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Hacks to reduce energy costs

It may be possible to concentrate on just making one room habitable. This could become your command centre and the homework study room (if teens are doing any). I can alter the temp in all my rooms independantly, and I turn things down in most of them so that there is less incentive to dawdle there. So a coffee break becomes a quick dash, get my exercise in with shivering, then walk sedately back knowing I am going where the warmth will welcome me. I admit teens can be a law unto themselves. Mine grew up.
 
My energy supplier is in the vanguard of the rush to introduce Smart tariffs where the energy cost varies during the day according to demand and surplus criteria. So when consumption is high, it can restrict use of high power gadgets, but can reward with low cost energy when there is surplus. Similar to the White Meter / Economy 7 tariff, but adjusting load every say half hour.

To achieve this we will need to have a Smart Meter to allow readings to be taken rapidly and remotely. My supplier already uses my meter in this way. Now we get to the bottom line. The company issues a tariff code to all registered customers via an App (or API) which then acts like the conductor of an orchestra. The App will act like Alexa in being able to turn off smart appliances to a schedule defined in the App so as to maximise use while minimising cost. Sounds like a good idea, and on windy or sunny days, you can actually be paid for electicity you do not use.

Seems to be the way to go, but unfortunately I have way to go before I can benefit. I need Smart Appliances connected to the internet of things. So far I have a Robovac that is compatible, but my central heating controller is the wrong type and needs to be replaced: even though I can control it oover the internet it speaks a different language. My fridge is dumb, as is my washing machine, and my brand new diswasher will all need to be replaced before I can join the elite. My lighting is also not intelligent and the API is not on speaking terms with my alexa. So any alexa controlled mood lighting will need to be replaced. Bye bye disco lighting.

So what interested me as a geek is now a closed door. Unless I fit our all my appliances with smart power switches like Nest or Hive and yet another wifi controller and I bet my Sky network will complain about being interferred with. Or my doorbell will ring every time the fridge switches off.

The final nail in the coffin is that I will need a Smart Phone to run the App. It is not compatible with my laptop, and my mobile phone only receives morse code. I do have a tablet somewhere but it was pretty useless when it worked, and is probably junk now or an antique. I found it impossible to use sensibly.
 
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Brekkie said:
Washing machine is on constantly. I’m trying to limit the amount of time heating is on but my son is asthmatic.
Click to expand...
Hi brekkie.

Not energy related .
But life long asthmatic sprays & no hospital stays thank god.

But one or two scares

Anyway just to mention many since going LCHF..have improved their asthma.
Mine quite drastically.

Suspect it's just less carbs that benefit us .
I was warned not to eat too much dairy etc, as it encourages mucus,
Happy the vast increase in dairy hasn't affected me at all, if any thing i actually improved.


Sorry to sidetrack , just thought I'd mention

As you were crew.:)
 
I don't have smart appliances, a smart meter ot Alexa or her ilk, or sky etc I don't like them. I have a single electric tariff, no gas, no oil, and a smokeless fuel Rayburn which goes on in the autumn and does my central heating, hot water and some of the cooking.

One thing to bear in mind, particularly for asthmatics - DAMP.

Years ago windows were not sealed double glazed, so there was air flow. There was often a slight draught around doors and windows. This reduced condensation and mould risk. This is often not the case now, so cold rooms and no ventilation will cause issues, especially in bedrooms and behind furniture.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I don't have smart appliances, a smart meter ot Alexa or her ilk, or sky etc I don't like them. I have a single electric tariff, no gas, no oil, and a smokeless fuel Rayburn which goes on in the autumn and does my central heating, hot water and some of the cooking.

One thing to bear in mind, particularly for asthmatics - DAMP.

