Cutting down energy use- what is happening around you?

Snowbell

Norfolk County Council's County Hall is empty in the evenings but all the lights are on!

The lights are on but there’s no-one in.
Sounds like a metaphor - perhaps for NCC?

Snowbell

Norfolk County Council's County Hall is empty in the evenings but all the lights are on!

24 hours a day. It's shocking.

Hot water bottles are the answer for me. I have one on my lap at the moment, and when I sit down to watch TV I have one on my feet and one against my back, plus a furry throw across my lap with a large purring cat on top. With all of this, I can keep the thermostat at 17 deg.

I refuse to wash my clothes at anything less than 40° but the majority of the washing is only on for 14 minutes, the exception is bedding which goes on 60° for 50 minutes. I have my thermostat set to 17 and have a gas fire in my lounge which I tend to put on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening if it is really cold otherwise like most people layered up with throws across my knees and warm slipper boots …

Norfolk County Council's County Hall is empty in the evenings but all the lights are on!

Bobbydog, why don't you get in touch with your local Councillor and find out why. That does appear ridiculous, I wonder if it a safe space or whether it is a deterrent against vandalism.

I live next to a high school which is lit up from 4.30am inside and out until it becomes light and again from 4.30 - 10.30pm and over the weekend and they will be coming on during the Christmas break. No economising there.
Ridiculous when you hear schools are underfunded.

Alan, I too remember waking up with ice on the windows, Lino on the floor, one fire in the grate, how cold I felt. My mom was wonderful, we went to school well fed, wrapped up, Liberty bodice, vest, woolen socks and pixie hoods, knitted by my mother. Always a hot meal and pudding when we got home, but we were poor but everyone round us was.. We knew no difference, our grandchildren have been bought up to expect heating, fast food etc..They are however, paying a bigger price than ever we did. I am constantly amazed by just how smashing the youngsters of today are, interested in charity work and the environment, yes they have had it easy in some ways but not in so much more.,Shops should not have doors open, granted, but you can't expect staff to work in freezing conditions, doors opened every few minutes, customers coming in with warm outside gear on.
I don't think people that don't live here have the right to tell us what we should be doing , look after what you're doing in your homeland as here we are all doing their best under difficult curcumstabces. I remember France revolting years ago about animal transport. Now we have NHS, Post Office and Rail workers all striking over Christmas, proper not sake yo get home, as if we haven't had enough, we all need more. some are more equal than others who cannot live one week if their earnings stopped.

At my age and state of health I cannot afford to be cold and do not want to spend my last days worrying about my electric bill.
ALANaV.
I not only remember what you have to say about when you were young.
The winter 1946/7 London was snowed up for three months. Rationing, shortages of everything worse than during the war. My husband and I had both served in the Forces and couldn’t get accommodation because we were not on the housing list so were living in an attic with a tiny coal fire. I was pregnant and spent my days queuing in the snow for rations, a small bag of coal, a pound of potatoes etc. Gave my husband my rations because he hard job. ( he was wounded in the Dday landings) Even had to have coupons for clothes and blankets.
But somehow we survived.

What amazes me is when I go into a shop with its heating on, the external doors are left OPEN !!! surely it would be more economical to keep them closed ? Personally I am finding it increasingly amazing at the amount of younger people talking about not having heating on, or not having the ability to buy or cook hot food ! I KNOW this is boring people BUT a lot of us on here will probably remember when we were small ......there was NO such thing as central heating ...(unless you consider the ONE small coal fire in ONE room only). Food was scarce and money was tight (no benefits in those days !)....dinner was often a tin of Beef soup with boiled potatoes ....it was hot and kept us going .........is it our fault (as everything usually is blamed on the 'baby boomers' that we have bred a generation who cannot survive on what they have ? It was a struggle for our parents (and us when mortgage rates were 15%)) to put hot food on the table and keep heating on just long enough not to freeze....is it an expectation to have everything nowadays with no compromise or no idea how to cope ???

Truly awful those only having heating on a couple of hours a day, what a miserable existance, everyone is getting £66 off bills each month, plus £500 one off for pensioners, this would cover the coldest months, that's what it's for. The condensation you get and damp problems by not heating rooms will cost more than the fuel. I have set my thermostat to 18, it's the breathing in of ice cold air that makes you ill, it could be life threatening. Does not matter how many clothes you layer on.

