EDF have upped our monthly DD to £860, equivalent to £10,300 per year for our 3 bedroom semi

Spoonie_Turtle

ariarnia said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

Interesting tweet, "I am not alone".

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1582106925713326080

She has a wood burner, which is a) not an option for a lot of people, b) still really bad for the environment, and c) only not expensive if it's already installed and wood is available cheaply or free.

It's also not at all the same thing as having to turn the central heating off in homes where that is the only space heating.  That whole thread really annoyed me, and the snippets of the article I've seen were no better.

Fair points, but how come the thread annoyed you?

The thread that summarised the article, because it's the same tone disconnected from reality.  The 'if I can do it so can everyone else' mentality that refuses to consider maybe different people have different circumstances and needs and <gasp> preferences.  Part of the article someone screenshotted said that central heating encourages laziness, which is a bit of a trigger word for me, belonging to a demographic routinely characterised as lazy entitled scroungers by both the media and the government.

don';t tell me your a GASP millenial!!

Not just a Millennial (I actually wasn't even thinking of that ) but a disabled Millennial having to *claim benefits*   The only main box I don't tick on the blame bingo is originating from abroad.

Edit: sorry OP for taking this further off-topic than it was already going!

mroshaw

Day 4 of no tumble drier... things are getting desperate. From every hook, handle and overhang there now dangles drying football kit, t-shirts, underpants and school clothes. Any surface is now game, including guests that stand still for too long. Word is our dinner guests from Saturday are still here, somewhere. Probably under that Pokemon Gengar single duvet cover in the dining room.

The children are restless, angered by the delay in drying their jammies, cropped tops, Tottenham kit and gym wear. Our supply of comedy holiday t-shirts grows lower each day. We can't hold them back forever! What we're we thinking?

What's that? Why, the 30 degree cycle has ended yet again. The washing machines mournful "beep beep" mocks me, signalling yet another load, yet another quest to find drying space. I must go.

If you're reading this, please send help. A minky 3 tier drying rack, clean and dry "I heart Mallorca" tshirts, anything. An Argos radiator dryer, we're really not precious at this stage.

Chrysalis

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

Interesting tweet, "I am not alone".

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1582106925713326080

She has a wood burner, which is a) not an option for a lot of people, b) still really bad for the environment, and c) only not expensive if it's already installed and wood is available cheaply or free.

It's also not at all the same thing as having to turn the central heating off in homes where that is the only space heating.  That whole thread really annoyed me, and the snippets of the article I've seen were no better.

Fair points, but how come the thread annoyed you?

The thread that summarised the article, because it's the same tone disconnected from reality.  The 'if I can do it so can everyone else' mentality that refuses to consider maybe different people have different circumstances and needs and <gasp> preferences.  Part of the article someone screenshotted said that central heating encourages laziness, which is a bit of a trigger word for me, belonging to a demographic routinely characterised as lazy entitled scroungers by both the media and the government.

Yeah thats fair, I always try to put in my posts now about me not using heating, that it helps that I am tolerant to the cold and how I have lived in the past.  Of course also people with certain health conditions, but at the same time I feel there could have been a campaign this winter to encourage people to turn down their thermostats by 1C.

theoretica

Once your smart meter is in and functioning, you might want to consider the app Bright - which should let you see your use by the half hour.  Useful for then hunting the cause of peaks or correlating with what went on in the house.

Laundry - do you have outside space?  I hang things outside and then if needed give them a finishing touch over the radiators.

BooJewels

@mroshaw - do you need to go full cold turkey with the no tumble dryer?  Could you not prioritise on time-sensitive laundry to get dry and let less urgent items to dry naturally?  Or use it for less time to finish off largely air dried items.

I did an experiment recently (outlined in another thread) in respect of additional spin cycles and how much extra liquid it got out of laundry - I quantified it by weighing a single garment after each additional spin and when dry - and it was my own conclusion that the <2p extra in electricity by the washing machine was worth it - for me - it got around 19% of the water the garment held out by spinning a couple of times more, after the initial one at the conclusion of the cycle.  I didn't do a drying time comparison as I didn't have more than one garment the same.

If you really do want to consider alternative drying methods and have room at ceiling height for one - I have a pulley operated airer and absolutely swear by it.  You can buy them as complete kits for around 70 quid - but buy the individual components in a hardware store for a fraction of that.

NeverendingDMP

mroshaw said:

Day 4 of no tumble drier... things are getting desperate. From every hook, handle and overhang there now dangles drying football kit, t-shirts, underpants and school clothes. Any surface is now game, including guests that stand still for too long. Word is our dinner guests from Saturday are still here, somewhere. Probably under that Pokemon Gengar single duvet cover in the dining room.

