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Fee
Joined: 21 Mar 2005 Posts: 15922 Location: Earth
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 06 11:58 am Post subject: What are you doing to reduce electricity consumption? |
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We had a candlelit evening playing Trivial Pursuit last night, it was lovely Even cleared the dining table and ate there by candlelight!
And while the oven was hot from cooking our roast dinner (which was almost entirely cooked in the oven at the same time, instead of boiling/steaming a lot of stuff as well as the oven being on), I made a chocolate cake for OH to eat while I'm away...seen as he's being really good and taking on this reduction of lekkie so enthusiastically.
Now I'm away working, in Bath, until Friday, so I've left hubbie with instructions, which are:
- No electricity to be used whatsoever in the bedroom (no TV, radio, stereo, or light...though I did say he was allowed to turn the light on briefly to see his route to the bed over the mountain of clothes and junk on our bedroom floor, aren't I generous?).
- Lights to be used sparingly where needed, and no two lights allowed on at any one time in the house.
- The PC has to be turned off if it's not being used, including both monitors off proparly, not just on stand-by. THough I have asked him to turn the PC on before he goes to work, and switch it off again when he gets back, to simulate me being there working from home in office hours, otherwise it wouldn't be an accurate image of what we use and what we could use.
- The TV is to go on only when something we've planned to watch is on...or, we were thinking maybe we should set the Sky+ box to record anything we want to see, and watch only those programmes...so no flicking around channels trying to find something to watch.
Think that's it, what's everyone else doing differently this week (though I know a lot of people here already do all the things above)? |
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 12458 Location: West Sussex
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Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 23956 Location: under some rain.
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Penny Outskirts
Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 23385 Location: Planet, not on the....
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bernie-woman
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 7824 Location: shropshire
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Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 23956 Location: under some rain.
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mochyn
Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 24585 Location: mid-Wales
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pricey
Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 6444
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Fee
Joined: 21 Mar 2005 Posts: 15922 Location: Earth
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moongoddess
Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 673
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 06 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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I've been vigilant about lights and have now turned off the stereo components at the wall (they're usually left on standy all the time).
I haven't used electric heating except this morning because dd was nearly blue with the cold, so it went on for a 15 minute blast.
Unfortunately, we have workmen in this week and they're drinking a lot of tea I only use the kettle once a day, but I've already made 6 cups of tea today and of course, they have all the lights on in the room they are working in.
I've been turning my computer off instead of standby and last night used the little built in light on my screen instead of the table lamp _ i figured it might use less power, but I'm not sure.
That's about it. I don't think I am going to get an astonishing result. I was planning on handwashing, but everything is in total chaos due to building work and I don't think I can manage it (mind you, the washing machine isn't plumbed in anyway, so I don't quite know what I am thinking will happen - does the washing faery still exist?).
I'd be really interested to hear what people's average bills (gas, oil, wood, electric etc) are. I was appalled how much mine was when I worked it out. We had used over #16 last week and I felt highly embarassed We never buy wood though, we always forage that, although we have run out, hence the electric blast this morning............
rambling horribly,
mg x |
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 12458 Location: West Sussex
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 06 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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mochyn wrote: |
In a perverted sort of way I'm jealous of you lot with electric cookers, CH and so on. We have a solid fuel Rayburn for hot water anf cooking, a Wood burner in the parlour, no CH, no electric kettle, etc etc etc. We do, however have 2 freezers, one of which I emptied and turned off yesterday. As we don't have any TV reception we only watch TV (videos & DVDs for an hour or so on most evenings and we don't have any outside lights. So we can't cut our consumption by much except to check nothing is left on when it's not being used. |
I'll happily swap with you mochyn!!! Ever since I saw your kitchen windowsill pictures I've had to keep muttering to myself "you CANNOT move to Wales, it is totally impractical, can't afford it, miles from friends and family......" .
Anyway, apart from my naughty fan heater I'm not sure that I will be able to save much either, though. I don't have TV or outside lights and am pretty careful about switching things off anyway. Not hoovering or ironing isn't going to save me much - I rarely do either anyway .
It'll be interesting to find out just how much the fan heater does use up, assuming everything else stays much the same. I did think about buying some energy efficient light bulbs, but the full-spectrum ones I want cost a fortune, so they remain on the "one day" list...... |
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alison Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 12918 Location: North Devon
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 06 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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I have decided to only do things I will carry on doing, so I won't be giving up using the washing machine for example.
I am looking at the clothes a bit more to see if they can do another wear, but with three messy children, who knows!
I have hung three loads of washing out on the line (usually use the tumble dryer), got the aga kettle out, so no leccy one.
While I was pulling plugs out I turned down the timer on the central heating (oil) so it isn't on for as long now, and turned down the hot water temp very slightly.
Also turned down / off a couple more radiators.
I am changing some lightbulbs too to energy efficient.
All these should be permenant changes too.
I will add the number of people who stayed on site to my figures at the end of the week, and last weeks too, as obviously I cannot do much about their consumption.
The pc has been set to 1min standby, for pc and screen.
I may try and reduce a freezer down in a minute too, so I can turn one off.
Now I am looking for ideas
Any one else? |
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Fee
Joined: 21 Mar 2005 Posts: 15922 Location: Earth
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Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 23956 Location: under some rain.
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Anna-marie
Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 980 Location: West Wales
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 06 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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There's not much that I can do, really!!
Lights are only turned on when the pub is open, and these are a necessary evil, as the customers need to see what is floating in their beer
My only form of heating is the woodburner in the pub, and this also runs the central heating upstairs. But as I am downstairs, anyway, I never turn the pump on!!
I always turn lights off whenever I can, and no appliances are left on standby
My cooker is electric, but I rarely get the chance to cook!!
Crisps and chocolate are the staple diet of a vegetarian, did you know?
Telly is only on when the customers want to watch football or rugby. (Or darts, snooker, indoor bowls, synchronised beer drinking, etc, etc, ) and is switched off immediately anybody turns away from it!!!
Like Mochyn, I'm not sure what else I can do. Oh, I suppose I could always cut down on my coffee intake
But then, I would probably kill someone
Anna-marie |
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