Usage advice please

pochase

A fridge freezer will only run a few minutes each time the temperature goes above a certain level. SO when you switch overnight it will run much longer until the temperature is reached again.

Not sure if that will be less than switching on several times, but is it worth the risk of forgetting it once and throwing away the whole content? You probably could run the fridge freezer for a long time for the cost of the wasted food.

Sea_Shell

If an item puts out heat, or generates heat it's going to be using more power than something that doesn't.

So anything that feels warm to the touch....switch off when not in use.

xeny

beautifulmist said:

This evening i wondered about some items and checked the computer. We leave it on 24/7 i had no idea it uses about 200 watts per hour, it will be less on standby . .

If that is doing nothing, then there's probably considerable scope for reducing the power draw by adjusting the settings. I'm responsible for managing a lot of fairly beefy workstations, and they typically draw well under 100W at idle. Obviously you can set it to sleep when not in use, but no point using twice as much power as you need when just browsing the web.

Alnat1

Get one of the many gadgets on the market that can show you the energy being used, at a moment or over time, by any plugged in item. I use a Tapo P110, cost £10 and doubles up as a smart plug.

You can check if microwaves/kettles/washing machines etc. are using power when not actually being used.

You can check the standby use of tv/set top box/sound system etc.

You can plug in you fridge/freezer for 24 hours an check it's average use.

You can plug in your kids x-box, show them how much it costs and also remotely switch it off standby when they forget!

poppy10_2

MattMattMattUK said:

People go around turning off TV's in standby at night, to save less than 0.5 watts power draw, most modern TVs that will be below 0.25 watts. They turn Google Home or Amazon Echos off at night, with a similar <0.5 watt power draw, they think that turning off mobile chargers at the wall will save them a lot of money where as it save nothing (They do not draw power unless they are plugged into a phone).

Modern bulbs use very little, 8-9 watts is pretty much the maximum for LEDs and many are in the 4-5 watt range.

Yes, so many myths around. Very annoying when newspapers and forum posters start talking about unplugging modern devices like we are back in the 80s when there was significant standby power draw

TheGardener

MattMattMattUK said:

"....People go around turning off TV's in standby at night, to save less than 0.5 watts power draw, most modern TVs that will be below 0.25 watts. They turn Google Home or Amazon Echos off at night, with a similar <0.5 watt power draw, they think that turning off mobile chargers at the wall will save them a lot of money where as it save nothing (They do not draw power unless they are plugged into a phone)..."

Personally, I don't think that's the right mind-set for what most of us need to do. Many of us have done the 'big stuff' : turned down the flow and water temp on our boilers, reduced our shower times, checked/topped up the loft insulation, changed all our lightbulbs to LED, are using the big fan oven less...most of us are now onto 'salami slicing savings' so turning one TV off may be <0.5 but in a big family home like ours there are 4 TVs + their attendant digiboxes and 6 phone chargers, and 3 laptops and 2 games machines.and...and...and it matters now that every tiny amount of wattage counts - less than a watt multiplied by a large family's tec appliances does count over time. You know what they say "look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves" and "every little helps" and it feels at least like we are actually DOING something no matter how small the saving might be. 

BROKEN

If you have multiple plugs in an extension they can use about 9KWs a day so I suggest getting smart plugs. Last month I found out I was using 13KWs from 7.30am to 1700pm.Blamed my son for the usage but it was the WIFE. So we now have 3 smart plugs in his room,3 smart plugs our Room, All Fused switches are turned off(dishwasher or tumble drier use these).If you have an electric Shower turn it off (2KWs a day) Boiler comes on for 2hours during the night for water. 
So from 07.30am till 1700hrs, then I only use 2Kws which is for Fridge Freezer, Kettle and Internet. 
I actually got it down to 1Kw one day when I turned everything off apart from Fridge Freezer.  

TheGardener

funny.money said:

TheGardener said:

Lots of sites already provide this information - try this site -  You can set the tariff rate 
Electricity Cost Calculator - How much do your appliances, heaters cost to run? (sust-it.net)

Unless it's a big gaming computer it shouldn't use that much power should it?

 " Simply enter the amount of electricity the appliance uses (in Watts or KiloWatts) and the length of time it is used (in Hours or Minutes), then instantly see the cost."

Do all electrical items have this info on them somewhere.  I'm presuming if this info isn't available then there's no way to find out the running cost using this or a similar site. 

Btw, I have recently bought one of those plugs that you can programme the cost into and see what a particular appliance is using. 

Most things in our house do have the watts on a label, usually, underneath - those that don't we looked up the product on currys or amazon and found the info on the 'specifications' page

MSE_Laura_F

Thanks for the suggestion, @beautifulmist.

My colleague has added a new table here to show ballpark figures for the running costs of various appliances. Costs are based on the upcoming average price cap rate:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips/#appliances-14

chris_n

MSE_Laura_F said:

Thanks for the suggestion, @beautifulmist.

My colleague has added a new table here to show ballpark figures for the running costs of various appliances. Costs are based on the upcoming average price cap rate

The table is incorrect at the moment, it says a 10W lightbulb costs 52p per hour!