Energy Saving Products

[Lenny]

Here's a list of some energy saving products I've purchased recently and recommend aswell as some links,

Thought it would be good to share.

First cost effective item i've found is for the immersion, 

How many of us have either gone out of the house or gotten in to bed and forgotten to switch it off.

Not anymore 😀

 

This boost switch from TimeGuard automatically turns off after the set amount of time has expired.

Very simple one button operation, press twice for 30 minutes operation etc.

I've purchased a regular emersion switch along with the TimeGuard unit and a double mounting plate as I plan on relocating the existing location of the standard switch removing it from the hallway and positioning it inside the hotpress door.

Anyway here's some links: 

 

TimeGuard Immersion Switch:

http://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/Products/TGBT4-Timeguard16A-Immersion-Switch-Timer__TGBT4.aspx

 

2 Gang 25mm Surface plate box: 

http://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/Products/2-Gang-25mm-Dual-Surface-Box-Selectric-LG83825__LG83825.aspx

 

Sink/Bath Selection Switch: 

http://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/Products/SinkBath-Switch__DISN.aspx

 

The above item "TimeGuard Immersion Switch" can be used for basically any hard wired item; not just the water heater making it very useful for a range of devices.

 

The next item also from TimeGuard is ideal for a range of uses and my main reason for purchasing is to use when charging my Phone at night,

I don't like leaving chargers plugged in overnight for fear of starting a fire which has happened others on a few occasions,

 

This item based on the TimeGuard immersion boost button design; is ideal for phone chargers, electric heaters, ironing, hair straighteners, patio heaters, electric fires the list goes on, 

Basically any item which we tend to walk away and forget to switch off.

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322229678810

 

The final item from TimeGuard and yet to arrive with me is; Dusk to Dawn lamp holder 

 

This item is ideal for those whom leave the hall landing light on throughout the night, 

The adaptor has a built-in photocell sensor which will automatically turn off the bulb when it sences solar light saving you money especially on Sunday mornings where you spend the extra hour in bed 😁

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Timeguard-PSL118-Dusk-to-Timed-Off-Lamp-Holder-White-/282051878324?hash=item41ab9a1db4:g:2d8AAOSwa81XSfyK

 

"update with image when it arrives" 

 

 

The next item is slightly more advanced, ideal for the bedroom tv and radio or living room its a Media Standby eliminator.

 

This socket adaptor has an Infrared sensor fitted with cable.

You program or sync it to the power off button on the TV remote or desired item,

It then switches the socket off 30 seconds later eliminating standby on the items powered through the socket.

Best used with a 4 or 6 socket adaptor where it terminates the standby power consumption of many items. 

Link: http://smartgreenshop.co.uk/efergy-esocket-stand-by-eliminator-socket.html

 

When you think about it; this item can also be used for table lamps or electric fire etc. 

You can program it to turn on and off using any iR signal, 

So for example: pressing yellow on the Sky remote will turn on/off the table lamp.

 

The next item now from the same UK company is WiFi sockets, 

Link: http://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/Products/Efergy-Ego-Smart-Wifi-Socket-Home-Controller__EFERGYEGO.aspx 

 

These socket adaptors wirelessly connect to the internet router and are controlled via an app on your Android or Apple based device from well anywhere in the world that you have internet access not just within your home here's a screenshot of the app notice the customizable icons 

 

There very simple to setup and you can customize the icon for each socket on the app to match the device plugged in making it extremely user friendly.

The app also allows you to enter the cost of your electricity units and will calculate the usage aswell as display real time consumption of the connected appliance😯

You can also setup timeclock function.

 

I plan to use one to power the cabinet downlight when I eventually have it fitted as I won't be easily able to access the sockets at the rear of the cabinet without removing a wooden panel. 

 

Not sure what I'll use the second one for just yet but I can see myself purchasing a few more of these in the future for kitchen appliances and lamps👍

 

The next item is very affordable and doesn't use WiFi, and has a multitude of possibilities from a company called "EnergyEgg" here is there product which is also called Energy Egg.

 

The kit consists of a wireless 9V battery Powered egg shaped PR sensor ☝

which is much the same as the sensor you may have fitted to an outside light but it has extra heat sensitivity which can detect if a person is in the room even if there sitting perfectly still.

 

The other part of the kit is the wireless plug in socket adaptor, additional plug in sockets are sold separately for a small fee and can be synchronized to operate from the same sensor;

EnergyEgg also sell wall light switches which can also be synchronised.

The PIR sensor sends signals directly to these sockets without the use of WiFi to switch them on when someone is in the room and off again when nobody has been in the room for a adjustable set period of 5-30mine saving energy.

ideal for kids play rooms or living room where they tend to turn on everything then leave the room, I like the "time off delay" feature as it allows you time to leave the room to answer the doorbell or make a coffee without everything instantly turning off,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/141938038847 

The next item isint really cost saving as much as it is space saving and somewhat cosmetic.

