What ideas have you had for reducing Electricity consumption

[Stevekane]

Our daughter was telling me about the tiny little Ceramic heaters that just plug into a wall socket like a time switch and about the same size, they are advertised all over the internet and she bought them from Amazon and swears they work really well heating up the front room,,,I really cannot see it, my impression of electeric fires of all types were that they were much the same, all very efficient at turning elect into heat but bloody expensive? I think they are a con but didnt want to deflate her,,,she said all her friends have bought them too. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

 

[Oldman]

Here is a bigclive stripdown

 

[D_W]

It does beg the question what the hell were we doing last year.?

when my grandmother turned 80, she went from a life of being stingy to setting the heat exactly where she wanted it, the lights on whether they needed to be or not.

She referred to what you were doing last year as "letting the good times roll"

 

[John Brown]

Our daughter was telling me about the tiny little Ceramic heaters that just plug into a wall socket like a time switch and about the same size, they are advertised all over the internet and she bought them from Amazon and swears they work really well heating up the front room,,,I really cannot see it, my impression of electeric fires of all types were that they were much the same, all very efficient at turning elect into heat but bloody expensive? I think they are a con but didnt want to deflate her,,,she said all her friends have bought them too. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

They work, but all resistive heaters are 100% efficient. The advertising is misleading at best, and downright dishonest at worst. Find the Radio 4 potcast "Sliced bread" for the lowdown.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I started a thread on these a while ago but can't remember the title.

Our daughter was telling me about the tiny little Ceramic heaters that just plug into a wall socket like a time switch and about the same size, they are advertised all over the internet and she bought them from Amazon and swears they work really well heating up the front room,,,I really cannot see it, my impression of electeric fires of all types were that they were much the same, all very efficient at turning elect into heat but bloody expensive? I think they are a con but didnt want to deflate her,,,she said all her friends have bought them too. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/power-saving.139770/post-1619866

 

[doctor Bob]

Heating the Workshop has been my biggest issue, we have 2 x 15kw heaters, 30kw x 9hrs/day x 6 days a week =1620 kw a week @46p/unit

I buy the chaps uniform anyway but this year I have bought them bodywarmers, hoodies, hats etc and tiny bench heaters and try and keep main heating to a minimum.

Home is fine, been running log burner 24hrs a day (free wood).

 

[John Brown]

Heating the Workshop has been my biggest issue, we have 2 x 15kw heaters, 30kw x 9hrs/day x 6 days a week =1620 kw a week @46p/unit

I buy the chaps uniform anyway but this year I have bought them bodywarmers, hoodies, hats etc and tiny bench heaters and try and keep main heating to a minimum.

Home is fine, been running log burner 24hrs a day (free wood).

I was surprised to learn that industrial users pay higher electricity prices than domestic users. I'd always assumed buying in bulk was cheaper.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No, they can be paying way, way more - there's no cap, commercially. I read only this week a large local pub's bill is £9,000 a month.

 

[Oldman]

While I admit to penny pinching lights left on and ive set the gas boiler to set back to 18 deg at night to try as best I can to keep the costs down with just two of us in a 3 bed detached.
I just got my biggest energy bill yet. £130 Electric & £169 Gas Total £299 for 31 days.
I had the heating on 24/7 last year @22 deg wont be doing that again!
Makes a hole in the standard gov pension so god knows how those on benefits will fare.

 

[John Brown]

From stuff I've read, some houses in foreign parts, such as Scandinavia, are build to such a standard as to cost almost nothing to run. We should have been building houses that way for decades, but we've had cheap energy and weak government.

Back to the original question, I fitted wireless radiator valves just over a year ago, and now we have room by room control of temperatures, but I think it has exacerbated our condensation/mould problems. I'm still thinking of installing a PIV unit, but that might necessitate keeping some doors open, which makes the room by room temperature control a problem. I think the real answer is to win the lottery and turn the heating up a lot...

Well I bit the bullet and bought a Nuaire Drimaster PIV unit. I had a spot picked out for it, and pulled up some boarding in the attic - rather difficult as it's that interlocking chipboard flooring.

The unit arrived the day after I made the order, and, reading the instructions, I found out the vent should be a minimum distance from a wall. Had to rethink it, and destroy some more flooring. Invented a few new swear words try to coerce the ducting onto the spigots, and temporarily connected up via a SafeBloc.
That was Thursday. Friday we went to Surrey for a couple of nights, got back this afternoon, and I've never seen the bedroom windows so dry.
Early days yet, but I'm very pleased, as part of me expected to be very disappointed.

 

[Dibs-h]

Did the last thing a weekend ago - swapped out the 20W halogens in the cooker hood for some 1.5W LEDs. Thought I might have to mess about with the wiring if the halogens were 240V and fit an LED driver, thankfully not. Fitted with no issues and the glass\bezels went straight back on.

