Energy prices

[Hutch]

Confession time! We and some of our friends use wraps or lighter duvets , covering us up whilst watching TV in the lounge. Defo saves on the heating bills😉

Have you bought the single big slipper that tou can fit both feet into.

 

[Buckman]

Confession time! We and some of our friends use wraps or lighter duvets , covering us up whilst watching TV in the lounge. Defo saves on the heating bills😉

No issue putting on a jersey, but my biggest problem is when in the lounger my feet get very cold. I do have an electric blanket on the bed for the winter just to take off the chill.
I do not have this issue in the caravan as we have underfloor heating so feet keep toasty warm.
Not sure how to get around the cold feet as even a duvet does n to seem to help much. Electric sock warmers?

 

[Buckman]

Have you bought the single big slipper that tou can fit both feet into.

Knowing my memory I will forget I only have one big slipper on and get up to use the loo and fall flat on my face!

 

[RogerL]

We had the same with the elderly neighbours across the road. They had their heating on far too high as it was set to 23C 24/7. I reset the temperature and also the timing. Their electric bill nearly halved. Neither of us have gas.

We have again changed our timing. At 6am heating is on to 20C. At 9am thsi is switched down to 18C until 5pm when it goes up to 20C until 10pm. between 10pm and 6am it is turned down to 17C.
Also we have have a number of Eco friendly machines. Our Dec and Jan consumption not much of a difference although lower. Feb a distinct drop in consumption however we altered the heating timinggs etc.

As people age, many become less active which does then require an increase in heating - over the years our thermostat has gradually been increased and is now set to 24C - while I understand those who are struggling financially wanting to reduce their energy bills, turning down the heating isn't always the right solution.

Personally I'd forgo one of our caravan holidays before I turn our heating down.

 

[otherclive]

No issue putting on a jersey, but my biggest problem is when in the lounger my feet get very cold. I do have an electric blanket on the bed for the winter just to take off the chill.
I do not have this issue in the caravan as we have underfloor heating so feet keep toasty warm.
Not sure how to get around the cold feet as even a duvet does n to seem to help much. Electric sock warmers?

Down filled camping slippers might help.

https://improb.com/best-camping-sli...e cozy, cuddly slippers that provide... More

 

[Ern]

Thank you for the quotation from the link that I posted, I had read the link, but I am not sure what point you are trying to make.

Quite simply, that the pie chart illustrates a sizable segment representing the category mentioned. We have no further detail of the obligations.

 

[JTQ]

Freezers can be one of the larger consumers of electrical power, made worse if located in a heated area of the house, and how hot that heated area is.
What are the relative differences here between you and neighbour, freezer type, efficiency rating, location and surrounding temperatures?

Through the winter months the choice of lighting technology, though low in Wattage, high in time and rather susceptible to being "used", can build up the energy consumed. If for example lighting is halogen as opposed to LED the numbers will vary considerably.

Somethings that run 24 x 31 hours can really impact, our pond pump saps some 52 units a month, just for my fish! So, think of all those things on standby, the router, the TVs etc.

 

[otherclive]

Quite simply, that the pie chart illustrates a sizable segment representing the category mentioned. We have no further detail of the obligations.

I think that Ofgem are remiss in not annotating their pie charts. If any of my MSc students had offered such, their submission would have been returned pronto. However the menu options in the link do give l more information.

 

[GAS]

I tried to kind of understand my Tariff but the girl lost me after 5 minutes ... We are all electric. No GAS in the village apart from me ....

Have these Smart Radiators that are not so Smart. Supposed to turn off when my house reaches the set temp via my log burner but never really happens. Never been an Ebenezer when it comes to anything to be honest but two radiators now turned off replaced by my imitation wheeled gas log burner used in my man cave on at a low peep. Big difference but now can not replace the 25kg Butane cylinder due to a shortage....

We seem to be getting stung all ways .... Wonder how many Hot Tubs will be on the market this year ??

GAS ....

 

[Buckman]

Down filled camping slippers might help.

https://improb.com/best-camping-slippers-for-men/#:~:text= The 15 Best Camping Slippers for Men,are cozy, cuddly slippers that provide... More

I have some slip on sheepskin slippers which were not cheap however the "wool" has not compressed after a year so no longer keeping feet warm. Tried fluffing up the wool but within days back to compressing.

