Great Ways To Save Money And Turn Green Hunt

radio10

Get a 5 litre plastic container with a screw top, (you can buy vinegar in one from supermarket and use it for cleaning and lots of other things) fill from water butt. The 5 litres is just right for flushing. Easy and lasts for years!

I'd say forget all the fancy rainwater harvesting ideas, they'll cost thousands to install along with electronic controllers etc. Keep it simple:beer:




What I'd really like to do is find some workable low-tech way of using rainwater to at least flush loo & if possible use for washing machine too, but that may be too ambitious. There are patented rain harvesting systems with underground tanks but they are extremely expensive - there must be simpler ways. It just seems daft to me to use expensive treated water to flush down the loo. Any ideas anyone? :think:[/quote]

harryhound

speedtwin wrote: »

has anyone heard of a plug you use with your fridge/frezzer that reduces the amount of electricty it needs (i think it reduces the amount of elecy at night time)

Put: Energy saving plug for freezer into Google and see what you get.

I've not actually used one of these, but the theory is that you only need full power to get the compressor going and can get away with throttling back once the motor is running smoothly. My fridge and freezer are both so old that they are not on the list. Really modern electronic appliances probably have something similar built in.

Harry.l

Canucklehead

Good morning: Fit thermostatic rad valves, lag pipes with insulation (eg. Climaflex), install a programmer/room thermostat to your central heating, and have your boiler serviced annually... as mentioned previously visit https://www.est.org.uk for tips on energy saving ...sometimes reducing your impact on the planet costs a bit a dosh.

HTH

Canucklehead

geordie_joe

harryhound wrote: »

My fridge and freezer are both so old that they are not on the list.

The only list I could find was a lit of appliances that you CAN'T use the plug on.

The list was mainly those with digital displays, motorised drinks and ice dispencers.

GiraffePC

harryhound wrote: »

Put: Energy saving plug for freezer into Google and see what you get.

I've not actually used one of these, but the theory is that you only need full power to get the compressor going and can get away with throttling back once the motor is running smoothly. My fridge and freezer are both so old that they are not on the list. Really modern electronic appliances probably have something similar built in.

Harry.l

A fridge motor starts at v. high current (via a device known as a Klixon) then goes on to the run winding. It needs the 'kick' to get going (a fridge can be damaged by repeated starts too close together). An ordinary fridge/freezer typically needs a 13A fuse but would run on a 2A fuse.
ISTR that these plugs don't save very much, but don't have the figures.

Peter.

GiraffePC

positivelymummy wrote: »

hi, mine's only a little tip. but hey ho! its all money saving! when you cook rice, once the pan has come to the boil, switch completely off and leave with lid on, the heat inside the pan cooks the ruice perfectly in about 15 mins, i do this every week, and its so perfect (use the absorbtion method) which works out double the amount of rice for water, so if you're cooking half a cup of rice, add 1 cup of water etc, i also do the same for sweetcorn, broccolli, peas, carrots and pasta etc, (pasta needs just a touch longer):D

A few years ago I realised that I could boil eggs in a saucepan that just covered the ring and had about 1cm of water in it. Poached eggs are effectively 'boiled' in 'no water', so why cover eggs in water?
Save water and energy.
Oh, when a ring went o/c, I replaced it with a 1200W one - ideal for smaller pans. I also can tell by feel when the pan is positiond best on the ring (even if the pan's flat, the ring isn't) and that makes a lot of difference to the tie to boil.

Peter.

GiraffePC

Sorry for a third consecutive post:

all this talk of hot-water bottles - any one know of a supplier of full-sizes ones, please? All the shops in Northampton have silly little ones with fluffy covers.
I tried Westons Internet, but it and its e-mail seem to be dead from the neck up.

Thanks,

Peter.

sjanuary

Boots do them either with fairly plain covers or without covers and you can buy online:
https://www.boots.com

GiraffePC

Thanks sjanuary - I'll try again. After allowing cookies, referrers and ID'ing as IE, the site allowed me to find what I wanted. Just hope they're in the shop.

Peter.

odls

Although some of these suggestions on this site apply to the U.S. others apply equally to us in the UK. :j

Easy Tips to Live Green