Your energy bills

Pepper59

Are slow cookers economical?

Yes.

Tina49

Air fryer ordered! Can always pass it on to a daughter if I don’t get on with it.

I’ve only had mine 4 days but I’m impressed so far. I wish I’d got one sooner. I know 3 folk who have them and they all love them.

I am with Bulb and they just advised me to increase my monthly payment to £144. This in spite of having built of a credit to £300, so that will mean they now have the equivalent of 2 monthly payments in advance. Wow, hope for a warm summer in Devon.

Air fryer ordered! Can always pass it on to a daughter if I don’t get on with it.

Ha ha Tina ? Mr Pantglas probably couldn’t either....he’d tell you I’m a natural and it’s due to my Welsh farming miserly genes ? !

Pantglas2

We’re in a 2 bed semi with cavity and loft insulation and our gas&elec is fixed with EDF until July 23 at £57 pm. Just found out we’re in credit and they will refund £150 and keep DD at same amount. We did spend 7 weeks in Spain during autumn and Xmas so probably standing charge only for those weeks.

Heating is on at 16-18 degrees for an hour each morning in bathroom, our bedroom and sitting room and a couple of hours each evening with curtains and blinds always closed at dusk. We wear jeans, T-shirt and fleece jumper autumn to spring and always sit in the south facing conservatory on sunny days - it has heating but that is only on for suppers with guests at this time of year.

I rarely use the electric oven for one item, always filling all three shelves or cook on the gas hob, slocooker or microwave. Dishwasher on Eco twice a week

Washing machine used 3 times a week - one darks, one light coloured and a hot wash for bedding, all line dried having chosen a dry day! If I’m caught short weatherwise, I might use tumble drier maybe once a month ?

You’re impressively organised Pantglas! I think I could do all that, but DH? Er, no….

Grannynannywanny

Thanks for your comment on air fryers
Charleygirl5. That’s really encouraging.

Tina49 I think it’s misleading that they’ve been named Airfryers. Basically it works as a grill, fryer and oven. Pretty much anything you cook in a normal oven or grill does well in the airfryer only quicker. The food is almost cooked in the time it takes to pre heat a normal oven.

Last night I chopped a red pepper, onion, 2 tomatoes and a little garlic and it was delicious cooked in it for 15 mins. I cooked a potato in the microwave for 5 mins then popped in beside the roasting veg for the last 5 mins to crisp the skin and it turned out lovely.

The model I have is the 4.3litre Tower brand currently £44 on Amazon. My friend recommended it and suggested the compact smaller model was too small and I agree. I haven’t tried it but it’s possible to bake in it.

Ooh, very useful - many thanks! Off to browse Amazon!

Our bills are higher ( £128 pm ) and rising. Our fix has just ended and at the moment I am following Martin Lewis’ advice not to fix.
We dont have a tumble drier, but we have far too many appliances on standby, though DH says they cost peanuts and it would be a pain having to reset clocks eg on the microwave if we switched them off. In the evening we have far too many lights on, again he says it is costing just pennies as they are all LCD bulbs. So we will have to see how it goes. We have a joint account for bills and if he has to contribute more, he might economise. We have gas central heating which is on all day as he feels the cold. He stays up late so it is on more hours than most.

Thanks for your comment on air fryers
Charleygirl5. That’s really encouraging.

Tina49 I think it’s misleading that they’ve been named Airfryers. Basically it works as a grill, fryer and oven. Pretty much anything you cook in a normal oven or grill does well in the airfryer only quicker. The food is almost cooked in the time it takes to pre heat a normal oven.

Last night I chopped a red pepper, onion, 2 tomatoes and a little garlic and it was delicious cooked in it for 15 mins. I cooked a potato in the microwave for 5 mins then popped in beside the roasting veg for the last 5 mins to crisp the skin and it turned out lovely.

The model I have is the 4.3litre Tower brand currently £44 on Amazon. My friend recommended it and suggested the compact smaller model was too small and I agree. I haven’t tried it but it’s possible to bake in it.

We’re in a 2 bed semi with cavity and loft insulation and our gas&elec is fixed with EDF until July 23 at £57 pm. Just found out we’re in credit and they will refund £150 and keep DD at same amount. We did spend 7 weeks in Spain during autumn and Xmas so probably standing charge only for those weeks.

Heating is on at 16-18 degrees for an hour each morning in bathroom, our bedroom and sitting room and a couple of hours each evening with curtains and blinds always closed at dusk. We wear jeans, T-shirt and fleece jumper autumn to spring and always sit in the south facing conservatory on sunny days - it has heating but that is only on for suppers with guests at this time of year.

