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Cost of living

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Original poster

what are the most expensive things in the house to run?

29 replies

ssd · 04/12/2012 20:12

we have a tumble drier but never use it as I feel its too expensive to run

what things cost a lot to run then?

OP posts:
Original poster
ssd · 04/12/2012 20:18

is a dishwasher expensive to use every day, isn't it cheaper than washing 3 lots of dishes in a basin every day?

OP posts:
SavoyCabbage · 04/12/2012 20:20

I thought dishwashers were cheaper than well, not using one. I suppose it depends on the dishwasher.

nocake · 04/12/2012 20:22

I think modern dishwashers cost about 15p to run a standard cycle, not including detergent. They use less water than washing up the same amount by hand.

3b1g · 04/12/2012 20:23

Teenagers.

3b1g · 04/12/2012 20:23

Oops, sorry, just read the thread properly. I'll just get my coat.

Asinine · 04/12/2012 20:24

Children

Pets

Husband

Asinine · 04/12/2012 20:25

Me too

Grin

Irons are very very expensive to run. A serious waste of time money.

DowntonSprouts · 04/12/2012 20:28

The kettle and a fan oven.

Anything that creates heat really. Heat is expensive.

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 04/12/2012 20:28

the fridge is the most expensive thing to run.
but if you're talking don't-need items then dishwasher, tumble drier, boil washes on washing machine, immersion heaters, electric heaters

Original poster
ssd · 04/12/2012 20:28

dont feel so bad about the dishwasher now, I waited 13 yrs to get one and I bloody love it

apart from teenagers and tumble driers, what else costs a lot?

OP posts:
Original poster
ssd · 04/12/2012 20:30

fridge and freezer a necessity

OP posts:
blondiedollface · 04/12/2012 20:32

Cooking for us uses a lot of energy, as does boiling the kettle - we've replaced all bulbs in our house with energy saving ones and that is honestly saving us the MOST money of all as lights are probably the most frequently used energy consumer in any house!

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 04/12/2012 20:34

Those little electric fan heaters. Might as well burn cash for the ratio.of cost to warmth.

Fluffycloudland77 · 04/12/2012 20:41

Hot water tanks.

Kettles

Quick washes in wm/dw. Eco all the way

Tumble drier

Ovens. Slow cookers are fab.

Halogen lamps.

Original poster
ssd · 04/12/2012 20:45

oh didnt know quick washes are dear, though they 'd be less cash as not on for long? what is eco, is that less water or not as hot?

OP posts:
timetosmile · 04/12/2012 20:48

Before you all get rid of your expensive to run tumble driers.....drying very damp, or large quantities of laundry indoors without adequate ventilation i.e.a window pretty wide open in that room, can lead to hugely expensive problems with condensation and damp in lofts.
So on can't-dry-outdoors days I do use mine even though I know its expensive.

Having the heating on too high, or having the hot water thermostat to high is unseen but v expensive.

Mandy2003 · 04/12/2012 21:17

Friends of mine recently got one of those huge side by side with ice cube maker American style fridges.

Then he swapped his 50 inch TV for a 65 inch one that someone found too big for them.

Their electricity bill is now immense!

Doinmummy · 04/12/2012 21:21

I've got one if those meter thingys that show how much electric and gas I'm using. It shoots to red when the kettle or hair dryer go on .

Bakingnovice · 04/12/2012 22:15

Omg. I thought kettles costed pennies! We don't use the dishwasher often enough as kids and Dh just pile it into sink and it's a hassle to move it to the DW. I'll make more of an effort.

My boiler only says low medium high. How do I turn the thermostat down. Shall I just move the knob to medium?

In terms of expenses I think phone chargers and computers which are on a lot in our house are expensive too. Of course the biggest expense for us central heating.

WhispersOfWickedness · 04/12/2012 22:27

Think electric showers are quite expensive...

Fluffycloudland77 · 04/12/2012 22:30

Eco usually means not as hot and less water. Quick washes use more electric and water to get the same results but faster.

Kettles do cost pennies but you use them a lot during the day.

Baking download your boiler manual. If you have a hot water tank there'd be a stat on it. But obviously Combi boilers don't need a tank. Pigletjohn in goodhousekeeping on here knows a lot about boilers and heating and he always says run them on high.

procrastinor · 05/12/2012 00:45

An Aga. Dear god I can hear that thing burn through money.
(Rented accom so can't change it)

Asinine · 05/12/2012 08:02

There was a piece on the news the other day saying that many TVs are sold with the brightness turned right up, to compensate for bright lighting in showrooms. Apparently you can turn the brightness down, which should increase the quality of the picture under domestic lighting conditions.

Asinine · 05/12/2012 08:03

I have a rule with myself not to have a cuppa unless the kettle is cold. It stops me procrastinating with endless tea breaks.

nickelbabylyinginamanger · 05/12/2012 12:49

to work out how much energy a thing is using.

the rating of an item is in KW.

a KWh is a Kilowatt hopur - ie how much energy that thing will use in an hour.
your electricity units are worked out in KWh.

so, if your electric heater is rated at 3kw (or 3000W), then it will use 3 units of electricity if it is on for an hour. if your electric is 7p an hour, then it will cost 21p to run for an hour.

your kettle will be rated at 2kw or 3kw. you use it for 3 minutes.
therefore it will cost around 2 x (3/60) x 7p per use = 0.7p per use.
so, if you have 10 boils a day, it'll cost 7p per day.
if you do the same every day for 10 days, it's 70p etc.