From Jenny Mackenzie, via email:
Somehow this month’s challenge is much harder than the last. I’m pretty good at avoiding food waste (and I’ve learned a few more tricks from Jack Monroe to help on that front), but my electro-dependency is truly horrifying. I was talking with Mum and Dad about the struggle when they arrived from their home in the Outer Hebrides last night to spend Easter with us. Oh-so-gently, they teased me about just how much city-dwelling has changed me. It prompted a bit of soul-searching, as well as the realisation that when you were drawing up your list of ten eco-friendly homes, you should have perhaps visited the Hebrides!
(A bank holiday weekend in the Scottish sunshine sounds like bliss. We're packing our bags...)
My current wheeze, started yesterday when I got got my gas & leccy bill, was to switch the boiler off entirely. I had hot water on continuous but I shall now only switch the boiler on when I need hot water. It is a very small hot water cylinder so should only take about 15 minutes to heat up, I hope.
Day 1 of boiler experiment. I read the gas meter (to 4 decimal places) before switching the boiler on to heat a cylinder of water. It took only 12 minutes and used 0.413 cubic metres of gas. Converting that to kWh, using the conversion info on my gas bill) that comes to 4.575 kWh which is just under 25p in cash terms. That means one cylinder a day* will cost me about £23 a quarter. The current quarter cost me £68 last year, having the boiler on all the time. There will be a bit extra for the gas hob but I reckon I will have saved 50% over last year. Success!
*There was plenty of water for an unhurried shower, the washing up and some warmth left for hand-washing for the rest of the day.
Great telly tips!
Check your TV’s brightness settings. Factory settings are often brighter than needed at home + can waste energy. #energytips @GdnLiveBetter
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 16, 2014
@GdnLiveBetter @Top10Energy Many new TVs have eco-settings. Worth checking the menu! #GERace @ObserverEthical pic.twitter.com/K74Wn3xJRk
— David Kemp (@davidjohnkemp) April 16, 2014
Disable energy-hungry mode on your telly. Those like ‘fast play’ or ‘quick start’ can use more energy #energytips @GdnLiveBetter
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 16, 2014
If you use your TV to listen to the radio, use the screen blanking feature to save energy. http://t.co/TFFPsEjGEu @GdnLiveBetter
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 16, 2014
I have my thermostat set to 15 degrees but the actual temperature, according to my trusty barometer/thermometer is about 17 degrees.
I don't have my central heating on a timer. I just turn the thermostat up from the frost setting when I need some heat. It only takes about 15 minutes to warm the place as it is reasonably well insulated. I shut off the rooms I'm not using and turn the radiators off in them. That includes the kitchen because there is no point in heating that as it only makes the fridge and freezer work harder. I just open the bedroom door about 15 minutes before going to bed to let the heat in from the rest of the house.
My current wheeze, started yesterday when I got got my gas & leccy bill, was to switch the boiler off entirely. I had hot water on continuous but I shall now only switch the boiler on when I need hot water. It is a very small hot water cylinder so should only take about 15 minutes to heat up, I hope.
I'd be hard pushed to cut my energy usage down by 50% because I'm using so little anyway. Another 10% off should be do-able I reckon.
For very low energy consumers I recommend Ebico as a supplier. They have a zero standing charge so every kilowatt-hour you save counts. With other suppliers you get to a point where your savings become marginal because you have a fixed charge to pay.
I run my freezer at 180 volts. It now only consumes 100 watts instead of the 125 watts it used at 240 volts. I got a voltage regulator from China for about £6 including delivery. Once you've changed all your lighting to LEDs/CFLs refrigeration is one of the biggest consumers of electricity.
From Andrew Backhouse, via email:
Three things I would promote from my own experience, and from surveying houses with Transition Wilmslow:
Solar hot water is great, cheap and effective if you have a south facing roof, more than two people in the house, and don’t have a combi boiler. However, we discovered several people who had installed it because they wanted to save the planet, and yet only had one person in the house to use the water - which is not cost effective or carbon beneficial - or because they had fallen for the sales talk and did not learn how to make best use of the water that was heated.
- With a thermal imaging camera, we found that the houses with full porches are more likely to cost less to heat. Not really a surprise, but worth knowing.
- And insulating under floor when you have a cellar/large cavity there, or putting kingspan on a concrete floor, makes a world of difference that many don’t realise.
Talking to the neighbours as we do is great for picking up new tricks too!