At present the fan extraction is powerd by this unsightly and unnecessary power outlet positioned on the wall 

I plan to remove this completely,

Routing a new cable with plug top down to the socket at the back of the fridge where it will still be fused by a 13Amp fuse and function as it currently does without the unsightly cable exiting from a wall plate.

 

At present there's only a single socket fitted at the rear of the fridge; I found this single to triple socket conversion kit to install at the back of the fridge in the kitchen to power the fridge, kitchen radio and the cooker extraction fan.

Triple Socket Conversion kit

Link: http://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/Products/Socket-1G-and-2G---3G-Convertor-13A-Selectric-LG90983CON__LG90983CON.aspx 

 

 

Another cost effective item I've found is "Automatic Radiator Bleed Valves" 

My local online EcoShop was selling these automatic bleed valves to fit on each radiator eliminating the need to manually bleed the air out.

However I've found the exact same top branded item from an alternative UK supplier cheaper website SmartGreenShop.co.uk 👍

 

The valves are available in 1/2" BSP which is the large size for most modern radiators, 

Link: http://smartgreenshop.co.uk/shop-by-brand/aladdin/aladdin-hv30c-auto-radiator-air-vent.html 

 

 

There also available for the smaller 6mm for standard radiators 

Link: http://smartgreenshop.co.uk/shop-by-brand/aladdin/aladdin-autovent-micro-barlow-6mm.html 

The internal cartridge has a 5 year life expectancy and are available to purchase separately 

Link: http://smartgreenshop.co.uk/aladdin-hv30c-replacement-cartridge.html 

These valves should optimise heat output from the radiators by eliminating any air pockets as soon as they manifest within the system.

 

Another cost effective item I've found is "EndoTherm heating system Additive" 

When refilling the heating system i added a bottle of EndoTherm which helps to reduce corrosion within the system aswell as assisting with heat output independently proven to save up to 15% on Heating per Annum radiators heat faster saving fuel reducing time boiler is active.

one bottle of EndoTherm is enough for up to 15 Radiators in the house.

Link: http://smartgreenshop.co.uk/promoted-products/endotherm-central-heating-additive-500ml.html 

 

Another cost effective item I've found is "RadFlect" which is basically a roll of bubble wrap coverd with a layer of foil.

 

Fits behind radiators throwing the heat back outwards instead of heating the outside walls of the house, for optimum results remove radiator and fit full sheet,

And for optimum aesthetics; fit along with some radiator covers👍

 

 

 

 

Kerosene Boiler? 
My homescentral heating is powered by a Kerosene oil boiler, 
Any time the tank runs empty; air fills the pipe between tank and boiler causing the need to bleed it using an Allen key which results in your clothes stinking of kerosene requiring multiple washes.

Thankfully bleeding the oil feed is now a simple task having fitted this bleed valve which has a downward facing outlet enabling it to be bled in to a small cup instead of spraying everywhere on your cloths. 

Unfortunately no link for this one. 

If you're home has an unused Chimney on the roof then you can save up to 30% on heating costs by fitting a cap and a chimney balloon; 

Since my chimney is now completly redundant I was very interested to find a professional and permanent way of capping the top to prevent insects, birds and especially rain from getting in there,

I found C-Cap to be the most professional option only €35 and guaranteed for 5 years

I'll happily have it replaced in 5 years time at that price for good peace of mind that's it hasn't deteriorated.

Chimney Cap Link: http://www.chimneycowlproducts.ie/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?page=search&SS=cap&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=ACTION&PR=-1&TB=O 

Chimney Balloon Link: http://www.chimneycowlproducts.ie/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?page=search&SS=balloon&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=ACTION&PR=-1&TB=O 

A Local chimney cleaner cleaned chimney from living room then got on the roof & fitted the cap for total €40 couldn't beat that,👌

Wouldn't get me up on roof for €40 and if you did, wouldn't get me off it for €4,000 😣 i have a great fear of heights on ladders but im fine with cherry pickers once I'm stable but ladder and roof 😮no chance!

 

That's all the cost saving items I've found worth purchasing.

I hope some find it of interest and I'd like to hear from others if you have purchased an energy saving item and recommend it please post it here and tell us about it.

 

[GMX]

you've got some good products there

I think after an episode last week involving the immersion heater and my Mum, and it being "forgotten" for three days. I'll have to invest in of the those Timeguards

My Mum likes to sleep with the lights on but often forget to turn them off. 

I got several of the dawn to dusk lamp holders for each of her lights.  I have found though, they aren't as sensitive in rooms with a north facing window as they are elsewhere, possibly because the daylight isn't as bright there until a couple of hours after sunrise.  They work perfectly everywhere else

 

 

[GaryPL]

Some interesting products there. I do wonder for a couple of them whether the cost of the item will ever be made back. They would save so little energy. And then there is the energy that has gone into producing them.

