cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
Yes, I had re-read your quoted post, so I am also a confused now - hence the
in my last reply.
My electricity bill has just tripled: how about yours? Alternative suppliers?
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Yes, I had re-read your quoted post, so I am also a confused now - hence the
in my last reply.
muscovyduck
Good IT skills and food hygiene competent
Periodic reminder if you're battling something out with British Gas now I've caught up with the last few pages of the thread: best way to get it sorted is find their address and write to them recorded delivery (and tell them to respond by writing, email or text only). I've done this a few times now with them and it works wonders. Usually the same with other companies too, including non-energy companies (although there are exceptions, including HMRC)
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
I've not been particularly frugal with my leccy historically (but this may change!). Bulb estimates my daily average will be 7.8kwh but last month I averaged 5.5kwh without really trying.
What I really need to worry about is my gas consumption
I averaged 4.84kwh per day in August, first 5 days of this month that's down to 2.92, helped by the air-flyer, but mainly down to the new fridge/freezer, both of which combined looks like paying for themselves in under 15 months.
My obsession with electric savings has come to an end, and will move onto gas once I start using the heating.
I was £570 in credit with my last bill on 21/9, and I've put up my DD from £1 to £67, to take account of OVO paying the grant payments into my bank account, it'll be interesting to see how much I am still in credit come the March bill. I am currently on target to have a Oct bill slightly under £60.
MickiQ
In My Defence I was left Unsupervised
How are you doing with the air-fryer? Mrs Q has purchased one and seems quite taken by it but I havent' quite managed to master it yet things tend to come out a bit burnt on the outside but still no more than lukewarm on the inside.I averaged 4.84kwh per day in August, first 5 days of this month that's down to 2.92, helped by the air-flyer, but mainly down to the new fridge/freezer, both of which combined looks like paying for themselves in under 15 months.
My obsession with electric savings has come to an end, and will move onto gas once I start using the heating.
I was £570 in credit with my last bill on 21/9, and I've put up my DD from £1 to £67, to take account of OVO paying the grant payments into my bank account, it'll be interesting to see how much I am still in credit come the March bill. I am currently on target to have a Oct bill slightly under £60.
Leafster
.
When I moved to this place I made a conscious effort with the lights. I didn't really have a choice - the previous owners took most of the light fittings with them! All except the old uplighter I mentioned earlier are now LED lights (both inside and out) and I rarely use more than a couple of 5 watt (?) table lamps for lighting of an evening. My desk lamp is 5 watts, I think.
Having a smart home has its positives and negatives with electricity consumption. I have a server which is running 24/7 but things like the hall and kitchen lights are motion activated so they only come on when needed and go off when they're not. The extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom are programmed to activate when the humidity crosses a set threshold so aren't used unnecessarily. The outside lights at the front only come on when I need them rather than being on a timer or motion-activated by the foxes and deer which wander in. To be honest, I suspect any savings from the lighting and ventilation controls are eaten up by the server running.
The smart home does save on my heating costs though. Being able to fine tune the heating requirements for different rooms throughout the day reduces the possibility of heating rooms unnecessarily. It also makes it extremely easy to adjust things if my plans change and I don't need to heat the house.
My fondness for gadgets is probably my downfall. Not just the smart home but all those small things just plugged in working away in the background - Alexa, Sonos, the weather station, CCTV, cordless phone base stations, mobile phone and iPad chargers and probably countless other things I've forgotten - all nibbling away at my electricity consumption.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
I've had my immersion heater on for 2 hours a night (rather than the 6 or so before), and so far I've not run out of hot water. I make that a saving of around 4x3.5kWh per day, or something of the order of £4-5 a day 
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
I think it's ace, I've certainly not experienced that problem, perhaps you need to turn down the cooking temperature a bit & cook a little longer, or have lessons from Mrs Q.
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
I've had my immersion heater on for 2 hours a night (rather than the 6 or so before), and so far I've not run out of hot water. I make that a saving of around 4x3.5kWh per day, or something of the order of £4-5 a day
Not sure about that, if the immersion heater is rated at 3.5kw, it's not going to be using anything like that once the tank's temperature is reached.
