Whats your tip for saving on electricity

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 12:06

I have done the obvious by changing the majority of my lightbulbs to low energy but use the warmwhite ones as I hate the very brgiht white ones. I have turned the pool down to 4 hours a day and that is fine still clean. I have switched the water cooler off as its not needed now but in the summer i have it on a timer and it goes off at night and back on in the morning. I worked out we save 300 hours of electric a month. A friend of as mine has plumbed his mains water supply in direct which saves on the pump running on and off but this only works if you norrmally have constant running water. Now that it is really cold I thought of putting the fridge on a timer at night so it turns of every hour till the morning. This would save 120 hours of electric. My last bill was 254 tl so I am trying to get it down more. Dont like doing this but hate paying the government so much for electric. Anyone got any good tips.

satranc


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 92

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 12:17

Your pool is still costing around 45 lira a month even if you have it on just for 4 hours a day. A pool cover during the winter months may be the answer but you have to weigh up the initial cost of that of course.

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 12:40

ataturk

these are briliant tips thankyou . What size of villa do you have to warrant this bill ? cheers

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 12:46

Switch off all electrical equipment with a stand-by facility. Amazing how much you save (I read in a Dutch publication).

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 12:57

Agree with Dutch, we turn off all switches when things are not in use (e.g. oven, TV, etc). Don't use an electric kettle or toaster. Also, our pool is only on for an hour now. Good tip about the water cooler as we are still using ours so thanks for that. We are on builders electric so even more of an issue for us. Our bill was just under 200TL this month, the lowest we have had for ages.

louthlass


Joined: 09/11/2008
Posts: 271

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:05

Make sure the thermostat on your hot water tank is not on it's highest setting. Usually the people who install these leave it on the highest setting possible, when you only need it warm enough to bathe or wash.

Have lined curtains to keep in the heat, and keep out the sun in the Summer. Where you have open plan and archways, put up heavy duty or lined curtains to keep in the heat.

In the summer turn down the spin speed on your washing machine, also you can keep your dishwasher on medium heat, rather than on the 60 degree wash.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:10

RE msg 6, louthlass: (...) the thermostat on your hot water tank is not on it's highest setting (...)

=> We use a timer. The electricity is only on between 7-8 am. A little button enables us to switch the electricity on for a short or longer time whenever we want during the daytime. (Bought at Tektan, Girne).

everon


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 956

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:10

great tips! also most things can be washed on a 30deg wash, why boil everything to death. Put lots of rugs down, they can be taken up in spring, if you buy the cheap local ones of the market you can even throw them away!!!

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:21

I tend to use the hizli (quick) button on my washing machine which reduces the 40 degree synthetic wash from nearly 2 hours to 52 minutes. I often use the 30 minute wash cycle too as most stuff is not really dirty.

louthlass


Joined: 09/11/2008
Posts: 271

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:22

Thanks for that Hans.

Another tip,don't keep turning strip lighting on and off, just leave it on, it uses power switching on and off.

Alternative plan, go native keep thermostat switched off, and don't wash until the Springtime! Forget about paying your electricity bills.!!

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:28

RE my msg 7: I forgot to mention that the timer can remember two settings per day. So for a week we have 7x2 switch on settings. Quite handy.

RickF64


Joined: 07/01/2009
Posts: 173

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 14:28

When you have to boil a kettle, by whatever means you use, only boil enough for that instance ie: measure it into the kettle with cups or a jug. You'll soon get to know when you have enough without measuring each time.

If you do have any left over, put it in a thermo's flask for later. Maybe for washing up, shaving etc.

tarry67


Joined: 16/05/2008
Posts: 1053

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 15:14

My pool is only on now for 2 hrs per day and is lovely and clean I just take the leaves out with the net. Going to take it down to 1 hr per day now and see how it gets on. Get a kettle for the gas hob if you have one saves money also. Ikea have some at a reasonable price if you are that way.

