energy saving tips???
 

with the price of gas and leccy so high it might be a good time to think about cutting down on our usage, any ideas would be very welcome................like sharing a bath with someone, (dont have to be your wife lol)..........or fitting heavier curtains, or maybe going back to open fires, buy a pressure cooker or use the microwave instead of the oven etc. etc.
den.

Re: energy saving tips???
 

or with leccy ya can always wire in to next doors.:D a guy up plantation st who i used to know got done fer that, back in the day.

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turn off teh router etc overnight, switch to energy bulbs, spend a minute at night before bed seeing whats left on,

I found we tended to leave teh following on

Sky+, ( not in standby, in full on showing picture mode)
TV sender and receiver ( that sends teh Sky+ upstairs)
Washing machine( or teh blue lagoon as I call it as it has a REALLY bright blue display)
Router - not needed from bedtime to after tea the following day
phone chargers x2
battery chargers ( adaptors still turned on even when not charging)

One that bugs me is our Oven has a light that you can't turn off when its cooking, I don't need 40W of light when I'm not even watching the casserole!!!!

Other energy,

make sure your tyres at at right pressure
slow down 10mph
Polish teh car
keep it properly serviced

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ive heard of people wiring up to street lamps, but not ur neighbours, thats going a bit too far lol:D:D:D

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Stock up with candles & go live in a cave:D

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it may have been a street lamp actually den, its that long ago, remember the guy, probably forget the method = senile owd git.:D;)

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If you really want to save energy, bin your computer, printer, scanner, router & any other gadget that we all think is 'must have', knock on your neighbours door introduce yourself and start a good natter.

On second thought's I would hate to find out my neighbour is that silly devil I've been calling over the web for the past year, perhaps we should just follow the example of the ostrich and bury our heads in the sand until everything goes away.:rolleyes:

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Why polish the car?
would that not waste energy, you know the elbow grease kind especially with this lovely english weather we have 10 minutes after you finished it will rain!! :o

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Keeping the car polished cuts down on the wind resistance, and therefore saves energy.

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[quote=MUMMIBOO;616252]Why polish the car?


I`m thinking better aero dynamics..............

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Turn stuff off or dont use them simple really.

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I have several 6 way extension plug leads which have built in red lights.

It is not convenient for me to switch them off at the wall socket due to inacessability behind furniture.

I go to the trouble to unplug things and not use the 'standby' but I am aware of these red lights continuously glowing.

Has anyone gone to the trouble of removing these little bulbs? Is is safe and easy to do so?

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never understood why my hoover has a light on the front , not like its used when its dark , same with the light in the fridge , I dont eat in the dark :eek:

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No Margaret, you or anyone else should not attempt to remove these lights, they are an 'indicator' to let you know there is power going to the socket, they are also small neon lights the power consumption of which is very, very close to zero, in the range of micro amps and will not make a good return on the risk of damage, fire hazard etc caused by interfering with and dismantling the sockets.

http://www.los-angeles-injury-lawyer...ock%20sign.jpg

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Thank you Less

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What is the saving from switching everything in a 'normal' household off? does anybody know the yearly saving?
I dont mean to the environment, I know that, and do think its important.
For example, how many £ do you save if you switch your tv off at the socket.
How much does it cost to 'watch' telly when its fully switched on with all its bits, like the dvd player and sky or the top box.
Anybody know?

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Re: energy saving tips???
 

Appliances have a small info 'plate' attached which shows how many watts it uses.
This is 'watts per hour' I presume (say if you know different).

You electricity is charged at the rate of KWH -1000 watts per hour
Since appliances vary according to make and model, you will need to work out your own cost

PS just seen your post Less - good link that

Re: energy saving tips???
 

I have a few of these sockets too Margaret, ue to the fact that when our flats were built there wasn't that many electrical goods, but I have a feeling that the flats maybe in line for rewiring, as they have been round from HH noting what and where the sockets are.

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Re: energy saving tips???
 

My flat is on the schedule for a rewire this year (along with bathroom and kitchen refurb) but no signs yet.
I doubt that they will supply me with NINETEEN sockets in my lounge, TEN in bedroom and NINE in kitchen.

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I know I will wish I had not asked but what are all these things that you have pluged in?

