Record Breaking Snow forecast in November

[david63]

Have you got one of those energy monitoring devices? Some utility companies give them out free (or for the asking) ... I believe they can be very addictive

Our library loans them out free of charge for a week. I borrowed one and within a week of monitoring and turning things off estimated that there were savings of around £300 a year to be made without any change to our lifestyle.

One of the biggest savings was to show Mrs63 that only boiling enough water for two cups of coffee was far better than boiling enough for the whole street

[Dark Knight]

I agree with Merv
how much more can you really do without affecting your lifestyle
we have double glazing, mountains of insulation, the heating is set just low enough to be pleasanr at around 22 degrees, we have a brand new boiler/heating system, lagged tank etc etc
solar panels are not cost effective and too expensive, we cannot put up a wind turbine,

so what is there really you can do unless you want to spend all day wrapped up like an eskimo?

[Kendhni]

Have you got one of those energy monitoring devices? Some utility companies give them out free (or for the asking) ... I believe they can be very addictive

Our library loans them out free of charge for a week. I borrowed one and within a week of monitoring and turning things off estimated that there were savings of around £300 a year to be made without any change to our lifestyle.

One of the biggest savings was to show Mrs63 that only boiling enough water for two cups of coffee was far better than boiling enough for the whole street

I had to explain that to julie as well
Other little cookery related tips is to always use a pot lid ... it reduces energy requirements and cooking times; turn the oven off during the last 10 minutes of cooking .. there is plenty of heat already in the oven to complete the cooking process.

Don't use standby mode, turn off at the mains (unless you know for sure you have a zero usage appliance when in standby) ... don't leave stuff on charge, once charging has finished disconnect it ... and reduce number of times things need charged by turning tablets/phones etc. off over night ... also plug them into your computer at work or charge them from your car when on the move (most modern cars have USB ports built in or can be added via the cigarette lighter socket).

Don't turn dishwashers, washing machines etc. on unless full (basically anything with a heating element is expensive to run) ... I have seen my SIL turn her dishwasher on for a cup, a plate and a couple of pieces of cutlery ... and then my brother wonders why his electricity bill is more than 3 times what mine is? It is better to use a clothes line than a tumble dryer (if possible).

[Manoverboard]

... the heating is set just low enough to be pleasanr at around 22 degrees ...

22 degrees in a new house is because you are drying out the bricks n blockwork, woodwork and plaster etc but after a couple of years it'll be nice n comfy at 18 degrees .... regardless of what the good lady says.

[david63]

Other little cookery related tips is to always use a pot lid ... it reduces energy requirements and cooking times;

Not necessarily true - it depends on what you are cooking as there are some things that would not take kindly to having a lid on.

turn the oven off during the last 10 minutes of cooking .. there is plenty of heat already in the oven to complete the cooking process.

May not always work with a gas oven - but I agree if it is an electric oven.

Don't use standby mode, turn off at the mains (unless you know for sure you have a zero usage appliance when in standby)

Not always feasible with items such as PVR - especially if you want to record during the night. In fact with my BT Vision box and router it is in the contract that they are not switched off as updates are done overnight.

[Manoverboard]

Well I'll tell you this ... Ken

If I tried to turn the oven off part way through Mobietta cooking our dinner ... JEEZ, she'd go ballistic.

No, for the sake of matrimonial harmony I am happy enough for her to waste a couple of £££s here n there as I have no need at all to look for ways to make our lives a misery fretting about such trivia.

[Holiday Planner]

... the heating is set just low enough to be pleasanr at around 22 degrees ...

22 degrees in a new house is because you are drying out the bricks n blockwork, woodwork and plaster etc but after a couple of years it'll be nice n comfy at 18 degrees .... regardless of what the good lady says.

I agree MOB, we always have ours at 18.

[Frank Manning]

Record breaking snow where? I'll believe it when I see it, they cant seem to0 get tomorrow's forecast right, so what chance next month.