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
Yep we've not had that problem either. Stick it as a query on the airfryer thread, Micki, should be on new posts somewhere cos Boatie had a query about jacket spuds earlier.I think it's ace, I've certainly not experienced that problem, perhaps you need to turn down the cooking temperature a bit & cook a little longer, or have lessons from Mrs Q.
Leafster
.
I'm still getting used to my air-fryer. There's definitely savings from using it for things like chicken thighs or chops which I would have cooked in the conventional oven. It cooks chips OK but although it's a 2 in 1 (Tefal) it won't do these simultaneously with anything in the tray. It cooks them first and then keeps them warm whilst you cook something in the tray. The quality of the chips deteriorates while I'm waiting for the food in the tray to cook.I think it's ace, I've certainly not experienced that problem, perhaps you need to turn down the cooking temperature a bit & cook a little longer, or have lessons from Mrs Q.
I did try a chicken casserole type thing but I suspect I needed to add more liquid as it was somewhat 'dry'.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
It does seem a bit high. But, monitoring it on my graphs, it tended to operate on a duty cycle of a minimum of 75% while it's on, then stops for a bit, before topping up the heat a bit later. I could probably do some sums to work out the rate of heat leakage from the HWC, or just buy an additional insulating jacket and bung it on. So maybe I'm just saving half that theoretical amount
Either way, I did already know that the immersion heater represents a very significant chunk of my electricity usage, so whatever the numbers, it's going in the right direction
And, because it's all rigged into my automated home stuff, if I forget to turn it off (which happens more often than it should) when I go away, I can do it remotely, and also turn it on the day before I get back home.
What a cock-up.
Sorry for the confusion!!I read it was being credited to the bank account, but also credited to the bill.
What I MEANT was that Ovo have paid £66 into my BANK account, as well as crediting my current bill with it.
My Ovo account tells me I could change my DD to £5!After checking online yesterday ovo said i could reduce my DD from £273 to £140 AND i get the £66 refund as well
danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
Do it!
(But put aside a reasonable sum each month, so you can pay them when/if they realise their error. But in the meantime it’s better in your account than theirs!)
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I only switch on the immersion heater for a bath and my back of an envelope calculation says 7.5KWH per bath or 0.25kwh per day averaged over a month. When I worked, I had a hot bath every Sunday which would have meant 1kwh per day.I've had my immersion heater on for 2 hours a night (rather than the 6 or so before), and so far I've not run out of hot water. I make that a saving of around 4x3.5kWh per day, or something of the order of £4-5 a day
I'm hoping to make my water heating more efficient by having the water only heat to 40 degrees so I don't end up wasting hot water... but it's a low priority for me as I'm fine with flannels and cold water most of the time.
I realise that with a job and social life like yours, bathing and laundry are going to be important.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
Laundry's no problem - the washing machine is cold feed only (and mostly runs at 30C). I use a shower to wash, and only very, very rarely have a bath (the HWC doesn't really supply enough water for a decently full, decently warm bath). The only thing I really use hot water for is washing at the sink, and doing the washing up.
I'd be very wary of only heating the water to 40C, because there is a lot of evidence that, at temperatures much below 50, there is quite a risk of the cylinder becoming a breeding ground for legionella bacteria.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
If I use the 1kw fan heater under my desk this winter it will be on a thermostat ...
I have yet to decide where to set the temperature ...
The 12 volt supply for the thermostat uses almost a watt by itself !
I may run some lighting off it as well ...
EDIT - currently reading 19 degrees at head height, 17 under my desk ...
I have yet to decide where to set the temperature ...
The 12 volt supply for the thermostat uses almost a watt by itself !
I may run some lighting off it as well ...
EDIT - currently reading 19 degrees at head height, 17 under my desk ...
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Tbh I would probably spend it
I'll just leave it there.
danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
What am I looking at?
Usually Urbanites don’t get to see their RIP threads, so in a way you’re lucky. Please know you’ll be missed as a valued and interesting - if sometimes exasperating - member of our community, and we were all shocked and saddened - but not surprised - by your untimely electrocution.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I was intrigued to learn that electrically heated clothing can cause problems in addition to third degree burns !
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
That's the best cheap temperature control module the Chinese have to offer and a knock-off "Omron"-style relay - thankfully my 1kw fan heater shouldn't tax it too much ... if I get around to doing the immersion heater I will drive an industrial contactor off the relay...What am I looking at?