Years ago windows were not sealed double glazed, so there was air flow. There was often a slight draught around doors and windows. This reduced condensation and mould risk. This is often not the case now, so cold rooms and no ventilation will cause issues, especially in bedrooms and behind furniture.
Click to expand...
I agree - even in the coldest days I crack all my windows for an hour to circulate air. Usually very first thing in the morning - my bedroom window is always slightly cracked open unless there’s a complete hoolie outside as it rattles the blinds
 
Oldvatr said:
My energy supplier is in the vanguard of the rush to introduce Smart tariffs where the energy cost varies during the day according to demand and surplus criteria. So when consumption is high, it can restrict use of high power gadgets, but can reward with low cost energy when there is surplus. Similar to the White Meter / Economy 7 tariff, but adjusting load every say half hour.

To achieve this we will need to have a Smart Meter to allow readings to be taken rapidly and remotely. My supplier already uses my meter in this way. Now we get to the bottom line. The company issues a tariff code to all registered customers via an App (or API) which then acts like the conductor of an orchestra. The App will act like Alexa in being able to turn off smart appliances to a schedule defined in the App so as to maximise use while minimising cost. Sounds like a good idea, and on windy or sunny days, you can actually be paid for electicity you do not use.

Seems to be the way to go, but unfortunately I have way to go before I can benefit. I need Smart Appliances connected to the internet of things. So far I have a Robovac that is compatible, but my central heating controller is the wrong type and needs to be replaced: even though I can control it oover the internet it speaks a different language. My fridge is dumb, as is my washing machine, and my brand new diswasher will all need to be replaced before I can join the elite. My lighting is also not intelligent and the API is not on speaking terms with my alexa. So any alexa controlled mood lighting will need to be replaced. Bye bye disco lighting.

So what interested me as a geek is now a closed door. Unless I fit our all my appliances with smart power switches like Nest or Hive and yet another wifi controller and I bet my Sky network will complain about being interferred with. Or my doorbell will ring every time the fridge switches off.

The final nail in the coffin is that I will need a Smart Phone to run the App. It is not compatible with my laptop, and my mobile phone only receives morse code. I do have a tablet somewhere but it was pretty useless when it worked, and is probably junk now or an antique. I found it impossible to use sensibly.
Click to expand...
A dozen different alarms for manual activation and many plug in timers will need to be set for the most predictable cheap times instead maybe. We’re considering swapping to one of these tariffs. There are a couple designed for electric vehicle users, though I’m not sure if you have to prove ownership of such or not.
 
HSSS said:
A dozen different alarms for manual activation and many plug in timers will need to be set for the most predictable cheap times instead maybe. We’re considering swapping to one of these tariffs. There are a couple designed for electric vehicle users, though I’m not sure if you have to prove ownership of such or not.
Click to expand...
Timers will only save me money if they cut down the amount of time an appliance is active. But not by trying to synchronise to peak / off peak times since my rates are unchanged until I sign up for the smart tariff to switch when the charge rate changes. Short and curlies time. I think the electric chargers for EV have their own meter white meter) to benefit from pff peak rates, and the standing charge for that tariff is quite high. My supplier also has a premium charge for their smart tariff, but it is capped at 75p per unit for the next 6 months, but may go uncapped after that. But a slow cooker on smart tarifff makes sense since normal cooking times tend to be when demand is high.
 
HSSS said:
I did mean timers to use appliances when rates are lower - ie once on a tariff that offers this. Eg washing machines and dishwashers at night
Click to expand...
I was planning that too, but looking at the data supplied by my supplier, it is not so simple. The weather affects pricing so much so that the peaks and troughs are not so time related so I could end up still using high cost energy even during normal 'off peak' hours. I suppose an app on the phone that alerts one to a change in tariff may be a way around this, but I prefer to automate it.. I think for me the easiest way for me is to get a Nest or a Hive system.
 
We have oil fired central heating and water heating. Usually I buy 500 Litres at a time and was finding it hard setting aside the £350 or so every 3 months to cover that. Electricity was £190 each month. So, total energy costs (not counting car) were about £300 or so per month. We were definitely in fuel poverty even then. Temperatures on this island rarely exceed 15C so we usually set the heating around 18C.