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 15:22

Live in a cave as any temptation to switch anything on will not be an option as there aren't any switches nor electricity!



Richard

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 15:25

Turn the lot off when you go out, turn the lot on when you come in, turn the lot off when you go bed, turn the lot on when you get up. EASY.!

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 15:42

Gas kettles are fine during power cuts but they are not efficient as the heat from the flame is outside the kettle and some gets "lost" to the air, whereas an electric kettle has its element submerged in the water and there are no such losses.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 15:56

In winter put your immersion heater timer on for 6pm and take your shower in the early evening. That way you will benefit from whatever solar heating you get during the day. Putting your immersion on in the morning means you are trying to heat stone cold water from overnight and this takes more power.

everon


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 956

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 16:00

how long approx should immersion be on just for a shower for two people. Separately of course!!!!!!

tarry67


Joined: 16/05/2008
Posts: 1053

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 16:01

You lose in the winter months but gain in the summer months so put some money in the piggy bank in the summer to compensate your loses. Much warmer in the local pub and enough malt will keep you warm all night inc the misses of course......!!!!

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 16:19

There you go Everon another great tip - shower together!!!

everon


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 956

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 17:21

woo hoo "i've lost the soap" tee hee xx

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 17:41

"Shower together", brilliant idea, it saves on water and electricity.

ismet

AlsancakJack



Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 5762

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 17:45

everon



'how long approx should immersion be on just for a shower for two people. Separately of course!!!!!!'



No more than 1 hour.



AJ

everon


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 956

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 17:55

cheers AJ!!! so thats no more than half an hour then! hee hee!

FISHNCHIPS


Joined: 08/03/2008
Posts: 40

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 18:02

message 10, hello louthlass, sorry but leaving a strip light on still costs more than switching it off, i saw it on mythbusters, it does take a voltage surge to start the lamp, but that is equal to less than two seconds of running time, and maybe not available on the island yet but LED lamps are the most economic lamps, switching off is the cheapest way .

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 18:05

Biggest saver of electricity is inverter driven a/c. Save you a fortune if you live here.

Magbs


Joined: 26/02/2009
Posts: 278

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 21:29

Each degree you are able to raise (in the summer)/decrease (in the winter) the thermostat, you will save up to 5% on air conditioning costs.

snakes



Joined: 28/10/2008
Posts: 1512

Message Posted:
12/12/2009 21:42

only need pool on 2 hours max a day !!!!

ripoffrock


Joined: 05/08/2008
Posts: 255

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 05:22

Message 16 TRNCVaughan,

A small screw head down at the base of the gas jet on your hob will allow you to adjust the gas flow, thus enabling you to control the flame. If you use the same hob everytime for the kettle adjustment will be only necessary to the one jet.

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 07:46

You can turn the gas knob back to nearly off to make the same adjustment without needing to change the flow setting screw... also a useful technique for getting a proper simmer setting.. sometimes the 'low' is just not low enough for soups and stews. Please make sure a draught won't blow out the gas though as this is very easy to blow out when set to so low a flame.



Replace your kettle with one of these instant hot water ones that only boil what you draw-off 3 seconds per cup and 60% less electric used...



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-Quick-Cup-Water-Seconds/dp/B000SK9G52



http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0024NL6U4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=471057153&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000SK9G52&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1BF9CBC1WFZTDM1BACMN

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 10:44

This looks brilliant, any one got one ? feedback please ?

kavenkoy


Joined: 10/04/2008
Posts: 1787

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 11:09

the best tip to save e electricity is to follow some of the locals....simply plug it into next doors meter ....easy and cheap



kav

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 11:23

By far the best tip I can give anyone is to remove the out of date and old fashioned immersion heaters which are totally useless and replace them with miniboilers or Ascots for the older members. They are cheap tektan are selling a good quality brand Demir Dokum for only 550 tl plus fitting. They can be run off the small gas bottles and will give you hot water from any hotwater tap in the house 24/7. As far as economy goes they maybe the same as the immersion heater but you dont have to wait and dont have to rush to wash yourselves. We have two boys as well so an immersion heater lasts about 20 mins and then we have to wait for it to heat up, how annoying is that.



