Windup camping lights & stove

Kostandia

I'm beginning to wonder in my great fear of heating bills next winter whether I should prepare to resort to desperate measures: switch my boiler off completely, tell energy company i'm not using anything, and instead live in one room with a wood stove and use wind-up camping lights. I could use my outdoor shed as a cold larder (switch frudge freezer off), and handwash clothes. And a little gas camping stove to make tea/cook food and flannel wash.
I'm serious, I'm not joking. Is it possible to switch everything off and de-register with energy company?

Mstty

You know what this is how houses were heated when I was a kid (just) but more my parents generation.

One room heated and you went to bed in winter with ice on the inside of the window!!!

Cutting back should be sufficient not extremes as you are suggesting.

What is your yearly energy usage for electricity and gas?

pochase

You cannot just deregister with your energy company, you need to get your meters removed and will be charged for it. Otherwise you will still need to pay the standing charges.

I assume you only want to do this for winter, as your shed will not work very well as a fridge in summer, you will than need to get meters again in spring and pay again for them. 

Cost for the removal of meters seems to be very different, I have seen here amounts of 75£ per meter to several hundred pounds, and it might take several months.

GingerTim

And it can be even more expensive to reinstate the meters, which would be an issue if, say, you were the owner and wanted to sell the property.

(If renting I presume you would need a landlord's permission to remove the meters, which I suspect they would be unlikely to agree to).

facade

You will also need a large amount of dried wood, if your woodburner smokes the neighbours wont like it and dob you in for a fine.

Willow (recommended as a biofuel crop) takes 4 years to grow and 3 months under cover to dry, even if you have sufficient land to grow enough.

There is a limit to how much free seasoned wood you can get, and it needs storing undercover. Bought firewood is expensive.

Better to turn down the radiators in all but one room- move the thermostat to that room, have thick curtains and keep them closed, and keep the doors closed too.

Ultrasonic

It is possible to use a central heating system to predominantly heat just the rooms you really need at any point and I save considerable energy by doing just this. That I what I'd suggest you do for next winter. If it's useful, my total gas use over the last year was 3200 kWh as a single occupant of a 3 bedroom detached house, although I am out at work during the day on weekdays.

(Amongst other things, not using the heating at all would run the risk of pipes freezing and bursting.)

FreeBear

facade said: Willow (recommended as a biofuel crop) takes 4 years to grow and 3 months under cover to dry, even if you have sufficient land to grow enough.

Trouble is willow, like any other fast growing tree, burns very quickly. You'd need three or even four times as much compared to say ash or oak. In an urban environment, heating purely with wood is not really a viable option.

Kostandia

Thanks everyone, so it seems my idea is scuppered!  My unit usages are always very frugal even in winter...it's the new increases standing charges that I'm horrified at. Rounding it up, standing charges will be a max of £1 a day...so thats £365 a year for !!!!!! all if we are dramatically reducing our units usage. That's £365 a year for thin air.

FreeBear

Kostandia said: Rounding it up, standing charges will be a max of £1 a day...so thats £365 a year for !!!!!! all if we are dramatically reducing our units usage. That's £365 a year for thin air.

You can either pay the standing charges or see the government rake in the money via other channels - Putting up income tax, VAT, or council tax. One way or another, you are going to end up paying along with the rest of us.

Ultrasonic

Kostandia said:

Thanks everyone, so it seems my idea is scuppered!  My unit usages are always very frugal even in winter...it's the new increases standing charges that I'm horrified at. Rounding it up, standing charges will be a max of £1 a day...so thats £365 a year for !!!!!! all if we are dramatically reducing our units usage. That's £365 a year for thin air.

By rounding up you've actually made that seem quite a bit more than I bet you'll actually be paying. And try not to think of it for paying for thin air but for provision of your gas and electricity supplies (plus other things).

Ectophile

FreeBear said:

facade said: Willow (recommended as a biofuel crop) takes 4 years to grow and 3 months under cover to dry, even if you have sufficient land to grow enough.

Trouble is willow, like any other fast growing tree, burns very quickly. You'd need three or even four times as much compared to say ash or oak. In an urban environment, heating purely with wood is not really a viable option.

I know somebody who's only heating is firewood. And when the sun isn't shining, that includes hot water.

And all that wood was free.