# How are people going to cut down on their energy bills?



## Pumper_Sue (Mar 15, 2022)

How are people going to save/cut back on their energy bills this coming year?

Doing some research it works out cheaper for me to install a wood burner or multifuel stove as it would pay for it's self within a year.


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## chaoticcar (Mar 15, 2022)

We have an open fire which beats 6 radiators but beware! The cost of coal is increasing rapidly 
Carol


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## helli (Mar 15, 2022)

I wonder how many people will decide they will return to the office after working from home for the last 2 years.
There is definitely a calculation to be done - cost of commuting (with petrol prices going up) vs price of heating the house all day.

I have been working from home for the last 7 years so will not be going to an office (there isn't one in the UK). My thermostat is set to 16 during the day, 18 in the evening and 14 at night. I wear a couple of layers including a thick jumper during the winter and only flick the heating on if it gets extra chilly (I have a thermometer in my office) so the heasting costs are not overly high but I know most peple heat their houses more when they are at home.


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## Gwynn (Mar 15, 2022)

Thermostat set lower (17c) in the day time and still lower at night (16c).
Less cooking and the use of the Ninka Foodi (quicker, less power I think)
All lights LED
No lights in the evening or night!!! Ok, one small one
Water for coffee heated to just 70c. Tea restricted to 2 mugs a day. Remainder of the day is just water
No television or the sound system that goes with it. (Not sure thats a bad thing!!)
Shower only, no baths.

We managed to reduce our energy consumption by about 30%. But it has made life somewhat worse in many ways. And our bill for the month rocketed up too.

I may have to try to get a job even though I am many years retired.

Sigh


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## Amity Island (Mar 15, 2022)

Martin.A said:


> We are pretty much at the limit of what we can do. Our thermostat is always set at 19.5 degrees; every time we've lost a lightbulb in recent years we've bought an LED as a replacement and are pretty well 100% LED lights now; we installed an induction hob in our new kitchen on the basis that they're said to be more energy efficient; we wash most of our laundry at low temperatures (bath towels & bedding are the exception);our loft is well-insulated; we're double-glazed; always shower rather than taking a bath (I can't remember when I last had a bath) and during cold weather we always wear a sweatshirt or jumper around the house rather than turn the thermostat up - _and our monthly direct debit has still gone up from £143 to_ _£245 from this month_.
> 
> At least with Spring and Summer ahead of us we can switch off the heating, put our washing out on the line and not need lights on for as long and hope that things will have calmed down a bit by the end of the year.


Generally, recommended temperatures for homes is 21 degrees with 18 degrees for kitchens and bedrooms. Anything below that and many will feel uncomfortable. Obviously clothing plays a part too.


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## Drummer (Mar 15, 2022)

We are already doing all we could to reduce energy use. Our house is insulated, draught free, and benefits from a conservatory and a sunny southern aspect.
We could possibly install a few solar panels on the roof, but it is lined with wood and if there was ever a fire it would be problematic as you can't just turn off the panels and then spray on water. We could use a couple as a sunshade for the kitchen as it can be boiling hot in there in summer.
I am going around turning off all unnecessary lights, I use the dishwasher every other day and do washing in the large capacity machine only when I have a full load.
I am wearing a few extra clothes rather than turning on the heating, and have had two duvets on the bed all winter. I have heavy curtains available, long enough to go ceiling to floor ready for next winter to make the area behind the front door into an airlock to keep the warmth in the house.


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## Loobyloo (Mar 15, 2022)

Just having heating on in the living room for few hours a day, mainly evenings. Making sure all lights off when not needed. Swapped to induction hob. Using short lower temp programmes on washing machine when i can. Quickwash on dishwasher and only when completely full. Showers shorter. The biggest saver is to avoid the dryer when a dry day. All LED bulbs now. Use my electric pressure cooking for stews, curries, boiled veg etc and this has saved a fortune and would recommend to everyone to save time and money.


