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Original poster

Just got this winter’s electricity bill

29 replies

pinkflask · 09/04/2021 08:57

I’ve always tried to be quite frugal with energy and last year spent the winter wrestling with airers, running the dehumidifier to deal with the damp, having wet clothes hanging round all the time and generally getting annoyed over it.

This year with lockdown and general fatigue I’ve put everything in the tumble drier every time and not cared about it. It’s made life so much easier, I’ve hardly ironed anything and just been more pleasant all round.

Well, my 6 months energy bill came today and I compared it to the same bill from last year. Rise in electricity costs for six months (considering we were homeschooling/WFH for a huge chunk of it too) - £20. Total. Over six months. My god. I’m never using an airer again!

OP posts:
Magnificentmug12 · 09/04/2021 08:59

We use the rumble dryer even in the summer. Saves it hanging in the way in the garden and also getting it in quick incase someone lights a bbq for lunch- bills haven’t moved much for it so I would never not do it now. My MIL is disgusted we use it in the summer 😂

Magnificentmug12 · 09/04/2021 09:00

Rumble dryer! 😂 Tumble drier I mean!

Original poster
pinkflask · 09/04/2021 09:01

I actually enjoy line drying in lovely sunny weather so I’d still do that if I can get stuff dry in a couple of hours, but the joy of never having a pile of laundry is amazing and liberating. Got a full basket? In the washer, dried, folded and put away by the end of the day. For less than £4 a month. Bargain.

OP posts:
OneRingToRuleThemAll · 09/04/2021 18:12

We tumble dry everything too. No outside space and I'd lose my sanity with it all draping around the flat. Not to mention the condensation it would cause. The electricity / gas bill is £80pm so I can't say it is expensive to run.

Original poster
pinkflask · 09/04/2021 20:30

I keep seeing posts in the depths of winter from people absolutely on their knees trying to get stuff dry indoors for fear of using a tumble drier so it’s a real revelation that it’s not actually cost a lot more (and probably saved money on gas because I didn’t keep whacking the heating on to try and dry stuff...)

OP posts:
springblossom2 · 11/04/2021 07:28

I can recommend Octopus as a company to switch to - we have saved quite a bit over the winter. You are charged every month, but you can change the amount you pay and keep an eye on the total balance.

Follow this link to switch, and you get £50 in your account to start you off.....

share.octopus.energy/oak-eagle-6

springblossom2 · 11/04/2021 07:28

sorry - clicky link

share.octopus.energy/oak-eagle-6

Kotatsu · 11/04/2021 07:43

I remember reading all the Which reports when picking a tumble dryer and being utterly astounded at the running costs they were saying - especially with the new heat pump ones. They really are absolutely a bargain in comparison to draping clothes around the house/putting them on the line and risking rain (or in my case, having to run up the road after escapees - it gets windy here!)

Fluffycloudland77 · 11/04/2021 08:20

We're with octopus too, the apps brilliant for showing you how much each half hour cost. We have the electric car tariff so theoretically I can tumble for 5p kWh but I’m too scared to incase I set the house on fire so I don’t. If dh wasn’t here I’d run the dw, dryer overnight but housefires are the sort of thing dh would bring up in arguments for years to come.

We tumble everything too, it’s a renewable tariff so I don’t feel too guilty about it. I see threads on here too with mumsnetters complaining about laundry overwhelming them but you’ve got to make use of labour saving devices where you can in this life. Same applies for dishwashers. There’s no point flogging yourself because running a house is an extra part time job no one pays you for & you get no holiday time or sick leave.

If you dry on Airers that moistures staying in your house and feeding moulds and funguses. Grim. I gleefully chucked my airers into the tip.

When we had the cat he loved chasing the woollen dryer balls when I was unloading the dryer. I got them in home bargains to reduce plastic use in the house.

share.octopus.energy/sand-jewel-588 here’s my octopus link if you want to swap, we both get £50 bill credit.

MrsBDarcy · 11/04/2021 08:24

A tumble drier question- mine shrinks everything except towels and bedding.
How do you use them all the time? I've a Bosch one with either cotton or easy care setting but that's it. No other way to programme
I've done socks in it by accident- they come out tiny! I darent try with actual clothes!

Wannabegreenfingers · 11/04/2021 08:33

Eh, I've never shrunk anything in my tumbler dryer. Sounds like it could be possibly getting too hot?