The things that generate heat is where the money is to be saved. bulbs being a prime candidate. How many of us have a few 50 watt halogen spot lights in our homes? Replace these with 5 watt LEDs. I actually saw the reduction in my bill as I have 6 in the kitchen and 4 in the bathroom.

With hot water, consider the efficiency of your storage cylinder and how often you use hit water. Sometimes it's more energy efficient to keep a tank hot all evening than it is to keep switching on an immersion heater between showers.

[Lenny]

43 minutes ago, GMX said:

you've got some good products there

I think after an episode last week involving the immersion heater and my Mum, and it being "forgotten" for three days. I'll have to invest in of the those Timeguards

My Mum likes to sleep with the lights on but often forget to turn them off. 

I got several of the dawn to dusk lamp holders for each of her lights.  I have found though, they aren't as sensitive in rooms with a north facing window as they are elsewhere, possibly because the daylight isn't as bright there until a couple of hours after sunrise.  They work perfectly everywhere else

Three days 😦

I'm surprised the tank didn't burst at that would be hopping 😀

The dusk-dawn do take a certain amount of daylight to turn them off, I too experience this problem with the outside porch light my front door is south facing but next doors house blocks the morning sunrise so the photocell doesn't detect enough light to turn it off until it's been bright for almost three hours,

I've fitted a Philips Halo light in porch because of this as there said to be A++ efficent LED 

[Lenny]

1 hour ago, GaryPL said:

Some interesting products there. I do wonder for a couple of them whether the cost of the item will ever be made back. They would save so little energy. And then there is the energy that has gone into producing them.

The things that generate heat is where the money is to be saved. Bulbs being a prime candidate. How many of us have a few 50 watt halogen spot lights in our homes? Replace these with 5 watt LEDs. I actually saw the reduction in my bill as I have 6 in the kitchen and 4 in the bathroom.

With hot water, consider the efficiency of your storage cylinder and how often you use hot water. Sometimes it's more energy efficient to keep a tank hot all evening than it is to keep switching on an immersion heater between showers.

Very true, 

my main problem is my kids walk away and leave things turned on; I have the boost socket adaptor in there bedroom for there nightlight,

and the wife goes off leaving the television on in the living room, the immersion switch saves going back upstairs to turn it off also means I can put it on at night then go to sleep with hot water ready for next morning without having to wait to turn it off,

The WiFi sockets I suppose are more of a life comfort aswell but enables me to keep my 2yr old son from ejecting the disc on my PlayStation while I'm at work as I can turn off the power via my phone. Aswell as switching on the table lamp in the living room.

I've replaced kitchen spotlight bulbs with some Tesco LED Bulbs which have "Osram" branded on the base although it says Tesco on the packaging, there brighter and much cheaper on the bill as you've said mate.

I had a 50w Halogen light out the back garden and when tha bulb went in it, I decided to change the unit to led. 

At the time I didn't know that LED wattage isint the same measurements as halogen wattage. I assumed they were both the same at the time so I purchased an 80W 6000k LED floodlight to replace my 50w Halogen light.

After fitting it I soon discovered that 80W LED light is equivalent to a 1000w Halogen 😂

it's like an epolisode of Cops with the helicopter every time the wife goes out to the shed at night. 

Lights up the culdisac of houses out the back of our estate aswell as my entire back garden without and shadows 😀

still cheaper than 50w Halogen 

[GaryPL]

1 hour ago, Lenny said:

 

 

That's one monster LED light! Must be like the sun has exploded in the back garden!

My flat also has an interesting feature too... mechanical extraction ventilation.  It's one unit in a cupboard with vents in each room. Meant to be more efficient than trickle vents. I also live near Heathrow, and although you can get acoustic trickle vents, I think this system is better as it also incorporates a heat exchanger to recover a portion of the heat.  In essence, I rarely have to use the heating when it's on as the residual heat of the building and this system keeps it warm.  Only exception is when the outside temperature drops to low single figures - then I give the heating a blast!

[GMX]

If it weren't for the tiny leak in the central heating system, that neither I nor a heating engineer can find, the immersion heater might have been left on for longer than the 3 days it was.  Periodically, I have go and re-pressurise the system otherwise the boiler goes into a fail/reset /fail/reset cycle.  My immersion switch is hidden behind a shelf, so in fairness to my Mum, it's not very obvious when you open the airing cupboard.  It was as I knelt down to open ballcock to re-pressurise, I noticed a red glow coming from above!

LED is certainly the way to go, all my security lights are now LED but not as powerful as 80w though.  They are the infrared dawn to dusk bulkhead and lantern type with regular SES sockets. The light output from a 9w LED is a vast improvement on a 16w CFL, which I replaced the original 60w GLS with

As i deplete my stocks of CFLs I've been replacing them with LED.