More handy hints from Top10 today
Don't overfill your fridge - make sure air can circulate freely inside, otherwise it will use more energy. #Energytips @GdnLiveBetter
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 15, 2014
Liquids stored in open containers in the fridge can increase humidity+cause condensation increasing the temp #EnergyTips @GdnLiveBetter
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 15, 2014
Great weather to dry clothes outside instead of tumble drying. Nice excuse to get out in the garden too. #wastelesslivemore @GdnLiveBetter
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 15, 2014
Updated
Great fact from Lizzie at Waste Watch
If everyone only boiled the water they needed we would save enough energy to run almost half UK's street lighting via @GdnLiveBetter #energy
— Lizzie Waste Watch (@LizzieWW) April 2, 2014
Fun fact from Top10 Energy
Taking the @GdnLiveBetter energy reduction challenge? Did you know that your appliances +lightbulbs account for +40% of electricity used?
— Top10 Energy (@Top10Energy) April 8, 2014
For more about saving energy through changing lighting in your home, here's everything you need to know about switching to LED light bulbs.
Georgette Wright was very eager to get started on her challenge...
Getting an early start on the @GdnLiveBetter challenge for April. Switching the TV & DVD off at the socket.
— Georgette Wright (@GeorgetteWMG) March 30, 2014
... and even nabbed herself an energy monitor!
All set up for April's challenge with an energy monitor on loan from work. @GdnLiveBetter pic.twitter.com/GEHYxnRI8d
— Georgette Wright (@GeorgetteWMG) March 31, 2014
Here's her summary of the challenge:
It's been a week since I installed my energy monitor. It was a painful experience. If they had put a sticker on the box saying that it would be a good idea to find out what the cost of your electricity is per KWH before you go any further it would have saved a bit of swearing. The instructions were tedious. I got so fed up I installed the batteries just so I could feel better.
A week later, I've used a grand total of £1.59 in electricity. Or 11.24 KWH. Looks a bit low. If this is wrong, I don't care. I'm not doing battle with that instruction booklet again until someone makes me. Anyway, I've already changed my habits. I'm snuggling up to a hot water bottle and a cat at night instead of having a heater on.
A more interesting experiment was using the slow cook to bake a rhubarb crumble. The thing with slow cookers is that the high setting is pretty high and the space to heat is much smaller than an oven. Crumble one took 25 mins in the slow cooker and crumble two took 1hr in the gas oven. I reckon crumble one took less than 2p to cook. I haven't had the motivation to work out how much the gas version was. I've never been confident with maths which is why I'm so unwilling to pin the costs down. If its raining next Sunday, I'll think about doing it then.
Good Energy had some great advice for Tim
@IAmTimDowling @GdnLiveBetter And have you tried cooking big meal on the hob, freezing portions then heating when you need in the microwave?
— Good Energy (@Good_Energy) April 2, 2014
On Twitter, we've been asking what one thing you think we could - or should - all do to reduce energy in our homes. Your suggestions have ranged from the sensible and conservative...
@GdnLiveBetter lower thermostats by 2C and wearing an extra jumper in the winter--18C rather than 20C, just as comfy! :)
— Arianna Andreangeli (@AriAround) April 3, 2014
@GdnLiveBetter I discovered turning off standby is sometimes not enough-need to switch off at wall too :( http://t.co/jbsdzXRJYY
— Jen Gale (@makeandmendyear) April 3, 2014
... to the slightly cheeky!
@myzerowaste @GdnLiveBetter also, showering together saves energy and water :) #wastelesslivemore
— Lizzie Waste Watch (@LizzieWW) April 3, 2014
Updated
The Writer's Challenge
Last week, Tim Dowling took the challenge to reduce energy use in his home by a whopping 50%. Did he manage it? Check out the Writer's Challenge live blog to find out.
My parents - both well into their eighties - arrived yesterday to spend Easter with us. Talking to them about my struggles with the challenge, I was reminded by them - rather to my shame - just how far this 'townie' has strayed from her roots.
Mum and Dad, on the other hand, still live very close to theirs and will be spending the longer days of late May/early June cutting their peat into neat bricks which they'll stack and dry for a few months before starting to use it as the autumn chill approaches. Of course, they are fortunate to have an abundance of it just metres from the house, but I can't help admiring their self-sufficiency! Just think: no transport costs; a free source of heating and cooking fuel. OK, my Mum no longer relies exclusively on her peat-turves for cooking (though her electricity is all hydro, too), but still!!!
Thinking about it, I feel truly ashamed that I've struggled this month to reduce my electricity consumption by a measley 10%. Sure, I justify my electo-dependency on a busy, town-based existence, but if I'm honest, I can't help wondering if I'd ever truly be willing to revert to my parents' far more responsible approach. I fear not - although I admire my Mum's trim figure (the fruit of hard physical exercise) and love the smell of a peat-fire which greets me as soon as I get off the ferry - it's a wonderful welcome home! Meanwhile, here in town, I'm trying to remember to hang my washing on the line rather than stuffing it mindlessly into the tumble-drier!