Original poster
pinkflask · 11/04/2021 08:37

I avoid putting woollens or delicates in (they hang up in the airing cupboard/go on the line) and nothing else seems to shrink - I do have some socks which come out tiny but they go back to normal size as soon as you stretch them back out. It’s quite fun putting on teeny socks and seeing them end up fitting your feet! I put everything on high heat for 100 minutes, check after an hour and that does nearly everything fine. Put the few damp things back in for a while or hang in the airing cupboard.

OP posts:
THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 11/04/2021 08:37

Dreading my bill! Hope i find same as you op 🤞

InTheFamilyTree · 11/04/2021 09:01

I can also vouch for Octopus, if anyone looking to switch.

This winter was my first with a tumble dryer! Love the convenience but a but disgruntled to find clothes are so creased. I'm not about to break the habit of a lifetime by ironing, any hacks to reduce creasing?

Fluffycloudland77 · 11/04/2021 09:03

Take everything out as soon as your dryers finished and hang up. If it’s really bad creasing runnthe dryer for another 10 mins and then hang.

Are you overloading the machine?.

hedgehoglurker · 11/04/2021 09:07

To prevent creasing, don't overload the dryer. You also want to remove and fold things whilst still warm. (I dislike dryers with an auto cool-down at the end, as this just sets in creases.)

JessieOh · 10/05/2021 18:01

I avoid the dryer due to concerns about shrinkage too.
Would you tumble dry a hoody?
Or items like t-shirt and pjs that has a 'don't tumble dry' symbol?
My airers are in the living room due to it being the only suitable space, If I could lob everything into the dryer it would change the feel of our home completely.

SwimBaby · 11/05/2021 12:18

I’m going to start using mine more now I’ve read this.

WombatChocolate · 11/05/2021 21:44

Sorry to be boring....but what about the environmental effects?

I get that drying washing indoors in winter can be tricky, but in the summer, usually it’s possible to hang it out (realise not everyone can) but I think this says it all....people don’t want to have to nip out to bring it in if it rains or someone starts BBQing so use it 12 months a year.

At what point will be not just think about the price on our bill and consider the wider cost? I’m sorry because Inkniw people find it annoying, but David Attenborough mentioned just yesterday that the problems round the corner from the environment are much more serious than Covid has been....but we are sleep walking.

Standrewsschool · 11/05/2021 21:49

I use my tumble drier all year round, although 8;summer it’s usually for towels.

I don’t think i use it enough, partly due to dc having a lot of sports clothes. I need to be braver using it.

Floralnomad · 11/05/2021 21:53

I use my tumble dryer all year and our electricity bills are always reasonable . I tumble anything that you can .

superduster · 12/05/2021 08:04

I only use it when really stuck in the summer. However we have lots that can't be tumbled like school uniform jumpers so we also have an airer and a dehumidifier.

Bagelsandbrie · 12/05/2021 08:09

I tumble everything I can, all year round. I am disabled and Ds is disabled and I don’t have the time or energy to be hanging things up outside and rushing out to get them it the weather turns etc. Just wash, bung in the tumble and fold up. Brilliant. I put things that can’t be tumbled directly on hangers and hang in doorways and then move them upstairs when they’re dry. I do find sometimes the tumble dryer shrinks socks etc a bit but I just cheaply replace them as and when.

We are with OctopusEnergy too and find them excellent.

Bagelsandbrie · 12/05/2021 08:11

@WombatChocolate

Sorry to be boring....but what about the environmental effects?

I get that drying washing indoors in winter can be tricky, but in the summer, usually it’s possible to hang it out (realise not everyone can) but I think this says it all....people don’t want to have to nip out to bring it in if it rains or someone starts BBQing so use it 12 months a year.

At what point will be not just think about the price on our bill and consider the wider cost? I’m sorry because Inkniw people find it annoying, but David Attenborough mentioned just yesterday that the problems round the corner from the environment are much more serious than Covid has been....but we are sleep walking.

Well yes but there are so many other things we don’t worry about - whilst big businesses are still polluting the world and people are still flying all over the place when they don’t need to, I can’t get bothered about using my dryer. I do have a renewable tariff though.
bunnytheegghunter · 12/05/2021 21:01

I work and have 4 children everything goes in the tumble dryer! All year round I hate being without one!

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