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## EmmaL76 (Mar 15, 2022)

Don’t even start me off in this subject. My heating runs on oil. I have an 1900 litre tank, usually costs £900 to fill and we get through 2 tanks a year. The price has almost doubled !! Hoping for some good sunshine and decent rebate on the solar


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## NotWorriedAtAll (Mar 15, 2022)

So far we've not been affected because we are on a fixed rate but it will be changing in a few months time.  I'm hoping things will improve but I am concentrating on trying to increase our income so we can cover any increases in bills.
We are in the process of buying the house we've been renting for 11 years and because of our ages we can only get a mortgage over 9 years which means our outgoings are already going to be a lot higher than they were before so it is worrying.
I am trying to put another cookery book together and I am taking a government sponsored online course for disabled/female/non binary/neurodivergent people to help us improve our chances with our business ideas.
So I suppose the answer is I am not planning on cutting down I am planning on finding/earning more income and if that doesn't work I will be selling everything I own that is worth anything and sellable on eBay or other online marketplaces.  

It is a shame because this is the first time for decades when we've been in a financially secure-ish situation and it doesn't look like it will be very long lasting.


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## travellor (Mar 15, 2022)

LED lights.
Hive and individually controlled valves to shut down radiators in unused rooms, and individual control in the day, linked to Alexa.
Interior wall and roof insulation on any exposed walls.
All done when I renovated the house a few years ago.
Now looking at solar panels on the roof, and an air sourced heat pump.
Three year gas and electric price fix taken out last November.


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## harbottle (Mar 16, 2022)

Sending the kids out to clean chimneys to pay for it!


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## nonethewiser (Mar 16, 2022)

Got notified yesterday that direct debit is going up from £110 to £207 month, they said that it will likely go up again by 54%.

House is insulated all bulbs led boiler is energy efficient being only 5 years old, got to hope with lighter nights & warmer weather can keep Bill's down over spring summer months.


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## Felinia (Mar 16, 2022)

House walls and loft insulated, LED bulbs throughout.  Thermostat set at 20, Heating on from 7-9am and 5-9pm otherwise off.  Fleecy jumper when at home.  Batch cook and freeze, so just have to microwave meals most days.  Economy wash on machine (at pool 3 times a week, so have to get chlorine out). Still on fixed rate tariffs (£130 pm) so have the bad news to come!


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## gll (Mar 16, 2022)

We already have the heating set at around 18 and wear extra layers and use hot water bottles and fluffy blankets. Radiators already turned down in bedrooms somewhat. Hot water (tap) temp already lowered a little bit, no need to have it scalding.
Will defo learn how to program the heating more for next winter. I can design websites in my sleep but no idea how to setup my heating other than switching the dial 

Tumble dryer broke last year and we never replaced it and probably won't at this point. We are adults in the household now so all are capable of managing when to do our washing to allow drying time.

We slow cook stuff regularly but going to make sure we all cook at the same time when using the oven and do more batch cooking than we do at present.

Also going to pick up a hot water dispenser (kettle) for cuppas and small tasks. I believe it uses the same energy as a kettle but you are only boiling/using what you need. I could do it now with coffee machine but for ease of use for everyone, that's the next purchase on the list.
I need a new oven so will be wise when we make that purchase too. Mine is ancient (over 20 years) and probably a electricity guzzler.

Going to have a chat with my nephew (electrician) for some more ideas and get him to come see what we have currently and what we can improve on (fixtures and bulbs).

Everyone goes to sleep with netflix or youtube on, I already use my tablet to watch anything in bed but the kids watch on TVs and will switch to their tablets too. When you fall asleep and get to the "continue watching" the tablet will auto switch off.

I already have some smart plugs but I will probably pick up some more as well as some alexa enabled bulbs that I can set a timer for on say the hall light so it will auto switch off after 5 mins etc and can always setup a bedtime routine command to switch off everything in one go.


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## Windy (Mar 16, 2022)

I have a multifuel stove in the living room and keep that going with firewood and some coal, to keep the room toasty. The rest of the house stays a lot colder, and I wear a big wooley, fleece lined jacket to keep warm, and a blanket on the sofa. Been replacing the compact fluorescent bulbs with LED ones when they fail, and not having the heating on much, as my house is a solid brick walled terrace and doesn't retain the heat. I've got used to living in a colder house, and only crank up the heating when I'm having visitors round. 
I'm thinking of getting solid wall insulation and solar panels with battery backup, but it's quite costly. I can't see the energy prices coming down in the near future, so maybe it's worth doing now.


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## Amity Island (Mar 16, 2022)

The energy companies should never have been privatised!


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## Terry-J (Mar 16, 2022)

Global warming should keep us all toasty unless WW3 kicks off and it's nuclear winter time.