I still have an immersion heater fitted but dont use it as we have central heating but would never put one in again.

spanna


Joined: 12/01/2009
Posts: 544

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 11:37

Thanks for the tips everyone!!!



We did have a Tefal Quick cup when we were in the UK - it was ok but VERY noisy when you do use it - if you don't mind the noise - no problem! Additionally, I know they are not particularly reliable - several friends who owned one had to have them replaced on numerous occasions due to the element burnining out/ breaking down and leakages - not ideal if you're out here and can't return it! This was about a year ago now though, so may be they have ironed out some of these problems by now?!



We have central heating and water boilers all installed etc - just don't have the funds to buy the gas bottles and get theme filled...! Any bright ideas???



Thanks again - a really helpful post!

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 11:46

Spanna central heating is expensive to run but you could just use the boiler for hot water. When we first installed the boiler we were running it off the little gas bottles. You dont need to buy the big gas containers they do the ver large gas bottles as well. This way you can run the central as well if you wanted to until you get the funds to install the gas tanks but for instant hot water now just connect the little gas bottles.

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 11:53

Just remebered another tip. This will only work for people who normally have mains water all the time. We live in Bellapais and we always have running mains water the pressure is also very good so what I have done is plumbed the mains in directly and bypassed the water pump. This also helps when the turkish toilets we have sometimes keep running and the pump keeps cutting in throughout the night unless you switch the pump off. Once the mains is plumbed in you could save at least 60 hours elcetric a month and no more noisey pumps as well.



You will still keep you tank and it should be topped up before you connect direct this way if the water is cut off at the mains you still have the water tank. This tip is marvellous when there is a power cut as you dont have to rely on electric to pump the water.

stellasstar1



Joined: 02/07/2008
Posts: 1519

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:01

Maybe a stupid question, but with the refridgerator settings, is 1 the coldest or 5?, because this is another way to save, but not sure which is which.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:17

put your refrigerator stuff outside when its cold.. so you dont need the refrigerator at all. turning the refrigerator on/off through an timer is useless as the refrigerator has an thermostat and turns on / off on himself. So if a timer interferes you may even waste more electricity as the refrigerator will need more energy to cool down to the previous saved settings.

Nice discussion.

BTW: what is 300 hours of electric????? can you eat it?

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:38

Hi stellasstar1,

The best way to check your fridge is to use a digital thermometer,

the indoor/outdoor type are best,

put sensor in fridge, thermometer outside,

adjust setting in fridge until it is steady at +4c

Once you've set it, you can dab the fridge wall and dial with an ink marker,

this will let you line up for correct temp, if it's moved by accident.

If in doubt, visit...

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/storing/

Hope this helps,

Navek

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:38

Stella, usually higher the number colder the fridge... = more electric used.

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:44

Hi henrik,

"put your refrigerator stuff outside when its cold.. so you dont need the refrigerator at all."



My wife read your post and put all our fridge contents outside,

looked out and the neighbours dogs are eating our Xmas turkey,

drinking my beer and peeing in the pool

Navek

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:54

Henrik the idea that the fridge uses more electric when you use it on a timer is wrong. By doing this I have cut my electricity bill by 20% ie 300 hours less use a month

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:56

Stella babe,



I know you are a blonde bombshell, 5 is colder than 1, but about 2 or 3 is plenty.

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 12:57

The fridge is that uses the most electricity in the household. It has to maintain a certain temp so it goes into stanby when it reaches that temp however it still uses a lot of electricity to maintain that temp and by switching it off you save quite alot of electricity.