Usually Urbanites don’t get to see their RIP threads, so in a way you’re lucky. Please know you’ll be missed as a valued and interesting - if sometimes exasperating - member of our community, and we were all shocked and saddened - but not surprised - by your untimely electrocution.
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gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I just had some bod come to the door selling windows under the guise of a "recycling scheme" for anything over ten years old !
Leafster
.
I keep getting phone calls from 'various' companies saying they offer a free loft insulation survey. If I say I'm not interested they start going on about the problem with 'old' loft insulation being dangerous. I admit to switching off at that point but I'm sure they've sometimes mentioned 'fire hazard' or 'causing damp problems'. They insist they aren't trying to sell me something and I insist that I'm NOT INTERESTED.
WouldBe
Dislicksick
There is usually a thermostat in the tank to control the heater.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Yes but it's not easily accessible and sod's law if I tried to adjust it, it would pack up and I'm not in the mood for draining the tank and fitting a new heater ... and I like the idea of having a nice digital temperature display and I have all this stuff to hand ... it's getting ripped out over the next year or two ...There is usually a thermostat in the tank to control the heater.
Leafster
.
What am I looking at?
Usually Urbanites don’t get to see their RIP threads, so in a way you’re lucky. Please know you’ll be missed as a valued and interesting - if sometimes exasperating - member of our community, and we were all shocked and saddened - but not surprised - by your untimely electrocution.
A non-GG solution to the problem
...
Built in thermostat, quiet, comes with a remote, can be used with a smart phone and doubles up as an air purifier and fan in the summer.
spellbinder
Well-Known Member
Just got this email.....
Hello ,
Thanks for being a ScottishPower customer.
That's a nice surprise!
Your Energy Bills Support Scheme monthly discount has been paid
| We're pleased to confirm that we've applied your discount of £66.00 as a credit to your energy account. You'll be able to see this on the next bill you receive from us. |
| The Energy Bills Support Scheme is a discount provided by HM Government to help you cope with rising energy costs. You can find out more about the scheme, as well as additional support, on the Government website here. We'll continue to provide this monthly discount until it ends in March 2023. |
That's a nice surprise!
WouldBe
Dislicksick
Why? Are you an EON customer?Just got this email.....
Your Energy Bills Support Scheme monthly discount has been paid
Hello ,
We're pleased to confirm that we've applied your discount of £66.00 as a credit to your energy account. You'll be able to see this on the next bill you receive from us.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme is a discount provided by HM Government to help you cope with rising energy costs. You can find out more about the scheme, as well as additional support, on the Government website here. We'll continue to provide this monthly discount until it ends in March 2023.
Thanks for being a ScottishPower customer.
That's a nice surprise!
Hmmm...just set up a new account with Octopus. (They were already energy provider here, but my flatmate moved out, and she closed the old account which had been in her name.)
Got a letter in the post yesterday, detailing the cost of our predicted energy use for the year under prices until 30 Sep 2022, under the new prices from 01 Oct without the price freeze, and the new price from 01 Oct with the price freeze (not including the £400 government rebate).
So far, so sensible and transparent. However, when I went to set up the direct debit just now, they have set the monthly direct debit amount to cover the cost without the price freeze.
I am not too worried about it, because I am pretty sure I can amend this - and my flatmates and I had budgeted for the potential worst case scenario, because the government freeze hadn't been announced when we looked for a new person. I also hope that we will be using a fair amount less energy, as all of us will be mainly working outside the home this winter now.
BUT it still seems strange that they set the direct debit reflecting this higher price?
Got a letter in the post yesterday, detailing the cost of our predicted energy use for the year under prices until 30 Sep 2022, under the new prices from 01 Oct without the price freeze, and the new price from 01 Oct with the price freeze (not including the £400 government rebate).
So far, so sensible and transparent. However, when I went to set up the direct debit just now, they have set the monthly direct debit amount to cover the cost without the price freeze.
I am not too worried about it, because I am pretty sure I can amend this - and my flatmates and I had budgeted for the potential worst case scenario, because the government freeze hadn't been announced when we looked for a new person. I also hope that we will be using a fair amount less energy, as all of us will be mainly working outside the home this winter now.
BUT it still seems strange that they set the direct debit reflecting this higher price?
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