Hastings Forum
what are your biggest electricity costs ?
what are your biggest electricity costs ?
What piece of equipment in the home uses the most electricity on a general day-to-day basis?
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Derek Jempson
- Posts: 377
- Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:56 am
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
Almost certainly washing machines and tumble driers with immersion heaters and electric ovens bringing up the rear. I try to use the above items during the off-peak period as much as possible.
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
The washing machine has to be the main culprit.
What I have never heard anyone say (but which seems to me to be unarguable) is that all the official advice put out about turning lights off etc. is really complete nonsense. I worked it out once - leaving on a 100 watt light bulb permanently for a whole year makes a difference of just £1 or so!
Turning off lights may make you feel good but it absolutely won't save the planet. It's the big appliances which really make a noticeable difference (quite apart from the massive power demands from industry) and the legions of bureaucracy should be trying to 're-educate people over their habits in those areas, where really effective savings could be made. But they have to be seen trying to do something, so they put out official propaganda about the trivialities!
What I have never heard anyone say (but which seems to me to be unarguable) is that all the official advice put out about turning lights off etc. is really complete nonsense. I worked it out once - leaving on a 100 watt light bulb permanently for a whole year makes a difference of just £1 or so!
Turning off lights may make you feel good but it absolutely won't save the planet. It's the big appliances which really make a noticeable difference (quite apart from the massive power demands from industry) and the legions of bureaucracy should be trying to 're-educate people over their habits in those areas, where really effective savings could be made. But they have to be seen trying to do something, so they put out official propaganda about the trivialities!
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
It seems that, because they are on all the time, fridges fridge/freezers consume the most electricity overall.
Also computers can use a lot of energy if left on all day and night even in standby mode.
Other items may well use a lot more energy, while they are in use, but this can still be less than a freezer, constantly running 7/24, especially one not running efficiently (needs defrosting).
Even taking the highest rating of 3kW for a tumble dryer, you would need to have it on full heat for about two and a half hours to cost 70p with electricity at 10p/kWh.
Putting big loads in is counter-productive as the air can't circulate and it takes longer to dry.
Electric power showers consume heaps of electricity and in a family home with many people using the shower this can be rather expensive.
One way to test the electricity consumption is by buying an electricity-usage monitor that plugs in at the relevant socket on the wall, though some items like an electric shower may not have a socket anyway.
Also computers can use a lot of energy if left on all day and night even in standby mode.
Other items may well use a lot more energy, while they are in use, but this can still be less than a freezer, constantly running 7/24, especially one not running efficiently (needs defrosting).
Even taking the highest rating of 3kW for a tumble dryer, you would need to have it on full heat for about two and a half hours to cost 70p with electricity at 10p/kWh.
Putting big loads in is counter-productive as the air can't circulate and it takes longer to dry.
Electric power showers consume heaps of electricity and in a family home with many people using the shower this can be rather expensive.
One way to test the electricity consumption is by buying an electricity-usage monitor that plugs in at the relevant socket on the wall, though some items like an electric shower may not have a socket anyway.
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Geoff
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 3:39 pm
- Location: Blacklands, Hastings
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Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
Sound advice and an interesting read. £1 per year to run a lightbulb made me chuckle.
It's surprising how much energy computer monitors and TVs use.
It's surprising how much energy computer monitors and TVs use.
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
I am a little concerned about posting under my wife's sign-in name BUT
all this waffle drives me MAD......
The Earth warms up and the Earth cools down(albeit over a very long period)
it is a natural cycle... There IS a chance that man has an effect but I think we
are talking of a thimbleful in a very large lagoon.
We have become prisoners of the 'Green' agenda , even though most of us do not
vote for the Green party.
Wind turbines are both pointless and expensive, solar panels ,apart from being
hideous take decades to 'pay their way'.
Why does the Green agenda hold sway in this country?
I will not try to open up the debate about why all the people who doubt the current party line are closed down but please think about that point.
From MR cbe
all this waffle drives me MAD......
The Earth warms up and the Earth cools down(albeit over a very long period)
it is a natural cycle... There IS a chance that man has an effect but I think we
are talking of a thimbleful in a very large lagoon.
We have become prisoners of the 'Green' agenda , even though most of us do not
vote for the Green party.
Wind turbines are both pointless and expensive, solar panels ,apart from being
hideous take decades to 'pay their way'.
Why does the Green agenda hold sway in this country?
I will not try to open up the debate about why all the people who doubt the current party line are closed down but please think about that point.
From MR cbe
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Geoff
- Site Admin
- Posts: 1122
- Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 3:39 pm
- Location: Blacklands, Hastings
- Contact:
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
Welcome to the forum Mr CBE. Good to hear your opinions, some of which I think is very valid.
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
If you really want to demonstrate your commitment to the environment you can buy your domestic energy (gas and electricity) from the top providers of sustainable energy production:
1) 'Green Energy' UK Plc, based in Ware, Hertfordshire, which is an independent sustainable energy company which sells 100% Ofgem-certified green and renewable electricity, as well as gas.
2) 'Ecotricity', which was Britain's first green electricity company, which then introduced green gas to the UK in 2010. It uses its customer's bills to fund the building of new sources of Green Energy – from windmills to solar-panelled 'sun parks'.
