My electricity bill has just tripled: how about yours? Alternative suppliers?

[existentialist]

My son went on a school trip to Snowdon last week. I went into his room after two days to retrieve all the dirty crockery etc and found he'd left his light on.

I'd have had a moral struggle with myself over whether to remove the light bulb or not...

 

[existentialist]

It shouldn't cost a lot. Assuming it is an energy saving bulb. So say 10W then it would take 100 hours to use 1kWh e.g. 30p
Even it was a 60W bulb it would cost 87p for 2 days use.

Yeah, but the behaviour indicates an attitude. If he's leaving lights on, what else is he ignoring?

 

[cybershot]

This may be useful information to some, or at least useful to pass on:

Heat the human, not the home

 

[StoneRoad]

rubbershoes.

put in the smallest LED that will fit

and turn down & lock the TRV at a lower setting

 

[Storm Fox]

Yeah, but the behaviour indicates an attitude. If he's leaving lights on, what else is he ignoring?

Taking out his dirty plates and cutlery.

 

[rubbershoes]

Taking out his dirty plates and cutlery.

Standard behaviour for a 15 year old boy

 

[cupid_stunt]

Standard behaviour for a 15 year old boy

He's probably gearing up to become a football hooligan, may as well cut off his goolies now.

 

[contadino]

My son went on a school trip to Snowdon last week. I went into his room after two days to retrieve all the dirty crockery etc and found he'd left his light on.

Change the locks before he gets back. You could take the soft option and put his room on a timer controlled spur, or face reality and lock him out. He'll be a better man for it.

 

[Calamity1971]

Anybody doing this? Or is it fruitless?

 

[StoneRoad]

I'll have a spy on "Gridwatch" to see how put the "demand" wavers at zero hour.

By that time of the day, this household is almost zero use anyway.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Sounds utterly pointless.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Change the locks before he gets back. You could take the soft option and put his room on a timer controlled spur, or face reality and lock him out. He'll be a better man for it.

depends if there's time to move house and not leave a forwarding address with the neighbours before he gets back

 

[cupid_stunt]

Anybody doing this? Or is it fruitless?

I'll will do this.

But, then I was going to be sound asleep by 10pm anyway.

 

[existentialist]

I'll will do this.

But, then I was going to be sound asleep by 10pm anyway.

I'm going to do it, too. "OK, Google, turn off everything"

(I will be in the pub)

ETA: assuming I can get there. Last time I was there, I got pushed over by a jealous pisshead, and have pulled various important muscles in my back.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I'm going to do it, too. "OK, Google, turn off everything"

You are going to tell google to turn off the rest of world, how have you gained such power?

 

[WouldBe]

You are going to tell google to turn off the rest of world, how have you gained such power?

Could you make sure the power doesn't come back on in Russia.

 

[StoneRoad]

Could you make sure the power doesn't come back on in Russia.

Maybe the kremlin or even just putin's bunker ?

 

[Artaxerxes]

"I park somewhere cheap then use my electric bike"

 

[MickiQ]

I'd have had a moral struggle with myself over whether to remove the light bulb or not...

Youngest Q's bedroom has a smart bulb that can be controlled via Alexa or the Phone app. In one of life's many little funny ironies she took her Echo Spot to Uni with her and now when she's at home she actually has to resort to getting up and turning the light on and off with the switch.

 

[Cat Fan]

"I park somewhere cheap then use my electric bike"

When she says 6 people in her house have separate Amazon prime subscriptions that was a real face palm moment. That's at least £400 a year wasted. But better to just cancel all 6 in my opinion.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

When she says 6 people in her house have separate Amazon prime subscriptions that was a real face palm moment. That's at least £400 a year wasted. But better to just cancel all 6 in my opinion.

I did wonder that, but she doesn't say 'household' she says family. The woman before her said 'house', Legitimately, several family members can hold the same prime account without being under the same roof. Not sure if this is what she was saying of course, and if she was the item certainly didn't make that clear.

It's a pretty shitty item to be honest. Like the sort of crap I used to get asked to put together at ITV for this sort of thing. Always asking for lists of tips and top tip countdowns. . . what else can you put in apart from 'scrimp and save'? Basically the answer apart from eco shower heads (hasn't everyone ditched the 60w bulbs??) is that something is seriously wrong if it has become normal for everyone to buy from the reduced section? We can't all do it.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

When she says 6 people in her house have separate Amazon prime subscriptions that was a real face palm moment. That's at least £400 a year wasted. But better to just cancel all 6 in my opinion.

My personal favourite was saving on boiling water by boiling water once and keeping it in a flask. That is so dumb. Boiling one cups worth is not the same price as boiling a days worth of water (unless she is doing it in the oven???). Just boil what you need idiot.

 

[teuchter]

My personal favourite was saving on boiling water by boiling water once and keeping it in a flask. That is so dumb. Boiling one cups worth is not the same price as boiling a days worth of water (unless she is doing it in the oven???). Just boil what you need idiot.

I think there are a number of reasons that her strategy could make sense. If the temperature of the water from the flask is sufficient for her needs, and she always uses it all, then she probably does save energy compared to boiling multiple small volumes of water.

 

[two sheds]

not if she wants a cup of tea she won't

 

[WouldBe]

not if she wants a cup of tea she won't

If there was an instant tea where you just add water you could.

Applies to dragons den.

 

[Artaxerxes]

See if you drink green or white tea you'd be laughing. Brew it several times and it often needs cooler water.

Do a nice brown tea for brekkie, a green for morning break and a white tea for the afternoon.

 

[Cat Fan]

Yes, it's a false economy to boil a whole flask imo.

Hiring a Santander Cycle costs £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes, within a 24 hour period. For journeys longer than 30 minutes, you pay £2 for each additional 30 minutes.

Another false economy maybe, could be cheaper to take the bus, walk or buy a cheap second hand bike.

 

[platinumsage]

not if she wants a cup of tea she won't

She's adding lashings of shaken oat milk so I don't think she cares too much about those particular subtle flavors of her teabags that would be affected by a slightly sub-optimal water temperature.

 

[WouldBe]

Yes, it's a false economy to boil a whole flask imo.

Hiring a Santander Cycle costs £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes, within a 24 hour period. For journeys longer than 30 minutes, you pay £2 for each additional 30 minutes.

Another false economy maybe, could be cheaper to take the bus, walk or buy a cheap second hand bike.

Can't you ride it for 29 minutes, have a break and carry on for another 29 minutes? As you can have unlimited 30 min rides in a day.

 

[MickiQ]

My personal favourite was saving on boiling water by boiling water once and keeping it in a flask. That is so dumb. Boiling one cups worth is not the same price as boiling a days worth of water (unless she is doing it in the oven???). Just boil what you need idiot.

It takes a given amount of energy to heat a given amount of water to a given temperature regardless of whether you do it in one go or several smaller ones. Her idea might save a TINY amount of electric since it's hard to judge exactly how much water you need for a cup so a little gets wasted each time. But if your budget is so tight that these savings are worth having it probably makes more sense just to drink fewer cups of tea.