I rarely use the electric oven for one item, always filling all three shelves or cook on the gas hob, slocooker or microwave. Dishwasher on Eco twice a week

Washing machine used 3 times a week - one darks, one light coloured and a hot wash for bedding, all line dried having chosen a dry day! If I’m caught short weatherwise, I might use tumble drier maybe once a month ?

Yes, I’m looking at air fryers too - although not sure how well it would work for us / vegetarian, never fry anything currently.

We only have our heating on for a couple of hours in the morning and the same in the evening. Not keen on stuffy, overheated rooms, though I have a heart condition so shouldn’t be too cold.

Grannynannywanny I bought an air fryer in late November and I think soon it will have paid for itself because I have only used my double electric oven once and that was at Christmas. Usually my electricity bill is higher but not the last two months, I have noticed such a difference as you will. I also use my microwave and slow cooker so every little helps.

I am with Octopus and paid £58 a month for gas and electricity but now it is £98 fixed for 2 years. I live in a modern well insulated 3 bedroom end terrace house with solar panels for hot water only.

My heating is on all day at 18C. I do not have a tumble dryer but I do have a dishwasher and re my washing machine, I appear to wash for my local area. In spring/summer I hang the clothes outside but now it is a Chinese laundry in my kitchen but the majority of clothes dry overnight.

We're with Eon for both, pay £118 per month. 3 bedroomed semi, we use:
washer
dryer
oven and hob
dishwasher

gas CH
shower that runs off the boiler

I'm going to stop using the dishwasher, turn off the heating, stop using the dryer

growstuff

I have no idea how people have such low energy bills.

I live in a modern(ish), well insulated two bedroom mid terrace. I don't use the tumble drier, rarely use the oven and have kept my heating as low as I can bear.

The house is rented, so I have no control over the type of boiler, but the system is well maintained.

My direct debit for gas and electricity is £140pcm and I'm using just above that at the moment (it will be less in summer).

same here, some people's houses must be very cold and dark!.

Are slow cookers economical?

I’m in a 4 bed mid terrace and currently pay £114 to British Gas for duel fuel. Fortunately fixed tariff till sept. I limit the heating to 1 hour in the morning and 2 hours evening and I’ve lowered the thermostat to 18c. The house was 12c when I got up today ? I’ve bought an air fryer this week in the hope it will be more economical than heating the oven just for myself.

Thanks for all the info.

I am in a three bedroom terraced house and with octopus energy and luckily I signed a fixed deal back in May which was for two years so I consider myself very lucky to be paying £97.47 month and hopefully by the time the deal runs out we will have more sensible prices, if not I dread to think how much it will go up (3 adults in house)

My bill was £56 but my fixed deal ran out and I fixed again for two years at £91. I live in a small 2 bed semi and so far this Winter I’m still in a small credit. Hopefully over the Summer I’ll build up a good credit for what is to come.
Your deal sounds pretty good for they size of property.

Tina49
I’m now with shell. My monthly DD was £60 it’s now £100.
I live in a 2 bed semi bungalow with a heated conservatory.
My heating is set at 21 throughout the day.

growstuff

I have no idea how people have such low energy bills.

I live in a modern(ish), well insulated two bedroom mid terrace. I don't use the tumble drier, rarely use the oven and have kept my heating as low as I can bear.

The house is rented, so I have no control over the type of boiler, but the system is well maintained.

My direct debit for gas and electricity is £140pcm and I'm using just above that at the moment (it will be less in summer).

Just logged into my account just noticed I made a mistake as my payments go up to £107 from Feb
We don’t skimp on heating and just lately I boost it back on during the day Electricity is by far the biggest bit of our bill the gas is much cheaper We have a reasonably new boiler which does seem to have made a difference
I did get a very good deal with British Gas and really had to search for it online they have so many different rates and this one was way down the list.
So those that have lower bills may well fixed before energy prices went mad

I have no idea how people have such low energy bills.

I live in a modern(ish), well insulated two bedroom mid terrace. I don't use the tumble drier, rarely use the oven and have kept my heating as low as I can bear.

The house is rented, so I have no control over the type of boiler, but the system is well maintained.

My direct debit for gas and electricity is £140pcm and I'm using just above that at the moment (it will be less in summer).

That still seams a very reasonable amount for the house you described. We have a three bedroom house and ours is £85 per month we fixed this rate last March as there were warnings that energy costs could skyrocket
Our payments at the moment seem to be covering the usage and I don’t tend to skimp with heating and regularly use a tumble dryer

Oopsadaisy1

Should read ‘just after’ this all kicked off, as our last fixed rate ended, just at the wrong time.

Oh dear

Yes, I’ve been conscious of cutting back. We were given a microwave a while ago, but never used it - but recently have been using it for jacket potatoes rather than using the oven. Never had a tumble dryer.