I tend to buy my bulbs from a wholesaler in 50s or 100s, rather than singularly: so it's taking some time to "use them up"  However, the end is sight on the 16-18w CFL (roughly equivalent to 100w GLS and 75w Halogen) I've only got 5 left.

I use 20w Daylight CFL in the office but I have only got 4 of those left but they tend to last a couple of years  The handy thing with LED is they available in several colour temperature as standard, rather than having to pay a lot more for daylight rendering

[spurswes]

2 hours ago, GaryPL said:

Some interesting products there. I do wonder for a couple of them whether the cost of the item will ever be made back. They would save so little energy. And then there is the energy that has gone into producing them.

The things that generate heat is where the money is to be saved. Bulbs being a prime candidate. How many of us have a few 50 watt halogen spot lights in our homes? Replace these with 5 watt LEDs. I actually saw the reduction in my bill as I have 6 in the kitchen and 4 in the bathroom.

With hot water, consider the efficiency of your storage cylinder and how often you use hit water. Sometimes it's more energy efficient to keep a tank hot all evening than it is to keep switching on an immersion heater between showers.

Yep very true,my hot water tank stays on all the time (unless I'm away say for a few days) then it will get turned off. I've got an electric shower which is very expensive to run so I don't stay in there very long haha 

[goldtail77]

Energy saving devices. I went a bit daft with some share money from work. 

I have:-

4kW Solar Panel system

LED lights in every fitting in the house, including cooker extractor hood. 

Self closing extractor vents in Loo and Kitchen. 

Full Evohome smart Central heating controller, plus 15 Smart TRVs. Turning each room into its own heating zone. 

Wemo switch on some lamps. 

8 Hue lights with dimmer switches, IFTT rules and timers. 

Gold rated efficiency PC power supply. 

Tried a Tado heating controller but it was only one zone. 

A+ rated white goods, except B rated tumble dryer. 

I'm sure there is probably more  

 

In the last year we've  used 2,000 kW less electricity and 4,000kW of gas. That's with a new baby in the house last August too. 

[GaryPL]

1 hour ago, spurswes said:

Yep very true,my hot water tank stays on all the time (unless I'm away say for a few days) then it will get turned off. I've got an electric shower which is very expensive to run so I don't stay in there very long haha 

Oh god, electric showers are a hideous waste! 10kW of shower for 15 minutes (you always need longer because the water flow is rubbish with electric) will cost 30-40p. This is assuming a unit price of 13p/kWh. So if you have 2 people showering 20x a week between them, you'll pay £25 a month in showering alone!

[GaryPL]

1 hour ago, goldtail77 said:

Energy saving devices. I went a bit daft with some share money from work. 

I have:-

4kW Solar Panel system

LED lights in every fitting in the house, including cooker extractor hood. 

Self closing extractor vents in Loo and Kitchen. 

Full Evohome smart Central heating controller, plus 15 Smart TRVs. Turning each room into its own heating zone. 

Wemo switch on some lamps. 

8 Hue lights with dimmer switches, IFTT rules and timers. 

Gold rated efficiency PC power supply. 

Tried a Tado heating controller but it was only one zone. 

A+ rated white goods, except B rated tumble dryer. 

I'm sure there is probably more  

 

In the last year we've  used 2,000 kW less electricity and 4,000kW of gas. That's with a new baby in the house last August too. 

I have a photovoltaic cell on the roof too, for hot water. It's only worked 1 in the last 4 years because my freeholder is a money stealing pirate who is ripping us all off. That one year was great though as I didn't use the boiler once between April and October!

[goldtail77]

5 hours ago, GaryPL said:

I have a photovoltaic cell on the roof too, for hot water. It's only worked 1 in the last 4 years because my freeholder is a money stealing pirate who is ripping us all off. That one year was great though as I didn't use the boiler once between April and October!

Never good. Though not sure what he can be doing to screw you over? Unless they are diverting the power elsewhere. 

I have a Solar iBoost. I senses the current power generation. If it is in excess of the current home usage, my electric immersion is powered to heat my hot water. I suspect you have a similar device that isn't setup properly or they are making sure all power is used up. 

[jace1969]

Good stuff there,i have the economy 7 timer on our immersion heater and its spot on,cheap rate on the night (quarter of the day rate) and just set it up

so comes on for 3 hours and a hot tank of water all day,saves loads a year,also got LED lights in the house normal std. light fitting not the small ones.

Looked into loads of stuff like this being looking after my elderly dad and like the light on at night and hot water/heating etc.cost and saved a nice bit.

