Is there any point?

Hi Ladies ....

Dickens I laughed out loud actually about the soup! I had a period of 6 months where I couldn't eat anything but blended soup and yoghurt, lost 4 stone and felt horrific, can't even look at a tin of Heinz anymore! As for the Fresubins and Ensure protein drinks, I spent many an hour trying to coerce poor elderly patients into drinking them, and now know why they didn't, lol .... vile! I do like the clear fruity ones, BUT they are all full of sugar and I am diabetic, lol. I am on the dieticians books, I know what I should be eating, it's the apathy that's the issue really, coupled with the nausea due to the massive abdominal hernias I have, I will try not to give up yet .... depends on what British Gas send in the post next!

Callistemon you are absolutely correct about the tumble drier, but sometimes it's best to pick your battles!

MissAdventure yes, actually, before Covid hit I was seeing ours, forgotten about that, looks like she's dropped me, too much hassle! Lol xx

You only have to worry about legionnaires if you have a tank of water standing. New combi boilers don’t, so not a problem.

They come out to you, too, by the way.
I know how it feels to be that poorly that it's an effort just to "be".

MadeinYorkshire
My gp surgery, now has a care coordinator service. (Not much good at mine, but that's by the by)

The idea is to stop people with multiple issues and problems to end up with lots of emergency admissions to hospital, by helping sort things out before they develop further. Please phone your gp and ask if they have this service.
Please.

That's useful, thanks. Really useful.

I came across this table. For the sake of a few quid I'm not going to risk putting my back out to get to the plugs behind the tv/bedside drawers etc.
MoneySuperMarket looked at the annual cost of running over 130 household items. It found the most expensive household items to leave on standby over one year are as follows:

Digital TV box (left on) - £36.91
Multi-room speakers (in idle mode) - £27.52
Router (left on) - £7.51
Microwave (left on) - £4.53
Digital clock (left on) - £2.56
TV (on standby) - £1.72
Coffee maker (left on) - £1.68
Phone charger (plugged in, not charging) - £0.37

Router not Tivo

SparklyGrandma

I don’t have a tv, I use my iPad as my tv. I have turned down the central temperature on my boiler to 45°, turned off unnecessary radiators, leave nothing on standby.

You’re risking Legionnaires Disease by having the boiler temperature so low. According to the HSE the minimum temperature should be 60deg. Anything less could allow Legionella to flourish.

Electricity though is a different matter - there are currently 6 of us living here including 2 small kids, washing once or twice a day, drier on so she can keep up with it all. Terrified as to what it might be, but apparently they cannot back date it beyond a year so am holding out until January, as done everything I can do to get it sorted!

I do hope you won't be expected to pay the bill for all that electricity, MadeinYorkshire.
The weather has been wonderful so, really, there was no excuse for using the tumble dryer even with washing for small children.

As Dickens says, please try to eat something other than cheese and biscuits. Protein drinks can be obtained on prescription, too.

MadeInYorkshire

Once the family have gone it will be much cheaper anyway. I don't eat well as can't stand to cook, and if I do I feel so sick I can't eat it anyway, so live on TUC Crackers and cheese generally - am not well, and am getting so I can't even be bothered to think about being well anymore, am done really now, so maybe won't make the winter anyway, but don't want to go before my Mum who is 86 and fitter than me ....

It might be worth contacting your doctor. I have an ileostomy (further up the bowel than a colostomy) and like you am very limited in what I can eat.

If your doctor can arrange an appointment with a dietician, they may well be willing to prescribe protein drinks. Forgetting the taste of them - they have been a life-saver for me. Some days when, like you, I feel sick, I just drink those and don't eat at all. They are packed with all the essential nutrients and make all the difference to your energy levels.

And living on crackers and cheese (though I understand why you do) will cause all sorts of problems. Also, try soup (or maybe you have?) - and those tins of spaghetti hoops mixed with Italian herbs and grated cheese should sit comfortably with you - they even form part of your 'five-a-day'.

I sympathise. It's no fun having a digestive problem... to put it mildly. And I understand that feeling of not even expecting to be well anymore - it all seems like too much effort and you're tempted to give in and just accept it. But, please don't... you need some help. Don't give up!

I was just thinking.
Just a colour code next to each thing, so that people could know what are high level , medium, and so on.
It's not just the cold, but the dampness, too, if things arent warmed through a little.

Surely we could be given some very approximate guidance from our energy providers?
Just a bullet point list.
Kettle.
Tumble dryer.
Light bulb for one hour.
It's ridiculous just dropping it all on us, without even allowing us to make informed choices about what is important to us.
For some people it could mean sitting in a cold room, sleeping in a cold bedroom, and thinking they dare not have a hot drink.

Every time we go out or close up for the night HB turns off switches in the kitchen and the Tivo box. Why? Because when his niece returned to her home she was met by firemen putting out her house fire, caused by a washing machine that is was not in use.

