Money Saved on Electricity in One Year

[0iD]

Bought a carpet sweeper, rarely use the vacuum & had free cavity wall insulation. Saved goodly loads on electrickery.

[scaryjim]

The house we moved to last month has those silly multi-spotlight fittings in each room. A few bulbs had gone, and the landlord told me there were some spares in the garage if I wanted to swap them.

I almost had a fit when I got the spares out and saw the power rating on them - 50W per bulb! So 200W per fitting

Once I've got a little bit of money again I'll be replacing all of them with LED/CFL alternatives...

[Behemoth]

My flat has those spot bulbs fitted through out, I try not use it them asmuch as possible if I can get away with it.

[Whiternoise]

good to see this thread back into life

Do you have updated figures out of interest? This was almost three years ago now!

Some troglodyte in my flat keeps sneakily putting the immersion heater on. I don't think she realises that it doesn't actually heat the house or the water any faster than pressing +1 on the boiler does. It's costing us an absolute fortune!

[Saracen]

....

Some troglodyte in my flat keeps sneakily putting the immersion heater on. I don't think she realises that it doesn't actually heat the house or the water any faster than pressing +1 on the boiler does. It's costing us an absolute fortune!

2 minutes with a screwdriver .... remove the fuse?

Or if no fuse .... (and you feel confident in doing it) disconnect the wire from the switch to the immersion (not the live supply). I mean, of course, get an electrician to do it for you.

[Sputnik]

I don't remember reading this thread originally and it is interesting because I'm on a bit of a roll of trying to reduce energy bills.

I've come to the conclusion I could save about £10 a month just changing from an Electric hob to a gas hob.

I've had a suspicion that our freezer also is a bit of a power hog so will be looking at sorting that out too when I get around to it.

I've already changed all the lighting to CFL or energy saving bulbs of some description.

[Saracen]

I don't remember reading this thread originally and it is interesting because I'm on a bit of a roll of trying to reduce energy bills.

I've come to the conclusion I could save about £10 a month just changing from an Electric hob to a gas hob.

I've had a suspicion that our freezer also is a bit of a power hog so will be looking at sorting that out too when I get around to it.

I've already changed all the lighting to CFL or energy saving bulbs of some description.

The only problem is if that's the only reason to make capital purchases, how long will it take to recover the capital spent on a hob or freezer from the savings. And, do you have gas piped and ready to connect where the hob is? If not, add the cost of getting extra gas pipe laid.

[Whiternoise]

2 minutes with a screwdriver .... remove the fuse?

Or if no fuse .... (and you feel confident in doing it) disconnect the wire from the switch to the immersion (not the live supply). I mean, of course, get an electrician to do it for you.

If she does it next term, I will! Just need to get hold of a decent rated screwdriver...

[Sputnik]

The only problem is if that's the only reason to make capital purchases, how long will it take to recover the capital spent on a hob or freezer from the savings. And, do you have gas piped and ready to connect where the hob is? If not, add the cost of getting extra gas pipe laid.

Well, The freezer is getting on so I'd rather replace it before it becomes an emergency rash purchase.

The hob is ancient as it was in the house when we moved in and when we had the plumbing sorted I requested to have a gas pipe put in the kitchen for a hob replacement in the near future. Plus, Electric hobs are not as controllable as gas. I can buy a gas hob for about £200 so in 20 months it will have paid for itself in the savings.

[Saracen]

Well, The freezer is getting on so I'd rather replace it before it becomes an emergency rash purchase. ....

Fair enough. I'm in much the same situation. I've had the current one about 20 years, so I keep wondering .... how much longer will it last? However, it seems to be built like a brick outhouse, so the miserly part of me says "it's lasted this long, now what did I do with that brochure for a new camera/luxury cruise/hifi upgrade".

....

The hob is ancient as it was in the house when we moved in and when we had the plumbing sorted I requested to have a gas pipe put in the kitchen for a hob replacement in the near future. ....

Snap, kind-of. I have a gas pipe running to the back of the wall where the hob (currently an ancient electric contraption) is. The pipe was there when I bought the house. But when the heating was replaced (and moved) I asked the gas engineer about the pipe and he said that yes, it's there, but it doesn't appear to be connected at either end. So it ought to be a simple job, but a job nonetheless. I guess you're a step ahead of me there, if you know the pipework is new, and has gas pressure behind it (if uncapped, presumably).

....

.... Plus, Electric hobs are not as controllable as gas. .....

Well, that's a bit controversial. I'm given to understand that induction hobs are every bit as adjustable. They react (I'm told, having no direct personal experience) even faster than gas, though the difference is small enough that while measurable, it;s irrelevant in actual use.

....