[TomsFocus]

I didn't know anyone still had to manually switch immersion heaters on and off these days!  The immersion heater itself usually has a thermostat (should be set at 55-60c) so won't stay on when it's reached temp anyway, 3 days of leaving it on won't be as bad it sounds lol!  Mines on Economy10 so I just leave it on permanently, it's only on for about an hour of that over the day though.  The limescale here has damaged the system a bit I think, I've got a sealed hot water tank and it over-pressurises every time and dumps a bit of water out of the overflow.  I told the landlord but they didn't seem bothered, and it was serviced last year but no different afterwards, just gotta put up with it I think! 

I've also got energy saving bulbs, though I rarely use lights, tend to sit in the dark with the TV/xbox/laptop on - and no not all at once as that'd be a waste lol.  I've also got a switched tower behind the TV so the items there are only powered when I want them to be.  I have 'hob food' twice a week to save using the oven.  I only use the washing machine and dryer on cheap rate electricity, and dry clothes on a rack rather than wasting energy drying those, things like towels and bed sheets need to be tumble dried though.

The storage heating is where my monthly bill doubled and even tripled last year so I'm going to try and be a lot more careful with heat this year!!  However the flat is a bit drafty in places that I can't seal (French doors and extractor fans mainly) so nothing I can do about that but it must waste a bit of heat.  The bathroom also uses a storage heater which I find ridiculous, it's always cold in winter mornings because the overnight heat has dissipated by then...and if you use the extractor (comes on with the light so no choice in the dark) that sucks any remaining heat out lol.  Would've been far more efficient to fit a fan heater in there imo.  Could just be used as and when needed then.  I also wanted a Smart Meter to monitor the heating use, as I have an old Eon monitor but that can only measure one circuit, so I use it for the 'normal' circuit but have no idea how much is being used by the heating circuit that only comes on with the Eco10.  BUT despite hearing ads everywhere saying every house is eligible for a smart meter...I apparently can't have one...

Next to heating, my biggest money loss is water bill.  Anyone in a hard water area will know dripping taps are impossible to stop for long, the tap head fails fairly quickly so it's not just a case of a new washer.  The water heater dumps excess water as I mentioned earlier.  The shower drips for a while after use.  And the toilet leaks a little from the cistern to the pan after flushing has finished.  Now I don't know how much that adds up to, but I'm currently paying about £8 a month more than I was expecting/hoping.  As most of you know I suffer with IBS and OCD, so that's a lot of toilet flushing and washing/cleaning, but I'm really trying to save where I can.  I've got one of those cistern things that saves a litre per flush, only put the washing machine on when necessary, no half loads, tried a shower restrictor but that was awful so removed that but do restrict myself to sub 5 minutes in there, and I now won't wash the car for a couple of months at least after all the summer washes.  I'd really like a smart meter for water as well but it doesn't seem to even be a thing, not yet at least!  Not really sure what else I can do to save water though. 

 

 

[goldtail77]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

I didn't know anyone still had to manually switch immersion heaters on and off these days!  The immersion heater itself usually has a thermostat (should be set at 55-60c) so won't stay on when it's reached temp anyway, 3 days of leaving it on won't be as bad it sounds lol!  Mines on Economy10 so I just leave it on permanently, it's only on for about an hour of that over the day though.  The limescale here has damaged the system a bit I think, I've got a sealed hot water tank and it over-pressurises every time and dumps a bit of water out of the overflow.  I told the landlord but they didn't seem bothered, and it was serviced last year but no different afterwards, just gotta put up with it I think! 

I've also got energy saving bulbs, though I rarely use lights, tend to sit in the dark with the TV/xbox/laptop on - and no not all at once as that'd be a waste lol.  I've also got a switched tower behind the TV so the items there are only powered when I want them to be.  I have 'hob food' twice a week to save using the oven.  I only use the washing machine and dryer on cheap rate electricity, and dry clothes on a rack rather than wasting energy drying those, things like towels and bed sheets need to be tumble dried though.

The storage heating is where my monthly bill doubled and even tripled last year so I'm going to try and be a lot more careful with heat this year!!  However the flat is a bit drafty in places that I can't seal (French doors and extractor fans mainly) so nothing I can do about that but it must waste a bit of heat.  The bathroom also uses a storage heater which I find ridiculous, it's always cold in winter mornings because the overnight heat has dissipated by then...and if you use the extractor (comes on with the light so no choice in the dark) that sucks any remaining heat out lol.  Would've been far more efficient to fit a fan heater in there imo.  Could just be used as and when needed then.  I also wanted a Smart Meter to monitor the heating use, as I have an old Eon monitor but that can only measure one circuit, so I use it for the 'normal' circuit but have no idea how much is being used by the heating circuit that only comes on with the Eco10.  BUT despite hearing ads everywhere saying every house is eligible for a smart meter...I apparently can't have one...