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 13:02

Replace all your pull up toilet flushers with press down half and full flush. This will save water and electricity as the toilets don't tend to leak like they do with the pull up ones and therefore the pump isn't coming on as much. We switch our pump off every night so it doesn't go off and wake us up - sometimes leave it off during the day unless we take a shower. Don't know whether this saves electricity or not as rather than it coming on every time water is run it just goes once when it's switched back on. However, don't forget to switch it on once a day.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 13:21

Henrik is right about fridges - no point in having a timer. It may run, on and off, for 30 mins (say) over night when no-one is opening the door. If a timer turns the fridge off for the same over night period, then the fridge will still run for the same 30 mins when the timer switches on in the morning, i.e. no saving.

As for high speed kettles, it takes the same amount of energy to raise a given volume of water by a given temperature irrespective of the time it takes. The shorter the time to boil, the more powerful the kettle must be. Again, no saving.

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 14:06

TRNCVaughan

"As for high speed kettles, it takes the same amount of energy to raise a given volume of water by a given temperature irrespective of the time it takes. The shorter the time to boil, the more powerful the kettle must be. Again, no saving."



But Vaughan, there is a saving, TIME, a very important comodity in The TRNC

More time to do nothing

Navek

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 14:15

Atatur, that's OK if you don't mind the odd bit of food poisoning. ;¬D



I believe a restaurant was closed for doing the very same thing..



It's very important to keep the free air space/volume in your fridge to a minimum... if your freezer compartments are not full use polystyrene to take up the slack.... we don't, we keep it stuffed with food which tends to taste better than polystyrene!



Switch off your fridge if you must but what happens if you forget.... spoiled food is not cheap. Food needs constant temperatures - not up and down like a you know what's knickers!

stellasstar1



Joined: 02/07/2008
Posts: 1519

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 15:34

Wow, I can't believe all the responses to the fridge question, thanks a lot for all your help.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 17:37

Navek, the neighbors dog shows human behavior

Vaughan, thanks for explaining the fridge issue. People have to realise that unless they change temperature settings (instead of 4 degrees take 8) or isolation to conserve heat/cold than they will change nothing in the savings hehavoir. even worse, as your fridge heats up more, the energy used can go slightly up depending on the hetloss and outside temperature.. . The compressor will need to run longer on full power to get to the cooling point, but it needs less energy to conserve this point.



good luck in all your efforts..

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 19:08

With due respect guys the firdge argument is a nonstarter. I dont know about your house but in my kitchen at 12am at night its colder outside the fridge then it is inside the fridge, so it doesnt have to work very hard to maintain the level it requires. I am talking from experience my bills have shown the difference.

Poppy2010


Joined: 15/11/2009
Posts: 31

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 19:21

New Book: 101 Ways to Achieve a Monthly 50TL Electricity Bill in the TRNC available early January 2010.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 20:21

so you are saying your kitchen is colder than 4 degrees celsius at night? sure you live in cyprus? the energy saving matter is nothing else than simple maths. calculation of energy used to energy saved. And belive me or not, you will save even more if you leave your fridge on (as long as your kitchen is warmer than 4 degress celsius at night).

Happy testings...

Magbs


Joined: 26/02/2009
Posts: 278

Message Posted:
13/12/2009 21:39

Ataturk, msg 51



"I am talking from experience my bills have shown the difference."



I wonder how exactly can you see the difference? Your fridge consumes about 10% of the electricity, maybe more in the summer and less in the winter. Then let's say you "save" the 8 night hours or 33% out of a possible 10% which amounts to 3.3% percent of your monthly bill. How can you measure these "savings"?



But in fact, as Henrik and Vaughan said, this won't save any electricity. As soon as you turn the fridge back on, it will run longer eating any night savings.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 10:47

It's not rocket science, but it is physics!

siggyyyy


Joined: 04/09/2009
Posts: 179

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 11:15

Put all your clothes away without ironing them. Only iron when you need something. Also gets rid of the sight of a big pile of ironing that never goes away. My friend gave me this tip years ago. It was very difficult to do at first but if you think of it sometimes especially if you have kids that rummage through the drawers you end up ironing items again anaway.



Also plenty hot water bottles. Great for keeping warm. No need for electric blankets then.



