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Energy saving tips

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  • Sea_Shell
    Sea_Shell Posts: 10,004 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Petriix said:
    The advice to use shorter washing cycles is totally misleading. Often the 'Eco' wash which uses the lowest total energy and water is the longest by a considerable amount. It achieves this by allowing the clothes longer to soak in the detergent while using lower temperatures and slower spin speeds. The correct advice should be to check the user manual and use the lowest energy cycle.

    The advice to turn things off standby has been much debated but ultimately (with  modern devices) the savings are negligible.

    Not charging phones overnight is just nonsense: the phone will use the same amount of energy overall when it's on whether it's charging or running on battery.

    The curtains thing is backwards: keep the curtains closed in summer to avoid getting too hot but open on sunny winter's days to let the heat in, then closed on winter's nights to keep the heat in.

    Many of the other points aren't really energy saving advice.

    Ultimately it's about only using as much heat as you really need, and being precious with the heat that you do create...

    Turn the heating down, heat fewer rooms for less time. Use high power appliances for less time and less frequently. Wash hands in cold water. Turn the shower off while you lather up. Turn stuff off when not in use (don't have the TV on all day etc). Use more efficient appliances and run eco cycles. Warm yourself rather than the whole house.

    I had a thread/poll (RIP) in old DT on that very subject.  IIRC it was overwhelming more in the keep it running camp, than turn it off.  I always turn off whilst lathering.   Some people thought me bonkers 🤣


    I wonder how many of those people are now seeing the error of their ways. 😇
    How's it going, AKA, Nutwatch? - 12 month spends to date = 2.60% of current retirement "pot" (as at end May 2025)
  • lindatoo
    lindatoo Posts: 61 Forumite
    10 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper
    Effician said:
    If people were to approach energy saving more like a canny shopper they would realise how far they can stretch the kWh budget, but to do this they would have to know what their appliances/gadgets & heating actually cost to use in their individual situation.
    A canny shopper will know the cost of goods compared to other stores , cost per kilo or litre, very rarely buy stuff & let it go to waste etc,etc, but when it comes to energy it seems few people use a similar approach when in reality it's not that far removed from everyday shopping but only works if you know the cost of each item.



    i recently undertook the exercise working out how much my appliances cost using an online calculator and for me the biggest thing i got out of it was lighting, if you are not using energy efficient bulbs, you need to change them. use the lowest wattage that you can manage with and always turn them off when they are not needed. Oh how my Dad used to moan at us when I was kid, I finally get it.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 24 August 2022 at 8:46PM
    Boiling eggs costs nothing ... true, bear with me...

    This thread reminds me of when I worked for British Gas in the 90s when they only sold gas. When the first energy-saving light bulbs came out, the CFL types, they were giving them away for free and I couldn't understand why. 

    Somebody explained to me how energy-saving light bulbs increased gas consumption - yes hard to believe but they do.

    So when your heating is on, the thermostat is set at whatever say 20C then your gas boiler outputs X kWh to heat the house. But a 100-watt light bulb contributed 100 Wh of heat to the room, so the gas boiler doesn't need to provide that energy. Drop the bulb to 20 watts and now the gas heating needs to provide an additional 80 Wh of energy to your room to keep it at exactly the same temperature.

    Anyway, my point is, if you boil your egg with gas whilst the gas heating for the house is switched on, then it costs you nothing at all because all the heat that goes into heating the water and the egg is ultimately retained in your house (provided you don't sling the hot water down the sink when you are done).

    So if boiling the egg uses say 100Wh of gas (guessing) then all that heat energy goes into heating the house and therefore your gas central heating will reduce output by 100Wh and the thermostat will knock it off sooner due to the contribution of the heat from your hob.

    Interestingly the heat from your hob is 100% efficient - all the heat stays in your house, unlike the boiler where some escapes through the flue - so actually you save money boiling an egg when the heating is on.

    But on the other hand, you don't get the energy back that you used to heat the water from the typical 10C out of the tap to room temp, which is lost forever. To avoid this use some old kettle water that was wasted when you boiled too much or catch some shower water to use to boil the eggs.

    In summary:

    1. Always boil your eggs when the heating is switched on
    2. Use gas to boil your eggs for cheapness
    3. Don't discard the hot water, leave it in the room and allow it to cool to room temperature before discarding it to get the heat back from it into the house.
    4. Don't refrigerate your eggs, it just costs more energy to cool them. Boil them as and when you need them subject to above 1-3.
    5. For ultimate saving use some clean wastewater that you previously heated - eg shower/bath/kettle.

    Enjoy your free boiled eggs.
  • TheBanker
    TheBanker Posts: 2,217 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 9 May 2024 at 12:42PM
    Boiling eggs costs nothing ... true, bear with me...

    This thread reminds me of when I worked for British Gas in the 90s when they only sold gas. When the first energy-saving light bulbs came out, the CFL types, they were giving them away for free and I couldn't understand why. 

    Somebody explained to me how energy-saving light bulbs increased gas consumption - yes hard to believe but they do.

    So when your heating is on, the thermostat is set at whatever say 20C then your gas boiler outputs X kWh to heat the house. But a 100-watt light bulb contributed 100 Wh of heat to the room, so the gas boiler doesn't need to provide that energy. Drop the bulb to 20 watts and now the gas heating needs to provide an additional 80 Wh of energy to your room to keep it at exactly the same temperature.

