Escape to the country & living off savings

SuzeQStan

sciatica doesn’t sound like fun SYA - take care xx

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks jwil and Suze 😘 have been creeping around all day 🤣 haven’t had it this bad for a long time but eased a little this evening.

Had an email from solicitors with lots of questions and another from estate agents so I’ve spent part of the day sorting those. All emailed to my sister to look at tonight after work. Also tried again to switch my gas & electric tariff to MSE Lighter Feb27 v1 (see this weeks MSE newsletter). Managed to hang a load of washing out which has dried & now put away.

Rain forecast for tomorrow. Off to my friends for cuppa tomorrow afternoon.

SuzeQStan

Everything crossed for the switch SYA - we would be doing the same were it not for the solar panels x

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks Suze do you mind me asking how much it costs you for energy if you have solar panels? Just interested to know, no need to reply if you prefer not to.

Sadmin done this morning with replies to solicitors and estate agent. Then I got an apology email from brit gas offering £70 compensation which I have accepted. Plus my tariff has been changed to the new MSE Lighter 🤗 so a win, win. Plus I should save a little more when prices come down in April.

Nothing else planned for this morning. Just trying to relax. Very dark and grey skies today & rain expected, such a difference to yesterday.

SuzeQStan

result on the compensation 🎉🥳

Of course I don’t mind talking about the panels 😊

our electric costs are covered less than approx £100 standing charges on an annual basis when you look at the whole year.

But our supplier is reducing the amount we are paid for exporting back to the grid from March so that will have a knock on effect -we are expecting our electric to cost us approx £15 a month when dividing across the whole year.

It sounds good until we think about our initial investment that we paid for the panels/solar battery. We expect ROI within approx 10 years. If energy prices continue to fall this will take longer.

The main reason we got the solar set up was a bit of future proofing - didn’t like the idea of trying to pay high energy bills on a pension.

It’s a gamble like any investment - but so far so good 🙏🏻

badmemory

Like Suze I have solar. I know some say not to bother with batteries but I think that depends on how much you use. I too expect payback within 10 years. The first year I didn't make the best use of them but I am doing better now. For example, I have a cheap rate between 2 & 5 in the morning & so fill up the battery then & an expensive rate between 4 & 7 in the afternoon & top up the battery a bit before 4 so that I never now use any expensive electric. This is set on automatic. BUT we use a lot - between 17 & 21 kwh per day. We have to have a power shower because of erratic water pressure & DS has daily 30 minute showers. The battery cannot export enough to fulfil the whole shower. I've only scratched the surface here but I love it & yes I do anticipate the prices I can sell at will go down as more people install. The same way metered water prices go up the more people install water meters.

Skint_yet_Again

Thank you Suze and badmemory 😊 I’m not sure I would have solar but some people in the street have it. I always wondered about the cost v’s the savings so thank you. I feel for you badmemory with your DS’s long showers. Could you get a shower timer ? I know it worked a little with my DS but he was still about 20 minutes and my energy bills didn’t go down much until I moved and now live on my own.

Another email this afternoon from dads pension asking me to ring HMRC to see if they have now received the correct information 🙄 They should be ringing themselves but I just phoned the bereavement line, got straight through and everything is in order. The refund was issued on 23rd so should arrive soon & can then be paid into the executor bank account.

Had a walk to my friends for cuppa and chat. I’m taking her to the local hospital tomorrow for her dental / day surgery. Called into dads on way home & emptied the dehumidifiers and did the usual checks. It always surprises me how much water comes out when no one is living there / cooking / drying washing etc.

badmemory

Tried shortening DSs shower time pre solar & decided it was worth the c £1.50 a day. Even the extractor fan can't cope so we need a dehumidifier which is great. I suspect I may well be the only person posting on here who has had humidity of 99%. It is what it is, I deal with it & worse things happen at sea & other misc sayings. I expect everyone understands though why I have several humidity meters scattered round the house.

SuzeQStan

our dehumidifier has been working overtime here as well - normally it gets emptied every week or two (18 litre) but it’s been once a day this past week!

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks badmemory and Suze 😊 I put my dehumidifier on once or twice a day plus when I’m cooking or drying washing. The highest I have seen it is 86% so I can’t imagine 99% 😵 How is it even possible for you to live in badmemory, I feel for you 💦

I have mine set to 50% but my model doesn’t turn off once it reaches the setting it still runs continuously, moving air around, but just stops condensing, then starts condensing again when the humidity rises. It doesn’t turn itself off so constantly uses a small amount of power if you leave it on. Once dad’s house is sold I will inherit his 2 dehumidifiers which can be set to come on and off automatically or run on timers as they do now, so I will get rid of mine then. I may donate it to my niece as she has been talking about getting one & she can try one out & decide if it suits or if she wants to save for a better model.