 

[Dustydog]

Have you bought the single big slipper that tou can fit both feet into.

Don’t have slippers or pyjamas. Socks help and a wee dram🥃

 

[otherclive]

I have some slip on sheepskin slippers which were not cheap however the "wool" has not compressed after a year so no longer keeping feet warm. Tried fluffing up the wool but within days back to compressing.

There are numerous electric foot warmers but I would steer clear of those that you put both feet into. Accident waiting to happen as you shoot out of the chair for a late internet delivery.

 

[Buckman]

There are numerous electric foot warmers but I would steer clear of those that you put both feet into. Accident waiting to happen as you shoot out of the chair for a late internet delivery.

or another age reason. LOL!

 

[Jcloughie]

Freezers can be one of the larger consumers of electrical power, made worse if located in a heated area of the house, and how hot that heated area is.
What are the relative differences here between you and neighbour, freezer type, efficiency rating, location and surrounding temperatures?

Through the winter months the choice of lighting technology, though low in Wattage, high in time and rather susceptible to being "used", can build up the energy consumed. If for example lighting is halogen as opposed to LED the numbers will vary considerably.

Somethings that run 24 x 31 hours can really impact, our pond pump saps some 52 units a month, just for my fish! So, think of all those things on standby, the router, the TVs etc.

As I said. We have far more electrical items than they do. We both have an American style fridge freezer but we also have a chest freezer in the garage. The question we have is, not so much how they can save on the cost of their electricity consumption. But why, when they do nothing out of the ordinary, is their bill 51% greater than ours which is the national average? As, on the face of it, logically we should be paying more than them.

Is there a method, either technical or something that could be attempted by the home user. That could check the accuracy of the meter?

I am going to suggest to them that they push for a smart meter in the hope that this will cure their problems.

John

 

[Jcloughie]

Two years ago my son fitted a new Vaillant gas boiler and a Hive. Boiler is rated at A+++ for efficiency. Original was 20:years old and D rated. We noticed a significant reduction in our costs. And dare I say the Vaillant is as green as you can go with a gas boiler. Maybe it’s worth looking at a new boiler which may save you money in the long term

Both my neighbour and ourselves have ‘A’ rated boilers fitted by the same installer just a couple of weeks apart, 4 years ago. But as I said earlier, their excess gas consumption can be mostly explained. The big issue is the inconsistency with the electrical bill.

John

 

[otherclive]

As I said. We have far more electrical items than they do. We both have an American style fridge freezer but we also have a chest freezer in the garage. The question we have is, not so much how they can save on the cost of their electricity consumption. But why, when they do nothing out of the ordinary, is their bill 51% greater than ours which is the national average? As, on the face of it, logically we should be paying more than them.

Is there a method, either technical or something that could be attempted by the home user. That could check the accuracy of the meter?

I am going to suggest to them that they push for a smart meter in the hope that this will cure their problems.

John

They could follow the advice given by CA and have their supplier check the meter. There may be a charge if the meter is found to be accurate, but the supplier has to declare their charges upfront. But the five day window would be useful to get a quick assessment.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/c...eter/find-out-if-your-energy-meter-is-faulty/

 

[JTQ]

Is there a method, either technical or something that could be attempted by the home user. That could check the accuracy of the meter?

With the kit I have, namely a 13Amp plug in power meter thingy, I think I could find hints of a massive 50% over read.
Basically, with that plugged in to the freezer, or some other biggish consumer, and everything else put off, take comparative readings whilst out for the day.
As said a 50% over read should very quickly be apparent.

A smart meter might get back to a meter change out, but in itself will make no difference to the real amount of power being used, well just a wee bit more to power it.

With meters legally having to be changed or somehow calibrated periodically, is there any real amount of evidence these things do have any history of over recording?

 

[Buckman]

Freezers can be one of the larger consumers of electrical power, made worse if located in a heated area of the house, and how hot that heated area is.
What are the relative differences here between you and neighbour, freezer type, efficiency rating, location and surrounding temperatures?