Next to heating, my biggest money loss is water bill.  Anyone in a hard water area will know dripping taps are impossible to stop for long, the tap head fails fairly quickly so it's not just a case of a new washer.  The water heater dumps excess water as I mentioned earlier.  The shower drips for a while after use.  And the toilet leaks a little from the cistern to the pan after flushing has finished.  Now I don't know how much that adds up to, but I'm currently paying about £8 a month more than I was expecting/hoping.  As most of you know I suffer with IBS and OCD, so that's a lot of toilet flushing and washing/cleaning, but I'm really trying to save where I can.  I've got one of those cistern things that saves a litre per flush, only put the washing machine on when necessary, no half loads, tried a shower restrictor but that was awful so removed that but do restrict myself to sub 5 minutes in there, and I now won't wash the car for a couple of months at least after all the summer washes.  I'd really like a smart meter for water as well but it doesn't seem to even be a thing, not yet at least!  Not really sure what else I can do to save water though. 

 

 

Hot Water should ideally be heated to 60-65C to kill legionnaires disease. It dies in about 3seconds at 65 but 5 mins at 60, every degree drop allows it to hang about for longer.

I digress, there are some solutions to your problems. Get Icon Extractor fans, they self close from within the house. I have 2 £30 each

I know you are in a flat but buy a Downpipe diverter, to fill a water butt outside, £40 ish.

Then use an Eco pressure washer that doesn't need a high pressure feed. - £150 ish

Make sure you have an Insulation cover for external taps, cost about £5

Switch your energy monitor to the heating feed for a week, get an idea of power usage. A second Owl device could cost you £25. I use the intuition range to view it online also and it outputs a graph for illustration. Ideally you need a 3 phase model I think to see the multiple feeds separately.

Lidl have 6m rolls @ £5 of radiator back reflector foam. Where possible fit behind your storage heaters to reflect heat back into the room.

Put under floor heating in the bathroom. Kits are about £50-£60 but ideally need tiled over. Run it off the Electric meter over night. It will at least run cheaply till say 6.

 

[GaryPL]

6 hours ago, goldtail77 said:

Never good. Though not sure what he can be doing to screw you over? Unless they are diverting the power elsewhere. 

I have a Solar iBoost. I senses the current power generation. If it is in excess of the current home usage, my electric immersion is powered to heat my hot water. I suspect you have a similar device that isn't setup properly or they are making sure all power is used up. 

We're paying the service charge for maintenance of the site snd building but they're not doing it. So they didn't bother servicing the system and it went kaput. I'm paying £130 a month and what we get for that is the floors mopped and some lightbulbs.

[goldtail77]

1 minute ago, GaryPL said:

We're paying the service charge for maintenance of the site snd building but they're not doing it. So they didn't bother servicing the system and it went kaput. I'm paying £130 a month and what we get for that is the floors mopped and some lightbulbs.

I hated out maintenance charge when we were in our flat and it was half yours.

Looks like you should go legal on their posteriors. I suspect further foul play. The PV system will have a Feed In Tariff associated with it. They will get x pence per generated kW of power and about 4.5p per kW exported back to the grid. If the building has a smart meter, they will be getting most of it paid back to the grid if the HW doesn't work. If there is no smart meter they still get 50% of the export and 100% of the FIT.

I can promise that they never let that PV cash cow go out of commission. My PV array is a year old and I've had £471.29 in payments back. Were it 4 years old the FIT rates were much higher, so that would have been nearer £800 for the same size array, 4kW.

[Turvey]

 

 

10 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

 However the flat is a bit drafty in places that I can't seal (French doors and extractor fans mainly) so nothing I can do about that but it must waste a bit of heat.  The bathroom also uses a storage heater which I find ridiculous, it's always cold in winter mornings because the overnight heat has dissipated by then...and if you use the extractor (comes on with the light so no choice in the dark) that sucks any remaining heat out lol.  Would've been far more efficient to fit a fan heater in there imo.  Could just be used as and when needed then.  I also wanted a Smart Meter to monitor the heating use, as I have an old Eon monitor but that can only measure one circuit, so I use it for the 'normal' circuit but have no idea how much is being used by the heating circuit that only comes on with the Eco10.  BUT despite hearing ads everywhere saying every house is eligible for a smart meter...I apparently can't have one...

 

 

Block up the extractor fans and, if they come on with the lights, disconnect them? 

 

Can you place the clip around the heating circuit? Or would one of these be any use? https://www.amazon.co.uk/OWL-micro-Wireless-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B007W0SQ3Y

 

EDIT: They also do a version that you can plug into your computer and make graphs etc with https://www.amazon.co.uk/Owl-Electricity-Monitor-Compatible-Windows/dp/B004BDNR84/ref=pd_sim_60_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=68MGXQPVKXMRG53VVRNK

 

We've got E10 just now but we can't use it half the time as our heating/hot water unit is in a cupboard on the other side of the wall to our sons bedroom and the rumble of it keeps them awake at night and wakes them up early in the morning! However we are changing to a single tariff next week. This will also give us the flexibility to use washing machine etc when we need it NOT when we feel obliged to use it when it 'cheaper' I did a comparison using last year's usage and hopefully it wont be too much more expensive.

