The Great 'Energy & MoneySaving' Hunt

cwp500

Maddie wrote: »

I'd advise anyone interested in a mooncup not to be too daunted by this post and to do their own research. This is from the mooncup website (www.mooncup.uk);



The Mooncup can be cleaned in the same way as baby equipment: with sterilising fluid, or by boiling for five minutes in an open pan of water."

There are two sizes available, so you're statement that there is a one-size fits all approach simply demonstrates that you've not done your research.

Also remember that all the other sanitary product companies are businesses not medical agengies, and therefore have a self interest in persuading women that menstruation is dirty and all sanitary products should be disposable!

Tampons are quick, convenient and have a long history of successful use by millions of women. Despite the claims, most women wont have time to boil pans of water or carry Milton fluid in their handbags.

The mooncup surely has limited appeal but best wishes to anyone who has found it useful.

shelovestobuystuff

ILoveSaving wrote: »

Hi Just like to tell everyone about an experiment I tried lately. I was wondering what difference it would make to my petrol consumption if I left off my radio while I was driving. As I listen to it at work every day any way.

I always have to fill up my car, every 2 weeks practically to the day. So after filling it up I tried leaving off the radio and the first time I tried it, I actually didn't fill up for 3 weeks! I did not drive any differently and did all the ususal trips to school and work.

Noone thought this could be right, so I did it again and went another 3 weeks before having to fill it up. I even had to make a couple of extra trips. My dad thought that it should run on the battery, not the petrol so I don't know why, but it is lasting longer. So I will keep it up. It just might be my car which is a micra, but anything that saves a little will help.

Why not try in another type of car and see if it works?:j

The radio doesn,t run on petrol:rolleyes:.Not quite.
The car battery isn,t like the batteries we use in the TV remote etc,its more of a storage unit,a rechargeable battery.It needs to be fully charged to start the motor,thereafter it is continually re-charging while you drive.Everything electric in the car runs off the battery,air con,elec windows and your radio.The petrol powers the alternator which recharges the battery.The more electric stuff you have on in the car,the faster the battery power will be used up and the harder the alternator will have to work to keep the battery charged up.So yes, the more electrical bits you have on in the car the more petrol you will use.You will probably notice that you get more mileage out of a tank in the summer also as you are not having to drive with the headlights on all the time.
I noted that in your other post you said your mechanic couldn,t understand how you used less fuel with the radio off.A mechanic should know this so I would switch mechanics if I were you.;)

steve6375

I think switching the radio off has an effect on your driving. You can hear the engine revving and often fast/rock music tends to make you drive faster.
As an experiment, try listening to Classic FM (only slow peices though, not 1812!) for 3 weeks.

Cautious_Old_Nick

I downloaded this power management programme onto my laptop and it works. For example I was working from home this morning and received a phone call which lasted 10 mins, usually my laptop would run at full power (138w) for that whole time but this programme turns off my monitor after 3 minutes of not being used (this does not shut any programmes or affect any work). 36w for 7 minutes isn't a huge deal but with stopping for tea breaks etc the savings really add up.

This programme is free to download using the link below


http://www.localcooling.com/ref/?type=link&id=53091

frugalsparkyvic

Hi I'm a complete newbie here and have never posted on a forum before but wanted to put my two penneth in and speak from experience , all this saving the planet stuff is great on the surface, but looking a little deeper , I own a projector for films and occasional gameplay and this projector has a lamp in it , not your average lamp, but a £200 plus lamp and has an expected life of 2000 to 3000 hours and being an ardent moneysaver and fan of the site , I would turn this projector off at the mains and not leave the small circulating fan running and keeping the electronics at a constant temperature , now after approximately 500 hours ( not genuine hours as I will explain later ) the lamp has blown and I'm in a dilemma ,do buy a new lamp or spend £500 on a new projector with better image quality. That's sort of by the by, the point I am making is that electronic equipment or anything that heats up electrically will wear out quicker the more it is switched on and off, I know this for a fact because I have replaced more fluorescent tubes and starters and other associated equipment in the factory where I work since "energy saving" devices were put in that activate automatically when people are sensed and time out when they are not there , so for the cost of the glass and mercury and steel and plastic associated with the replacement of these parts and the cost to dispose of them , does someone want to give me a clever and scientific explanation as to whether this is saving or harming the planet or just maybe lining the pockets of the spinners from the same companies selling us the stuff ? Oh and while I'm on the soapbox , the very thing I am typing on now is another perfect example , this laptop has had a new battery in it after less than 18 months due to switching the power off to it and not conditioning the battery properly at a cost of about £50 and one useless piece of plastic and lithium landfill.
Please be gentle with me I'm on your side , I just think some things aren't as energy efficient and black and white as they may seem, in the bigger picture.

brunoc

monitor how much is in the fridge. If the fridge is empty: turn it off;
turn off cental heating pump.
monitor how much time you are using your computer.
If you use a TV as a computer monitor (150W/hr), consider getting a flat monitor for computer use (50w/hr).

A_fiend_for_life

When you take a shower put the plug in and let the water lose the heat first. Use the rest to flush the toilet by scooping it into a bucket.

Use the water form the bath / shower to pre-wash really dirty clothes and skip on the washing machine. (Skip or reduce the spin cycle on a hot day). Try washing on 30 or in summer try cold.

Have strip wash: mitts, pits, bits and bum.

A_fiend_for_life

Put raw pasta in a flask and fill with boiling water. You can boil enough pasta for one in a flask takes about half an hour.

Turn the hob off about 5 or 10 minutes before cooking has finished and cover with a lid and tea-towel. Always cook with a lid and a lower temperature. Electric cooker users cover with a clean tea-towel.

Use the residual heat form an electric hob by putting about a mug full or two in the pan and covering with a lid and a clean, dry tea towel. It should be hot enough for a cup of tea or put in a flask.

Fry an eggs on a lower heat with a lid on. Older eggs don't stick to the pan so much.

A_fiend_for_life

frugalsparkyvic wrote: »

I know this for a fact because I have replaced more fluorescent tubes and starters and other associated equipment in the factory where I work since "energy saving" devices were put in that activate automatically when people are sensed and time out when they are not there

I know you can get energy saving bulbs that withstand a greater switching rate. Is this not the case with fluorescent tubes and starters? Might be worth checking. Can the units be replaced with high switch rate CFLs? Who provides energy advice for businesses? EPA? EST? Perhaps you can get a free energy audit and advice on the best way to improve costs and energy saving.

On a side note you might be worth starting separate posts for the projector and lighting to find out what other sparks have done you should get a better response.

Hope this helps.

danhol

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

Who provides energy advice for businesses? EPA? EST? Perhaps you can get a free energy audit and advice on the best way to improve costs and energy saving.quote]

The Carbon Trust offer energy saving/cost cutting advice for businesses. They use independant analysers who visit your business, do an energy usage survey and a report of recommendations to improve your efficiency. I manage a large hotel and they presented their findings to me today, and were very informative with some fantastic recommendations to cut our energy usage and therego our costs, they even gave some fantastic practical advice that can be used in the home.

Their website is: www.carbontrust.co.uk


Hope this helps!!!