My Energy use Diary

Options
13567…213

Comments

  • moonrakerz
    moonrakerz Posts: 8,650 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Options
    geordie_joe wrote: »
    I haven't done the maths, but I suspect you'd have to keep the light on 24 hours per day 365 days per year to save that much.

    We seem to be going round in circles here - my original comment was concerning the statement:- "the benefits of these things have been totally overstated" - I stated that this was not the case. We now seem to have sunk into a discussion about how little electricity (or money!) you will save if you only have one light in your house and switch it on for 10 minutes a week !

    To return to the OP, the middle of summer with umpteen hours of daylight is not exactly the best time to get a realistic figure of light bulb usage anyway.

    This is like replacing your 7 Litre Humvee with a 950 cc Fiesta, then saying you are not saving petrol money when you never drive the thing !

    PS:
    (Why is a Humvee called an "off-road vehicle" ? - Because you can't afford to put it on the road !)
  • geordie_joe
    geordie_joe Posts: 9,112 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Options
    moonrakerz wrote: »
    We seem to be going round in circles here - my original comment was concerning the statement:- "the benefits of these things have been totally overstated" - I stated that this was not the case.

    I think you are right. We set off down different tracks, me assuming the OP meant some web sites, especially those trying to sell the bulbs, are over stating the saving, and you assuming he meant the people in here are over stating.

    Time to knock it on the head.
  • setmefree2
    setmefree2 Posts: 9,072 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    Options
    Cardew wrote: »
    Car Battery chargers use very little electricity - around 30 Watts(on average - they start high and then trickle charge) so one left on 24 hours would use around 0.7 kWh

    Thanks for that Cardew - our battery goes flat alot because we don't use it enough (we do need it though - for the kids), so it's good to know it's not costing us a fortune to charge it up.:D

    Light Bulbs
    The GE compact SES light bulbs I bought during the week (new to the market I think) are actually tons better than the traditional ones they have replaced. They are really bright, much better. In fact, I prefer them to the normal ones.


    Things are still going well. I am totally astonished that we appear to have reduced our use by a third so easily....:D Can you imagine what would happen if everyone in the Uk reduced their consumption by a third! Wow maybe then we wouldn't have to listen to Gordon Brown talking about 1000's of Nuclear Power stations... ( a little bit of politics there :-0 )
  • Emmy_L
    Emmy_L Posts: 165 Forumite
    Options
    Hey :)
    looks like you are doing well :D
    Just wanted to ask a few questions?
    How are you preparing for the colder months and the inevitable use of energy then?
    obviously with ~some~ finer weather at the moment,it is manageable to keep reducing by a third, but what practical steps are you/have you taken to keeps consumption down when the nicer weather runs out?
    I am really curious about it,as even DH and I have been discussing whether the tumble dryer will actually see ANY use this coming winter at all!LOL
    "I reject your reality and substitute my own"-Mythbusters:D
  • Ben84
    Ben84 Posts: 3,069 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Combo Breaker
    Options
    thescouselander wrote: »
    I tried all this a while back -

    1) Energy saving bulbs did not make a detectable difference to my daily usage - the benefits of these things have been totally overstated.


    They have made a difference to our electric usage.

    We use very little electric as all the big energy consumers in our house, cooking, hot water and heating are gas. We wash at 30 or 40 and line dry everything too, so no tumble dryer.

    We calculated that lighting did account for a reasonable percentage of our total electric bill, and when we replaced the bulbs there was a noticeable difference.
  • setmefree2
    setmefree2 Posts: 9,072 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    Options
    Emmy_L wrote: »
    Hey :)
    looks like you are doing well :D
    Just wanted to ask a few questions?
    How are you preparing for the colder months and the inevitable use of energy then?
    obviously with ~some~ finer weather at the moment,it is manageable to keep reducing by a third, but what practical steps are you/have you taken to keeps consumption down when the nicer weather runs out?
    I am really curious about it,as even DH and I have been discussing whether the tumble dryer will actually see ANY use this coming winter at all!LOL