3) 'Ebico', which works in partnership with SSE, is the UK's only not-for-profit energy company and supplies more than 60,000 customers. The company uses a fuel mix of 44pc coal, 28pc natural gas, 2pc nuclear, 24pc renewable and 2pc other.
It also has no standing charge, so customers pay for what they use.
4) 'Ovo' claims to "watch wholesale gas and electricity prices 'like a hawk' and buy at just the right time" in order to keep bills low.
5) 'The Utility Warehouse' uses agents (who receive commission) to sign up new customers and also offers home phone, broadband and mobile packages to more than 770,000 customers.
6) 'Good Energy' rates highly in terms of customer satisfaction, but its tariffs aren't always cheap.
1) 'Green Energy' UK Plc, based in Ware, Hertfordshire, which is an independent sustainable energy company which sells 100% Ofgem-certified green and renewable electricity, as well as gas.
2) 'Ecotricity', which was Britain's first green electricity company, which then introduced green gas to the UK in 2010. It uses its customer's bills to fund the building of new sources of Green Energy – from windmills to solar-panelled 'sun parks'.
3) 'Ebico', which works in partnership with SSE, is the UK's only not-for-profit energy company and supplies more than 60,000 customers. The company uses a fuel mix of 44pc coal, 28pc natural gas, 2pc nuclear, 24pc renewable and 2pc other.
It also has no standing charge, so customers pay for what they use.
4) 'Ovo' claims to "watch wholesale gas and electricity prices 'like a hawk' and buy at just the right time" in order to keep bills low.
5) 'The Utility Warehouse' uses agents (who receive commission) to sign up new customers and also offers home phone, broadband and mobile packages to more than 770,000 customers.
6) 'Good Energy' rates highly in terms of customer satisfaction, but its tariffs aren't always cheap.
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
It always amuses me when people argue against the warming up of the planet with such passion! I don't mean to offend but .. if only that passion was directed towards doing something positive to change a deteriorating situation.
The argument over this was surely resolved some years ago? Do the non-believers not read any of the scientific evidence presented, think about it and come to a rational conclusion? Or do they just ignore what they find uncomfortable to accept?
Yes, the natural cycles of the earth and the climatic extremes have occurred many times - but a number of things are happening which have never happened before. Almost every record for extreme weather conditions has been broken in just the last ten or twenty years - something very odd is going on. The extinction of species of wildlife (which of course has always occurred from age to age) has accelerated to many times the speed at which it ever happened previously in the history of the earth. Do the non-believers not just look around them and wonder why a number of British birds, even the common sparrow, have almost disappeared from the landscape? And why little white egrets, which used to winter in the Mediterranean areas, can now do so on in Britain and northern Europe?!
If the non-believers were to present a reasoned argument based on carefully collected evidence, I and others no doubt would read it and adjust our position accordingly. That has not happened so far, there is unfortunately a lot of emotion which comes into play instead, whereas my present view is that the evidence for climate-warming is incontravertible. Population growth, and all the industrial activity which goes with it, is the main culprit and unless humans focus their minds and grapple with the problem somehow, it can only get alarmingly worse.
The argument over this was surely resolved some years ago? Do the non-believers not read any of the scientific evidence presented, think about it and come to a rational conclusion? Or do they just ignore what they find uncomfortable to accept?
Yes, the natural cycles of the earth and the climatic extremes have occurred many times - but a number of things are happening which have never happened before. Almost every record for extreme weather conditions has been broken in just the last ten or twenty years - something very odd is going on. The extinction of species of wildlife (which of course has always occurred from age to age) has accelerated to many times the speed at which it ever happened previously in the history of the earth. Do the non-believers not just look around them and wonder why a number of British birds, even the common sparrow, have almost disappeared from the landscape? And why little white egrets, which used to winter in the Mediterranean areas, can now do so on in Britain and northern Europe?!
If the non-believers were to present a reasoned argument based on carefully collected evidence, I and others no doubt would read it and adjust our position accordingly. That has not happened so far, there is unfortunately a lot of emotion which comes into play instead, whereas my present view is that the evidence for climate-warming is incontravertible. Population growth, and all the industrial activity which goes with it, is the main culprit and unless humans focus their minds and grapple with the problem somehow, it can only get alarmingly worse.
Re: what are your biggest electricity costs ?
I could have mentioned a number of other factors of course - the rising sea-levels (some South Pacific islands have already disappeared), the melting ice in the polar regions (the famous north-west passage is now navigable for the first time in human history).
The problem was never the fact that these changes are taking place - it is the SPEED at which these changes are happening which is unprecedented in the world's history and very concerning therefore.
Again, I have no wish to offend but I have seen no evidence that these climatic changes have ever happened before on this scale. I would very interested if such evidence was available to read and study ..
The problem was never the fact that these changes are taking place - it is the SPEED at which these changes are happening which is unprecedented in the world's history and very concerning therefore.
Again, I have no wish to offend but I have seen no evidence that these climatic changes have ever happened before on this scale. I would very interested if such evidence was available to read and study ..
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