.... I can buy a gas hob for about £200 so in 20 months it will have paid for itself in the savings.

But you'll struggle to find induction hobs at that price (or you would last time I looked). And you need pots and pans that are rated for induction, seeing as it's a magnetic process the pans need to have bottoms with a ferrous element.

On the upside, their a lot easier to clean, being flat like a conventional ceramic hob.

As for saving, in the longer term, I wonder about the comparison between gas and electricity. I mean, we pretty much know we need electricity generation, and we can do it in a variety of ways. from nuclear to wind turbine, fuel cell, wave power, etc, and of course, conventional coal and gas stations. But gas, on the other hand, is by definition limited, and we have to import a lot of it.

It is a government objective to improve our energy security by decreasing reliance on fuels that have to be imported, so (if they ever get their asses in gear) we're likely to see increasing home-grown generating capacity, and that bets the question about volatility of, and sheer pricing of, gas. Of course, this may be long-scale enough that any hob you buy is already replaced by the time it becomes an issue, but I must admit, I wondered about it when putting in an expensive new (and gas-powered) heating boiler. And that was a tad more expensive than a hob.

[peterb]

<---snip


Well, that's a bit controversial. I'm given to understand that induction hobs are every bit as adjustable. They react (I'm told, having no direct personal experience) even faster than gas, though the difference is small enough that while measurable, it;s irrelevant in actual use.

But you'll struggle to find induction hobs at that price (or you would last time I looked). And you need pots and pans that are rated for induction, seeing as it's a magnetic process the pans need to have bottoms with a ferrous element.

On the upside, their a lot easier to clean, being flat like a conventional ceramic hob.

As for saving, in the longer term, I wonder about the comparison between gas and electricity. I mean, we pretty much know we need electricity generation, and we can do it in a variety of ways. from nuclear to wind turbine, fuel cell, wave power, etc, and of course, conventional coal and gas stations. But gas, on the other hand, is by definition limited, and we have to import a lot of it.

snip--->

I have just bought a cooker with an induction hob (always had gas before) and it is VERY fast - certainly heats a pan of water quicker than a similar diameter gas ring, and is very controllable (more so than gas) One big advantage is that it only heats from the bottom of the pan, so there is less risk of burning food on the side of the pan which can occur if the pan is smaller than the gas ring.

As for efficiency, well, electricity generation from fossil fuels is inherently thermally ineffecient (laws of thermodynamics) whereas burning gas is about as efficient as you can get - provided no heat is wasted by having the gas too high and spilling heat out from under the pan.

Bottom line - it would take a lot to persuade me to switch back to a gas hob (and the geek in me is delighted with the technology anyway!)

[Saracen]

Thanks, Peter. Good to know, as I'm currently (and for a couple of years) dithering about which way to go.

Everything I read, and what a couple of friends have said, suggests it's induction. All I need to do now is find one with a decent reputation at a good price. Though, of course, I won't (in theory) need a (gas) engineer to connect it up, which helps on the price front.

[Sputnik]

I had not even bothered to look at the induction hobs as they were soo expensive but, I should look really as they might/should be cheaper now.

No matter what I buy it won't stay nice for long as people in this house seem to scratch or damage everything.

I just changed the whole heating system so I know what the costs of good boilers are.

[Saracen]

....

I just changed the whole heating system so I know what the costs of good boilers are.

Yeah, but it's not just boilers.

I have a dedicated, purpose-built boiler "room". Well, more like a large cupboard off of the garage.

But no, it seems that that no longer complies with building regs.

So I've got to move it. £6000 later ....


On the upside, I now have a nice, secure, dedicated (and external vented) server and hardware room.

[Butcher]

As for efficiency, well, electricity generation from fossil fuels is inherently thermally ineffecient (laws of thermodynamics) whereas burning gas is about as efficient as you can get - provided no heat is wasted by having the gas too high and spilling heat out from under the pan.

Gas hobs are only about 40% efficient typically. The smooth base of a typical pan doesn't trap heat well so a lot goes straight up the sides and away even if the burner is smaller than the pan base.

I have an induction hob and they're great - much much easier to clean than gas and just as nice to cook on. Also they're not that expensive - mine was just over £400 (standard 60cm 4 hob jobbie). Only potential downside is they only work with magnetic pans (mine came with a set of pans however, so job jobbed as it were).

[dave87]

"it's lasted this long, now what did I do with that brochure for a new camera/luxury cruise/hifi upgrade".

I picked up an amp & pair of B&Ws for the same price as an entry level Bosch Fridge Freezer. I know which I enjoy more.....

On the upside, I now have a nice, secure, dedicated (and external vented) server and hardware room.

You mean that wasn't the plan in the first instance?