Home energy saving tips /ideas...

[quixoticgeek]

Assuming the average of 1.5 mugs of tea a day ...

I would just like to apologise to the three people who don't get to drink tea on account of me being a 6 cups a day person; I am drinking their portions.

That's how averages work...

J

[Paul H]

Saving you the need for 2.5kwh of heating in that room. It's a win win.

J

Except that for most of the year my kitchen doesn't need that heating. YKMV.

[Mrs Pingu]

It can be a good idea to get heat exchanging vents tho, these can recover about 90% of the energy from the air they vent out, while warming the air that comes in, all for about 10-30w of energy.

I was just asking about them here https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=118342.msg2664547#msg2664547
Interested to know about real world experience before I go fitting a bog std extractor.

[Canardly]

Dig out the pressure cooker from the back of the cupboard.

[SoreTween]

QGs figure for a tumbler cycle seems awfully high. Maybe a straight through the wall heat blower type might have used that. Our recently deceased (2005-2020, RIP) vanilla condenser didn't, the replacement is even better.

To the OP, get a smart meter or plug in watt meter & go power hog hunting. My desktop turned out to use 180 watts .  I used to just leave it on because a) I didn't realise and b) heat cycles kill electronics. Turning that off 14 hours a night plus a few other surprises has reduced us from .75kwh/h average to ~.52kwh/h. That adds up fast 24/365.

I suspect our freezer is the next hog for the chop.

Thermostat at 19 degrees helps a lot but it is tough at this time of year adjusting to the lower ambient around the house.

[rogerzilla]

Tumble dryers are neither here nor there in terms of impact on the overall bill.  Two 50 minute cycles a week in winter, always on half heat, is 1.25 units, or less than 20p.  The alternative is a mouldy house.  I hang stuff out in better weather.

Beware of vented vs condenser comparisons: the energy efficiency ratings are on a different scale and not comparable.  A B-rated vented dryer is better than a B-rated condenser dryer, and a vented dryer is more efficient than a condenser dryer unless the latter is a heat pump type. Personally, I'd never have a condenser dryer because they're not as reliable.

[robgul]

QGs figure for a tumbler cycle seems awfully high. Maybe a straight through the wall heat blower type might have used that. Our recently deceased (2005-2020, RIP) vanilla condenser didn't, the replacement is even better.

To the OP, get a smart meter or plug in watt meter & go power hog hunting. My desktop turned out to use 180 watts .  I used to just leave it on because a) I didn't realise and b) heat cycles kill electronics. Turning that off 14 hours a night plus a few other surprises has reduced us from .75kwh/h average to ~.52kwh/h. That adds up fast 24/365.

I suspect our freezer is the next hog for the chop.

Thermostat at 19 degrees helps a lot but it is tough at this time of year adjusting to the lower ambient around the house.

Our No2 freezer (allotment produce for the use of) is on its last legs (vintage about 1982, was father-in-law's until he died in 2019) - executive decision made by Mrs robgul and a new will be delivered from Mr Lewis's emprium on Weds - the power consumption is, allegedly, about 75% less?  Every little helps.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yeah also wash your hands in cold water.

I'm probably washing my hands about 5 times more than usual on account of caring for barakta.  They're dry and cracked, like after a week of camping.  If the water were any colder they'd be bleeding raw.

What sort of soap are you using? Posh hippy soap, eg the stuff made out of olive oil ttps://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/oliva-pure-olive-oil-soap-60038772 is more expensive than supermarket soap (especially if you buy it at Holland and Barrett) but a lot less drying to skin. Faith in Nature is another nice one.

[orienteer]

Probably doesn't apply to most on here, but I reckon the nation as a whole could save a lot of energy by not waiting for the safety cut-out on electric kettles when making tea and coffee. The water is boiling long before the cut-out triggers, and coffee is best brewed with the water at less than 100C anyway.

Not really. If your 2kwh kettle was on for 1 minute longer than needed per boil, it would take 30 boils before it cost you 1kwh. Assuming the average of 1.5 mugs of tea a day, and one boil for each. That's gonna take you 20 days to cost 1kwh. Not exactly big savings...