You just can't win.


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## Pumper_Sue (Mar 16, 2022)

Windy said:


> I'm thinking of getting solid wall insulation


I have a non standard construction bungalow so there was no insulin when I moved  in. Once I managed to buy the property from my landlords estate I put quintherm sp* insulation panels losing about 1/2 inch from the room size and the difference is amazing compared to no insulation. Look into getting a grant to have the work done as there are loads available.


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## helli (Mar 16, 2022)

Pumper_Sue said:


> I have a non standard construction bungalow so there was no insulin when I moved  in.


How do we teach auto-correct/predict  there is more to our lives than diabetes and insulin ... even on the diabetes forum


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## Drummer (Mar 16, 2022)

I have a halogen oven as advertised on TV - the one with the hinged lid. It made a noticeable reduction in electricity consumption when I got the first one. I rarely use the big oven now.


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## Pumper_Sue (Mar 16, 2022)

helli said:


> How do we teach auto-correct/predict  there is more to our lives than diabetes and insulin ... even on the diabetes forum


Sniggers as never noticed, please note I did have my insulin


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## travellor (Mar 16, 2022)

Pumper_Sue said:


> I have a non standard construction bungalow so there was no insulin when I moved  in. Once I managed to buy the property from my landlords estate I put quintherm sp* insulation panels losing about 1/2 inch from the room size and the difference is amazing compared to no insulation. Look into getting a grant to have the work done as there are loads available.



Mine is a solid wall construction, I put in a combination of two inch and one inch thick, as you say you lose a bit off the room size, but not enough to notice.


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## Leadinglights (Mar 16, 2022)

We recently had some exterior insulation installed as we managed to get the government warm homes grant but it still cost us £7000. It has made a difference but the upstairs is now much warmer than the downstairs lounge as there is only a small area of exterior wall, the hall and stairs had the biggest expanse being the gable end.
The jury is out as to if it will save much.


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## NotWorriedAtAll (Mar 16, 2022)

We already hardly spend much on heating and power because I have been trying very hard to keep our carbon footprint down and each year up until now we've reduced our fuel costs.  These are the things that worked for us.
1. Pressure cooker - gets up to pressure quickly and often I can just turn the hob off then and it finishes off as it cools as it keeps its heat very well.
2. Kettle that only boils a cup at a time so no need to boil a full kettle.
3. Halogen oven - haven't used the fitted full size oven for ten years, I use it as a storage cupboard.
4.Microwave oven - cook all my veg in there very quickly - mine is a flatbed microwave so I can get more than one container in there at once.
5. Never use the washing machine for anything less than a full load.
6. All low energy bulbs.
7. Almost all our electrical appliances are USB rechargeables.
8. No tv - haven't had one for fifteen years - watch on phone/tablet/desktop or VR headset.
9. Live in a tiny terraced house - buildings either side keep us quite cosy in winter and cool in summer.
10. Insulation and double glazing.
11. Heating comes on rarely - thermostat is set to 16 - 18 and 14 at night.
12. Because I cook mainly low carb/keto food the cooking techniques are faster and lower energy than other foods and that cuts down on energy consumption - we don't eat rice/pasta/potatoes/lentils/pulses so no more boiling pans of water to cook such things.  Protein stews in the pressure cooker only take 20 minutes maximum.
13. I have a solar cooker we brought back from Greece and I have used that once or twice to cook over here but our 'garden' is mainly decking that has rotted though so can't get out to use it any more.

Things I've been thinking of doing include making a fireless cooker.
Now we are buying our rental house I am hoping to get the garden sorted so we can use the solar cooker often and I would like to be able to cook using as little energy as possible just for the challenge of it.
Fireless cooker DIY instructions


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## Drummer (Mar 16, 2022)

We had a few improvements done, maybe 10 to 15 years ago, and had resin coated white polystyrene put into the walls - it cost only a few hundred pounds back then. It made the house much quieter, as we no longer heard the wind between the houses and the vehicles turning around in the street in front of the sitting room.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Mar 17, 2022)

The biggest energy saving decision we ever made was almost by accident. In our new house we opted for a standard heating clock despite being told how much more efficient it was to have a thermostat (which never made sense to me, based on our previous heating-use style). 