The children are restless, angered by the delay in drying their jammies, cropped tops, Tottenham kit and gym wear. Our supply of comedy holiday t-shirts grows lower each day. We can't hold them back forever! What we're we thinking?

What's that? Why, the 30 degree cycle has ended yet again. The washing machines mournful "beep beep" mocks me, signalling yet another load, yet another quest to find drying space. I must go.

If you're reading this, please send help. A minky 3 tier drying rack, clean and dry "I heart Mallorca" tshirts, anything. An Argos radiator dryer, we're really not precious at this stage.

Totally agree, drying washing is a nightmare. Having the maiden in front of a window which gets the sun, clothes on the line then ten minutes in dryer at end are all good tips but in all honesty I'm really struggling with this as I'm using central heating the least as possible and I can't get any washing done.  Not cold enough to have heating on longer but not warmer enough to dry endless washing/swim kits/sports kits etc is it. 
I'd go with regular spot checks and daily meter readings that you can guess your costs from till you find your happy medium

Workerdrone

Spoonie_Turtle said:

mroshaw said:

k_man said:

You may need to turn the heating up in the office (or possibly the room above) now though, as that constant 550W may be missed!

I jest you not - my missus and I have donned our Xmas jumpers early, and bought some furry slippers! 

No judgement, just curious - did you not wear jumpers/slippers already?  What was your usual attire?  (Genuinely curious, I've never been able to go around in just a T-shirt or long-sleeved top except in the height of summer.)

Ive always been a one for a thin T-shirt all year round. I feel too hot with anything else. A coat is an extreme rarity and usually worn only under sufference. I suppose I am the stereotypical Geordie. The only time I've managed to feel cold is if I pull my calorie intake too low <1000 for a few days. That's said, I've been banging on at the wife for a while now about heat the human. She kindly bought me my first ever zippy top (By heat the human I meant her not me). Hey ho, I will give it a try if we get some snow this year!

Workerdrone

Spoonie_Turtle said:

ariarnia said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

Interesting tweet, "I am not alone".

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1582106925713326080

She has a wood burner, which is a) not an option for a lot of people, b) still really bad for the environment, and c) only not expensive if it's already installed and wood is available cheaply or free.

It's also not at all the same thing as having to turn the central heating off in homes where that is the only space heating.  That whole thread really annoyed me, and the snippets of the article I've seen were no better.

Fair points, but how come the thread annoyed you?

The thread that summarised the article, because it's the same tone disconnected from reality.  The 'if I can do it so can everyone else' mentality that refuses to consider maybe different people have different circumstances and needs and <gasp> preferences.  Part of the article someone screenshotted said that central heating encourages laziness, which is a bit of a trigger word for me, belonging to a demographic routinely characterised as lazy entitled scroungers by both the media and the government.

don';t tell me your a GASP millenial!!

Not just a Millennial (I actually wasn't even thinking of that ) but a disabled Millennial having to *claim benefits*   The only main box I don't tick on the blame bingo is originating from abroad.

Edit: sorry OP for taking this further off-topic than it was already going!

Could you not fake a comedy foreign accent. Perhaps don a fez and wear a bit of fake tan. Go for the full house!

Bacman

Hanging things to dry in the home should only take a couple of days before dry.

Sometimes can be a good idea to hand-wash smaller items to save a load in the washing machine; use your bath water when done with it, then only needs the clothes to be rinsed with walm water.

ariarnia

a couple of suggestions for drying would be a heated airer (yes it costs money but a lot less than the tumble dryer). we have this one but you can get different and cheaper ones. they sell an expensive cover with it to keep the heat in and make it more efficient but ive found putting a blanket or bedsheet or whatever over the top works just the same and also dries that. if you have cats they will love you for buying this. 

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/24909/dry-soon-deluxe-3-tier-heated-airer

theres also as someone said a sheila maid. we have one of these somewhere but you have to fix it into joists and we've not gotten around to putting it up yet (about 10 years after buying it on ebay!). if you have a warm room somewhere then i can see they could be a good option as heat rises. my plan is that it will eventually go in the lounge where the stove is. 

https://sheilamaid.com

and my other suggestion would be if you have somewhere for one of these extending lines. either outside or when i was in a little bedsit i actually had it running diagonally the length of the place and put it up at night. then it benefited from the night heating being cheap and i could take it down in the morning when i got up. but i was only washing one persons worth of clothes. i'm thinking if you have a room you don't use often then tucking this in the corner by the ceiling would be cheap and unobtrusive. and if you take it down you just need to fill a coupe f holes and you'd never know. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092JRNYGK/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4