What are you doing to lower your energy bills?

Astria

sale_of_the_century said:

Also being a retired engineer I have set up a recycling system for spent washing water from the washing machine and water from upstairs shower and use this grey water for the downstairs loo ( via a tank and a small pump driven by solar / ups ) it’s been my hobby for past year and has cut down the water bill drastically!

and as an added bonus I bet your toilet is soapy now too

Who wouldn't want that?

Mstty

victor2 said:

Replaced our 26 year old American fridge/freezer 10 months ago with a new one. Rolling annual usage of electricity has dropped by 646kWh without any other significant change in consumption. Never expected the fridge to pay for itself in savings from improved efficiency, but with the price of electricity, that is around £340 in savings per annum if I were on an SVR tariff. Might pay for itself eventually, but it's nice to see electricity usage drop anyway.

Surely if you are saving 646kwh a year that's £180-190 a year saving on the current SVT (28-29.47p) not £340?

Still a great saving👍

pochase

Somewhere in between as the 646KWh is for 10 months, so the annual savings will be 20% higher.

victor2

Mstty said:

victor2 said:

Replaced our 26 year old American fridge/freezer 10 months ago with a new one. Rolling annual usage of electricity has dropped by 646kWh without any other significant change in consumption. Never expected the fridge to pay for itself in savings from improved efficiency, but with the price of electricity, that is around £340 in savings per annum if I were on an SVR tariff. Might pay for itself eventually, but it's nice to see electricity usage drop anyway.

Surely if you are saving 646kwh a year that's £180-190 a year saving on the current SVT (28-29.47p) not £340?

Still a great saving👍

You're right. My error! 

Coffeekup

[Deleted User] said:

 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. 

Mine 4 year's ago was similar usage figures as yourself for the year. I have this year got mine down to 1,300 units or electric and 4,500 for gas.
Unfortunately if the predicted price rises of around 30% in October, my monthly cost will average out at £110 a month if I use the same amount bas energy over the next year, where as £4 years ago it was £50 a month and I was using more than twice the energy.

On the plus side of everyone made cut backs it's less co2 released into the atmosphere.

UncannyScot

I contacted the eight legged provider today for a quote to move away from BG...

Currently on smart metered PAYG with BG. I am fed up of paying more each month than everyone else (higher tarrifs and standing charges) and just want to change to a provider that actively seeks to help their customers rather than milking them dry...

According to the nice lass I spoke to at the eight legged provider, after 3 months with them I would be able to switch from PAYG to credit meters (smart of course) and pay by monthly DD. This should mean that I'll be paying less than what I would have been if I'd just stayed with BG, as I'd no longer be paying the higher charges for energy and standing charges etc.
  

pochase

UncannyScot said:

I contacted the eight legged provider today for a quote to move away from BG...

Currently on smart metered PAYG with BG. I am fed up of paying more each month than everyone else (higher tarrifs and standing charges) and just want to change to a provider that actively seeks to help their customers rather than milking them dry...

According to the nice lass I spoke to at the eight legged provider, after 3 months with them I would be able to switch from PAYG to credit meters (smart of course) and pay by monthly DD. This should mean that I'll be paying less than what I would have been if I'd just stayed with BG, as I'd no longer be paying the higher charges for energy and standing charges etc.
  

Sorry, but it is not correct that you are paying higher unit rates. Amazingly the unit rates for prepaid are now cheaper than the unit rates for credit. I have just done two quotes for my region and the unit rate for electricity on prepaid is 28.99p while for credit customers it is 29.24p

The standing charge is more expensive, 42,88p vs 37.918, so prepaid is £18.11 more expensive before the savings you will get on the cheaper unit rates. For 2000KWh the savings is £5, so prepaid will be £13.11 more expensive.

UncannyScot

Hi pochase,

Thanks for the info.

I'm just waiting on them giving me a quote, which of course I will check and compare but I am hoping to able to get away from BG as they, to put it quite bluntly, don't give a monkeys about looking after their customers...

pochase

That is a completely different story, and if Octopus is giving you a credit meter even better.

I just wanted to let you know that the savings might be not as big as you expect, especially if they put you up for a direct debit that is much higher than what you really use.

UncannyScot

Thanks pochase,

Aye, what I am aiming for is getting smart credit meters ASAP.

As you say, the savings might not be as big as I expect but to get away from BG and on to a proper credit smart metered system and paying by monthly DD (hopefully not too high) will be better in the long run.