8 hours ago, goldtail77 said:

Hot Water should ideally be heated to 60-65C to kill legionnaires disease. It dies in about 3seconds at 65 but 5 mins at 60, every degree drop allows it to hang about for longer.

As far as I am aware, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but there have been no instances of a legionnaires outbreak starting in a domestic situation which beggars the question why does domestic hot water need to be at 60C the whole time(hot enough to scald the very young and the infirm) Our system, air source which heats the underfloor heating to 35C and the hot water to 45C heats the water up to 60C once a week to 'disinfect' the system. Once it is out of warranty I think I'll set it to once a month as the air source can only heat it to 45C and needs the immersion to heat it to 60C.

22 hours ago, GaryPL said:

 

My flat also has an interesting feature too... mechanical extraction ventilation.  It's one unit in a cupboard with vents in each room. Meant to be more efficient than trickle vents. I also live near Heathrow, and although you can get acoustic trickle vents, I think this system is better as it also incorporates a heat exchanger to recover a portion of the heat.  In essence, I rarely have to use the heating when it's on as the residual heat of the building and this system keeps it warm.  Only exception is when the outside temperature drops to low single figures - then I give the heating a blast!

I'm hearing good thing about these systems and wish that we had researched them a bit more before we built this house. After many years of living in cold, draughty houses we opted to build a new house and have been here for about a year and a half. Insulation specs are so good nowadays that we only need heating on for the coldest months and it's been switched off since the end of March! We do, however, have a small(3.5Kw) woodburning stove which we light in the evenings if it gets a bit chillier.  I can honestly say it's the best thing we did. I scrounge the blocks out of pallets for burning and only need 2 or 3 blocks to make the room too hot for me to be comfortable! If anyone is thinking of getting one installed I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Free heat, if you know where to get wood, and a backup for winter powercuts.

 

Being a new house all bulbs HAD to be energy efficient, a mixture of CFL and LEDs, LEDs in the kitchen and bathrooms and CFLs everywhere else. As and when the CFLs blow I'll replace them with LED equivalent as I'm not impressed with the warmup time of CFLs.

 

I take daily meter readings(my form of OCD) and as a family of 6 we usually use between 18 and 25 units a day electricity(no gas) which doesn't seem bad to me but might actually be quite a lot. Would interesting to see what others are using for comparison. 

[GMX]

13 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

I didn't know anyone still had to manually switch immersion heaters on and off these days!  The immersion heater itself usually has a thermostat (should be set at 55-60c) so won't stay on when it's reached temp anyway, 3 days of leaving it on won't be as bad it sounds lol

That's true enough

My electric immersion is a back-up to the gas fired central heating boiler, for when someone's had a succession of overly filled baths or has left the hot running all morning and gone out, for instance. 

The boiler has hot water priority, which comes on twice a day for an hour, the tanks insulated, and normally I don't run out of hot water. So, there's no need to use the electric immersion, except on excessive hot water consumption occasions. 

2 hours ago, Turvey said:

We do, however, have a small(3.5Kw) woodburning stove which we light in the evenings if it gets a bit chillier.  I can honestly say it's the best thing we did. I scrounge the blocks out of pallets for burning and only need 2 or 3 blocks to make the room too hot for me to be comfortable! If anyone is thinking of getting one installed I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Free heat, if you know where to get wood, and a backup for winter powercuts.

I've got one in the bigger of the two lounges, apart from 2009, it hasn't been cold enough to light it since. . 

Having said that, I only run the central heating radiator circuit a couple of times a year, to make sure the everything's working.  It hasn't been cold enough down here to warrant heating, for a couple of years now

Builders will gladly give you pallets, I've got an 8ft high pile of them in the garden just waiting to be dismantled.

[GMX]

13 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Next to heating, my biggest money loss is water bill.  Anyone in a hard water area will know dripping taps are impossible to stop for long, the tap head fails fairly quickly so it's not just a case of a new washer.  The water heater dumps excess water as I mentioned earlier.  The shower drips for a while after use.  And the toilet leaks a little from the cistern to the pan after flushing has finished.  Now I don't know how much that adds up to, but I'm currently paying about £8 a month more than I was expecting/hoping.  As most of you know I suffer with IBS and OCD, so that's a lot of toilet flushing and washing/cleaning, but I'm really trying to save where I can.  I've got one of those cistern things that saves a litre per flush, only put the washing machine on when necessary, no half loads, tried a shower restrictor but that was awful so removed that but do restrict myself to sub 5 minutes in there, and I now won't wash the car for a couple of months at least after all the summer washes.  I'd really like a smart meter for water as well but it doesn't seem to even be a thing, not yet at least!  Not really sure what else I can do to save water though. 