J

I did say the nation would save a lot of energy, not individuals.

[quixoticgeek]

I did say the nation would save a lot of energy, not individuals.

If the 2KW kettle is on for 1 min extra per cup, for 100m cups per day, that's 3.3MWh per day. That's a good size wind turbine at max output for one hour.

Given the at the time of writing UK demand is 34.3GW. It's basically insignificant. Average daily usage for the UK is 287.58TWh, so that 3.3MWh each day works out as 0.0000000115% of the UK's total energy use for a day. That's a rounding error.

Remember, a tiny number multiplied by a big number just gets a middling number (See Hubble-Barn as unit of measure). 3.3MWh may seem like a lot to you as an individual, but on the scale of a nation, it's two thirds of bugger all.

J

[Cudzoziemiec]

Live with a large number of people in a small space.

Live in a tower block, preferably not on the ground or first floors.

Live in a mid-terrace.

Don't skimp on two hot meals a day.

Forget superstition, wear a hat indoors.

Move as much as possible.

Don't use labour saving devices. Doing housework manually keeps you warm.

Hot water bottles, blankets and mega-duvets.

That down jacket you bought for chilly evenings when camping can also be worn indoors.

Invite everyone you know for a party.

[ppg]

The alternative is a mouldy house

Not a healthy environment plus a damp house feels colder, so may need more heating for comfortable living.

[rogerzilla]

Live with a large number of people in a small space.

Live in a tower block, preferably not on the ground or first floors.

Live in a mid-terrace.

Don't skimp on two hot meals a day.

Forget superstition, wear a hat indoors.

Move as much as possible.

Don't use labour saving devices. Doing housework manually keeps you warm.

Hot water bottles, blankets and mega-duvets.

That down jacket you bought for chilly evenings when camping can also be worn indoors.

Invite everyone you know for a party.

"Be rich" works instead of all the above.

[Quisling]

We do not own a microwave.

I don't know what a decent microwave costs but regardless, I have no realistic idea of how long it would take to recoup the cost in energy use terms.

I've had several microwaves over the years but never purchased a new one.  There's always been someone's grandparent has popped their clogs desperately trying to clear their house out offering one cheap.

[Quisling]

Old fridges and chest freezers eat tonnes of elastictrickery.  When we replaced our old small chest freezer with an A+ rated upright of similar volume it reduced power usage (for freezing) by ~80%. 

If you've done the full LED upgrade of lighting, refrigeration is probably your next biggest load unless you have several CRT teles and a stack of servers.

[BFC]

Yeah also wash your hands in cold water.

I'm probably washing my hands about 5 times more than usual on account of caring for barakta.  They're dry and cracked, like after a week of camping.  If the water were any colder they'd be bleeding raw.

An unusual source for an all natural hand cleaner that takes on bike maintenance filth, dissolves adheshive label glue, leaves hands moisturised (aloe vera, johoba and lanolin), and smells of citrus oil. Loctite SF 7850 by Henkel. Works with or without water, works like a barrier cream if used before starting work on the filthy bits of bikes. Citrus oil is the active cleanser/glue dissolver.
Does leave a fine wood pulp like residue all over the sink though, but easily wiped off.

[Mrs Pingu]

If you've done the full LED upgrade of lighting

I'm pretty sure some of the what look like standard pendant light bulbs are halogens, so I need to get them swapped out.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Live with a large number of people in a small space.

Live in a tower block, preferably not on the ground or first floors.

Live in a mid-terrace.

Don't skimp on two hot meals a day.

Forget superstition, wear a hat indoors.

Move as much as possible.

Don't use labour saving devices. Doing housework manually keeps you warm.

Hot water bottles, blankets and mega-duvets.

That down jacket you bought for chilly evenings when camping can also be worn indoors.

Invite everyone you know for a party.

"Be rich" works instead of all the above.

"Be rich" works to keep you cosy and not be troubled by the bills, but it doesn't save energy unless you invest it in insulation.

[quixoticgeek]

"Be rich" works to keep you cosy and not be troubled by the bills, but it doesn't save energy unless you invest it in insulation.

