Calling all Mrs Hinch fans

[Alex321]

Solar panels

Saves money only if the installation payback date is nearer than one's appointment with the Grim Reaper. 😁

I think the energy price increases mean that is much more likely than it would have been a few months ago.

I think at current prices, the system we have just had installed probably has a payback time in the region of 12 years, so I need to avoid the big Scythe until I'm 75 or older.

 

[markemark]

Don’t fill the kettle. Only boil the amount of water you need

Nonsense. Boil a full kettle and freeze what you don’t use.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I think the energy price increases mean that is much more likely than it would have been a few months ago.

I think at current prices, the system we have just had installed probably has a payback time in the region of 12 years, so I need to avoid the big Scythe until I'm 75 or older.

Good luck! 😁

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Not to mention the ones who sit there, at the side of the road or in a car park, with the engine running because they can’t manage a few minutes with no heat/cool/music. Often wonder if they pay for their own fuel

get a ford. you can listen to the radio for an hour with the engine off

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Must be something in that as I'm still using the same pen I used forty years ago. No refill yet.

I've got a pen like that but I only use it to clear the wax out of my ears. Could that be it classic?

My daughter complains about her partner who spends up to 20 minutes in the shower, water running all the time.

Lightweight. My #1 daughter trounces 20 mins with ease. Every day too! Can anyone get so mucky they need so many showers of such long duration. But I'll have another go at her now the price has gone up.

 

[classic33]

I've got a pen like that but I only use it to clear the wax out of my ears. Could that be it classic?

Lightweight. My #1 daughter trounces 20 mins with ease. Every day too! Can anyone get so mucky they need so many showers of such long duration. But I'll have another go at her now the price has gone up.

Not quite, I use mine for writing with.

 

[stephec]

Look at the things you do and cost you money, but don't enjoy and stop doing them.

For us:

1 Christmas festivities.
2 Car ownership.
3 Shopping as a leisure activity.
4 Poor quality meals out.

I've never understood how shopping can be classed as a leisure activity.

 

[Paulus]

I've never understood how shopping can be classed as a leisure activity.

Agreed, surely shopping is, or should be a necessity.

 

[classic33]

Nonsense. Boil a full kettle and freeze what you don’t use.

And water that's been boiled takes less time to freeze.

 

[presta]

If you want to save energy, the place to start is here: first find where you get maximum benefit for minimum cost!

By now everyone should have energy saving light bulbs. They cost more to buy, but use next to no electricity and last for years.

Taking lamps as an example, I got nearly 90% of the energy saving by changing just 4 bulbs out of a total of 16. Lamps in the living areas like the lounge pay for themselves in as little as three weeks, but those in places like the pantry, cupboard under the stairs, loft etc are used so little they'll take over 50 years to cover the purchase cost of the bulb. The cost of running the dozen remaining tungsten lamps in my house at current prices is about 1.6% of my total electricity bill.

Put the water on for half a minute, get wet all over, switch it off. Soap up thoroughly everywhere. Now switch the water back on for another half a minute to rinse off.

That can be uncomfortable with an electric shower, they tend to blow hot & cold if you switch them off and on again. I leave mine on, but at 22%, it's my biggest consumer of electricity. My total consumption is about 2300kWh though, which is on the 33rd centile.

I read not long ago that after you finish a clothes cycle in your machine, put it on for an extra spin. My clothes always came out wetter than I thought they should so I tried this and it works a treat. It's brilliant and amazing how much drier clothes are.

My Indesit washer dryer finishes the wash cycle with a spin, starts the dry cycle, then 15-20 minutes later it starts spinning again. Makes you wonder why it doesn't just do the spin properly in the first place.

 

[Leedsbusdriver]

Kill two birds with one stone....
Put your washing up in the washing machine when you do a load of laundry.

 

[ColinJ]

I nearly always do a short 30 degree wash and add an extra spin cycle.

As for solar panels. I noticed today that somebody has just had solar panels fitted to their... NW-facing roof. It struck me as not being a great choice so I looked it up. In the UK that amounts to about a 2/3 loss of efficiency relative to S-facing panels.

 

[PaulSB]

Now that the cost of energy in our homes has skyrocketed who has any good ideas for cutting energy costs.

I read not long ago that after you finish a clothes cycle in your machine, put it on for an extra spin. My clothes always came out wetter than I thought they should so I tried this and it works a treat. It's brilliant and amazing how much drier clothes are.

Saves electric if you have to dry your things in a drier, or you can air them faster as well.

We have tried to improve what we do in recent weeks. Some of this is already second nature in our house. I already knew the extra spin thing, it really does work.

• Tied in with another thread people should learn to eliminate food wastage. Look in the fridge and be creative
• Reduce meat consumption. Health benefits and money saving
• Batch cook and for things like chilli reduce meat by 50% while doubling beans etc
• Reduce portion sizes, again money and health
• Switch off all chargers etc. unless in use
• Switch off lights
• Do the washing on a good drying day
• Don't shop when hungry
• Don't buy junk food, you won't miss it
• Always buy good value which lasts and not things which will need early replacement

 

[mistyoptic]

Kill two birds with one stone....
Put your washing up in the washing machine when you do a load of laundry.

and the sharp edges of the broken plates will slash designer holes in your standard denim jeans, saving you even more money

 

[welsh dragon]

We have tried to improve what we do in recent weeks. Some of this is already second nature in our house. I already knew the extra spin thing, it really does work.

• Tied in with another thread people should learn to eliminate food wastage. Look in the fridge and be creative
• Reduce meat consumption. Health benefits and money saving
• Batch cook and for things like chilli reduce meat by 50% while doubling beans etc
• Reduce portion sizes, again money and health
• Switch off all chargers etc. unless in use
• Switch off lights
• Do the washing on a good drying day
• Don't shop when hungry
• Don't buy junk food, you won't miss it
• Always buy good value which lasts and not things which will need early replacement

I was amazed at how well the second spin works. It's a game changer.