2022 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

spudsmum said:

Managed to go the whole week without putting the heating on. Just having the electric blanket on for sn hour before we go to bed to take the chill off.

Please don't stop using your heating completely.   Doing so can bring on damp (and mould) in your home, which can lead to serious damage to your property, your belongings AND your health.     Mine is running for less time and at lower temperatures, but it's still running.

I used to run it for about 2 hours in a morning and 6 hours in an evening at 18 - and then boost at the same temperature if I got cool on a day off work.    It now runs for 90 mins in a morning at 17 and 4 hours an evening at 15 for most of the house (one little used south facing room has a smart thermostatic valve, and only gets 60 mins in the morning at 12 - I need to find the money for more such valves for other little used rooms), and if I get cool on a day off it gets put on at 13 or 14.   In the evening I 'top up' with a combination of an extra layer of clothes, a hot water bottle, a thin fleece and a heated throw.   Combined with having reduced how long my immerion heater is turned on for, my gas usage last month was down 360kWh compared to February 2021 - and I'd already started to tweak by then, as I got my Smart control panel and thermostat mid-Dec 2020.

The system cost me £141.47 which was an Ouch!    But 360kWh at April rates is just over £26.40, so the payback period isn't actually very long.   At the fixed rates I was on when I bought it, 360kWh would still have cost me £9.36 - a good saving on my usage.

Dec and Jan were down much the same each month, so it looks to be a fairly consistent saving during the cooler months     I need to go back to my bills from my previous supplier and see if I can populate my spreadsheet with data from the 2020, which would show me how last summer compared to summer 2020.

I found an article which gives average usage for properties by size, and according to that a 4-bed is a medium user with annual usage of 3,500kWh of electricity and 15,000kWh of gas.   I also looked at the average for a 1-bed property as I live alone, and that says 1.800-2,400kWh of electricity and 7,000kWh of gas.     Over the last 12 months (1/2/21 to 31/1/22) I've used 1,429kWh of electricity and 7,517kWh of gas.   

The article only looks at properties that use both gas and electric, and is actually missing figures for 2-bedroomed properties - it gives for 1, 3, 4 and 5 !?!?!?!

ancientmum

Spudsmum, I've also started using the halogen oven again (it had been retired to a cardboard box under the bed) and only use the big oven when I do a big batch of baking

MazzieD

cw18 said:

MazzieD said:

 Changing the boiler heat settings has made such a difference.  Still not seen anything for those without Combi-boilers, it must be possible to do on older style systems.

What is it you're looking for?   I'm not on a combi.

Not to worry, remembered you answered this in an earlier post.  Lost the plot a bit yesterday!.

Finally got the car yesterday late pm.  Was getting very concerned, it shouldn't take 9 days but he admitted that it had failed the MOT as well and he also had to pay £395 to sort out the brake pads.  No idea what the profit margin is on cars but it must have taken a chunk out with all the paint work as well.  Was I sympathetic?.  Not at all, I burst out laughing.  He was lucky I stuck it out in all honesty.  I've flagged him up to Auto Trader and am also considering contacting Trading Standards.  What a way to run a business.

Anyway, sorted out insurance last night, got a refund as it's cheaper to insure. The main thing is I have saved money from the insurance settlement.  Will go and have a play later on, always have to adjust things like seats as I'm tall.

Hopefuljoy

@cw18 I found those stats really interesting and need to look at my annual usage.

I have the heating on for one hour in the morning to take the edge off as I get ready for work. Then it comes on from 1730 until 2130. Me and DD live in a small terraced house and when we leave a room we turn the radiator off to keep costs down. Thankfully sharing a house when she was at university toughened her up as they couldn't afford much heating! 

The thermostat is set to 18 unless its perishing outside when it's boosted to 19 and we find that that keeps us at a decent temp if we wear our comfy warm clothes. 

During the day if she needs it my daughter sometimes puts the heating on but she is very considerate about costs. She is doing a masters degree and most of it is still online hence her being at home. 

I have also cut the oven use down to two to three times a week as it uses the most electricity and we are using the multi cooker and microwave for most cooking. 

I got the Make do and Mend book which reproduces the leaflets from WWII from the library and its brilliant! If anyone is near a library please do join. It's free and you don't get much for free these days! 

Have a good day everyone. 

spudsmum

cw18 said:

spudsmum said:

Managed to go the whole week without putting the heating on. Just having the electric blanket on for sn hour before we go to bed to take the chill off.

Please don't stop using your heating completely.   Doing so can bring on damp (and mould) in your home, which can lead to serious damage to your property, your belongings AND your health.     Mine is running for less time and at lower temperatures, but it's still running.

