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Energy saving tips/myths

(8 Posts)
janerowena Sat 10-May-14 08:45:18

There are a couple on here that I wasn't sure about before.

www.britishgas.co.uk/help-and-advice/save-energy-save-money/Energy-saving-tips/saving-energy-what-is-true-and-what-is-not.html?cid=content_phase2_content-distribution_outbrain_video_energy-saving-myths

overthehill Mon 26-May-14 17:21:41

Yes useful tips especially the one about leaving heating on low all the time versus just when needed.

Although we all moan, me included, about the cost of electricity just think what you get for your money.

TVs, PCs, in my case cooking, power shower, charging of phones, vacuums, hair dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, kettles, lighting, heating by way of pump if gas, videos at an average of £4 per day.

NfkDumpling Mon 26-May-14 17:30:43

I'd heard the heating thing before so a couple of winters ago we tried leaving our heating on 24 hours using the thermostat to control the temperature. Turned it down to 12 at night, 15 if we were out all day. First person in turned it back up to 20. We found the house warms up really quickly. And - our bills stayed the same! Which, with rising prices probably means a drop in real terms!

whenim64 Mon 26-May-14 17:44:19

I leave my heating on low, except in summer, and just alter it manually if needed. My bills are no different than when the timer was set for mornings and evenings.

Lona Mon 26-May-14 18:11:16

My heating is on 24/7 and I just alter the radiator thermostats. I've had it on for the last 10 years. My bills never changed either, of course they are higher now hmm
A plumber told me it was the best way, so I don't believe British Gas when they say it isn't, as we now know what thieving b*****ds they are!

FlicketyB Mon 26-May-14 19:10:10

Our heating is on a room stat and radiator stats. However we can set minimum temperatures for different times of day on the room stat so we too can just leave the system to regulate itself all year round.

I must confess that we do have our temperatures a lot lower than the standard set of presets on the room stat. When we go away for more than two days we can reset the stat to heat the house to a much lower minimum temperature in our absence, just returning itself to normal the day we come back. As we are away quite a bit this has given us a significant saving on our heating bills.

I tend to compare quarterly consumption figures rather than bills. We do not have a tumble dryer, electric heating, electric kettle and I cook on gas. Our electricity bill last year worked out at about £1.25 a day and gas £3.00 a day for a fairly large 4 bedroomed house, although the gas bill is already lower this year because of the warm winter

Riverwalk Mon 26-May-14 19:37:01

I wouldn't trust British Gas but do trust the Energy Saving Trust, an independent body

Myths

JessM Wed 28-May-14 06:59:44

This is a very good video. BG are not going to embarrass themselves by giving advice that is not based on scientific evidence. Sometimes scientific evidence is counter-intuitive. Setting your thermostat and boiler controls is far more efficient than fiddling with the controls several times a day.
My biggest energy saving tip is : Move to a modern mid-floor flat (by modern I mean built in the last 10 years or so). We have been renting one since August and gas used so far has cost £119 including hot water and hob. We only put the radiators on for about 6 hours all winter.
If you do move, look at the EPC before you even visit the property. There are some flats not far from here, built about 1970, that have terrible EPCs.
On a daily basis - don't over fill kettles, and when cooking potatoes etc cut them up smaller (they will cook quicker) and only use the water you need (steamers are more efficient as you need less water)