Callistemon21

Whitewavemark2

Some truth in this!

“The French are calling the British navet congelé (Frozen Turnip)

Because they are frozen in their houses and have the brains of turnips for not revolting.”

So what are the French doing to conserve energy and keep warm?

Do they have any tips

Bearing in mind that yes, there is a price cap on energy there but that we should all be trying to use less energy?

Whitewavemark2

Some truth in this!

“The French are calling the British navet congelé (Frozen Turnip)

Because they are frozen in their houses and have the brains of turnips for not revolting.”

So what are the French doing to conserve energy and keep warm?

Do they have any tips

Sarah74
This article gives a good picture.

www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/energy-crisis--will-last-many-years---says-finance-minister/47999140

Sarah74

Callistemon21

Sarah74

How about you, Fleurpepper? What are you personally, and what about your government - what are they doing?

I think the government there is being proactive and encouraging individuals to save energy which is good.

However, Switzerland does not produce much of its own energy, unfortunately, about half of the UK % production.

Thank you, Callistemon, I rather hoped the OP herself might answer.

Oh, sorry!! 🙂
She might have more up-to-date information than me.

Our council, market town in Warwickshire, started turning the street lights off at midnight sun-thurs and 1a.m. fri and sat about 8 years ago. It took some getting used to but crime didn’t go up and accidents didn’t increase. We also have only LED street lights, so they are doing their bit.

Turning down the thermostat mainly, turning unnecessary lights off, using the oven as little as possible are our measure.
Our local council seem to be saving by simply not fixing non working street lights!

Callistemon21

Sarah74

How about you, Fleurpepper? What are you personally, and what about your government - what are they doing?

I think the government there is being proactive and encouraging individuals to save energy which is good.

However, Switzerland does not produce much of its own energy, unfortunately, about half of the UK % production.

Thank you, Callistemon, I rather hoped the OP herself might answer.

Sarah74

How about you, Fleurpepper? What are you personally, and what about your government - what are they doing?

I think the government there is being proactive and encouraging individuals to save energy which is good.

However, Switzerland does not produce much of its own energy, unfortunately, about half of the UK % production.

I went into our Council the other day, to complain that their lights in a massive buidling, are on all night every night

Fleurpepper For years, DH has made a point of phoning the Council to report any street lights which are on all day every day! There are quite a lot, surprisingly.
Each street light has a number (did you all know that?).

It has irritated me sometimes but yes, he is quite right to do so.

They announced on the French news today that November electricity use was down 10% on last year so an effort is being made. My town cut night lights about 5 years ago 2 a.m. to
5 a.m. thus making quite a saving on the town's electricty bill.

It's freezing here today! Got so cold this afternoon that I honestly felt chilled to the bone. Thermometer in hall is at 12 degrees. Brrr....I'm dreading going for a shower. I could have icicles hanging off me at this rate!

I’m stymied at the moment, having just had surgery and am not very mobile and I’m confined to the house. As I don’t intend to be cold I am keeping my heating ticking over at 17 during the day, rather than having it on a schedule but according to my energy provider, I’m still using “less than the average household”. Looking at my smart monitor it doesn’t look like that to me! I’ve used my air fryer oven a lot, and it has saved me money.

There's very little I can cut back on as I've always been careful. I think it's a hangover from my mother who was brought up during WWII.
I've started washing at 30c but that's about it. Husband, however, has actually started to turn off lights, hoorah!

My French town and and others nearby are switching off the street lights, half an hour after the last train till half an hour before the first train, roughly 1.45 am to 4,30.

However some big cities will just dim lights in the streets for safety reasons.

All government buildings heated to 18 c. All lights in offices and shops will be turned off at the end of the working day as will advertising boards. Shops must close doors to save heat.

We can all sign up for an app on the phones which will warn us when our electricity two-hour-period cut will happen, if there is not enough power for everyone.

The Eiffel Tower will be switched off at 11:45 p.m. each night as will other monuments.

We have been told to save as much energy as possible now so that the worst may not happen in January when it gets cold.

I personally haven’t heard anything on the French news regarding Whitewavemark2 “The French are calling the British navet congelé.