My Energy use Diary

SuiDreams

No snow here this morning but its snowing now, if it gets bad think I'll leave work early, but we'll be using even more heating this week, think gas consumption will be higher than last year due to the weather.

Magentasue

My situation is different to many on here. Financially, we're better off than we ever have been and we have downsized to a small house. Not that much smaller but we've lost a second sitting room and we have fewer radiators. That said, we're using our dining room as a kids' sitting room and are converting the cellar. Anyway, I reckon, our heating costs should be about 10-20% less than last year without any changes. But there have been changes. This time last year, we were both unemployed and I was on benefits for a few weeks. Then a part-time job on minimum wage for a few months. It was that that prompted my energy saving mission.

Our use is high compared to most people on here - sky high compared to some. I'm usually half way down the i-measure table and have been a C every week. We could do better - teens/20s run more gadgets than a small branch of Currys in the evenings and I like the house warm.

But compared to last year, we're doing well.

OCT 07 ELEC 654 OCT 08334
OCT 07 GAS 2046 OCT 08 1667

NOV 07 ELEC 737 NOV 08 376
NOV 07 GAS 4750 NOV 08 3938

I think the biggest gas savings have come from a better CH programmer (setting temps for different times rather than on/off periods) and a combi boiler rather than heating up a tank of hot water. The house is just as warm. Elec savings have come from constant nagging about turning things off, changing the light bulbs, switching to gas for cooking, using lowest cost programmes on appliances and moving to the dry side of Britain! In Cornwall, the tumble drier had to used in the summer sometimes. This year, it wasn't used from March to October.

setmefree2

Magentasue wrote: »

But compared to last year, we're doing well..

Well done on that:D

Frugaldom

:beer: Well done MagentaSue.
Our electricity use is always sky-high compared to others here - we're now hitting 60 units per 24-hour period and that's without counting hot water, then there's coal & logs. Fortunately, we downsided, too, so these 60 units are managing to get a bit of heat into the place, although nowhere near room temperature if you take it as 21C. Downsizing is probably the only way we haven't hit official fuel poverty. I guess if the Government want us to cut carbon omissions, they are going to have to provide affordable alternatives. The nation's workforce can't all have jobs, pay taxes and insurance AND develop affordable, eco-friendly power supplies, so I have no intentions of feeling bad about it. If I owned my own house, I would probably switch to log burner central heating & hot water system, but landlord won't allow it in case he ends up with an elderly tenant in the future who is unable to keep such a system going - physically and financially. Logs aren't cheap nor are they easy to cut, move or store. Hmm... back to the longterm plans for a willow plantation and a wind turbine.

I'm still in awe of everyone who manages on just a few pounds per week.

A_fiend_for_life

TITEASCRAMP wrote: »

Gosh, Get the heating on :rotfl:Ice in the inside. I've not seen that since I were a child.
Where abouts are you?
Its been very cold here the last week (Nr Manchester). Its never gone higher than 2 deg today even though we have had sunshine.

ooh it wasn't 6C for long. I live in central scotland.

Decola

Last week you spent:
£1.54 on gas (44 kwh - down from 66 kwh last week by turning the pilot light off in the boiler until it's needed once each day for hot water)
£2.76 on electricity (23 kwh)

Total you have spent on energy since starting imeasure (3 weeks ago):
£5.82 on gas
£7.68 on electricity.

TITEASCRAMP

Last week you spent:

• £3.89 on gas 110Kwh
• £6.84 on electricity 57 kWh

Total you have spent on energy since starting imeasure (7 weeks ago):

• £24.82 on gas
• £45.96 on electricity

Plasma TV has been on more in the evening due to Im a celebrity being on. I've worked out that watching TV in the evening adds upto around 7Kwh's a week extra.

Magentasue

A bit of a high for us this week. Hardly dare say this following on from the last post of 110kwh gas last week.

Ours was 1066kwh!!!!!!!!!!

Never mind, electricity has stabilised at about 80kwh a week which is really good for us. Our gas has now averaged at about 90kwh a day for the ten weeks we've had heating on. Today, carpets and megathick underlay goes down in two of the bedrooms, and it doesn't seem so cold today so I'm hoping for a better reading next week.

belfastgirl23

• £24.05 on gas
• £7.20 on electricity

Total you have spent on energy since starting imeasure (17 weeks ago):

• £222.57 on gas
• £116.52 on electricity

Overall 693KWH on gas and 60kwh on electric, both down a little bit from last week which is pretty good considering how cold this week was.

I suspect this week will be worse, I have a cold and DH was up all night working with the heat on :rolleyes: but I guess that's what pays the bills.

I did look back at last years reads though and I think we are on track to bring our gas use down significantly over the year so I'm trying to celebrate this!

Penny2myName

Money Spent

How has my energy spend been calculated?

Last week you spent:

* £27.16 on gas:eek:
* £10.44 on electricity

Total you have spent on energy since starting imeasure (12 weeks ago):

* £218.30 on gas:eek::eek::o
* £103.32 on electricity


Carbon emissions Kg CO2
Last week Last Month Last Quarter
Per person 51 (56) 46 (47) 0 (36)
Per household 205 (150) 185 (123) 0 (92)

Gas use as kWh
Last week Last Month Last Quarter
Per Person 194 (190) 172 (154) 0 (107)
Per Household 776 (487) 687 (390) 0 (266)

Electricity use as kWh
Last week Last Month Last Quarter
Per Person 22 (32) 21 (29) 0 (26)
Per Household 87 (95) 84 (82) 0 (70)

MoneySaving Carbon Club 13/56 and back down to a D rating.