My friend and her partner now switch off all lights except the room they are in (we always do this anyway) they have bought an air fryer and they use their slow cooker and she says they haven’t used their main cooker at all since they bought the air fryer. yet despite having a large garden and washing line she still tumble dries all their linen and clothing! That’s what gobbles up the electricity.
My husband is as bad he has now turned off the security light at the back door and I nearly broke my neck going out in the dark the other night. maybe that’s what he’s planning I hear you say!. I gave him a right telling off and he said he was saving electricity!!
We have solar panels and when they are producing electricity we get it free but if I, eg, put a load of washing in at that time he won’t boil a kettle for coffee until that has finished as he says the meter goes the other way but as I say, it’s only for a couple of minutes.
We’ve always been quite careful without being stingy. I just accept the fact it’s going to cost more. So at the end of the day/year, we will be spending less on something else … days out, eating out, whatever.
FWIW I was a professional in the field of power electronics. Energy efficiency, particularly in the water industry, was a major aspect of this. To that extent I should understand this in our home so I try do what I can.
Lighting. We use energy saving units. Incandescent bulbs are 60W. A typical led unit is 11kW.
We use a shower rather than a bath and keep it short duration.
Use sensible clothing.
We use an Instant Pot for cooking.
We keep doors closed especially when we have our girls here.
Warm beds.
I’m sure that there other things I have overlooked.
I’ve always done this as well because of the ecological impact
Try it Art and let us know how you get on
As @Besoeker mentioned you can get fairly good energy saving bulbs now, and generally in different tones (I prefer warmer/yellow-orange tones - they actually give the impression of warmth whereas blue tones give the impression of cold).
I switch off things I don’t use, plugs, lights, etc, but I’m not overly fussy about it. I have a dehumidifier which throws out enough heat for the entire (tiny) flat I’m in, so I don’t need the heating on really at all. As far as I know…heating elements (like toasters, kettles, ovens etc) use up more energy but I barely use those things anyway so
Actually things like toasters use a lot of power for a very short time. Heating uses a lot of energy. often for a long time. Energy is what your meter uses. That’s the difference.
I think things like turning off the lights and switching to low energy bulbs are only sensible
And I understand completely that people on low incomes who can’t afford to put money on their meter have to do everything they possibly can to save on the power.They have my every respect for doing it
But I do think that some people are taking it a bit far if they can afford the bills really, even if it’s going to hurt
Cutting down on heating etc can lead to health problems and condensation and mould in your house.
Lack of lighting can be dangerous, showering and bathing less can be smelly and depressing and there’s nothing like a good roast dinner or Christmas cake baked in the big oven
Like I said in another thread, my husband got really fed up with me drying the washing around the house on the heated airer and radiator racks, put his foot down and insisted it go in the tumble drier!
And I’m secretly relieved, it is much nicer when I can’t dry outside and now it’s only the two of us, we don’t make that much washing
I am visiting my daughter and her husband in Canberra. They have put solar panels on the roof and installed a battery in the car port.
My son in law was showing me the app for this system on his phone. From memory they used about 50% of the power generated to run the house and keep the battery charged, 50% of the power was exported to the grid for which they get paid.
There was the tiniest thin line in red which showed when they imported power from the grid, this occurs when there is a big draw that the inverter can’t cope with for example of the dryer is being used as well as the washing machine and the stove (that might be a bad example). They have changed their way of doing thing, eg the washing machine, dryer etc are used when the sun is out, we where talking about changing how the hot water system works so it likewise only heats water during the day.
But basically the system will pay for itself in a few years because their quarterly electricity bills will be literally a few dollars.
It is the deserving poor like we pensioners who can’t afford the upfront payment for these systems that will be paying for the expensive electricity generated by the electricity companies.
Another gadget my energy saving husband is using are sensor lights (battery operated). I have to say they are actually pretty good. There’s one in the kitchen and one on the landing, so if during the evening or night we need to make a drink or go to the loo we don’t need to switch the light on.
Thats a very good point RoseRed.
Bur i do not hang washing out in the Autumn/Winter so the tumble dryer goes on for half an hour a week and that will not cost much at all.
he has now turned off the security light at the back door and I nearly broke my neck going out in the dark the other night. maybe that’s what he’s planning I hear you say!
. I gave him a right telling off and he said he was saving electricity!!
I will try to remember that 
