What are you doing to lower your energy bills? 7 May at 12:19PM in Energy 60 replies 4.9K views

gorgeousme

I have 2 fridge freezers for years, but in view of the high energy prices, I have now moved all the cold food into one and switched the second one off. I plan to use the second one to store items that do not need refrigeration e.g. tomatoes, peppers, eggs, butter and root veg.

What are you doing to lower your energy bills? 

luvchocolate

I can do no more..heating been off since first week in March. 
Just fridge freezer and router on..no dishwasher or washing machine. 
I'm in over 55s housing association so have an on site laundry. 
My biggest problem as I'm such a low user it's the daily standing charge I can't control 

DerwentMailman

We made a conscious decision in December 2021 to do something about it (rising energy costs).  Heating has come on but nowhere near what it was in 2021.  .  When it does, thermostat is now set no higher than 18C.  We use  a heated throw to keep us cosy in the evening watching TV rather than ramping up the CH.  We now put more layers on when it gets chilly as well.  Washing is done on warmer/sunnier days, if possible, keeping any tumble dryer (heat pump) usage to an absolute minimum.  Electric oven is used more for batch cooking (we make bread no more than once a week - 3 loaves at a time).  Grilling has almost ceased and we use more frugal slow cookers/air fryer used instead of the oven whenever possible.  Forget jacket potatoes being alone in the oven for 90 mins or so.  Both electricity and gas usage are much lower than in 2021 so far.  My usage for the 12 months to June 2021 was 10,000 kWh Gas and 3500 kWh Electric whereas now it is heading towards 8000 kWh gas and 2700 kWh Electric when the end of the month comes.  More savings between now and December 2022 for sure. 

maisie_cat

I plugged an inline meter in to gauge how much power all the free standing appliances use.
We are no longer using the tumble dryer and the oven possibly once a week.
We are using the dishwasher but less frequently, hubby is a terrible loader and would often put a half empty dishwasher on!
We established that the chest freezer uses about 0.3kwh/day so no need to turn that off.
The heating has been off for a few weeks, we use wood pellets and it's much easier to gauge when you are using a 15kg bag a day. Now we are using a bag a week for hot water only, it's been good weather here for clothes drying, We have a wood burner and our own free seasoned wood to warm the snug in the evening.
We were consuming 10-11 KWh per day and now are using 8 KWh

Sea_Shell

We used to routinely reheat the hot water (tank) mid morning (off gas), but realised that by only doing it the once (7am) then turning it off, we're saving quite a bit. 

We don't run out most days even after two showers, 2 bowls of washing up and some routine cleaning.

That and a new boiler (which had been on the to-do list for ages).   No more pilot light!!!


Our annual gas appears to have dropped from a steady average over many years of 13,000 kWhs, to under 10,000.   But is was a mild winter, so true comparisons are tricky.

Once we have a few more years of data, we'll have a clearer picture.

alicef

We have 1 fridge & 2 freezers.  I wouldn't be without any of them as the freezers enable us to preserve our home grown produce (the produce we don't pickle/dehydrate preserve by some other means) plus the meat we receive in exchange from letting out grazing and fish, when my partner goes on a fishing trip; also the freezers enable us to take advantage of marked down items that can be frozen.   

I have started to turn off at the plug instead of leaving items on standby and have mixed my washing.  We don't tumble dry and don't use a dish washer.  I'm hoping by being a bit more mindful I could aim  for between 5-10% reduction on electricity usage (currently on approx 200kwH/month). 

Froglet

I cook new potatoes and carrots in the microwave in a covered glass dish,with just enough water to.cover them.I cook them for about a third of the.time it would take on a hob.I also cook chips in the air fryer instead of the oven,this halves cooking time.

Baked potatoes I pierce with a long implement such as a knitting needle right through from one side to the other in four places,then cook for up to 5 minutes in the microwave,depending on size,before baking in the oven.This cuts the time down by at least half.

We have.never liked the central heating up high,so don't waste gas that way,but a hot water bottle provides extra heat and lasts  for ages once the heating goes off. 

peter_the_piper

Froglet said:

Baked potatoes I pierce with a long implement such as a knitting needle right through from one side to the other in four places,then cook for up to 5 minutes in the microwave,depending on size,before baking in the oven.This cuts the time down by at least half.

Why not try baking them in the air fryer, we do and they taste/look much better than microwave and cheaper than turning on the oven. Wipe skins with oil, delish.

MaryNB

Thermostat down to 16 from 18. Use a heated throw more often. Have only switched the heating on once since mid March. More careful planning about when I put washing on so I can make the most of drying clothes outside rather than using the dryer. 

My dehumidifier is the issue at the moment so I'm going to fit trickle vents to my windows. 

Astria

peter_the_piper said:

Froglet said:

Baked potatoes I pierce with a long implement such as a knitting needle right through from one side to the other in four places,then cook for up to 5 minutes in the microwave,depending on size,before baking in the oven.This cuts the time down by at least half.

Why not try baking them in the air fryer, we do and they taste/look much better than microwave and cheaper than turning on the oven. Wipe skins with oil, delish.

I do pretty much everything in the air fryer since I bought it, chips, fish, burgers, potatoes, even left over takeaway.

Have a gas oven but not sure if it would actually be cheaper to use that or the air fryer, but the latter is definitely quicker. Maybe I should do a comparison, hmmm...

Sterlingtimes

I read that Rishi Sunak is to heat his new swimming pool to a constant 24 degrees. Rishi is a brave man swimming in such a cold pool. I much prefer to go to my local university pool which is heated to a constant 29 degrees. 

I cannot think that I will do anything differently.