MY electric bill is definately less due to turning the pool down to 4 hours and not using an electric kettle.



After all advice will turn my pool to 2 hours and see how it goes. At the moment it is very clean. Is it best to put the 2 hours on all at the same time?

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 11:46

Hi siggyyyy,

re pool running times,

run 1 hour at a time 12 hours apart should do, in this cooler weather.

Keep an eye on your chemical levels too

Navek

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 11:51

Put all your clothes away without ironing them. Only iron when you need something. Also gets rid of the sight of a big pile of ironing that never goes away. My friend gave me this tip years ago. It was very difficult to do at first but if you think of it sometimes especially if you have kids that rummage through the drawers you end up ironing items again anaway.

Doesn't matter if you iron all at once or one at a time, you will use the same amount of electricity, if not more.





Also plenty hot water bottles. Great for keeping warm. No need for electric blankets then.

Still doesn't matter - Heat takes power whether electrically heated hot water in bottles or electric blankets.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 11:53

MY electric bill is definately less due to turning the pool down to 4 hours and not using an electric kettle.

Reduced hours on your pool will save money. Not using an elctric kettle will reduce your electric bill but your gas bill will go up.





After all advice will turn my pool to 2 hours and see how it goes. At the moment it is very clean. Is it best to put the 2 hours on all at the same time?

Doesn't really matter.

catrina



Joined: 17/02/2009
Posts: 35

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 12:02

i have been told turn off pumps at night,to save money,there will be enough water to get a wash,in the morning then turn back on,a friend of mine started to do this at the begining of the month,so if it works i will do the same.

loulouis


Joined: 13/12/2009
Posts: 234

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 12:16

Fit auto timers to all your appliances. So when you forget to turn them off Hey presto they turn off automatic.

louie

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 12:28

Hi catrina,



Your pump could either run, for example, 10 x 1 minute overnight or, if you leave the pump off, for 10 minutes when you switch it on in the morning. i.e. No saving in either water or electricity.

More to the point would be to cure the problem of why it runs overnight for no apparent reason. Maybe you have a leak which you could get cured which would save you water and electricity.

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:00

Vaughan,



If you've got a log burner you can heat up water on top when it's alight (winter time)... no gas or electric!

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:10

come-on-aylin,



Now you're talking.

You can make soup, boil water for tea/coffee, heat water for your hot water bottle, lots of things. You are still using energy, but a wood burner is so inefficient, it hardly makes any difference!

spanna


Joined: 12/01/2009
Posts: 544

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:15

Ok, knowledgeable people of the forum... ;) Our fire place is only diddy... can you get wood burners etc to fit any fireplace...? I have seen regular fireplaces fitted with a glass door front and vent etc... how does that compare to other methods?



Thanks!

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:20

Spanna if I was you I would dispense with the fireplace alltogether and just fit a bit wood burner in its place so then you get the benefit of all four sides plus the flue pipe. I know it seems like a pain and it is messy, but it's the best decision we ever made. Marvellous for cooking jacket spuds too!

siggyyyy


Joined: 04/09/2009
Posts: 179

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:22

Gas is still cheaper than electric. Also if you have to burn your wood in the fireplace to keep warm like i do then you might as well save gas and electric and cook on an open fire. Its makes cooking more fun too!!



Try chopping some belly pork up and put on a skewer maybe with a sauce of your choice. Yum yum!!(cook over the fire of course)



Thanks for that Navek. Had my chemicals checked at the lab in girne HA!



MY pool is very clear at the moment. I hoover it and net it but dont put any chemical in as no one is swimming in it. I suppose if it starts to go green I will have to think again.

spanna


Joined: 12/01/2009
Posts: 544

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:28

Thanks for that Jo... we will certainly consider it - although, unfortunately, any big job will have to wait until we win the lottery...!!! Which, of course, is on the cards any time now...!! Until then, we need to find a relatively cheap alternative - may be we will just have to stick with the open fire...?

jacktheladett


Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 528

Message Posted:
14/12/2009 13:58

Re. fridges, I've just looked at the settings on the front of mine, and it turns out it has an economy setting! Have found the instructions and set it up, it's only taken 6 years to find out!!