    Anyway, my point is, if you boil your egg with gas whilst the gas heating for the house is switched on, then it costs you nothing at all because all the heat that goes into heating the water and the egg is ultimately retained in your house (provided you don't sling the hot water down the sink when you are done).

    So if boiling the egg uses say 100Wh of gas (guessing) then all that heat energy goes into heating the house and therefore your gas central heating will reduce output by 100Wh and the thermostat will knock it off sooner due to the contribution of the heat from your hob.

    Interestingly the heat from your hob is 100% efficient - all the heat stays in your house, unlike the boiler where some escapes through the flue - so actually you save money boiling an egg when the heating is on.

    But on the other hand, you don't get the energy back that you used to heat the water from the typical 10C out of the tap to room temp, which is lost forever. To avoid this use some old kettle water that was wasted when you boiled too much or catch some shower water to use to boil the eggs.

    In summary:

    1. Always boil your eggs when the heating is switched on
    2. Use gas to boil your eggs for cheapness
    3. Don't discard the hot water, leave it in the room and allow it to cool to room temperature before discarding it to get the heat back from it into the house.
    4. Don't refrigerate your eggs, it just costs more energy to cool them. Boil them as and when you need them subject to above 1-3.
    5. For ultimate saving use some clean wastewater that you previously heated - eg shower/bath/kettle.

    Enjoy your free boiled eggs.
    That's what I love about this forum. Eggselent advice.
  • Alnat1
    Alnat1 Posts: 3,836 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    This has made me think. We should never allow hot water to go down the plughole.

    If you have a bath or wash the dishes, leave the water until it's gone cold, then pull the plug/empty the bowl.
    Barnsley, South Yorkshire
    Solar PV 5.25kWp SW facing (14 x 375) Lux 3.6kw hybrid inverter installed Mar 22 and 9.6kw Pylontech battery 
    Daikin 8kW ASHP installed Jan 25
    Octopus Cosy/Fixed Outgoing 
  • Alnat1
    Alnat1 Posts: 3,836 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    Another thought, take your eggs into the bath with you, they will have warmed up a bit before your boil them in your bath water.
    Barnsley, South Yorkshire
    Solar PV 5.25kWp SW facing (14 x 375) Lux 3.6kw hybrid inverter installed Mar 22 and 9.6kw Pylontech battery 
    Daikin 8kW ASHP installed Jan 25
    Octopus Cosy/Fixed Outgoing 
  • Soot2006
    Soot2006 Posts: 2,184 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I think I use more energy reading these threads on my computer than I used to.
    I often work from home, so the increase in costs is certainly making me rethink this. But. I would have a 100km roundtrip commute if I went to the office and petrol isn't cheap either. Never had to reeeeeally think of it this way before. Just used what we needed, petrol, gas, electricity. We're not big users at all. I assumed well under average but, like many, having done recent tests at home and looked into our annual usage, I realised we ARE the average for electricity. Much lower than average for gas. There's nothing on that isn't needed. My PC, fridge/freezer + second freezer, outside security light (rarely comes on), smart meter, modem/router/whatever they're called nowadays, phone charger at night, lights if can't see, oven/hob for food, kettles twice a day. That's it. Even Alexa is switched off at the mains now. Don't do excessive dish/clothes washing, don't even do excessive human washing. Yet we are the average household. Two freezers is a luxury but they are required in our case.
    Have invested a lot into insulation and new windows over the last few years, but that's all huge costs as well.
  • Ally_E.
    Ally_E. Posts: 396 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Alnat1 said:
    Another thought, take your eggs into the bath with you, they will have warmed up a bit before your boil them in your bath water.
    It's good for the waste pipe as dislodged any grease and grime that was collecting 
  • Phlik
    Phlik Posts: 1,088 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Sea_Shell said:
    Petriix said:
    The advice to use shorter washing cycles is totally misleading. Often the 'Eco' wash which uses the lowest total energy and water is the longest by a considerable amount. It achieves this by allowing the clothes longer to soak in the detergent while using lower temperatures and slower spin speeds. The correct advice should be to check the user manual and use the lowest energy cycle.

    The advice to turn things off standby has been much debated but ultimately (with  modern devices) the savings are negligible.

    Not charging phones overnight is just nonsense: the phone will use the same amount of energy overall when it's on whether it's charging or running on battery.

    The curtains thing is backwards: keep the curtains closed in summer to avoid getting too hot but open on sunny winter's days to let the heat in, then closed on winter's nights to keep the heat in.

    Many of the other points aren't really energy saving advice.

    Ultimately it's about only using as much heat as you really need, and being precious with the heat that you do create...

    Turn the heating down, heat fewer rooms for less time. Use high power appliances for less time and less frequently. Wash hands in cold water. Turn the shower off while you lather up. Turn stuff off when not in use (don't have the TV on all day etc). Use more efficient appliances and run eco cycles. Warm yourself rather than the whole house.

    I had a thread/poll (RIP) in old DT on that very subject.  IIRC it was overwhelming more in the keep it running camp, than turn it off.  I always turn off whilst lathering.   Some people thought me bonkers 🤣


    I wonder how many of those people are now seeing the error of their ways. 😇
    I've always showered this way, not for money saving it just seemed wasteful not to. 
  • Alnat1 said:
    This has made me think. We should never allow hot water to go down the plughole.

    If you have a bath or wash the dishes, leave the water until it's gone cold, then pull the plug/empty the bowl.

    Sure you might get some heat but you also get condensation and then mould so I wouldn't recommend this.
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