washing machine usage

Cranky

Hi all,

We're with Southern Water on a metered connection and are struggling with the bill. Two adults 2 teenagers but using the amount of water 6 people do apparently.

Were trying to cut back (son was having 2 showers a day garden uses all rain water) and have started taking readings and submitting them -

The washing machine (hoover vh w654 d washer dryer) gets used alot (once per day) we tend to use a rapid wash instead of a standard wash could this use extra water?

Cardew

This is tech specification from your model.


http://service.hoover.co.uk/advice-centre/washer-dryers/vhw-654d80/




Energy consumption (kwh/cycle - wash)
1.14
Energy consumption (kWh/cycle - wash and dry)
4.86

Annual Energy consumption (kwh/cycle - wash)
228

Water consumption (litres/cycle - wash)
45

Water consumption (litres/cycle - wash and dry)
135

Moisture content after spin (% dry load)
45


At 135 litres a cycle - if that is your program - that is roughly the average daily consumption for one person. Used daily is approx. 50 cubic metres a year.

culpepper

Are you saving your shower and bath water for flushing the Loo?
We have done that ever since the meter went in and our bill was slashed dramatically compared to the standard costs before the meter was installed.
Its not pretty ,the buckets stand in the bath but it is much cheaper especially as my daughter came back from uni just after they had installed the meter and she will have a bath once a week and a shower (washing long hair at same time) every day.
If you can manage to save on the supplied water, it should bring down the cost of the drainage water also as that is calculated on the amount supplied even though it is a separate company.
Not sure whether the quick wash will save any water at all.
It still has to fill enough to agitate the clothes and the rinsing will still need to remove the soap.
I now use a little hand cranked washer for in between washes. This is a massive water saving because it can take 2.2kg(almost half my machine capacity) but only uses a maximum of 6 litres for a wash and 6 for rinsing (it can use as little as 1 litre for each if not a full load).
It takes about 5 minutes to wash and rinse .
Then they can either go in the washing machine spin only cycle or I wring them out and just hang them out.
You could also go with a different approach and analyse what is being washed daily.
If it is towels for example..Keep one for each person and only wash them once a week.They are after all only drying clean people.
If undies, buying a few extra might be worth it so that they can be kept in the laundry bag for a full load less often.

alderpoint

How much water are you actually using? We are 4-person household including teenagers (but it's hard getting them to wash...) and in the last year have used 96 cubic meters.

Have you checked for leaks? Make sure everything is turned off. Listen. Listen harder. Can you hear water running anywhere? If you can, investigate where it is coming from. If you can read your meter yourself, read it when you go out, and then when you come back again - if it has changed then you have a leak.

alderpoint

There is a table showing typical water usage here.

ljonski

If you are trying to economise, then i would have thought using the wm every day is too much!

Cranky

ljonski wrote: »

If you are trying to economise, then i would have thought using the wm every day is too much!

Gotta have clean stuff!!!

alderpoint -
pic of my recent bill july 27 was when we took a reading this is the bill that followed

average use is 585 litres per day!

culpepper - like the idea of the hand cranked washer. Don't think the wife would go for buckets of used water in the bath!

Gotta go thanks all for the ideas

alderpoint

24 cubic meters in ten days??? You've gotta have a leak.

Cranky

alderpoint wrote: »

24 cubic meters in ten days??? You've gotta have a leak.

Ha look again June and july! personal i'm blaming my son who started taking 2 showers daily thinking about.

notbritishgas

You have used 24 cubic metres in 40 days, that works out at 219 cu metres per year which is spot on the average for 4 people ( not 6 people). The average is 55 cubic metres per person per annum.

Edit, there may be some scope for economizing though.

missbiggles1

Cranky wrote: »

Gotta have clean stuff!!!

7 loads of washing a week for 4 people is an enormous amount! Do you use the washing machine when it isn't full and wash stuff that isn't dirty?