My Energy use Diary

Decola

Last week I used 22 kwh of gas, and 25 kwh of electricity. I'm a D amongst all households, and a B when compared with other single occupancy dwellings.

I've been monitoring electricity usage, and found the fridge-freezer to use 7.83 kwh in a week, and the pc, 9.56.

Boiling a kettle takes 0.04 kwh for one cup - so assuming 10 hot drinks a day brings it up to 2.8 kwh per week. The electric veggie steamer takes 2.1 kwh a week.

Vacuuming once a week only used 0.07 kwh, and cutting the grass took 0.3 kwh.

Looks like my internet addiction is the biggest culprit, but I resent the fridge more.

Frugaldom

Decola wrote: »

Last week I used 22 kwh of gas, and 25 kwh of electricity.

:eek: I used 122 kwH of electricity - see how fortunate you are? I cannot even begin to imagine using as little as 25kwH over a week.

setmefree2

karent wrote: »

I got 2Bs. 6/46 in the carbon club.Yay me!

I've turned off my pilot light and am just lighting it about 3 times a week to put the hot water on for 1 hour. Turning off the pilot light reduces my gas consumption by more than half. I'll keep doing it till I need the heating back on.

The owl has made me and my 2 teens more aware of wasting electric, I can see at a glance if somethings on in another room. I always check before bed and when we leave the house. That alone seems to have reduced our consumption by about 10kwh a week.

British gas set my DD to 35 and 48 pounds back in January when we moved in. I didn't think it would be enough, but couldn't afford to pay more. Now I am about £50 in credit and on course to be over £150 in credit by the end of August. Starting to think I could be still be in credit in the spring if I keep at it!

Well done on all that

setmefree2

nykmedia wrote: »

On the plus side, I haven't had a storage heater on for over a month and haven't had the fire lit for the past few weeks, so it's saving me logs & coal.

:T

Decola

nykmedia wrote: »

:eek: I used 122 kwH of electricity - see how fortunate you are? I cannot even begin to imagine using as little as 25kwH over a week.

My total gas and electricity use for the week was 47 kwh - and I'm only a single person household, so if you multiply my total use by the number of people in your home, maybe it doesn't seem too bad?

Using the energy meter, it's surprised me how much small amounts of use add up over a week. For example, I never bother about avoiding hot drinks, especially in the winter when I didn't heat the place at all, but to see that over a week I'd be using nearly 3kw in doing so makes me wonder how to reduce usage.

I can see myself becoming a right miser in old age

Also, I wonder if you do creative things like using an electric oven to cook. Mine never gets switched on - mostly due to lack of skill and imagination. All my cooking is done on a single gas ring, or an electric steamer - which is a bit dull, but also frugal.

Frugaldom

I am as frugal with electricity as I can be - I cook with a steamer, slow cooker and conventional cooker/oven for batch cooking. There are 3 of us in this household, all adults, and 2 of us work from home fulltime. If I multiply your 47 x 3 then I'm not too bad at all. We are all electric, no gas or oil and I do have the hot water on for an hour every morning because I need it.

Has anyone else read this yet? :eek: It looks like energy could cost more in 10 years than I spend on my entire annual budget at the moment! How sacry is that? :eek: OOPS! I meant scary - it was the shock that did it, honest. :rotfl:

A_fiend_for_life

16 kWh this week. 8kg co2.

I'm on 2 B's for the previous readings and 9th on the graph.

Just got my estimated bill from ebico. Gave actual readings to nearest date for bill and got a 10 week bill for £27-something

cw18

nykmedia wrote: »

I also noticed the weekly charge is now reading £1.61 - can these new pre-payment meters be changed remotely?

Yes they can. I believe it's something the government (and/or which ever body oversees the fuel industry) was pushing for. If they can't, then they have to hand adjust every one - which they can't do very quickly. Even though you're pre-paying, if prices shoot up it's still feasible (if you're on the non-remote ones) that you get a bill for underpayment :eek: DD had this happen, but is now on the remote meters so she should get her prices changed more or less 'in real time' - and no more nasty surprises 6 months down the line when they actually come out to reset and read !!

A_fiend_for_life

nykmedia wrote: »

Has anyone else read this yet? :eek: It looks like energy could cost more in 10 years than I spend on my entire annual budget at the moment! How sacry is that? :eek:

Any solar panels on freecycle? £5 k average would be terrible. How much would that be for high unemployment and winter fuel allowances for the poor?

Frugaldom

I'd love to speak to someone who had solar panels but have only met one person who has them. She swears they are saving her an absolute fortune already, but she hadn't to pay to have them installed - she applied for one of those promotional offers, if you get chosen then it's free. Wish I could find something like that about here.