Might be worth checking if you have a digital readout on the front.

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
15/12/2009 14:30

"come-on-aylin, Now you're talking.



You can make soup, boil water for tea/coffee, heat water for your hot water bottle, lots of things. You are still using energy, but a wood burner is so inefficient, it hardly makes any difference!"



Vaughan



Of course I'm not suggesting lighting the fire to boil a kettle but if you've got it on already, it makes sense to use the heat.



For two years now we've collected all the wood we needed from the surrounding woods so cost was nil.



Difficult to get cheaper than that. ;¬)

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
15/12/2009 15:08

Eileen,



Of course! I wouldn't suggest for a moment that you light a fire just to boil a kettle.

Free wood - I like the sound of that.

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
15/12/2009 19:02

what is the most efficient out of plug in ladder type towel rails or warm blow air bathroom heaters ?



What are the running costs for both ? cheers .

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
15/12/2009 20:41

We installed a DeLonghi combined heated towel rail and convection/blower heater... absolutely fantastic. No idea of the running costs but we only put it on for a few minutes at a time. It cost £70 -90 odd from Super Home Centre. Never seen one in the north.

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
15/12/2009 20:59

come on aylin this sounds good have you got a pic or link ? cheers

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
17/12/2009 19:49

come on aylin , any chance of a pic/link please really, would like to see one of these cheers !!

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
18/12/2009 07:46

Will try to take one today - can't find a link on the internet

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
18/12/2009 07:59

Try this



http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxKs3wA

Pipie


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
18/12/2009 20:22

Come on aylin Thank you so much, just need to fine out where you purchased in South, not familiar with the South at all , but this is exactly what we are looking for . Cheers !!

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
18/12/2009 20:38

Thanks for posting your picture Eileen. It looks as if the bars are very close to the wall, do the towels actually go over the bars or is more like a radiator?

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 08:12

We bought this in the Super Home Centre near Ikea a few years ago so don't know if they still stock them. The bars curve away from the wall, 5/6cm away in the centre, so no problem putting towels over. You can have only bars on/ only fan on/ both on and there is a timer.

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 08:35

Good tip for saving electricity here in Lapta is sit back and do nothing. It's been off for over 10 hours now and several hours on Thursday evening. That's a fair saving.

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 11:16

Must say that now I have bypassed the water pump we dont have to listen to it going off everytime we open a tap or flush the loo especially at night.

stellasstar1



Joined: 02/07/2008
Posts: 1519

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 17:25

I am in Lapta without electric and no fire because it is too windy and will blow the smoke back in. I had thought about using the fire to cok my soup on tonight, but wil have to try another night when it's not so windy. Still, we have to keep smiling !!!!!

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 17:31

coking the soup made me smile anyway..

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
21/12/2009 08:59

I actually enjoy the power cuts strange as it might seem. It gets the boys of the computer games and telly and the boys actually like it too.

scruffdog


Joined: 09/12/2008
Posts: 742

Message Posted:
21/12/2009 09:21

Stellasstar1 How can you get onto Cyprus44 without electricity, as you say in msg 83 'I am in Lapta without electric'?

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
21/12/2009 09:37

He might have a laptop and a 3g connection. You dont need electric if you have charge in your laptop and the 3g dongle.

colly


Joined: 31/07/2008
Posts: 297

Message Posted:
21/12/2009 19:49

Another re fridge.



If it is really cold i.e. the same as or lower than the fridge then the fridge will hardly use any power as the heat pump/compressor will not have to come on. if the room is warmer then this will eventually heat the inside of the fridge to a higher temperature than normal, if this is acceptable why not just turn the stat up.



The best fridge to have to reduce energy is one with a small door in to get the vital items, such as milk and butter. Opening the door allows the cool air to fall out meaning the fridge stat cuts in earlier.



