Can I save any more?

DWhite

I’m new to the world of being a homeowner and paying energy etc...
My first bills are coming in, I’m not sure if they’re ok or if I can save more.
I’ve been on these forums for years and feel like I’ve picked up loads of useful tips and tricks over the years.
I like to live fairly old style in terms of household things. I do use all of your little tips. But am I missing anything?

I have a modest 2 bed house, it’s myself here with my cat. DP stays over once or twice a week.
My water bill is £20 a month standing charge.
First electric bill was £50 and gas still being switched from a pre pay meter is about £20 every 2/3 weeks.
I don’t leave things switched on when not being used, apart from the sky box, washing machine and microwave (all too fiddly to get to to turn on/off at the wall).
My cooker is electric (fan oven and induction hob) and my heating is set to 18.5c. I do turn the heating up for a few minutes every now and then but only until it’s warmed up a bit then it’s straight back off.
I don’t want to live stupidly tightly and be a miser, but I don’t want to spend money if I don’t need to either!:money:

trailingspouse

If you've been reading these threads for years, there probably isn't a lot we can tell you - but here are a couple of thoughts from me -



- turn your heating off at night. I only keep mine on overnight if it's forecast to be going below zero.
- what are your TV habits? I found I was having it on in the background for 'company', or leaving it on while I was in the kitchen cooking, or sitting with my laptop on my knee and the TV on as well. I've taken myself in hand - only watch programmes I actually want to watch, and then actually watch them. So - if I'm not in the room, I switch it off, if I'm just using it as background noise, I switch it off, and if I have my laptop open then I either switch the TV off or close the laptop.

- dry clothes outside as much as you can (they'll dry even when it's cold or even freezing, and they smell amazing when you bring them in!), so any tumble drying is kept to a minimum.
- boiling a kettle is quite expensive, so don't put any more water in than you need (although in old-style kettles you have to cover the element).


Hope that helps - but you're probably doing all of this already!!

VfM4meplse

Try having a browse of this board (it's unlikely to have been of interest to you prior to becoming a bill payer!). And well done on your move towards independence.

TripleH

It may be a silly question, but why have the heating on at 18.5°c in winter? Would it not make sense to knock it down a couple of degrees? I have it in my head that if it's-6°c outside but in a house the heating is at 24°c, when you go out that's a 30 °c drop which to me seems quite a lot and surely would have a detrimental affect on health?

Before its raised, I do understsnd the need to have heating at a certain level to maintain a healthy circulatory system for both you and your house, but just wondered if there was an ideal level for winter?

Mistral001

If the electricity is billed monthly, then £50 per month is high. Are any of your light bulbs the old non-energy saving type? Keeping TV's on all the time as trailingspouse mentioned can increase your expenditure more than you might think. Also even computers and laptops left on all day.

TV's on standby usually do not take up much energy. However, there might be one item that is taking up energy more than you think. I had a printer in my home office which cost about £3 a week to leave on all the time. I found this out using an energy meter which I bought for about £15. I also gave me piece of mind that the items I left on all the time were not using much electricity

VfM4meplse

TripleH wrote: »

It may be a silly question, but why have the heating on at 18.5°c in winter? Would it not make sense to knock it down a couple of degrees?

Mine is on at 19°C and I consider that very restrained given that I have an airy and poorly insulated home. In my last place (bought as a new build, and considerably smaller, although larger than a 2-bed place) I could leave the heating on at 14°C when unattended and still come back to it toasty. Baseline duel fuel for that (ie with no occupancy) in the winter months was roughly £45pm. Such is the cost of things in this day and age.

This thread has got me wondering whether it's worth investing Hive / Nest / equivalent - time to take my own advice and investigate the other board :think:

ETA: don't fall into the trap of SMETS1. Wait until SMETS2 is rolled out in your area.

PipneyJane

DWhite wrote: »

I’m new to the world of being a homeowner and paying energy etc...
My first bills are coming in, I’m not sure if they’re ok or if I can save more.
I’ve been on these forums for years and feel like I’ve picked up loads of useful tips and tricks over the years.
I like to live fairly old style in terms of household things. I do use all of your little tips. But am I missing anything?

I have a modest 2 bed house, it’s myself here with my cat. DP stays over once or twice a week.
My water bill is £20 a month standing charge.
First electric bill was £50 and gas still being switched from a pre pay meter is about £20 every 2/3 weeks.
I don’t leave things switched on when not being used, apart from the sky box, washing machine and microwave (all too fiddly to get to to turn on/off at the wall).
My cooker is electric (fan oven and induction hob) and my heating is set to 18.5c. I do turn the heating up for a few minutes every now and then but only until it’s warmed up a bit then it’s straight back off.
I don’t want to live stupidly tightly and be a miser, but I don’t want to spend money if I don’t need to either!:money:

A couple of thoughts: -

1. Do you have a water meter? Since there's only you in the house, a water meter could save you a few bob.
2. Does your heating have a programmable thermostat? As well as switching off/on at certain times - ours has the ability to program different temperatures for different times and days of the week. I don't have to worry about what the temperature will be when I get home from work - the thermostat does it all for me. It also has "holiday" and "party" settings. (It is not Hive. I'm not a fan of "the internet of things" - I don't see the point.)

HTH.

- Pip

Working_Mum

Well done on becoming a home owner!!

Have you got a plan to repay your mortgage early?? I wish I had overpaid my mortgage over the years!

Are you budgetting for everything like home repairs and renewals, car expenses, holidays, food etc?? Being disciplined in these areas pays dividends over the year!

VfM4meplse

Working_Mum wrote: »

Well done on becoming a home owner!!

Have you got a plan to repay your mortgage early?? I wish I had overpaid my mortgage over the years!

Are you budgetting for everything like home repairs and renewals, car expenses, holidays, food etc?? Being disciplined in these areas pays dividends over the year!

I have to agree, this is the best advice. Just don't let it come at the cost of life's other time-sensitive milestones - such as raising a family.

Primrose

Wearing thermals indoors and making sure you get up every 20 minutes or so to do some exercises is a pretty essential strategy if you're going to have your hesting wet on low.

I wonder if there are economies to be made on food & groceries. If you have a freezer, batch cooking and menu planning will help you eat economically. Home made soups are inexpensive and filling.

Have you applied for your 25% sole occupancy Council Tax discount? That will be a considerable saving in your monthly outgoings ?