The clock we chose specifically to have a 1hr or 2hr ‘boost’ button, because in our first house we had been known to advance the heating ‘for an hour’ then promptly forget all about it until hours later. 

So during the winter, the heating is set to come on for an hour in the morning, just before people get up, and then is off for the rest of the day. If the house gets chilly, the heating gets boosted on for just another hour (maybe once or twice on a cold day), which is plenty. Rather than aiming to keep the house at a constant warm temp.

We are lucky to have a south-facing living room, so we catch any sun going and the large glazed doors are K glass which let the hear in and keep it there.

Double glazing throughout, low energy bulbs, fairly well insulated and all that jazz. 

Our bills have pretty much doubled since our last supplier went under and we got switched to a new provider - but they still seem to be below the national average.


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## Hepato-pancreato (Mar 17, 2022)

Nothing whatsoever! Health is more important than wealth. Not had a holiday for a good few years now. If i'm cold which i always am now since my cancer and new diagnosis of hypothyroidism, the heating is on. I wonder why people seem to want electricity or gas for nowt. Allways moanining about their bills. we seem to turn a light on, turn the heating on without thinking about it. Daughter and son in law (proffesional rugby league player and a deputy headteacher) have a lot of money per week going in the household pot but moan about their energy bills. Might not matter if ww3 kicks off or should i say armageddon,,!!!


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## Peely66 (Mar 17, 2022)

Pumper_Sue said:


> I have a non standard construction bungalow so there was no insulin when I moved  in. Once I managed to buy the property from my landlords estate I put quintherm sp* insulation panels losing about 1/2 inch from the room size and the difference is amazing compared to no insulation. Look into getting a grant to have the work done as there are loads available.


That sounds interesting. I have a very cold bathroom despite the whole house having been insulated although I'm not sure how long ago or which direction the contractors may have headed on their horses after completing the job as, judging by the standard of workmanship in other areas, there have been a lot cowboys passing through this way.

I'm trying to work out why my radiators can be on full blast and almost unbearable to touch and yet the rooms feel cool?

Any ideas from anyone?


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## LordVauge (Mar 17, 2022)

As a child/teen of the 50/60,s we had one heated room coal/parafin and later an electric blanket which im looking at now but which one thats the question


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## Lucyr (Mar 18, 2022)

Pumper_Sue said:


> How are people going to save/cut back on their energy bills this coming year?
> 
> Doing some research it works out cheaper for me to install a wood burner or multifuel stove as it would pay for it's self within a year.


I’ve gone back to working in the office, saves heating my cold flat all day / boiling the kettle at home all day


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## Windy (Mar 18, 2022)

Pumper_Sue said:


> Doing some research it works out cheaper for me to install a wood burner or multifuel stove as it would pay for it's self within a year.


I meant to say, if you get a wood burner/stove, investigate if you can get one which can also run a radiator - some have water tanks on the back of them that can heat a nearby radiator. 
I bought a stove fans which is powered by the heat of the stove and blows the warmer air away from the stove into the room, it definitely makes a difference. They're about £25/30 to buy.
You'll need to get an airbrick put in if your stove is more than 5Kw heat output. It's probably worth buying one less than 5Kw, as the airbrick for mine blows an icy gale round my ankles in the winter! Some stoves have a built in air intake, I think they cost more, but you don't have to have the airbrick installed.


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## nonethewiser (Mar 18, 2022)

Peely66 said:


> That sounds interesting. I have a very cold bathroom despite the whole house having been insulated although I'm not sure how long ago or which direction the contractors may have headed on their horses after completing the job as, judging by the standard of workmanship in other areas, there have been a lot cowboys passing through this way.
> 
> I'm trying to work out why my radiators can be on full blast and almost unbearable to touch and yet the rooms feel cool?
> 
> Any ideas from anyone?



Is bathroom radiator hot to touch also, if not it will need bleeding, simple to & key to do it are cheap, under £1 from likes of Screwfix.

Might be radiator is to small for room, ask plumber to measure room & see if rad is adequate size to heat bathroom thoroughly.


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## travellor (Mar 18, 2022)

Peely66 said:


> That sounds interesting. I have a very cold bathroom despite the whole house having been insulated although I'm not sure how long ago or which direction the contractors may have headed on their horses after completing the job as, judging by the standard of workmanship in other areas, there have been a lot cowboys passing through this way.
> 
> I'm trying to work out why my radiators can be on full blast and almost unbearable to touch and yet the rooms feel cool?
> 
> Any ideas from anyone?