Being rich means you can have appliances that are newer and more energy efficient.

Being rich means your home can be better maintained with Fewer drafts and less damp.

Being rich means you can own your home, so you can choose more efficient heating.

Being rich means you can own your own home so you can install proper insulation.

Being rich means you can cook a proper healthy filling meal.

Being rich means you can afford a better blanket that doesn't get too smelly too fast.

Being rich means you can afford a jumper that isn't made of horrible acrylic that seems to go from fresh out the laundry to teenagers sports bag odour within 30 mins of wear.

Being rich makes everything so much fucking easier.

J

[Diver300]

I did say the nation would save a lot of energy, not individuals.

If the 2KW kettle is on for 1 min extra per cup, for 100m cups per day, that's 3.3MWh per day. That's a good size wind turbine at max output for one hour.

Given the at the time of writing UK demand is 34.3GW. It's basically insignificant. Average daily usage for the UK is 287.58TWh, so that 3.3MWh each day works out as 0.0000000115% of the UK's total energy use for a day. That's a rounding error.

Remember, a tiny number multiplied by a big number just gets a middling number (See Hubble-Barn as unit of measure). 3.3MWh may seem like a lot to you as an individual, but on the scale of a nation, it's two thirds of bugger all.

J

I agree that the over-run of kettles is insignificant, but you've got a the daily figure wrong. Average use in the UK is around 30 GW, which is around what you said, but that comes to 720 GWh per day, not hundreds of TWh. 3.3 MWh agrees with 100 M cups / 1 minute / 2 kW, and that comes to about 0.00045%

A much bigger load is the standby consumption of stuff. An alternative to a kettle is a boiling water tap, but they use 10 - 30 W on average without any hot water being dispensed. That is 0.24 to 0.72 kWh per day, or 7 to 21 minutes of a 2 kW kettle per day.

Lots of electronic devices take 1 W or so when doing nothing, and many houses have multiple items like that.

[Mr Larrington]

"Be rich" works to keep you cosy and not be troubled by the bills, but it doesn't save energy unless you invest it in insulation.

Being rich means you can have appliances that are newer and more energy efficient.

Being rich means your home can be better maintained with Fewer drafts and less damp.

Being rich means you can own your home, so you can choose more efficient heating.

Being rich means you can own your own home so you can install proper insulation.

Being rich means you can cook a proper healthy filling meal.

Being rich means you can afford a better blanket that doesn't get too smelly too fast.

Being rich means you can afford a jumper that isn't made of horrible acrylic that seems to go from fresh out the laundry to teenagers sports bag odour within 30 mins of wear.

Being rich makes everything so much fucking easier.

And being rich means you can move somewhere warmer…

[cygnet]

"Be rich" works to keep you cosy and not be troubled by the bills, but it doesn't save energy unless you invest it in insulation.

Being rich means you can have appliances that are newer and more energy efficient.

Being rich means your home can be better maintained with Fewer drafts and less damp.

Being rich means you can own your home, so you can choose more efficient heating.

Being rich means you can own your own home so you can install proper insulation.

Being rich means you can cook a proper healthy filling meal.

Being rich means you can afford a better blanket that doesn't get too smelly too fast.

Being rich means you can afford a jumper that isn't made of horrible acrylic that seems to go from fresh out the laundry to teenagers sports bag odour within 30 mins of wear.

Being rich makes everything so much fucking easier.

J

AKA Samuel Vimes' Boots Theory, by pterry

[rogerzilla]

To quote Melody Maker from decades ago:

Remember, kids, money doesn't make you happy. 

Big houses, swimming pools, fast cars and endless groupies make you happy.

[fruitcake]

Merino base layers are bloody marvellous. As are merino jumpers. They might cost upwards of £60 a piece but you're getting comfort in low temperatures. And you take that comfort with you when you go outdoors.

I think a big part of the solution for many people is 'more suitable clothing'.

[Wowbagger]

I just checked the temperature of our water tank: 41°C. That's purely from sunshine, and fairly unusual for this late in the autumn. I shall have a solar-heated shower before I get into bed. It will probably be February before I have another...