I live with very hard water, defurring the kettle is weekly thing

Have you considered swapping your older tap valves for ceramic ones?  Whilst they will still get get problems, but less frequently than the older ones.  You can remedy them by dismantling the valve and soaking the ceramic core in a weak acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc) for a few hours, reassemble and they're back to new. It takes approximately 6 years for a ceramic one to need a descaling I've found, on my baths, sinks and basins

Your toilet sounds like it needs a new rubber flap on your syphon. Although modern syphons are relatively cheap, so you could replace the whole thing and start afresh.

If you're not using your rain water, get a butt on each downpipe and you could use that to manually flush your loo with a bucket.  Depending on the model of your powerwasher, some will draw water from a butt for car/patio/drive washing purpose.

At my last house the water was unmetered and charged on the rateable house value.  This one is metered, without any changing any water use behaviour, I saw my water bill fall by 75% between unmetered and metered. what I was paying quarterly is now annually

 

[TomsFocus]

11 hours ago, Turvey said:

I take daily meter readings(my form of OCD) and as a family of 6 we usually use between 18 and 25 units a day electricity(no gas) which doesn't seem bad to me but might actually be quite a lot. Would interesting to see what others are using for comparison. 

As a person of one, living in presumably a much smaller place than yourselves, in summer I use 3 to 6 units on night rate, and 1 to 3 units on day rate - so 4 to 9 overall.  There is no gas here.  I would say you're doing pretty well with your figures tbh!

As for buying another monitor for the night rate, I could do but it'd take a while to get back the £30 it costs.   Being a rented flat I'm also not allowed to change anything so although there are loads of good ideas in this thread, I can't use most of them lol.  

[jace1969]

We have one of them meters that i have upstairs as we mainly live upstairs these days (i care for my dad) that tells you the electric you use per day in units or cost.

We don't use a lot to be honest being just me and dad,i should say a family with kids would double or treble what we use a week.

Even a little saving helps so our night rate 7 hours is great for us being up very,very early so washing/dryer/immersion heater (water)etc saves a nice bit.

 

 

[Turvey]

I've just bought a double socket with USB sockets incorporated. Got fed up with phone chargers blocking the socket in the kitchen! 

Maybe not a money saving device as such but it means chargers aren't actually used so therefore can't be left on with the potential fire risk etc

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00M1S045K/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Lenny]

22 hours ago, Turvey said:

I've just bought a double socket with USB sockets incorporated. Got fed up with phone chargers blocking the socket in the kitchen! 

Maybe not a money saving device as such but it means chargers aren't actually used so therefore can't be left on with the potential fire risk etc

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00M1S045K/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've purchased a few of those myself living room, they save the sockets for table lamp and other items, 

 

I'm a big fan of a company callee "Schneider electric" they have been manufacturing a range of switches and sockets called "Clipsal" for the past 20 years atleast.

 

I will go in to the advantages of clipsal in a moment.

 

But my reason for starting this discussion was to say that I like the Schneider USB socket the best for the kitchen or hallway because it has an extra frame ledge designed to hold the phone while it's charging,

This avoids the risk of a wet kitchen worktop destroying the charging phone.

 

The socket and frame are two separate items but here's a link to them both being sold together, the frame surrounds the socket secured by the socket itself not stuck on top. 

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301722850939 

I first discovered schneider electric products when i was a teenager working with my two brothers whom are electricians.

 

the clipsal range is available in a multitude of colours including black. 

There polished polycarbonate construction the switch feels smooth like a pebble stone and all come with caps for covering the screws. 

The beauty of the clipsal is you can have five switches on a single din plate or ten on a double din plate.

The switch itself can be popped out of the plate and replaced with a RJ45 socket, RJ11 socket, Coaxial socket or F plug sattelite socket, even an led indicator light. 

 

Ideal for mounting television on the wall simply fit a double socket sized plate and pop in your network cable socket, aerial socket, satellite feed and 240v socket all neatly on the same plate. 

 

I've changed the whole house to clipsal 

This double switch with green light is in my living room on the side of chimney breast wall, the switch on the right powers the electric fire, the switch on the left is linked to the green led and powers an outside socket in the garden, I fitted the led feature so I wouldn't forget to switch it off when not in use.

Here's a link to my number one supplier of the clipsal range Link: http://www.electricalwholesaler.ie/search.aspx?keyword=clipsal

[Lenny]

A great safety and energy saving item i purchased few months ago was this Breville instant kettle 
Link: http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/2289874.htm

Before purchasing this item, I would be boiling a kettle of water then filling one cup and pouring the rest of the hot water down the sink to prevent risk of my kids getting scalded if they were to sneak in and climb on the worktop to get somthing sweet. 

The Breville istant kettle has a volume control which you can set to suit the cups volume and it only heats that volume of water, the resivour of water never gets hot. 
Only what's in the cup is scalding ☺