It depends on several things.
Is it a flat roof over the bathroom?
How many external walls are there?
Is it double glazed?
If it has trickle vents, are they closed?
Is there an extractor fan vent open?
Where do the soil pipes run, and are there any gaps around where they enter and exit the room?
Does the bathroom radiator have a thermostatic valve?
What size radiator, and how many panels does it have, and is it big enough for the room? (Check that here.   https://www.homesupply.co.uk/radiator-heat-output-calculator.php )
All of these can make a considerable difference to the temperature of the room.


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## Pumper_Sue (Mar 18, 2022)

Windy said:


> I meant to say, if you get a wood burner/stove, investigate if you can get one which can also run a radiator - some have water tanks on the back of them that can heat a nearby radiator.
> I bought a stove fans which is powered by the heat of the stove and blows the warmer air away from the stove into the room, it definitely makes a difference. They're about £25/30 to buy.
> You'll need to get an airbrick put in if your stove is more than 5Kw heat output. It's probably worth buying one less than 5Kw, as the airbrick for mine blows an icy gale round my ankles in the winter! Some stoves have a built in air intake, I think they cost more, but you don't have to have the airbrick installed.


My bungalow is small so no more than a 5kw stove is needed otherwise be to hot for the room, 
Due to very strict regulations new wood burners are fairly high end and have all sorts of vents/air flow regulators on them these days.
Will def use a fan as it will then blow the heat out and around the bungalow


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## Zoombie (Mar 18, 2022)

We moved from a house to a first floor flat late last year. Fortunately our living room is south facing so heats up nicely on a sunny day. The heating only goes on for one hour in the evening when it’s really cold. Also I use an air fryer and electric griddle to save putting the oven on.


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## trophywench (Mar 18, 2022)

helli said:


> How do we teach auto-correct/predict  there is more to our lives than diabetes and insulin ... even on the diabetes forum


Do you know, on reading your reply I had to re-check what Sue said, because since we were talking about insulation already, I auto-read what it actually says as insulation!


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## andyp64 (Mar 18, 2022)

I have solar PV on my roof.  Every time I hear of a price rise, I smile at those who said it was a waste of money and would take forever to pay for itself.   Fitted in 2014 - with feed-in payments received (approx £800) and my reduced bill, will break even at end of this year - all good after that. Initial projection was 20 years to pay back - 12 years ahead of schedule.
So nice to have a decision turn out really good for a change!  I worked on the simple idea that energy costs have never gone down, only up.
Also, have very thick insulation in roof (400 mm plus) and fitted underfloor insulation last summer (lucky to have good access). This makes the house feel warmer.
Also replaced my old boiler with a condensing one last summer - significantly cheaper.
Still dreading the impending increases however.


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## mikeyB (Mar 25, 2022)

We live in apartment designed for over 55s, built around 5 years ago. It is fully insulated, but has gas central heating with modern radiators which I will be fitting thermostatic valves. 

As far as cooking goes, the need to cook food, particularly meat, is all a question of what you use. It takes the same energy to cook meat in an an oven as it does in a microwave or Halogen oven, or stir fry it. It’s how you apply that energy to meat that is wasting energy. The oven is far and away the most expensive way to cook meat. You can’t cook a whole chicken in a microwave- well, you can, but it won’t be visually appealing. So folk buy a microwave with a grill, which is fine, but uses a lot more energy. Less than an oven, of course.

An induction hob is far cheaper to run than an electric or gas hob, because it only heats the food that you are cooking, like a microwave. The food needs the same energy applied to cook it whatever you use, so you have to find the cheapest way to achieve that. Stir frying veg is a good habit to acquire. Mangetout peas stir fry particularly well. As do carrot batons, kale, onions, bite sized meats such as pork or chicken. The Chinese got that right. Cook all the meal in the wok, just getting the wok to the right temperature to cook all the food in stages. 

I use a bread maker to make bread, again using power focussed on a single job, I use a rice cooker for the same reason. And in the case of rice, to stop the need for switching on the extractior fan over the hob. 

But above all, the most expensive thing to heat is air. That’s what central heating is for. It’s a gross wasteful luxury. Ask an Inuit. Wear clothes.


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