    Hi

    I don't know what I'm going to do. I will try and line dry as long as possible but I know when you get to the end of November it's pointless putting clothes on the line. I think I'm going to get some of the tumble drier balls for starters. They are supposed to work and reduce drying time by 25%

    Any other ideas?:confused:
  • geordie_joe
    geordie_joe Posts: 9,112 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Options
    setmefree2 wrote: »
    Hi

    I don't know what I'm going to do. I will try and line dry as long as possible but I know when you get to the end of November it's pointless putting clothes on the line. I think I'm going to get some of the tumble drier balls for starters. They are supposed to work and reduce drying time by 25%

    Any other ideas?:confused:

    It depends where you live and what you live in.

    I moved for the north east to dorset about 10 years ago, and since then I have not had outdoor drying facilities. I used to hang my clothes on a clothes horse and put them in the bedroom with the window open. I lived in a flat. And had no problem drying them.

    Of course this is dorset and I'm a weather worn Geordie so can live all year round with no heating on and all the windows open. It may be different where you live.

    If you have a suitable place you could get something like this

    http://www.airershop.co.uk/LeifheitTelegant100WallMountedClothesAirer.htm

    When I was a lad most houses had a wooden version of this, and I believe they are coming back into fashion.

    http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00119042

    Seriously considering one of these for myself as I moved into a town house last year and it's up two flights of stairs to the bedroom. One of these would fit nicely in my little dining area on the first floor.
  • A_fiend_for_life
    A_fiend_for_life Posts: 1,643 Forumite
    Options
    setmefree2 wrote: »
    Hi

    I don't know what I'm going to do. I will try and line dry as long as possible but I know when you get to the end of November it's pointless putting clothes on the line. I think I'm going to get some of the tumble drier balls for starters. They are supposed to work and reduce drying time by 25%

    Any other ideas?:confused:

    I do a low or no spin when the weather is good and a high spin on damp days. The spin cycle is probably the most damaging to the drum as well so it should increase the life of the machine.

    During bad weather / poor seasons it is a juggle between waiting for good weather and doing a wash in the evening and using the heating to 'do work'.
  • bigpaws23
    bigpaws23 Posts: 455 Forumite
    Options
    well done, Set me free - that's excellent reductions!
    We too have been taking weekly meter readings. We only have electricity and my goal is for us to come in at under 100 units a week.
    There are three of us at home all day, 7 days a week, so I feel this is reasonable.

    When I started this challenge, we were using 135 a week, now we come between 97 and 110, so there is still some tweaking to do.

    our biggest expense is an inefficient immersion heater. We're planning on putting in a tankless water heater. I put a kill-a-watt reader on my laptop and that used just 15p for the week, which I was delighted with. Whereas it costs 1.4p to boil a kettle full of water.

    I know I can cook in a more efficient way. I fill up the oven everytime I put it on; for instance today I cooked a chicken and all the time I was filling the oven with cakes and biscuits. But I tend to leave things like rice or rice pudding on the hob, bring it to a simmer and then forget about it for a couple of hours.

    Doh!

    I'm not sure where else we can cut down. On the lighting theme, dh has made LEDs for the kitchen and they are running from a car battery. But I really don't think that lighting adds up to much in in the grand scheme of things.

    We don't have a tumble dryer, but as another posted pointed out, showers use a heck of a lot of power..............

    Lots to learn still.

    Keep up the good work and I'm right with you on this challenge. We ended up with a rebate and our monthly payment going down to 44 pounds this month, so I'm very pleased :)

    Bigpaws x
  • exlibris
    exlibris Posts: 696 Forumite
    Options
    setmefree2 wrote: »
    Hi

    I don't know what I'm going to do. I will try and line dry as long as possible but I know when you get to the end of November it's pointless putting clothes on the line. I think I'm going to get some of the tumble drier balls for starters. They are supposed to work and reduce drying time by 25%

    Any other ideas?:confused:

    I have these but I can't say they have made much difference. Not scientifically tested though. The have dented my TD drum to the point where OH has requested they are not used. They also make a lot of noise.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173.1K Life & Family
  • 247.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards