Combating energy prices

Dirk Diggler

Dirk Diggler

Dirk Diggler

Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2013
Posts
22,325
Location
Rollergirl
What are you all doing to react to the bombshell coming in April and October? I've been putting in more effort to avoid using the dryer as that's one of the biggest consumers.

Is there a resource to calculate whether electric or gas would be the cheapest for cooking and heating? We have the choice of both therefore I'd be prepared to swap the gas hob for an electric hob if it was going to be less expensive - I just can't work out whether it would or not? Similar for heating, I'd buy some electric heaters if they were less expensive than gas central heating.

Any other tactics?
 
Sit quietly in the dark with nothing turned on of an evening.
Go outside to read by the street lamps.
Cut down oak trees for firewood/also use fire for cooking sausages.
Dry clothes by hand windmilling.
Charge mobiles at work.
Eat uncooked pasta and raw veg.
 
Nothing really but to suck it up. We built an overhead into our outgoings for situations such as this. I'm aware that is not something everyone can do.
 
Solar and Insulating the walls internally with Celotex to combat my lack of cavity upstairs. Also insulated the roof properly a few months back with above the rooms having 300mm + apart from right at the eaves (shallow pitch roof). But these were all on the cards before all the rises. Locked in for 2 years with e.on in January, so nothing to worry about imminently.
 
Still on a fixed deal until the back end of the year. Then... if it's still nuts going into winter, idk... just bend over I guess. Not a lot I can cut back on. Currently jobless too, which is awesome...
 
Remove any and all parasitic loads around the house - things on standby, mobile phone wallwarts and the such. It all adds up.

Make sure your heating is working as efficiently as possible, turn down rads in rooms not being used and shut the door.

As for electric heaters - if you're on 50p a kWh tariff and it's a 2kWh heater the maths is simple - it's costing you a quid for every hour it's on.
 
throwaway4372 said:
Still on a fixed deal until the back end of the year. Then... if it's still nuts going into winter, idk... just bend over I guess. Not a lot I can cut back on. Currently jobless too, which is awesome...
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Sorry to hear that mate, I'm sure you will find something.
 
Nothing, want solar and a battery but need to build two extensions first.

After the above is installed i want to become as energy independent as possible, till then just keep going as normal.
 
Mysterae_ said:
Remove any and all parasitic loads around the house - things on standby, mobile phone wallwarts and the such. It all adds up.

Make sure your heating is working as efficiently as possible, turn down rads in rooms not being used and shut the door.

As for electric heaters - if you're on 50p a kWh tariff and it's a 2kWh heater the maths is simple - it's costing you a quid for every hour it's on.
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I'm all for saving money, but the standby thing is a total myth, I'm afraid.

As for the math, yes I understand the electrical aspect but it's the gas that isn't clear because it's a lot harder to measure.
 
Mysterae_ said:
As for electric heaters - if you're on 50p a kWh tariff and it's a 2kWh heater the maths is simple - it's costing you a quid for every hour it's on.
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In reality though they don't run at full for that time they have thermostat and will maintain a temperature.
 
Dirk Diggler said:
I'm all for saving money, but the standby thing is a total myth, I'm afraid.
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One chap on here posted up some results for PC.
Do you power off your PC?

IIRC a phone charger left on for a year is a good few quid as they still radiate heat.

TVs are anything with a remote like to slowly sip energy in order to respond to the remote.

But kettles and the like i've no idea.


In regards to initial post, nothing from me really. I saved to get a house, and always saved where i could within reason. Gas central heating i'll cut back on i'm sure when next winter comes.

Today i picked up a little table for an amp, £6 from the recycle shop :)
The chipboard furniture to buy new is so poor yet so expensive.
 
I don't need to do too much thankfully, as the leccy there's nothing much you can do (the bulk of the uplift is the standing charge and no amount of usage will stop that).

So it's mostly limiting the heating being on.
 
Dirk Diggler said:
The rule of thumb with electrical items is that if there is no heat then the cost is minimal. An item on standby is nothing to get concerned about, in fact a TV pulling 70w when it's switched on isn't really a concern either.
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Depends how Much TV you watch, turn the TV on for 4-5hrs a day and multiply it up for the year and it is a significant amount then double it as many households have more than 1 TV etc etc. It certainly pays to be aware how much energy you are consuming for little things, my Sonos devices for example Continually use about 18w between them which doesn’t sound much but when you multiply that up to 24x7x365 at 55p per kWh it suddenly costs real money!
 
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