On freezers the jury is out as to whether you should keep it full. Certainly on uprights when full the loss of cool air is reduced when opening the door.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
22/12/2009 12:45

One of my customers in UK was RCH Treliske in Truro. In the blood bank there was a big walk-in fridge for keeping the blood in. In order not to allow warm air to infiltrate we filled the empty shelves with large glass bottles of tap water. This prevented the fridge from warming-up when the door was opened as the fridge was effectively full of cold blood and water instead of cold air which fell out the door when it was opened.

Fridges (and therefore freezers) full of cold objects are more efficient than fridges "full" of cold air.

HildySmith


Joined: 02/07/2009
Posts: 1708

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 01:59

I noticed lots of drafts as there were no weather/draft boards on the doors, fit these or get/make a draft excluder cushion (sausage one). I was born at the end of the war a lot of tips from then came in handy. Lie an old blanket/coat across the bottom of the door. Lined curtains has been mentioned but you can also hang 2 sets of curtains from the same curtain rail this will also do the job. Put curtains across doors/arches, often the hall is off the lounge so heat is lost and if there are stairs the heat goes upstairs as it does in our house. Upstairs is the washing machine and the rooftop terrace door but this is open from the lounge so heat is lost. We had no electric blankets - we used common bricks or hand irons heated on the hearth and wrapped in a piece of sheeting and placed in the bed. Having a caravan in the north of England I ironed the bed in March & October my husband jokes about it but he is the first to jump into bed. Close all doors to keep heat in occupied rooms.

alanka


Joined: 15/09/2007
Posts: 154

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 02:38

We cut our electricity bill by 50% when we got rid of the kids...... no more "Put that b****y light out when you leave the room!! Did you have to leave that music on when you went out???" and the classic (when we came back after a 3 week holiday "OK, who left their bedroom light on for the last 3 weeks???" Believe it or not, nobody was responsible...... erm....

alanka


Joined: 15/09/2007
Posts: 154

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 02:39

We didn't actually 'get rid of them as in put them in the dustbin' they grew up and moved out, sort of...

yorgozlu



Joined: 16/06/2009
Posts: 4437

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 09:01

re msgs regarding fridge temps;

In my logical way of working out,5 is warmer than 1,so higher the number warmer the fridge or more electricity saving.

But,the actual recommended fridge/freezer temps for best results are;5 for your fridge and -18 for your freezer..



As for tips to save electric,I agree with Brinsley(Richard) re msg 14

millzer


Joined: 12/04/2007
Posts: 978

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 09:50

Yorgozlu,



I know what u mean, but If you look at it another way, for a heater, 2 will be hotter than 1 because the purpose of the heater is to provide 'heat'. Therefore, if the purpose is a fridge is to provide 'cool' then 2 will be cooler than 1. Thats the reason.



Just different logic to yours Yorgs

racoonchic



Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3223

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 09:58

candles and a sheep to keep u warm

phylray



Joined: 21/09/2007
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 13:50

We have solar panels on our roofs and these must save a lot of electricity.

Even in winter don't need to use the immersion so much, and in summer, not al all

jerryj


Joined: 25/10/2009
Posts: 56

Message Posted:
23/12/2009 16:31

Just by swiching from an electric kettle to a gas one - we saved 40TL a month

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 10:27

Does that balance out the cost of the gas you used?

ataturk


Joined: 09/09/2008
Posts: 712

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 20:15

mess 98 1 Bottle of gas 22tl I can cook on that for over three months

cypruswood


Joined: 13/12/2009
Posts: 19

Message Posted:
13/11/2010 23:15

Regarding the fridge: Fridges only come on (and use electricity) when the temperature inside rises above a certain temperature. The lower the temperature set inside the fridge, and the higher the temperture is outside the fridge the more the compressor will have to come on to maintain the set temperature. This will vary also according to the insulation of the fridge, how often the fridge door is opened and how much is in the fridge. Each time the door is opened cold air comes out the fridge (down toward the floor, replaced by hot air from above. More stuff in the fridge, the less this happens as less space for air. Using a timer makes no sense and one might just as well turn the temperatuer in the fridge up which of course could be dangerous as the reason for using a fridge is to slow down the multiplication of dangerous bacteria and keep food fresh. So, buy a modern fridge with A rating, set it at the correct temperature, don't keep opening the door. Stay safe!