Through the winter months the choice of lighting technology, though low in Wattage, high in time and rather susceptible to being "used", can build up the energy consumed. If for example lighting is halogen as opposed to LED the numbers will vary considerably.

Somethings that run 24 x 31 hours can really impact, our pond pump saps some 52 units a month, just for my fish! So, think of all those things on standby, the router, the TVs etc.

Our freezer is in a shed at the bottom of the garden and is supposed to be an Eco fridge with the old AAA+ rating. It does not seem to use much power.

The Eco Miele fridge freezer which is very efficient is low energy consumption as kitchen is not all that warm. Door has a cat flap leading into conservatory which has not heating except sunshine.

Our dishwasher was original AA+ when purchased and consumption is low when use don Eco mode. We only use it once a week.

We have cut back to trying to do two big washes(whites and then darks) a week instead of four. We have the heat pump tumble drier and try and use that sparingly, but not always possible.

We only have one lamp on in the lounge area and the kitchen has those 12v LED lights under the cabinets. One large 55" modern TV. The other 40" is only on for less than 2 hours late evening.

Our bill for the month 4th Feb to 4th march is £190 and when I pushed up the DD to £120 a month BGAS insisted that we are paying way too much! I will be increasing it to £140 for March so BGAS will jump even highere stating that we will be paying too much!

TBH with heating cut down to minimum struggling to see how we can cut back any further,

 

[Buckman]

Now this is weird. On 4th Feb our reading and BGAS reading matched up. On the 4th March I took a reading for the month's consumption. On 5th March BGAS took a reading, but their reading is 180kw or £37 less? Over a year that difference could amount to quite a lot!
Went to increase my DD to cover rising costs etc and that facility is not available at the moment due to technical issues?

 

[otherclive]

With the kit I have, namely a 13Amp plug in power meter thingy, I think I could find hints of a massive 50% over read.
Basically, with that plugged in to the freezer, or some other biggish consumer, and everything else put off, take comparative readings whilst out for the day.
As said a 50% over read should very quickly be apparent.

A smart meter might get back to a meter change out, but in itself will make no difference to the real amount of power being used, well just a wee bit more to power it.

With meters legally having to be changed or somehow calibrated periodically, is there any real amount of evidence these things do have any history of over recording?

Cannot think when we last had a meter changed, or ever calibrated. We were in our last house 35 years, and this one three years.

 

[JTQ]

Buckman, the point in my post that is the most pertinent re energy consumption is not to overlook those things sapping power over very extended periods, the time itself can be the killer not necessarily just the power, as energy is kWh.

Great that you can have your freezer in the garden shed re its energy use, it's not a solution I could sell here, ever, and the amount of opening and closing the outside door might largely offset our overall energy use from the freezers savings. Plus, without doubt it would be me, getting chilled to the marrow and wet popping down there!

 

[Buckman]

Cannot think when we last had a meter changed, or ever calibrated. We were in our last house 35 years, and this one three years.

By law a domestic meter should be checked at least once every 2 years. Older meters were notorious for giving incorrect readings.

 

[JTQ]

Cannot think when we last had a meter changed, or ever calibrated. We were in our last house 35 years, and this one three years.

This house now 56 years, and here the meters both have been changed at least twice; I recall in one conversation being told it was a legal requirement, which I accepted.

 

[RogerL]

Now this is weird. On 4th Feb our reading and BGAS reading matched up. On the 4th March I took a reading for the month's consumption. On 5th March BGAS took a reading, but their reading is 180kw or £37 less? Over a year that difference could amount to quite a lot!
Went to increase my DD to cover rising costs etc and that facility is not available at the moment due to technical issues?

Is their reading an actual or estimated? Energy providers only do an actual reading about once a year. My online access to energy providers has always shown meter reading history annotated with "actual", "estimated" or "customer" against each reading.

Every energy provider we've ever used has allowed me to increase the DD above their figure - most have allowed me to decrease it below their figure but only with supporting evidence.

 

[RogerL]

With meters legally having to be changed or somehow calibrated periodically, is there any real amount of evidence these things do have any history of over recording?

Do they? Our gas meter is 46 years old, our electric meter was original until replaced by a smart meter I've never been aware of either being calibrated