Look after the pennies....

Post Reply New Topic

This is in response to Deephours response on another thread. I thought it might be useful to some people.

My prices went up at the start of October. Gas is OK but my electricity went up quite significantly. Been experimenting with it anyway to see what I can do to reduce it. Yesterday I started making flasks of tea and coffee in the morning time and limiting my daughters shower time to ten minutes. Checked on my meter this morning and my efforts have paid off. It costs 27.27p for a ten minute shower and 2.5p every time you boil the kettle. Also fill the kettle from the hot tap so it boils faster.

I also put a divider curtain in my living room to cut the room in half so I can keep it warmer. My living room is pretty big and it's like heating two rooms.

I also took a gas meter reading. I sent it off and immediately got a bill. They had been overestimating my bill for the last two months so all I had to pay was my standing charges.

Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.

Has anyone else got any good ideas for saving money on gas and electricity without actually having to suffer.

On Merseyside, 'fiddling the leccy' used to be part of the local culture, at least according to Brookside.

Don't try this at home kids.

babybird blew her feathers off when she did it.

How does one 'fiddle the leccy', hypothetically?

I have to heat my home with night storage heaters which are both expensive and rubbish.

You'll have a day and a night rate. That's a nightmare in itself.

I used to do it with a wire. I'm talking nearly 30 years ago so the meters will be different now. I used to put a wire in at one point of the meter and then connect it to another point. I can't even remember properly. I remember the other end of the wire hanging down and it hit a metal box and just blew me away. I swear my hair stood on end and my face went black.

I really wouldn't know where to start with doing it these days and not with a two rate meter.

I got caught by the way after racking up a bill of about £500.00

It's okay I'm not going to try it! I electrocuted myself as a kid and I've no desire to do it again.

I love the idea though.

I'm on a prepay meter and it costs so much. It's like 3p more per kwh than just a normal standard meter. It's ridiculous when you think that it's usually the poorest people who use prepay.

Within the last 15 minutes I've thrown in the towel and switched on some heating.

I must add that in my house the central heating system is over thirty years old, and the gas boiler hasn't been serviced for around fifteen years at least. I daren't even attempt to fire it up, as I could easily blow up the house. So my entire 'heating system' consists of a gas fire downstairs, and a small portable electric fan heater in an upstairs room. The latter cost me about £20 from Asda several years ago, and is very effective in a smallish room.

Get it serviced Deephour and get yourself some proper heating on.

I switched all my light bulbs to led, then I don’t use much light after dark.I have fairy lights and a few soft lamps on.
I save bubble wrap and then tape it on windows in rooms I’m not using and the bathroom windows to save heat.I also piled it around the electric hot water tank.I installed a shower in the old claw foot tub so now use less water.
I put up winter curtains and close them at night or on really cold days.
Put down heavy rugs where your feet are and get warm house shoes.Wear nice thick socks.Dress in layers and use wool blankets.
I have a wood stove so I can heat water and cook on it.I use a drying rack by it for my clothes.The coats hang on the wall near it so they are warm when you put them on.Shoes and boots also.
I have door ‘ snakes’ along the front and back door to keep cold air out and heat in.You can make one with a pair of old tights and stuffing.It’s just a long tube that lays in front of the crack.

I've also just switched to led lights as well.

I love the idea about the bubble wrap. I'll use that one.

I've just saved £3.00 this week compared to last week and that's just on my electricity. This is through only boiling the kettle twice a day and filling flasks. I'm getting about five hot drinks out of this. I started using the old type showers that you fix to your taps instead of using the electric shower. And of course the led lights.

We also only have fairy lights as well. They look pretty as well as anything else.

Thermal curtains are brilliant. I love them.

I'm just loving the challenge of all this.

The wood heat is nice and cheap, but has its drawbacks ,ash and bark.Sometimes bugs come in in the wood.Expect to do more dusting, especially after you clean out the ashes.It’s in the main room so rooms far away get chilly.
Someone also has to climb on the roof and clean out the flue with a brush every autumn.This person is now me.

I wish I could have a log burner or something like that but it's not possible on these properties.

I appreciate your concern for me, BB, but I view the demise of my central heating system in a positive light. If I were designing my house from scratch, there's no way I'd include gas central heating. You've got the possibility of gas leaks (carbon monoxide), water leaks, airlocks, pump failure and boiler breakdown, as well as the cost of regular maintenance.

I'm quite happy with my present setup, which uses very basic,reliable appliances. There's no heating in my bedroom, but a large duvet and a hot water bottle do the job perfectly well!

Suit yourself. I'm the same to be honest. I do have central heating but we on use one radiator in the main room. The rest of the house is warm enough anyway and we use hot water bottles too.