electric challenge?

[StephenFrySaidSo]

I've decided to set myself a challenge to get my electric bill down from currently over £15 a week to £10 (less would be great) not a great amount but every little helps and this is more about me changing my habits although the extra £5 will be a help tbh.

currently I am really lax about leaving things switched on when not in use. the tv, modem, playstation and freeview box are all switched on from around 8am til I go to bed anywhere between 11pm and 1am. I can have the radio on in the kitchen and bedroom at the same time if i'm cleaning, putting laundry away etc. I also have a dehumidifier which is on 24/7 even if the clothes are already dry! I leave the washing machine, kettle, laptop and phone charger all switched on at the plug even when not in use. in short- i'm haemorrhaging money through electicity waste.

so I have decided to set myself some rules. there is ds1 (8), ds2 (4) and myself.

1. no electric (apart from fridge) between 9am and 4pm. this will mean all my cleaning and laundry will have to be done before we leave for school in the morning. also, I will boil the kettle at breakfast and fill a flask for my tea during the day and at lunch. dcs are at school until 2pm (from next week- 12 this week for ds2) so it's just me to make lunch for and that can be sandwiches, salads, fruit etc.
   
2. limiting myself to either being on the laptop OR watching tv- not both at the same time.
   
3. limiting dcs to 1 hour of tv/playstation time per day
   
4. setting a timer for charging my phone and heating the water so I only use the electric that I need
   
5. switching everything off as soon as I finish using it
   
6. radio only on whilst i'm in the room it's in
   
7. use the washing line as much as possible when dry and dehumidifier only when raining out. also use the heat from the airing cupboard to 'air' the clothes after the washing line rather than overnight with the dehumid on.
   
8. keep a daily record of electric used on the calendar.
   
   that's all I can think that I need to do to reduce electric use. feel free to join me with your own challenge or give me any tips you might have although I don't mind if nobody does, i'm really just using this as a record of my challenge to see how i'm doing and keep me on track.
   
   oh i'm going to start tomorrow morning. wish me luck!

[YoureBeingADick]

Havent updated this in over a fortnight so thought i would.

I have succeeded in getting my daily electric usage to between £7 and £8 per week!

Non laundry days im using around 80pence and laundry days around £1.50 ish

Laundry i have cut from 7/8 washes a week with dehumidifier on 24/7 to 3 washes a week all on the same day (unless uniforms really need done) so dehumidifier on only for 24 hours in a week. This has made the biggest difference i think.

Other things like switching stuff off i am more vigilant but still room for savings there. Water is on a timer of 45 minutes morning and 45 evening. This is the minimum time it can be set for but it actually works out as just about right for our needs. Although there are evenings the dcs dont get baths so i could cut out the evening timer for possibly 3/4 nights. Will try that this week coming. Actually might just switch timer off and heat water as needed. Will have to get up earlier to switch on but ah well.

And i can honestly say we havent noticed any negative impact on our comfort levels at home. We have lights when we need them, hot water when we need it, clean clothes and hot meals. Definitely glad ive tried this.

Thinking i could set a new target of £5 a week?

[Fluffycloudland77]

If you get the chance to switch to led lights do it, they use very little energy and prices are falling fast. My kitchen lights used 550w when we moved in (the builders put 50w in each fitting ) now it runs on 44w.

You've done brilliantly though.

[YoureBeingADick]

Thanks fluffy. Do LED lights require new light fittings?(im renting) or are they just like normal bulbs?

[Fluffycloudland77]

There just like normal bulbs. Ledhut.co.uk do good deals plus you can get cashback from topcashback of 20% or so. Sometimes it's lower so I gt them to match quidco if they have a better offer.

[YoureBeingADick]

Thank you that is great fluffy.

[Charlesroi]

Lidl have occasional offers on LED bulbs too. I bought a 3w screw-in table lamp one for £4.99 a couple of weeks ago.

Just checked and they have another offer on this week - Phillips E27, E14 or GU10 @ 2 for £14 (or £7.99 each).

[YoureBeingADick]

ah brilliant Charles thank you. will head down to lidl today.

also forgot to say last night that I switched my electric provider this week to budget energy and unit price is now 15.68p down from 17.58p so that should make a difference too.