How can I cut down on energy usage?

yellow218

Received my annual Energy statement today and notification that my fix is due to end, which triggered my price comparison I the new energy club.

I usually do switch to a cheaper product so probably will this time too. However I noticed that apparently we are above average for gas. Apparently the average household uses 12,000 kWh per annum. We use over 14,000.


This surprised me a lot. I wouldn’t have thought that we were high users so I must be using energy in a way I’m not aware of. It’s just my hubby and I, we’re in our 30s, no kids, so don’t need to get the house especially warm. Indeed guests have sometimes said its cold. Once the heating goes on in winter it’s on a timer for when we are around, and set between 19-21 degrees (depending who’s last fiddled with it). It goes up a bit if we have visitors as it can feel a bit nippy if you’re sitting about, but it’s fine for us most of the time to keep the chill off. When it comes to sitting down in the evening it would be too cold, but log fire and a snuggly blanket is perfect. We turn the radiators off in the spare room and study unless we are using them.
Hot water is also on a timer. I’ve heard a suggestion to adjust the temperature of the boiler and hot water tank. Is there a recommended temperature- google does seem consistent.

In terms of gas for cooking. It’s just the job, oven is electric. There’s not much I can do there to reduce, I don’t think? However we do use a hob top kettle. In terms of kWh usage, does anyone know if it’s more efficient to use a standard electric kettle or a hob top kettle?

Any other suggestions for how to bring down my gas usage please, without massively increasing the electric?





Thank you.

Robin9

That's what averages are about - some use more, some less. Like you I'm above average but I like a warm house.

To useless gas - lower the boiler temperature, lower the room thermostat, don't heat unused rooms, don't heat the property when you are not in it, wear another layer of clothes................

dogshome

How well is the house insulated ?


Being frugal with the thermostat is all very well, but the boiler will keep on running if heat is continually escaping from the house.

RelievedSheff

There are so many variables with this that it will be difficult to answer.

How big is the house?
How old is the house?
Is it well insulated or not?
How old is the boiler and how efficient is it?
Is the boiler well maintained and serviced?
Are your windows and doors double glazed?

The list of questions could go on and on.

yellow218

RelievedSheff wrote: »

There are so many variables with this that it will be difficult to answer.

1) How big is the house?
2) How old is the house?
3) Is it well insulated or not?
4) How old is the boiler and how efficient is it?
5) Is the boiler well maintained and serviced?
6) Are your windows and doors double glazed?

The list of questions could go on and on.

Answers to 1&2 although effect how much I use, are things I can’t change without moving house, which I’m not planning on doing.
3) yellow fluffy stuff in the roof, polystyrene balls in the cavity wall.
4) it’s approx 10 years old. How would I know how efficient it is?
5) boiler inspected and serviced annually
6) double glazing throughout.

Robin9

And your lifestyle - number of adults/children - electric/gas shower -

matelodave

The only way you are going to control your consumption is by knowing what it is that's using it and knowing when it's being used. If you don't monitor it you can't control it. Once you've got a bill it's too late, you've used it and got to pay for it

Try reading your meters more often - once a week at roughly the same time (or even once a day for for a couple of weeks) to see how much you are using and whats using it - use a spreadsheet to record your readings and then try tweaking your controls & timers.

Look at how you are using stuff - long hot showers and baths can use lots of hot water, so take fewer of them and reduce the amount of water they use. Showers can use as much, if not more water as a bath if you don't regulate the flow and amount of time you spend in there. Fit a n eco shower head or flow restrictor

Hopefullly you've got a well insulated hot water tank, try reducing the time you heat it (and the temperature). We get away with only heating the tank for about an hour a day and it gives us all the hot water we need until the next day. There's no benefit it storing a tankful of hot water overnight if it's not going to be used until morning ablutions.

Don't run hot water down the sink to rinse stuff (or even your hands), everytime you run the hot tap you leave the pipework full of hot water to get cold.

I guess an electric kettle is probably more efficient than a hob-top one but only heat as much water as you need.

Regarding heating - fit a programmable thermostat so you can set the appropriate temperatures for the times that you need them. The benefit of a programmable stat is that it reverts to it's original settings after it's been fiddled with, so you don't forget to reset it. Reduce the temperatures in unused rooms using the TRV's.

Do the same with you leccy - work out what uses it and when so you can turn stuff off or down when it's not being used.

You don't have to get paranoid but you can reduce your consumption by understanding what is going on.

cranford

Depending upon your tariff the difference between 12000 and 14000 kWh is about £55-£60 a year. I would rather be warm and make savings elsewhere such as being on the best mobile phone contract and cheapest house and car insurance.
You don't say how much electricity you are using, maybe there is a saving to be made there?

RelievedSheff

yellow218 wrote: »

Answers to 1&2 although effect how much I use, are things I can’t change without moving house, which I’m not planning on doing.
3) yellow fluffy stuff in the roof, polystyrene balls in the cavity wall.
4) it’s approx 10 years old. How would I know how efficient it is?
5) boiler inspected and serviced annually
6) double glazing throughout.

How big and old the house is has a big bearing on where your useage is low, average or high.

Using 14000kwh in a large 5 bed detached in an exposed area for example would be low useage for that type and size of house.

You can google the type of boiler you have and find out how efficient it is. I would expect at ten years old though that it would be fairly efficient.

How often and for how long do you heat your hot water if you have a tank?

BLaird

Sounds like you have an open vent gas boiler which means you are heating a tank of hot water probably when you don't need it. I would suggest to cut down your gas costs you have a combi boiler installed which means you only generate hot water when you need it. I am not sure of your situation but you may be able to get a grant under the ECO Scheme 2019 that pays for your boiler to be changed to a newer boiler. This will probably save you a lot more energy (and money) than doing all the other good stuff proposed.

Ectophile

Unless you can get a grant, it's almost certainly not going to be cost effective to switch to another gas boiler, especially if it involves a lot of re-plumbing.


Warming up a tank of water only takes a few pence worth of gas, and a well-insulated tank can stay hot all day.


I wouldn't spend thousands of pounds on a new boiler to save a few pence a day.