Heating and energy saving tips. Share yours!

[emzky90]

those foam strips for doors work fab. i double layer them. i blocked up the vent in the front room with masking tape so not to ruin the walls but it blew off with the high winds on sunday.

anyone got any tips for how to stop draughts/wind coming down the chimmney. we have 2 gas fires but never used them as its too expensive

We've shoved and old bed sheet up our chimney in the kitchen as there was a right draught coming through and that seems to of helped. Just leave it sticking out a bit incase you forget and light it!

 

[LittlePants]

NEver used a tumble dryer, always a clothes horse even in winter, if they really arnt drying quick enough I get a low wattage heater 400w-800w to put near it.

Get a ceiling pulley for drying. Dries quicker than any airer, as it gets the washing into the warmest part of the room, and catches the convection currents turning round near the ceiling, cheap to buy and easy to fix. Grea in your stairwell

 

[Aunty E]

We installed a wood burner as our first gas bill in our new house was nearly £200 for the month (it was december 2009). We had to have a clean burning one (and I wanted cream rathe than black) so the stove was £600 and we needed our chimney lining and insulating, and a hearth laid etc. All in all it cost about £1450, we got some of that back through an incentive scheme (aout £200) and we normally spend about £150 a year on wood (not this year, as we chopped down two of the trees in our garden and we're burning them!). If it's on all day, it heats the entire house, and even just in the evening it makes the living room toasty warm and Imogen's room above it warm too. We worked out that it paid for itself within a year. And it looks LUSH.

 

[Luiciana84]

You can but some stones out in the sun during the day and then have them inside during the night.

 

[rosie272]

Don't know if anyone on here could benefit from this scheme? Worth a try maybe

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/gas-and-electricity/the-warm-home-discount.html

 

[BabyMamma93]

This post is pretty old and not sure if anyone uses it any more but i read a few things the other day..
- always defrost food in the fridge, as it is colder the fridge doesnt need to work as hard,
- dont put hot stuff in the fridge this makes it need to work harder,
- always close the fridge/freezer in between trips,
- dont use a tumble dryer, use washing machine in off-peak hours if your provider has them,
- british gas have a dual customer money back thing, every year u get £15 off your bill, but make sure the account is in one name only, i made that mistake for 2 years -_-,
in my prev house we had wood windows as the landlord never fixed them, i always tucked curtains behind radiators and never opened them in winter, we only ever had the heating on in one room..
ive now moved and although there is dbl glazed upvc windows they are still drafty, im going to look for some sealant etc, but we have curtains shut most of the time..
theres also a good draft coming from the cellar door into our kitchen, that needs a draft excluder on there..
people keep saying to turn lights off.. not nesceserily cheaper.. did you know it costs over 20p to turn a light on and off again, so when you go into a room, turn on the light, 5 mins later u leave the room turn it off, then you remember you need to go back in again thats almost £1 in the space of what 10 mins? i find it cheaper to leave lights on when it starts to get dark with energy lightbulbs, as we have dark curtains in our living room we have that light on alot, but the kitchen and bathroom light goes on when it gets dark..
we also have a curtain on our front door, that helps alot,
our new home is very cold, it was empty for some months, it has laminate flooring, which i dont think has under lay, drafty windows, its a old house so most rooms have a fire place, all are boarded off apart from the living room, i think ill try the old sheet up the chimney trick.
we put the heating on when we wake up, turn it off when it warms up and then later on that night.
also people are saying dont cover the front of radiators, on most, the heat comes out through the top, so it doesnt matter if the front is covered, i also find drying clothes on a radiator warms the room up more for some reason..

 

[Rachel_C]

people keep saying to turn lights off.. not nesceserily cheaper.. did you know it costs over 20p to turn a light on and off again, so when you go into a room, turn on the light, 5 mins later u leave the room turn it off, then you remember you need to go back in again thats almost £1 in the space of what 10 mins? i find it cheaper to leave lights on when it starts to get dark with energy lightbulbs, as we have dark curtains in our living room we have that light on alot, but the kitchen and bathroom light goes on when it gets dark..

Do you have a reference for that please? I don't think it's true for the majority of light bulbs. https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Electricity/Lighting/Lighting-FAQ As long as you're not flicking it on and off constantly, you're better turning it off. As the link above says, with energy saving light bulbs the energy required to turn the light on is about the same as 1 minute of leaving it on, so if you're going to be away for 2 mins, turn it off!

 

[BabyMamma93]

people keep saying to turn lights off.. not nesceserily cheaper.. did you know it costs over 20p to turn a light on and off again, so when you go into a room, turn on the light, 5 mins later u leave the room turn it off, then you remember you need to go back in again thats almost £1 in the space of what 10 mins? i find it cheaper to leave lights on when it starts to get dark with energy lightbulbs, as we have dark curtains in our living room we have that light on alot, but the kitchen and bathroom light goes on when it gets dark..

Do you have a reference for that please? I don't think it's true for the majority of light bulbs. https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Electricity/Lighting/Lighting-FAQ As long as you're not flicking it on and off constantly, you're better turning it off. As the link above says, with energy saving light bulbs the energy required to turn the light on is about the same as 1 minute of leaving it on, so if you're going to be away for 2 mins, turn it off!

i dont have a reference for it no, i was told this by my energy provider, it could be wrong but being told it by a provider i always believed it to be true

 

[embojet]

people keep saying to turn lights off.. not nesceserily cheaper.. did you know it costs over 20p to turn a light on and off again, so when you go into a room, turn on the light, 5 mins later u leave the room turn it off, then you remember you need to go back in again thats almost £1 in the space of what 10 mins? i find it cheaper to leave lights on when it starts to get dark with energy lightbulbs, as we have dark curtains in our living room we have that light on alot, but the kitchen and bathroom light goes on when it gets dark..

Do you have a reference for that please? I don't think it's true for the majority of light bulbs. https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Electricity/Lighting/Lighting-FAQ As long as you're not flicking it on and off constantly, you're better turning it off. As the link above says, with energy saving light bulbs the energy required to turn the light on is about the same as 1 minute of leaving it on, so if you're going to be away for 2 mins, turn it off!

i dont have a reference for it no, i was told this by my energy provider, it could be wrong but being told it by a provider i always believed it to be true

I work for an energy supplier - this is only true with fluorescent lights, normal lights only use energy when on. Definately cheaper to switch off, then on again when being used.

 

[embojet]

Slightly more unusual ones:
- you can reduce your tumble drying time by up to a 3rd by adding a dry towel.
- putting a big piece of card covered in foil between the radiator and the wall. (reflects the heat back in to the room).

 

[BabyMamma93]

i dont know if this has been mentioned before, but when i put my washing in the dryer, i add a dry towel. it makes the clothes dry much quicker

 

[lornapj83]

This thread is really good thanks ladies gonna use this when it starts to get cold

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Bump

 

[Kilara]

Wear thick socks, wear layers (this really helps)

Rugs for winter on laminate

duvets on sofa

make sure everyone has long dressing gown