switching but am also considering an energy monitor to keep an eye on our day to day usage so I can a) try to work out how this bill is so high & b) try to prevent the same thing happening again.
Does anyone have one of these monitors & do you have any suggestions or advice regarding it?
Your help would be appreciated, thanks
Can you get a similar monitor for gas usage?

Hi mumlady1,

If there's anything I can help you with, please send me your details to [EMAIL="forumresponse@npower.com"]forumresponse@npower.com[/EMAIL] and I can take a look.

There's also some great information on our website about how to save energy in your home.

Best wishes,

Adam

Norman_Castle

MillicentBystander wrote: »

If your fridge is frosting up then you have the temp set way too low. I'm assuming you mean freezer? If so, another good tip to minimise leccy consumption is to always keep it full (if you don't want to incur the not inconsiderable cost of filling it with meat then fill it up with bread from the reduced section to be fully MSE)

Its the icebox in the fridge which ices up, which is always full. No freezer. The temperature is right according to my, Home and Freezer Digest, Fridge-Rater. No idea where this came from. Its unlikely I bought the magazine. . I think its normal for some iceboxes to ice up over time.

techno12

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I've used a short extension lead to site my plug in monitor in a more convenient place. I've had two. The one below is easy to set up, by adding unit cost, and easy to read.

Problem with the plug-in ones is that they can't measure the usage of the bulk of the appliances. In my place the fridge/freezer, oven, washing machine, tumble dryer are plumbed in and difficult or impossible to access. Also, the room lights, extractor fan etc can't be measured as they have no plugs.

So for me, a plug-in meter can only record the stuff attached to a few extension strips, ie the one for the TV, one for the PC etc.

BTW I've mentioned it before, but reducing the backlight brightness of TVs really makes a difference. My 47" LCD was using something like 230w and I reduced the backlight to 30% and it now uses about 130w. Picture is better too as the default brightness tends to be set up for use in showrooms and is overly bright.
Something for the OP to try perhaps, as every little helps..

simonbarker_2

Looking at your energy usage (4955kWh electricity 13083kWh for gas) your main problem is your gas consumption not your electricity (it makes up 72% of your total energy usage, also the period here doesn't matter as I should think that is fairly consistent). There are meters on the way for monitoring gas consumption but the best thing you can do right now is take a look over your central heating and water usage habits.

What is your thermostat setting? If it's higher than 21 then consider turning it down.

Do you have thermostatic radiator valves on your radiators? If you do then set the ones upstairs lower than those down stairs (say 4 down stairs and 3 upstairs). If you don't have TRVs then consider getting one on each radiator.

Is your heating running 24 hours a day? Does it need to?

I see you have double glazing and wall insulation but do you have loft insulation? If not then consider getting your loft insulated. If it has been insulated then check to see if the loft hatch has been done as well.

Consider getting draught excluder for your front door if it's draughty as this can funnel cold air through a house.

If your light bulbs are energy efficient ones then I wouldn't worry too much about turning them all off, reducing your energy bill by turning lights off is a bit like trying to loose weight by trimming your finger nails :-)

Hope that is of some use

Simon