Re: energy saving tips???
 

lounge - not all in use at same time
2 pc towers
2 monitors
2 sets speakers
1 printer
1 set radio headphones
1 tv
1 sky box
1 scanner
1 air filtration fan
1 goodsphere air purifier
3 table lamps
1 radio telephone
1 coal effect fire
1 phone charger
19

bedroom
1 adjustable bed
1 radio doorbell
1 clock
1 radio cassette player
1 spider repeller
4 table lamps
1 goodsphere air purifier
10

kitchen
1 fridge freezer
1 washer
1 breadmaker
1 tefal quick cup
1 blender
1 spider repeller
1 juicer
1 toaster
8 -need 1 more because I
have more kitchen gadgets but only
keep the ones in regular use plugged in

Re: energy saving tips???
 

Margaret, didn't you post a link to some 'special' paint additive that helps with damp and reflects heat?

We recently had a leaflet through about solar water heating, they were quoting ~£1500 fitted. I know of one house that has it, anyone else considered it? We don't have a water cylinder so its no use for me. I have considered a wind turbine but I don't reckon teh neighbours woudlo be that chuffed :D

other energy saving tips,

if you have single glazed windows yu can get cling film stuff that you fit to add a 'double glazing' effect, I heard they aren't as good as real DG but better than single. Otherwise, as someone else said, draw your curtains when its going cool and have as heavy a curtain as you can.

Turn your thermostat down a couple of degrees, you won't notice

set your central heating to come on 10 mins later and off 10 mins earlier

measure teh water you put in teh kettle so you don't boil too much

put lids on pans when cooking food, you can turn the heat down for teh same effect

make sure your house is insulated properly(particularly loft), lag pipes, etc

Re: energy saving tips???
 

For Entwisi - Thermilate
Insulating Paint Additive, Insulating Paint, Eco Paint Insulation, Energy Saving Paint

Re: energy saving tips???
 

Thanks chuck! I knew it was something like that

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When using the oven cook more than one dish.
Another way to save is when cooking veggies.....bring the pot to a rolling boil and then turn off the heat and leave the pan lid on...the veggies will carry on cooking in their own heat for quite a while.......go back after say 20 minutes and test if they are cooked enough and if not turn the heat back on and repeat the process until cooked to your personal taste.

Re: energy saving tips???
 

The council are currently advertising some grants available for the over 55's to help them out with insulating their homes.

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Is a rolling boil similar to how I burn my pans out? Leave everything on full heat with the lid on until the power of that much steam vibrates everything onto the floor, or the water boils off and the pan acts like a nuclear reactor goes into melt down and leaves molten metal all over the hob?
:p

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Good grief Margaret, with that many sockets with little red lights on them your gaff must look like blackpool lights on full tilt:D

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Yes Less.....but with one major difference...when the food reaches that state(rolling boil) you turn the heat OFF......no burnt pans, no boiling over...and a smaller bill:D

Re: energy saving tips???
 

I missed one - wireless box :)
Not all my 9 extensions have red lights.
It is less of a problem now than when I had 4 electric panel heaters :eek: and the largest one HAD to have its own socket for safety reasons.
I have to look at wattage use of items used on same extension.
It does limit furniture arrangement somewhat.
I use 2771KWH electricity per annum which at present rates is less than £5 a week
(all bulbs are low energy bulbs)

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Think freezers take 13 hours to fully defrost, but know mine has been left open and the food at the front went soft in about 4 hours

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Try one of these
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/housing/PDFs/SAVAplugs.pdf

Re: energy saving tips???
 

Re: energy saving tips???
 

And ya can get 1 for 20 quid

Savaplug energy saving for freezer & fridge-freezers on eBay, also, Electrical Fittings, DIY Materials, Home Garden (end time 12-Sep-08 15:29:14 BST)

Re: energy saving tips???
 

http://www.greenhealthwatch.com/good...swsavaplug.htm
That is cheaper than the one here.

I confess that I have one - used it for donkeys years but haven't got around to putting it on the new fridge freezer I got last December:o

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Yeah when I looked on google, it was about 30 quid too

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Says that in ten yrs you will save £120, you pay £30 for the plug so thats £90
Would ya only get 10 yrs out of it? Cos they give a 10 yr guarantee, might have to get a new en again

Really ya should get an electrician cos of the wiring which would probably cost ya £90 lol

Re: energy saving tips???
 

And how much power do you think it will use when you switch it back on again to get to the correct temp? A fridge/freezer is not on all the time. They have a thermostat, they switch on and off as needed to keep the temp at the setting you selected. Since most still use a bi-metal thermostat they use no energy when the compressor is not running (unless they have a little power on light or you open the door).

Do you really want the temp on your food varying?

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How do you know it actually works? You would need to monitor the power used with and without it to know properly if it is worth buying. Lots of discussions on the net about them being a load of tosh.

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If it does not loose it temp then the compressor will not start so wont use energy.

