Hot Water Heating

Rosina if your insulated hot water tank is keeping the water really warm, your immersion heater will not come on, even though it is programmed to, because all immersion heaters have thermostatic controls and cycle on and off and if the water hasn't cooled down sufficiently to trigger the thermostat, the heater will not it will not come on.

Incidentally, I understand that using a cold fill dishwasher saves a lot of water; mine seems to swirl a very small amount of water around, and I have read that it is far more econmical than washing up by hand. No doubt there are other factors to consider here, but I do buy 'SMOL' dishwasher tablets to cut down on packaging and only use the dishwasher when it is competely full.

We reduced our hot water programme to two hours, 6 - 8 a.m, and don't now have the hot water on again the evening. We have a tank that is well insulated in the airing cupboard, and we haven't noticed any difference. I'm awaiting the readings this month to see if it has helped much; I've also stopped using the tumble dryer and now dry clothes overnight in the spare bedroom and pop them in for twenty minutes to finish off. I really hope this cuts down on our usage as the bills now are frightening.

I’m afraid the air source system is still dependent on mains electricity Hetty.

Shropshirelass, I'll be seriously looking into just that at my next home - and ground source, solar - in fact, anything that might reduce dependence on mains utilities. I'm sure a lot of people will be doing the same.

We have just installed air source heating and have constant hot water at low running costs. It is brilliant, the system is set at 50 degrees and once a week heats to a hotter temperature to protect against legionella bacteria.

That’s good. You might be able to cut it down further, be brave and see if just one hour works.

NotAGran55

Experimenting today with 2 hours water heating from 5-7…..
Watch this space….

Callistemon21 you are very close with your guesses about our business ?

Many thanks to those of you who helped - the 2 hour slot seems to be sufficient to last the day ?

I’ve just had a combi boiler installed and I will be interested to see what impact this has on our utility bill.
A wood burner is being installed this week so I am very much hoping our bills will reduce although we’re pretty frugal already with heating.

My spelling!
I need a cold shower to sharpen me up.

Brrr!

Hetty58 we had to have cold showers at school after sport under the eage eye of the PE mistress - no soap! and an overwhelming smell of teenage girl BO in the changing room even after a quick splash.
Yuk, yuk.

Where's our hardy Gransnetteer who swims in the North Sea all year round?

Callistemon21, I know somebody (retired teacher) who always takes cold showers - at 71 years of age!

She used to spend the summers camping in Europe, where cold showers were free, so 'got used to it'. She does have beautiful skin but I just couldn't do it (I'm sure the shock would kill me).

Casdon

Are we allowed solar power warm Callistemon21? I’m not under there for long.

Yes, permitted Casdon!

There is a thing as too much gardening (or so I keep telling myself).

That’s very kind Germanshepherdsmum, thanks.

I think you can have a special dispensation Casdon. You’ve put forward a compelling case.

Are we allowed solar power warm Callistemon21? I’m not under there for long.

But when you’ve been out in the garden you get dirty, or at least I do, as a lot of my garden’s on a bank and I’m on my knees gardening upwards, as well as all the usual tasks. To be honest I have no guilt at all about it, I often have two showers a day. The one thing we aren’t short of in the Beacons is water.

Casdon

Are we allowed to ‘enjoy’ if we live in Wales? We get enough rain to float a battleship every day in the winter, or so it seems so I think we should be allowed a shower in the morning and a bath at night here (need it to get the mud off) as a special exception if we want one. We’ve got a very good water company, and supply lots of our water to England already, it wouldn’t be depriving anybody.

It's permitted if you have a cold shower, Casdon
Like being back at school.

Greciangirl

If you bathe at night, then presumably you are clean, and then you shower in the morning,
How is that logical.
Did you sleepwalk during the night maybe and woke up grubby.

Perhaps some people sleepwalk, raid the fridge, get food down themselves, go in the garden and get dirty feet - who knows what other people get up to in the middle of the night?

Then just shower in the morning?

Night sweats Greciangirl.

If you bathe at night, then presumably you are clean, and then you shower in the morning,
How is that logical.
Did you sleepwalk during the night maybe and woke up grubby.

Are we allowed to ‘enjoy’ if we live in Wales? We get enough rain to float a battleship every day in the winter, or so it seems so I think we should be allowed a shower in the morning and a bath at night here (need it to get the mud off) as a special exception if we want one. We’ve got a very good water company, and supply lots of our water to England already, it wouldn’t be depriving anybody.

NotAGran55, I should think that most of us have modern condensing boilers that heat water as required - so it never runs out.

Still, it's very wasteful to spend ages in the shower. I've got used to being quick and using lukewarm water (rather than hot) due to sensitive skin. I don't think I can cut down beyond that.