basheer



Joined: 22/12/2008
Posts: 949

Message Posted:
14/11/2010 00:33

mess/22

two in a shower, the tray may collapse by the sheer weight!!! so be careful whats economical will suddenly be a very expensive repair good night

andrew4232



Joined: 04/07/2009
Posts: 1543

Message Posted:
14/11/2010 01:23

turn off the lights

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
14/11/2010 01:40

As the winter evenings get colder most folk turn heating on being gas, electric, oil, wood etc at perhaps 4 pm. We leave the daytime shopping until that time and are warm in the car and shops until perhaps 5 or 6 pm when we return from the shopping and then turn on central heating.. If you only do this for 30 mins shopping the savings are considerable over a month as even oil radiator heating has an electric pump. Budget taking into account all fuels in use. Turn heating off an hour before going to bed and utilise the residual heat. When preparing meals open the fridge/freezer door only once by having in mind all the ingredients you need before starting cooking.. My favourite tip is I hide the Wildebeest's (bless her) HRT pills in the Winter months and her hot flushes make an electric blanket superfluous !

Deniz1


Joined: 28/07/2009
Posts: 3829

Message Posted:
14/11/2010 06:39

I dont have a pool my last bill was 62ytl.I only use my water pump when i shower or use the upstairs loo.Only use the dishwasher about three times a year and handwash when i can. Dont leave things on standby. In the summer i had three fans on and Aircon on for a couple of hours at night on the economy setting and my bills were about 78ytl.

petemate


Joined: 16/09/2008
Posts: 228

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 10:21

To save water, put 2 or 3 bricks in each toilet cistern. which gives a smaller flush but adequate in most cases. Be careful not to interfere with the ball vave movement though. Saves 3 or 4 Litres per flush.

the butler


Joined: 22/06/2007
Posts: 1958

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 13:40

Better to put plastic bottles filled with water in the cistern rather than dirty bricks, as through time they will start to disintergrate and cause problems.





The butlers wife

Cyprusquest


Joined: 09/12/2008
Posts: 428

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 14:07

This applies to most everything water, gas, electricity etc. If you are not using it turn it off and possibly unplug it or don't buy it.

negativenick


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 6023

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 14:41

move to Tailand.....



usual water / electic bill 20 a quid month



4mb internet /cable TV - 20 quid a month........................

finchy


Joined: 08/04/2008
Posts: 86

Message Posted:
15/11/2010 15:20

What's the cheapest way to generate your hot water in winter?



Immersion heater switched on late in the day to heat up enough water for two showers, or direct hot water via a Combi boiler.



Ta

martyb49


Joined: 22/02/2008
Posts: 42

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 09:05

I've fitted an electric shower, only heats the water i use at the time i need it as opposed to heating water i don't need.

M

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 10:59

Stay with friends as regularly as possible, preferably most nights. )

mamachina


Joined: 22/11/2008
Posts: 730

Message Posted:
16/11/2010 13:08

Dont use the oven for toast or little things - it uses more electricity than you realise!! Problem is I like one pot cooking in the winter, so tend to use it more than in the summer. Very low heat and a long time!! If I was a "real" cook I would do batch cooking, a weeks worth in one go. Fill the oven once a week, maximise usage and cut down on electiciity. We had a round cyprus wood burner put in last winter (latish) so this year intend to try and use it for the late night coffee and so on, it gives off a terrific heat, we found ourselves moving away to the back of the room!! So - we dont have to feed it all night - so save on wood too!!