Re: energy saving tips???
 

use margarine in the frying pan to cook pancakes.they cook twice as fast..

Re: energy saving tips???
 

I bought mine from QVC about 13 years ago.
I think it was still working when I stopped using it last December, because the frozen food stayed frozen, and the little red indicator light on it (which tells you when it is doing the saving/reduced current) still lit up intermittantly.
I am considering starting using it again, now that I have been reminded by this thread.
Before I go to the trouble, I would like to read the criticisms of it that you say you found on the web, and please advise me how I can check that it is actually saving money.

Re: energy saving tips???
 

You need a KW/h meter to plug your fridge into to check before and after.

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Yeah, but ....... do they taste as good?!

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I don't have access to a KW/h meter, but since I already have a SAVAplug, I might as well use it and just hope:)

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Apparently, if you only wash up once per day you can save £70/year on average.

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Imagine all the pots with a family of 4

Thank god for dishwashers:D

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Thats no way to call your other half AccyLass:D
on a positive note, I worked for a efridgeration firm in the seventies, and it was always stated that food would start to defrosed 4 hours after the freezer was switched off, if the door was not opened. The Fridge enginers were under contract to attend abreak down within 3 hours at the outside (that was on comercial business)

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That is by far the best tip so far...............:D:D

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Slightly off topic, but have you seen that advert (think its birds eye) with Suggs from Madness where he goes in the front door and everyones front rooms are all joined together and they have one massive dinner table ? I bet that would save money rather than having 20 seperate cookers etc going.

So my idea is buy a terraced house and knock all the walls through and have a party every night

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fantastic...... let me know where you move to lol

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i like the turbines...grandad takes ty up to see them in burnley sometimes, they are a lot bigger than you think!

Re: energy saving tips???
 

stayed at my mates gaff down somewhere near plantation street and no gas.. we used to put pies on an upturned 2 bar electric fire.. that ran out of leccie so we tried warming them up with candles.. took about 5 hours just to get em warm.. now is that consevring energy.

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I have a kw/h meter, if I can find it that is

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Thanks for the offer Neil, but I am going ahead with the plug change anyway

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Nah he got demoted!!

Might re instate him tho cos the dishwasher don't accept payment with a wink and smile:D

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Thats the trouble with us blokes we always fall for the wink and a smile:D

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I have just spent some time this morning online and on phone to Scottish Power.
They brought out a new cheaper online tariff in June, called Online Energy Saver 4.
I was on Online Energy Saver 3 until today. Their practice is NOT to advise existing customers about cheaper tariffs - you have to find out yourself and ASK to go on it.
I found out by chance by browsing Martin Lewis Moneysaving Expert site.

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Martin Lewis is King........:D

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The last time that I did any decorating (a long while ago) I drained and removed the radiators to paper behind them. But first I lined the wall with baco foil and papered over the top.

Also at that time it was possible to buy expanded polystyrene by the roll. This was about 3mm thick, the same width as a roll of paper and was pasted onto the wall before papering. You just have to make sure that the polystyrene join did not coincide with the paper join. It made a noticeable difference to the room temperature.

In the kitchen I also installed one of those clothes racks that you could lower to load and pull up to the ceiling to dry the clothes. In the old days nearly every house had one. Heat rises and it is warmer near the ceiling than at ground level. A definite must for the older houses where the ceiling might be some 9 or 10 feet high. Useful for modern houses too. I don’t know if you can buy them these days. If not then there is a business opportunity for some entrepreneur.

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I remember we had one of these when i was little. Pretty sure it was made out of the side of an old cot....

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The last one that I bought some 20 odd years ago cost less than a tenner and was made out of plastic ends and 4 metal tubes about 6 feet long covered in plastic between them.

Worth its weight in gold in winter and on wet days where drying outside was not possible.

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I had a rack at my last address, but here my ceilings are too low.

I have improvised. I have a 'walk in' cupboard off my kitchen (about 6'x 3') which I think was originally intended as a pantry. I fixed wood battens on opposite walls, about 6' up.
I have 5 lengths of wood batten resting on the wall battens, which provides me with a rack, above stored hoover and other tall appliances.

When I have washing drying in there, I leave the door ajar so that heat and air can circulate from the kitchen.

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Magaret i AM impressed........:D

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So now you might be using more electricity with it than without it.

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I have found it, but haven't fixed it on yet. You have confused me - how can it use more :confused:

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If it does not work correctly, it might prevent the compressor from running correctly so it may have to run for longer and use more power. There is only one way of telling. Like I said before, measure power used before and after.

Re: energy saving tips???
 

Ok - you have convinced me - will put it back in cupboard :)