I bought my 500L of oil in August at a cost of £550 and my fixed price electricity is still at a fixed price of £211. Total about £400 a month. Doesn't sound too bad really, except my income hasn't increased at all.

When I bought the oil in August, I decided that we wouldn't use the heating at all unless someone was having a shower. I'm neither a sadist nor a masochist. It does mean rationing the frequency and duration of showers though. The radiators will only come on if the temperature inside the house falls below 10C. Extra jumpers and blankets will come into play (already have). But I remind myself that I was brought up in Canterbury, where occasionally it can get very cold, and we had ice on the inside of the windows most winters. We wrapped up warm and just got on with it.

Of course, I am no longer young; even my son is no spring chicken. He lives with me and we help each other as much as possible and he has lots of health issues which affect his lungs so I can't let it get too cold.

Anyway, we have managed not to use up the oil in the tank as quickly as usual, so we're allright at least for another month. We do have an induction hob, which I think is cheaper to run than other hobs and all our lights are LEDs. Other than that, I can't see a way to reduce our costs. I don't have a slow cooker and my old pressure cooker can't be fixed and I got rid of the air fryer, which I didn't find very useful but I do cook in bulk for myself for freezing. My son has very specialist food requirements but he doesn't use power very often to prepare what he eats. Food costs here are also higher than in many places on the mainland and further south. Not much to be done about that either.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I don't have smart appliances, a smart meter ot Alexa or her ilk, or sky etc I don't like them. I have a single electric tariff, no gas, no oil, and a smokeless fuel Rayburn which goes on in the autumn and does my central heating, hot water and some of the cooking.

One thing to bear in mind, particularly for asthmatics - DAMP.

Years ago windows were not sealed double glazed, so there was air flow. There was often a slight draught around doors and windows. This reduced condensation and mould risk. This is often not the case now, so cold rooms and no ventilation will cause issues, especially in bedrooms and behind furniture.
Click to expand...
Discovered that recently, @lucylocket61, reduced heating, and keeping windows closed against the cold and damp, even through our summer, has resulted in black mould growing everywhere and I have to try to get it all cleaned down now and maybe put some kind of mould inhibitor onto surfaces. Hasn't done leather belts, shoes and bags any good either. Mould is not good for my son's chest/lung problems so I'm wondering if dehydration crystals will help.
 
Annb said:
Discovered that recently, @lucylocket61, reduced heating, and keeping windows closed against the cold and damp, even through our summer, has resulted in black mould growing everywhere and I have to try to get it all cleaned down now and maybe put some kind of mould inhibitor onto surfaces. Hasn't done leather belts, shoes and bags any good either. Mould is not good for my son's chest/lung problems so I'm wondering if dehydration crystals will help.
Click to expand...
just open a small window a couple of mm during the day. It wont make much difference to the heat in the room, but will help a lot with the mould. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but really, it does work and the heat loss is minimal.
 
Oldvatr said:
It may be possible to concentrate on just making one room habitable. This could become your command centre and the homework study room (if teens are doing any). I can alter the temp in all my rooms independantly, and I turn things down in most of them so that there is less incentive to dawdle there. So a coffee break becomes a quick dash, get my exercise in with shivering, then walk sedately back knowing I am going where the warmth will welcome me. I admit teens can be a law unto themselves. Mine grew up.
Click to expand...
We did this back before the 2008 bank crisis. We made one room more habitable. I had previously had laminate flooring fitted and realized how cold it was in the winter. We had very limited funds at the time and being a dressmaker I had a huge amount of material that I backed onto wool and made massive rugs. Did the trick but we were forever shouting "door"! to our kids as they were born in barns and didn't understand heat loss!
 
