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The new normal: £2 to tumble-dry and £45 a year for a smart doorbell
The new normal: £2 to tumble-dry and £45 a year for a smart doorbell | Money | The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk)
The price of using a tumble dryer will top £2 a cycle from October, when the running costs of everyday electrical appliances will nearly double under Ofgem’s new price cap. The price per unit of gas will more than double from 7.34p per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 15p, and the cost per unit of electricity will rise 83 per cent from 28.34p to 52p.
Although most energy usage over the winter will go on heating, the huge rise in prices will make even the most everyday things more expensive. Under the old price cap running a Bosch 7kg tumble dryer would cost £1.16 for a typical cycle, but from October it will cost £2.13.
Five minutes in a typical boiler-powered shower costs 8p at the moment but will be 18p from October and boiling a litre of water in an electric kettle will go from 3.11p to 5.72p.
The price of running a normal-sized fridge freezer will rise from £69.14 a year to £127 and a large American-style fridge freezer from £115.91 to £213. Roasting a chicken for an hour in an oven at 170C will go up from 21p to 38.6p.
Not all cuts make a big difference. Turning off TVs at the wall saves little because their power consumption has been capped at 0.5 watts since 2013. Even at higher rates, if you left a TV on standby for a year it would only cost £2.28.
Energy-saving tips that are most worth doing include ditching the tumble dryer and air-drying your washing or using a heated clothing rack, which is cheaper.
If you need extra warmth but do not want to turn on the central heating, an electric radiator, which is set to cost 78p an hour from October, might be a good option. Swap any old lightbulbs for LEDs which are more energy-efficient, and consider batch cooking so you use your oven less, as reheating something in the microwave for five minutes is cheaper.
A John Lewis 6-litre slow cooker uses 1.68kWh of electricity over six hours. This costs 48p now and 87.4p from October. Consumption varies depending on the setting, so using it on high for a shorter period, rather than low for longer, can cost less than an oven.
Frying chicken in an air fryer takes about 15 minutes and would consume 0.35kWh of electricity. This would cost you 9.9p now and 18.2p from October, much cheaper than an oven.
The other important thing to consider is getting the most energy-efficient appliances. The most energy-efficient fridge-freezer, the LG GBB92MCBAP, costs £40.63 a year to run at the current price cap, according to the consumer group Which? The least efficient fridge it tested, the Hotpoint FFU3D W 1, costs £178.66.
It might be worth investing in a heat pump tumble dryer, which is far more efficient to run than a standard one as it re-uses warm air. At about £650 they are more expensive to buy but from October they will cost 97p per cycle, compared with £2.13 for a standard dryer.
Comments
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It's still not going to stop the media stories about pensioners having to sit in the dark, where the journalist doesn't bother to point out that it will cost a few pence. Or the unplug your phone charger nonsense.
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[Deleted User] said:It's still not going to stop the media stories about pensioners having to sit in the dark, where the journalist doesn't bother to point out that it will cost a few pence. Or the unplug your phone charger nonsense.
Yeah, and in my experience those who cut back excessively usually can afford it, but are too mean to spend anything. I know a couple who takes bulbs out where the light fitting has several bulbs, and sits with the smart meters facing their chair so they can be alarmed at any energy use and panic. Millionaires btw.
Mr Generous - Landlord for more than 10 years. Generous? - Possibly but sarcastic more likely.3 -
Mr.Generous said:Millionaires btw.I am old enough to remember the 70s/80s when most young couples lost all their savings and, if they were homeowners, ended up with negative equity.9
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A light bulb currently 1.8p an hour? That is more than 60w. Have they heard about LED? Absolute scaremongering.
`
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how does a ring doorbell "cost" that in electricity? Am I missing something?
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IF you need to buy a new appliance, then definitely looking for the most efficient you can afford, is the way to go.
But certainly not worth throwing away perfectly good washing machines or fridges to save a few £ a month, and spend £600+ on a new one !5 -
I thought that as well @pochase. There's too many people think sitting in the dark will save them a fortune, rubbish like that only makes it worse.
The "5 minutes in the shower" is way too vague, what kind of shower? electric? heated from boiler/tank?
Fridge freezers vary a lot, the American one I scrapped after Tapo testing would have cost me £450/year.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 Outgoing0 -
mr_stripey said:how does a ring doorbell "cost" that in electricity? Am I missing something?It looks like they've counted it as 10 watts for 24h a day, every day.I have no idea if 10W is an accurate number.N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!1 -
QrizB said:mr_stripey said:how does a ring doorbell "cost" that in electricity? Am I missing something?It looks like they've counted it as 10 watts for 24h a day, every day.I have no idea if 10W is an accurate number.
Maybe there is a mains wired version?1 -
The price quoted for a shower seems very low?
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