Tips For Using Less Electricity

[bednobs]

hi, our electricty bills are frankly huge for a three person household. Our electrical appliances consist of the following - :
freezer
router
cordless phone
tv
laptop
wall lights
spotlights
dab radios x 3
oven
kettle
toaster
washer/dryer
dishwasher
microwave
macerator
battery charger
lampsx 3
iron
dvd player
iopd docking station
water softner
fridge freezer
baby monitor
computer
printer
kindle/tablet/phone/toothbrush/nintendo chargers
hairdryer
humidifiers
can anyone give me recommendations of how to use less (apart from just turning things off), if anything i use is a huge consumer and so on

[Maydup]

The washer dryer is most likely to be the main culprit followed by the dishwasher and the oven. Use each of these only when fully loaded or preferably not at all. Dry clothes on the line when ever you can, wash dishes by hand or only run a Full load once every few days and only oven cook at the weekend. Radios, phones, lights etc are low users, anything that heats or cools uses loads of power.

[hc4361]

A washer dryer is likely to cost more to run full on one cycle than 2 cycles half full, particular if your machine is relatively new and A rated.
Depending on how you heat your water and how old your dishwasher is, it can be cheaper to run a full dishwasher than to wash up by hand.

[bednobs]

Hiya thanks for coral the help. It's one hundred pounds a month. Our hearing and hot water are oil

[hc4361]

Is anyone at home all day, every day?

[diddlydo]

There are 2 of us at home all day. Dishwasher goes on every night, washing machine 3-4 times a week, all on Economy 7. bill is £30 per month and we always end up in credit at the end of the year. Ditch the tumble drier. What's a macerator and do you need it?

[bednobs]

no one at home during the day (unless the dogs are turning on the telly, watching it all day and turning it off before we get home - and if they can do that, then they should also learn how to load the dishwasher and washing machine in my opinion)
Macerator is what makes the tolet work, so yes, fairly essential!

[Tizzi24]

About 18 months ago, I started turning off all (apart from washing machine and Fridge freezer) appliances off at the wall socket and started saving quite a bit of money. Although appliances are turned off, there is still a certain amount of electricity coming through the socket. I never leave any appliance on standby.

[EcclesCake]

Your bill certainly sounds high, it is more than my combined gas and electricity bill!

If you are using you tumble dryer a lot that is almost certainly behind your high consumption.

Get yourself an electricity usage monitor, easily picked up for £15 or so. It will be an eye opener when you see how it peaks when you switch the tumbler or kettle on!

[factor-fiction]

Is your oven a fan oven? I noticed our fan was going for 30-45 minutes after we switch the oven off, so now I now leave the door open afterwards and it cools down quicker. I suppose I could switch the fan off but the socket is not easily accessible.
I no longer use the tumble dryer outside economy 7 as that seemed to use a lot

[Old_Geezer]

Heating is the big user of power. Whether it be water for washing, or cooking, or heating the house generally. The rest one can look at, but you would then be hoping 'every little helps'. Since the house heating isn't specifically mentioned in your list as being powered by electricity I can only advice using less of the big power items (watts are usually on the label on the back of devices). Also ensure you have the maximum amount of insulation/lagging/draught exclusion/etc. Also the old wear an extra layer and turn down the heating to an uncomfortable level is reasonable advice. Alternatively vote for a parliament willing to nationalise the utilities and work on how we can generate out own power without allowing foreign or commercial interests to share in profits and consequential excess bill rises ?

[sherrardk]

We have all the usual stuff but more of it (because there are lots of us) and our electric is less than yours (£85 a month). I rarely use the tumble dryer and only use the washing machine on quick wash (nothing is ever very dirty).

[factor-fiction]

Our washing machine has several programmes that run for 2-3 hours but we always find that our 49 minute cycle is good enough and for some items that just need freshening up the 20 minute express wash is fine

[jomifl]

How do you heat your house and water? The items you listed wouldn't give a high bill in normal usage. The biggest consumer you have is the tumble drier which would cost no more than 50 pence an hour to run.
You best saving would be to lose the extra freezer.

[bednobs]

i hardly ever use the tumble bit of the washer/dryer because it's so rubbish!

[EcclesCake]

As Bednobs explained at 00.09 their heating and hot water is oil fuelled not electricity.

[jomifl]

Note to self....must read all the replies...

[EcclesCake]

If you rarely use tumble drier then definitely get a usage monitor and watch it like a hawk when you switch appliances on.......it becomes quite addictive!

[Old_Geezer]

Having spotted the £100 a month post I was about to say that was common, but then I noticed your heating is oil so not part of it. You sure the neighbours aren't connected to your supply ! Maybe the secret might be to try to turn things off and look if the meter suddenly slows down, may give a clue. Start with those large items that could, if necessary, be left off, then on to those that you can't leave off but want a clue as to how much they seem to use. I think you can buy plug/sockets that monitor what is being used, you connect your devices via them. In fact I'm sure I got one as a novelty a year or two back.

[tamborine]

dishwasher
macerator
water softener
baby monitor
humidifiers

these are items from your list that I dont use. Is a water softner & humidifier necessary ? My dish washer takes an hour to wash a load that I can wash in a sink in 10mins.

[The Builder]

'Nobs, if you have one of the old mechanical meters (spinning disc), then it's not unknown for them to become faulty. Your supplier will check it for you, or, better still, replace it with a digital.