I don’t have a tv, I use my iPad as my tv. I have turned down the central temperature on my boiler to 45°, turned off unnecessary radiators, leave nothing on standby.

The so-called experts never seem to agree on what it costs to leave thing plugged in. One said leaving the phone charger plugged in with no phone attached cost nothing another "expert" said it does cost money. I unplugg stuff I can and switch off at the appliance ie TV. I leave my BT hub on and my Sky Box on standby and my two Frudge freezers on. I'm thinking of not using my shed freezer anymore at all as now its only me it's not really needed.

I have remote control switches in my sockets that I can't get at, like my TV, etc. I've a set that I use for my TV in the living room and kitchen and another for my TV & lamp in my bedroom, saves me getting back out of bed too when it's cold. All my TVs would stay on standby as they have no buttons on the sets themselves to turn them off.

JaneJudge

Some of the people it will hit hardest are those who have disabilities which mean they cannot not use the washing machine or tumble dryer because of their needs. These people are the kinds of people who will already be most likely to be living in poverty already. People with physical disabilities who find their dishwasher a godsend as it means not having to use up their own energy to wash up. We may as able bodied people be able to make choices for ourselves but lots of other people do not have choice. Even if you use specialist bedding to prtoect having to wash every day you either a) have to pay for disposable mats/products or b) are faced with washing and drying the protection anyway. This is just one example but it is a daily battle for some people to keep on top of washing (I know as, as a carer I have been there) Then add in the fact people who are unwell/disabled generally need to be warm and fed properly too in order to stay well. I was reading an interesting article (though very sad one) which suggests we will see illnesses we haven't seen in a long time because of food and fuel poverty combined. I have googled but can't remember where I read it but lots of articles came up none the less, like this one

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/01/generation-britain-long-term-illness-cold-poor-winter-cost-of-living-crisis

Yes, that'll be me then! I have a colostomy, so you can imagine what that might mean? being disabled on very low income you would think that I would get some help, but no - because I "did the right thing and worked" before I fell ill, it means I do not get any cost of living payments, other than my £150 disability one!!

Moved here in January and STILL do not have a proper bill from British Gas, so I have no idea what things are costing me! I now have 12 paper bills, none of which are even remotely correct! 2 weeks ago they sent me a cheque or £68 + no idea why? Said 'here is the money we promised'! Another bill from 2 months before I moved in said I was over £1k in credit! Had smart meter man out twice, said it was working, twice, and still no readings are going through, although they did 'zero' the gas meter and seem to be charging from then .... good! But not used hardly any gas since I moved other that to heat water and hob on occasion. Electricity though is a different matter - there are currently 6 of us living here including 2 small kids, washing once or twice a day, drier on so she can keep up with it all. Terrified as to what it might be, but apparently they cannot back date it beyond a year so am holding out until January, as done everything I can do to get it sorted!

Once the family have gone it will be much cheaper anyway. I don't eat well as can't stand to cook, and if I do I feel so sick I can't eat it anyway, so live on TUC Crackers and cheese generally - am not well, and am getting so I can't even be bothered to think about being well anymore, am done really now, so maybe won't make the winter anyway, but don't want to go before my Mum who is 86 and fitter than me ....

Goodness! Have we really got to the stage where we're afraid to turn things off for fear of breaking a limb!!!

Chestnut

This thread just shows how much we rely on electricity, not only in our homes but in the wider world. We have countless appliances, devices and lights of one kind and another.

I think the only way to know how much power you're consuming is to use a smart meter, or one of those plug in devices, and work it out according to your rate per kWh. Everyone is on a different energy rate and has different appliances, so there won't be a set rate which applies to everyone.

It depends how many rooms you have and how accessible your meter is. I experimented by switching off each room in turn for twelve hours and taking exact readings, but I only have four rooms with any appliances and I don't have many anyway. I use just over a pound a day for electricity.

"OldRose* The remote control gadgets mentioned above would be good for you. They plug in under the appliance plug of each thing. Five for about £32, and you get two remote controllers (each controller works all five plugs)

I have a desperate shortage of sockets, which means most appliances in my living room are plugged into extension cords. Short of crawling on the floor to unplug individual ones, and risking breaking something - like myself! - I'm a bit stuck! Or could be literally stuck ?

lemsip

well who would turn a fridge or freezer off f g s!

Having lost nearly two freezer loads of food through a faulty (nearly new) freezer which kept warming I would think it's not the best thing to economise on! Dangerous.

Saggi

My Brotger-in-law is an electrician and very tight! He doesn’t turn anything off.
I go with him!

being tight doesn't make you sensible!

well who would turn a fridge or freezer off f g s!

I leave nothing on standby. everything off at the plug. if it's on standby then it's ready to use so you are paying a charge.