Saving electricity.

[JP_]

I just boiled water for my cup of tea in 90 seconds on the hob. Maybe their gas isn't as good as ours either.

 

[JohnW2]

I just boiled water for my cup of tea in 90 seconds on the hob. Maybe their gas isn't as good as ours either.

Maybe they have Russian gas, specially doctored so as to make it less efficient

Kind Regards, John

 

[mattylad]

I must admit, when I make poached eggs for my lunch at the weekend I usually boil the water in the kettle first, mainly because it's faster than my gas cooker.

Although this may be a thing of the past as I shall soon be having them raw, shell n all while sitting here in the dark looking at a blank screen

 

[JohnW2]

I must admit, when I make poached eggs for my lunch at the weekend I usually boil the water in the kettle first, mainly because it's faster than my gas cooker.

I think a lot of people do that. I wonder how much time difference there actually is (for the same amount of water), hence whether the magnitude of the difference may sometimes be a 'misconception'?

Although this may be a thing of the past as I shall soon be having them raw, shell n all while sitting here in the dark looking at a blank screen

You seem to be assuming that you will be able to afford to buy eggs (or do you have some chickens in the garden?)

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

One problem with that is that a good few of the most energy-consuming loads are not 'plugged in'.

All of which tend to be marked with their consumption and don't run irregularly, so you should have some basic idea of what they cost to run.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I must admit, when I make poached eggs for my lunch at the weekend I usually boil the water in the kettle first, mainly because it's faster than my gas cooker.

Although this may be a thing of the past as I shall soon be having them raw, shell n all while sitting here in the dark looking at a blank screen

Nah, you will be cooking on a candle flame, like everyone else

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You seem to be assuming that you will be able to afford to buy eggs (or do you have some chickens in the garden?)

House on the next corner has them, I have heard them..

 

[JohnW2]

All of which tend to be marked with their consumption and don't run irregularly, so you should have some basic idea of what they cost to run.

One should, but I think it's the fact that so many people do not seem to have that 'basic idea' that is one of the main problems.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

All of which tend to be marked with their consumption and don't run irregularly, so you should have some basic idea of what they cost to run.

I have an immersion heater, cooker, central heating boiler, pump etc, shower, and some lights not plugged in. The shower I can read the rating, and some of the lights, those with smart bulbs not a clue what they use without putting bulb in a table or standard lamp to measure, and heater, cooker, central heating boiler, pump etc, run on a mark/space control of some type, so may be 3 kW element but not a clue what it would use if left switched on.

So if we take domestic hot water as an example, two methods to heat it, one a thermostatic controlled immersion heater, direct into the storage tank, so very few losses, or a oil boiler with timed control, which uses a load of un-lagged pipes to take the heat from boiler to the storage tank. I use oil at the moment, the boiler set to run 3 times a week at ½ hour a time, it rarely runs for ½ hour, as boiler gets too hot, so normally runs for 20 minutes.

I have no idea how efficient the boiler is, rated 20 kW, likely use around 30 kW hour per week to heat water, but it is a guess, if I used electric likely the DHW would be hotter, but I have no way to record how much electric would be used, so I can't say which is the cheaper method in summer, in winter can't turn water heating off without also turning off central heating, so no option.

So take the next one, which is the oven, typical meal needs at least 20 minutes in an oven, same meal likely 5 to 10 minutes in a microwave, but oven is thermostatic controlled, and 3 element sets, top, sides or back, so the power used varies, and the time varies, can't even guess how much power it uses, so impossible to compare with micro wave.

Central heating does not use enough electric to worry about, shower clearly the longer the shower the higher the cost, but we do have two showers and two baths, the shower is electric heated, the bath uses oil to heat water, clearly more water used in the bath, but since one uses electric and other oil, as to which costs the most, not a clue.

Even the lights, my bedroom as an example, I must use 12 watt, as the BA22d bulb rated 12 watt, but also three 6 watt GU10 smart bulbs, so some where between 12 and 30 watt to light bedroom, at moment using 12 watt, but when the GU10 lamps are on, they may be dimmed, so not a clue how much power used to light bedroom.

As to removing the GU10 fitting it into a clip lamp and measuring with the plug in energy meter, not sure it will work with such a low power device with any accuracy.

As to whole usage meter, yes I have one clipped onto the supply, but can't tell what is using the power, so about as good as a chocolate fire guard, how a smart meter can do any better than the clip on power meter I don't know? But watching the advert I am sure Freddy Boswell look alike can't really turn his lights on/off using smart meter by clapping his hands, so I see the whole lot as a bit of clap trap.

We can save energy, that's why I am up at 5:30 am, I have the patio doors open to cool the house, so will not need to use the AC latter today. But if the room is not cool enough, that will not stop me using the AC latter today. I do point out to my wife, cooking on a hot day costs more than cooking on a cool day, as we need to run AC to cool the house.

It does not matter if blowing centrally heated air outside using a tumble drier, or bathroom extractor, or heating the house with a gas hob or oven in summer, we need to consider whole cost which includes heating or cooling the air in the room as a result. Or sweating in the food or shivering in the cold if not using cooling or heating, even the cooker hood uses power.

I have had a fan running most of the night, blowing in cold air from open window at 12.7°C and room still at 25.1°C can't believe how fast the sun heats the room, and how slow a fan cools the room.

 

[Adam_151]

Somewhat relevant:

 

[FrodoOne]

Somewhat relevant:

As I posted earlier (#56)

 

[mattylad]

OK so I have an ultimatum from er indoors.

It's me or the dogs.

A big bag of dog food is on it's way and so am I, luckily I have a small tent

 

[SUNRAY]

Sure, that too - but I would hope that most people are aware of that by now (and, to a large extent, are being 'forced' to move to LEDs). It wasn't only the running costs, either. In the days of incandescents, with my very large house, I found myself having to buy large batches of bulbs every month or three - but now I buy small batches of LEDs every year or 3!

Kind Regards, John

I'm finding exactly the opposite here, replacing an incandescent bulb was not a common feature but I'm now finding I keep a large stock of 'new type' 'bulbs' and seem to go to that shelf on a regular basis, oh and let's not forget modern 'bulbs' cost a lot more than incandescents.

 

[winston1]

You’ve obviously not bought any incandescents lately. They are quite pricy now.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'm finding exactly the opposite here, replacing an incandescent bulb was not a common feature but I'm now finding I keep a large stock of 'new type' 'bulbs' and seem to go to that shelf on a regular basis, oh and let's not forget modern 'bulbs' cost a lot more than incandescents.

I would suggest if you are replacing LED lamps on a regular basis, that you need to look at just why they are failing. I began the swap to LED around five years ago, around the entire house, the only ones I then excepted were the less used ones, where it just wasn't worth while - most of those I have now swapped for LED.

The only failure I have had and had fail twice, has been an outside lantern type fitting with an 8w LED, providing some illumination on my drive, on dusk to 11pm each night. Last time I fitted a new lamp, I decided the reduced life was due to heat build up - so I spaced the top and bottom covers of the fitting, so there was an air gap.

Heat, lack of enough ventilation is a killer of LED lamps. Fittings which worked just fine with incandescents, might not have enough cooling ventilation for LED's.