I used to run it for about 2 hours in a morning and 6 hours in an evening at 18 - and then boost at the same temperature if I got cool on a day off work.    It now runs for 90 mins in a morning at 17 and 4 hours an evening at 15 for most of the house (one little used south facing room has a smart thermostatic valve, and only gets 60 mins in the morning at 12 - I need to find the money for more such valves for other little used rooms), and if I get cool on a day off it gets put on at 13 or 14.   In the evening I 'top up' with a combination of an extra layer of clothes, a hot water bottle, a thin fleece and a heated throw.   Combined with having reduced how long my immerion heater is turned on for, my gas usage last month was down 360kWh compared to February 2021 - and I'd already started to tweak by then, as I got my Smart control panel and thermostat mid-Dec 2020.

The system cost me £141.47 which was an Ouch!    But 360kWh at April rates is just over £26.40, so the payback period isn't actually very long.   At the fixed rates I was on when I bought it, 360kWh would still have cost me £9.36 - a good saving on my usage.

Dec and Jan were down much the same each month, so it looks to be a fairly consistent saving during the cooler months     I need to go back to my bills from my previous supplier and see if I can populate my spreadsheet with data from the 2020, which would show me how last summer compared to summer 2020.

I found an article which gives average usage for properties by size, and according to that a 4-bed is a medium user with annual usage of 3,500kWh of electricity and 15,000kWh of gas.   I also looked at the average for a 1-bed property as I live alone, and that says 1.800-2,400kWh of electricity and 7,000kWh of gas.     Over the last 12 months (1/2/21 to 31/1/22) I've used 1,429kWh of electricity and 7,517kWh of gas.   

The article only looks at properties that use both gas and electric, and is actually missing figures for 2-bedroomed properties - it gives for 1, 3, 4 and 5 !?!?!?!

Hi @cw18

Thanks for that. 

But honestly it hasn't really been cold enough here to need it on most of the time - the temperature usually drops very late evening hence the electric blankets.

It's mainly my husband and eldest who are terrible for just clicking it on and forgetting about it while walking around in a t shirt and shorts - I'm trying to train them a bit and it seems to be working. 

To be honest it's not really much of a cold house and if it is, it heats up quickly. In our 10 years here i've never felt the need to put it on for more than an hour in the morning - mainly for the kids getting up and bath time.

It's a very old house (c1860) so pre-central heating anyway and designed to survive on minimal heating. 

spudsmum

ancientmum said:

Spudsmum, I've also started using the halogen oven again (it had been retired to a cardboard box under the bed) and only use the big oven when I do a big batch of baking

Yes it's brilliant - we got one when our oven broke and to be honest I never would have bothered replacing the oven except for the fact that my hobby is cake making and the halogen capacity wasn't big enough for cakes. 

I plan to only have the oven on a couple of times a week when I do baking or the occasional nights when everyone ends up eating something different. Also trying to remind my husband to use it as he cooks himself something before work - he has been known in the past to put the whole oven on just to warm through 3 frozen Yorkshire puddings   it's a slow process but I seem, finally, to be getting there. 

2Scratters

Morning Peeps,
Sat here in my outdoor poncho as DH not risen yet (it is his health) and I'm snug. Yesterday ran the WM on a low was and the spin was 1200rpm. So not used to that as previous WM was a 1600. Sales person said there is only an egg cup of difference in the water extraction and the lower speeds are still efficient and better for the machine and electric being drawn. I am convinced it is an ostrich egg cup When pegging out yesterday the clothes did not seem too bad individually from the 1200 spin. (when drying indoors I run the spin cycle that is at 1400) they took no longer to dry so am impressed so far and as better weather is making its way that will be good enough. Not sure about 1200 being dried indoors yet.

@cw18 what is your water temperature set at? Reduce it enough so you don't need to add cold water. (If you don't already do that )

2 Scrattersxx

amber03

Just catching up with everybody took some reading as not been on for a few weeks. Sat here with the CH switched off its always my DH who puts it on,but after a serious talk and him realising how much we waste, he now only puts it on when necessary. Washing hanging out on the line, what needs to be finished off in the TD will be but usually it only takes about 10 mins so not too bad. The stuff that needs to be finished off on radiators will be when the heating will be switched on for about 2 hours tonight. At least it keeps me active running around switching clothes around so they are aired. Usually food shop on a Friday but trying to get out of this habit and shop when the fridge & cupboards are empty. Got our council tax this morning only a £6 monthly increase and the water rates are increasing by 50p a month so happy with them. A few weeks ago we had our CH serviced and the engineer advised us to turn our hot water temp down as he said when running a bath and the likes we wouldn’t have to put as much cold water in. A simple idea but can save money and water.

Hope everyone has a good day.xx

basketcase

@amber03

What temperature did your CH engineer recommend for the hot water?

amber03

Its currently set at 55 degrees and seems fine. Originally it was in the 70’s.