Brekkie said:
Hi Guys

I was thinking to increase my direct debit further now to cover the cost over the winter usage as I fear to be in debit to the extent I won’t be able to keep up. I also hear there will be further increase in January. Should I increase my direct debit myself even further and over pay for now? Just wondering if others are doing this.
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Personally I won’t add to my direct debit beyond what they set. If I have any extra £ to put away towards the bills I feel it will be better in an interest bearing account that finally actually pays some interest and is the one place rapidly rising rates are a good thing. That way I make the money work for me not earn the energy company even more profit.
 
I had a similar episode last May where the estimate of annual usage was much higher than my spreadsheet indicated, and they also set my direct debit much higher than it used to be. I fired back with a snottogram and offered a small increase of only £40 a month, which I could do by adjusting the payment on my account page. So far since May I have overpaid each month, Their letter this year was much more conciliatory, and advised me to not change anything yet, but be prepared to change later on this year if it becomes clear that it would be advisable. So a sensible approach IMO. I saved £400 last winter compared to previous bills, so I am fairly confident in meeting this years demand . But the advice to place the money into an interest bearing account is sensible. It is protected by the Bank guarantee, and although there is a similar guarantee on credits held by energy companies if they fail, I am not so sure how cast iron that is. Mind you it is difficult to find a sensible interest rate that pays more than pennies.

Most interest bearing accounts are culmulative or compound interst, so if saving at a regular rate of say £40 a month, then the interest is effectively half what the banner rate is, so a bank offering a headline 1% rate of interest will only pay put 0.5% at the end of the year, Peanuts!
 
HSSS said:
Personally I won’t add to my direct debit beyond what they set. If I have any extra £ to put away towards the bills I feel it will be better in an interest bearing account that finally actually pays some interest and is the one place rapidly rising rates are a good thing. That way I make the money work for me not earn the energy company even more profit.
Click to expand...
I query your assertion regardiing Energ Companies. It is not the majority of companies that we make payments to, because they are just financial instruments. They sell energy that they have to buy since most off them do not create energy. So the rise in energy prices is actually due to the comodities and futures markets charging more for the raw materials. The generators pay on the world markets and it is an auction. Highest bidder wins. the supplier wins, the rest of the foodchain has to pass on the costs to the consumer (you and me). It was obvious this was going to happen because Russia is a major member of OPEC. who control the production rates. The UK and Norway are not big enouigh to join OPEC even though we produce oil and gas. Neither is the USA.
 
Oldvatr said:
I query your assertion regardiing Energ Companies. It is not the majority of companies that we make payments to, because they are just financial instruments. They sell energy that they have to buy since most off them do not create energy. So the rise in energy prices is actually due to the comodities and futures markets charging more for the raw materials. The generators pay on the world markets and it is an auction. Highest bidder wins. the supplier wins, the rest of the foodchain has to pass on the costs to the consumer (you and me). It was obvious this was going to happen because Russia is a major member of OPEC. who control the production rates. The UK and Norway are not big enouigh to join OPEC even though we produce oil and gas. Neither is the USA.
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I wasn’t arguing the factors involved in the rising prices. But it’s undisputed that huge unpredicted profit’s are being made in the energy industry overall and that was the side point in made.

My post was about overpaid/prepaid money for paying said energy bills is better accumulating interest in my account (before the due date) than in theirs.
 
Hi @Brekkie

All the energy companies have been contacting their customers with an updated annual energy consumption estimate, based on the last 12 months usage, and increasing direct debits to reflect the new energy price guarantee which started on 1st October and is set to be the same for the next 2 years. So price per unit rate and standing charges won't be increasing in January (unless of course the government back track on that ........)!!
 
I’m always roughly £600 in credit in December but my energy company instead of using it to smooth out the year as they put it insisted last December (2021) that they had to refund us any credit as they are not allowed by new government rules??? To keep any credit over a certain amount, I’m heading the same way this year so I don’t understand the higher direct debits in summer to cover winter scenario - I will do as last year and use the refund to pay a bit of my bill in February.

Not sure if the company is Eon or EDF, hubby deals with electric and we are with one for supplier and one on the tariff feed from the solar panels
 
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