I SAVED £125 on our last leccy bill

SAMHP_2

Our previous bill was over £200 for one quarter. Last bill £85. How did I do it? It's pretty boring stuff, but worth a try: Here's what I did:
1. Got rid of 10 year old fridge and ditto freezer. Bought new fridge/freezer which is A+ rated. OK, it cost £200, but will pay for itself in 6 months.
2. Switch off EVERYTHING you don't need to run. I mean EVERYTHING - from phone chargers to electric toothbrush chargers - once they are charged turn them OFF!
3. Fill kettle only with the water you need for a cup of tea.
4. Only exception to (3) is if you want to boil a big pan of water for cooking. If using an electric cooker it is more efficient to boil water in a kettle and add to pan.
5. Always keep lids on pans - you can bring to the boil and then simmer on No. 1
6. Only use washing machine when essential! I usually just chuck stuff in, but not anymore. I allow myself 2 machine washes a week. Stuff that just needs a rinse I do by hand - using any hot water in your tank which might otherwise be going to waste! I reckon a good rule of thumb is to only use the machine in relation to the number of people in your house ie 3 people = 3 washes per week max.
7. Only light the room you are in
8. Turn off all computers and screen monitors, printers etc. when not in use.
9. If your TV doesn't allow you to turn off completely - switch off at mains
10. Don't even think about using a tumble drier (especially at this time of year)
11. Don't over work your fridge - thinks need to be 'chilled' not half frozen!
12. Open fridge & freezer as little as possible
13. wash everything at 30 degrees - or save up to have one hot wash (if things like flannels or dishcloths need doing - boil them on the stove)
I may have forgotten a few things, but this is pretty much the most important things. All pretty little - but added up to me saving £125+. Why give it to your electricity supplier when, with a bit of effort, you can keep it yourself! Incidentally, I know some of the above sounds a bit anal, but once you get into 'switch off' mode you just get carried away!
Sam HP

[Deleted User]

very well done samhp. I too know it can be done and it is relatively painless

Cardew

Whilst all of the things you are doing make sense, there is absolutely no way replacing a fridge and freezer "will pay for itself in 6 months"

SAMHP_2

Re: 'paying for itself in 6 months'
It was a bit of a throw away statement but based on the fact that as we have saved £125 this quarter and hope to save £125 next quarter, (had we continued to pay the £200 plus bills we were receiving before we went on our 'sod Eon' blitz) we will have saved the equivalent of the £200 we paid for the fridge/freezer

savemoney

Not all washing machines will wash at 30c either. Fair enough buy new white goods that are energy efficient in most cases, I do but a energy efficient tumble although still uses a lot of energy unless you use it a very lot doesn't make sense to buy a good one at around £500 for c rating

[Deleted User]

if the washing machine will not wash at 30 then do what we did in the 70s. Soak washing in the bath, in detergent in cool water overnight and rinse by hand and spin dry, mangle or drip dry. However, I would check your machine first to see if it can do a cold wash, then use that

No tumbler dryer is energy efficient. There was a washer/dryer in my new house and I never ever used the dryer

Barneysmom

I don't get the washing machine bit, because the bedding is a load on it's own? Then there's a load for clothes and a load for towels?
Do the towels go in with the bedding or with the clothes?

Ken68

Hi Sam...my freezer has been off for most of the winter, just put it on again for surplus garden produce, will go off when that is used up. Hardly ever anything in the fridge part.
For washing clothes I soak everything overnight in sun cooked hot water (that's another story) then use the single rinse option on the washing machine.Otherwise 30degree or cold. Seperate soaking
for bedding andtowels and work clothes.Plus very occasional use of a de-humidifier rated at 175W.
Biggest saving is not using an oven/hob , most cooking is steamer or slow cooker.
Keep this thread going, what we need.

[Deleted User]

I am investigating best use of my fridge freezer and have ordered a digital, accurate fridge thermometer that can be read outside the fridge. The op was interesting in that it made me have a think about whether my fridge does not need to be as cool. It was on 4 degrees and I have changed it to 5 as from this morning and may be able to change the temperature again. I have also re-read the instruction book (3 years old) and taken more note of where the coldest places are in the fridge ie at the back and the bottom 2 shelves. I may just re-position my shelves a little today so that any surplus veg (box scheme so get a lot at once) can go on the top shelf once the drawers are full. Milk eggs cheese in the door as well as half used jars. I may well have to re-pack some things in lock and lock boxes but I think I will be able to make an energy saving here

We are having an all in the steamer meal today. Magimix investment buy 3 years ago. Fish, rice in rice bowl, 3 veg and I am going to use the meter to give me an accurate costing, which I will post afterwards. Just a nice sauce (small covered dish in the steamer) and it will be lovely

I did a chicken curry plus baked potatoes as an all in one in the remoska the other day using a dividing dish. In for an hour and cost approx 6p to cook

The remoska is quite new so I will be very interested to see the impact on the number of units consumed in the next quarter. We are all going to have to run to stop sliding backwards re the proposed energy increases

Ken68

Seems that way Kittie sliding backwards all the time.
Went over to powder milk 30 years ago and never been one for marge butter lard and the like. Long life milk will last one day out of a fridge and overnight outside the house in winter. Eggs in kitchen. Experimenting with cheese, the hard stuff keeps without needing to be chilled.
I bought the smallest Remoska (bad decision) and yet to cook a full meal. Crispy jacket potatoes, thick chunky sausages cooked on a grill, might do that tomorrow. Toad in the hole perhaps.

[Deleted User]

right. Meal over and was gorgeous. It cost 5.72 pence in energy. I actually did new potatoes, carrots, courgette and sliced runner beans, skinned sea bass and a pot of ready-made low cal fish sauce from tesco (half left) in a tub with a foil top

Fridge sorted too, some shelves moved and fridge/freezer defrosted. I used lakeland de-frosting spray on the lower freezer and it was a very quick job. The fridge stayed cool and the freezer was still cold

I have turned the fridge to 6 degrees now and I`ll see how it goes

Ken why don`t you try chunks of potato with the skins on, sprayed with olive oil and a little heatproof tub of something in the small remoska or mould a little dish from foil so you can cook sausages at the same time as the potatoes or do a sausage casserole. Sliced potatoes and onions, chunks of sausage. Chunks of baking apple. Any herbs (sage is nice) and cook an hour. It is really nice