[Kendhni]

Other little cookery related tips is to always use a pot lid ... it reduces energy requirements and cooking times;

Not necessarily true - it depends on what you are cooking as there are some things that would not take kindly to having a lid on.

You can still cover 80% or so and reduce costs ... or use vented lids.
However I suppose that depends on the reason why they state not to cover ... I suppose if you are trying to reduce then you want the steam to escape .

turn the oven off during the last 10 minutes of cooking .. there is plenty of heat already in the oven to complete the cooking process.

May not always work with a gas oven - but I agree if it is an electric oven.

A modern gas oven should still be insulated enough to retain the heat for 10 minutes or so ... just don't keep opening the door

Don't use standby mode, turn off at the mains (unless you know for sure you have a zero usage appliance when in standby)

Not always feasible with items such as PVR - especially if you want to record during the night. In fact with my BT Vision box and router it is in the contract that they are not switched off as updates are done overnight.

Correct .. should have made that clearer ... similar with Sky boxes.

[Kendhni]

Well I'll tell you this ... Ken

If I tried to turn the oven off part way through Mobietta cooking our dinner ... JEEZ, she'd go ballistic.

No, for the sake of matrimonial harmony I am happy enough for her to waste a couple of £££s here n there as I have no need at all to look for ways to make our lives a misery fretting about such trivia.

But the discussion was about how to reduce costs ... not how to keep the missus happy .. there are better ways for that than cookery

[david63]

Another good tip to reduce fuel costs is not to heat your hot water any more than is necessary - if you have to add cold water to then you have wasted money.

[Dark Knight]

we have ours at 22 degrees coz that is what we are happy with

nowt to do with cost or keeping Lady D happy, it is what we like

[Mervyn and Trish]

Other little cookery related tips is to always use a pot lid ... it reduces energy requirements and cooking times; turn the oven off during the last 10 minutes of cooking .. there is plenty of heat already in the oven to complete the cooking process.

Don't use standby mode, turn off at the mains (unless you know for sure you have a zero usage appliance when in standby) ... don't leave stuff on charge, once charging has finished disconnect it ... and reduce number of times things need charged by turning tablets/phones etc. off over night ... also plug them into your computer at work or charge them from your car when on the move (most modern cars have USB ports built in or can be added via the cigarette lighter socket).

Don't turn dishwashers, washing machines etc. on unless full (basically anything with a heating element is expensive to run) ... I have seen my SIL turn her dishwasher on for a cup, a plate and a couple of pieces of cutlery ... and then my brother wonders why his electricity bill is more than 3 times what mine is? It is better to use a clothes line than a tumble dryer (if possible).

Already do all of that Ken, the only exception on the "turn off at the mains" advice being the new telly, which doesn't have an off button, so it would mean grovelling behind it to get to the plug. But since the new tv is hugely more efficient than the old one we are using less anyway, even if we left it on 24 hours a day. And the radio, which loses all it's pre-programmed stations if turned right off. We do unplug them, along with everything else, when we go away, even if it does take me a day on return to reprogramme everything an reset all the clocks. And we have one of those gizmos that boils just the amount of water you want.

And yes Moby, I do possess thermals, though I'm not prepared to wear them indoors so that China can build even more coal fired power stations than it is already doing and the government can tax me even more to buy thermals for layabouts who claim it is their right to stay at home with their 99 children, claim £500,000 per year in benefits and live in palaces built by the council (okay so there is a little overstatement and irony there, but you get the drift. I will go so far to save the polar bears but no further).

[ItsmeAnnC]

Don't worry everyone! The paper that made the prediction was the same one that forecast the BBQ summer last year, and the deluge this year!

[Stephen]

Going by the weather forecasting in this country, I'll believe it when I see it.

[david63]

Going by the weather forecasting in this country, I'll believe it when I see it.

... and with those glasses on Stephen you will not be seeing very much - of anything