The only barely noticeable thing is that the power supply to the lights must not be on par with an LED driver, so there is a very minor flickering from the LEDs. Barely noticeable.

So now, if on the laptop at the dining room table and the Mrs leaves the cooker hood lights on and wonders off for 20 mins into the living room - I don't get into a huff and roll my eyes (in my mind)

 

[Keith 66]

Our daughter was telling me about the tiny little Ceramic heaters that just plug into a wall socket like a time switch and about the same size, they are advertised all over the internet and she bought them from Amazon and swears they work really well heating up the front room,,,I really cannot see it, my impression of electeric fires of all types were that they were much the same, all very efficient at turning elect into heat but bloody expensive? I think they are a con but didnt want to deflate her,,,she said all her friends have bought them too. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

They are an absolute con, It is nothing more than a wall mounted hairdryer & made from flimsy plastic. I wonder how long it will be before one burns a house down?
You would be better off with a 250 watt infra red poultry lamp. Half the running cost & warms what the light hits.

 

[Jacob]

Fitted draught brushes to all doors. That 10mm is a big gap and we can feel the difference.
Draught control and insulation are the most cost effective of all.

 

[Dibs-h]

Fitted draught brushes to all doors. That 10mm is a big gap and we can feel the difference.
Draught control and insulation are the most cost effective of all.

You've reminded me Jacob - still got those to fit.

 

[Fergie 307]

Did the last thing a weekend ago - swapped out the 20W halogens in the cooker hood for some 1.5W LEDs. Thought I might have to mess about with the wiring if the halogens were 240V and fit an LED driver, thankfully not. Fitted with no issues and the glass\bezels went straight back on.

The only barely noticeable thing is that the power supply to the lights must not be on par with an LED driver, so there is a very minor flickering from the LEDs. Barely noticeable.

So now, if on the laptop at the dining room table and the Mrs leaves the cooker hood lights on and wonders off for 20 mins into the living room - I don't get into a huff and roll my eyes (in my mind)

If there are multiple lights the flickering can often be cured by leaving one halogen in place, and changing the remainder to led.

 

[Fitzroy]

They are an absolute con, It is nothing more than a wall mounted hairdryer & made from flimsy plastic. I wonder how long it will be before one burns a house down?
You would be better off with a 250 watt infra red poultry lamp. Half the running cost & warms what the light hits.

After being spammed by the add on so many different platforms, with multiple sob stories about different inventors being shut down by big energy i had to go do some investigation. I was left gob-smacked over what it was and what is was claiming to do. The advert is a con and should be illegal.

 

[Dibs-h]

If there are multiple lights the flickering can often be cured by leaving one halogen in place, and changing the remainder to led.

I thought about that but the flickering is barely noticeable so left both LEDs in - 3W total consumption vs 21.5W.

 

[whereistheceilidh]

Did the last thing a weekend ago - swapped out the 20W halogens in the cooker hood for some 1.5W LEDs. Thought I might have to mess about with the wiring if the halogens were 240V and fit an LED driver, thankfully not. Fitted with no issues and the glass\bezels went straight back on.

The only barely noticeable thing is that the power supply to the lights must not be on par with an LED driver, so there is a very minor flickering from the LEDs. Barely noticeable.

So now, if on the laptop at the dining room table and the Mrs leaves the cooker hood lights on and wonders off for 20 mins into the living room - I don't get into a huff and roll my eyes (in my mind)

Careful the flickering does not put you to sleep at the cooker......just sayin.....

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Did the last thing a weekend ago - swapped out the 20W halogens in the cooker hood for some 1.5W LEDs. Thought I might have to mess about with the wiring if the halogens were 240V and fit an LED driver, thankfully not. Fitted with no issues and the glass\bezels went straight back on.

The only barely noticeable thing is that the power supply to the lights must not be on par with an LED driver, so there is a very minor flickering from the LEDs. Barely noticeable.

So now, if on the laptop at the dining room table and the Mrs leaves the cooker hood lights on and wonders off for 20 mins into the living room - I don't get into a huff and roll my eyes (in my mind)

Dibs-h. Could you post a link to the leds that worked for you? I also have 20w halogens in the cooker hood, and have bought LEDs to replace them 3 times… but they were all too fat for the glass to go back in, so not approved by swmbo.

 

[Dibs-h]

Dibs-h. Could you post a link to the leds that worked for you? I also have 20w halogens in the cooker hood, and have bought LEDs to replace them 3 times… but they were all too fat for the glass to go back in, so not approved by swmbo.

Here you go mate:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-g4-capsule-led-light-bulb-180lm-1-5w-12v-4-pack/650pp
The LED ones are 5mm longer and 2mm bigger in diameter than standard G4's.