Saving money on electric
 

Watching a program last night and it was saying about the cost of cooking using electric.
To reduce cost...... use a slow cooker.

May not be able to cook everything via a slow cooker but as the advert goes " Every Little Helps".

May be we should have a section, money saving tips..... only joking.

empty your car of junk, pump the tyres up. Replace that full size spare with a space saver if you are doing local journeys. Drive with windows closed


macafee2

Of course, the most important is not to accelerate or drive too fast. A steady 55 is about 10%-15% more economical than a steady 70MPH on an A road journey. Then there is walking instead of driving for very short trips to the local shop etc.

local shops, what are those :) Even a cycle ride to the shops and back would mean I could not sit on a saddle for a week or two.

macafee2

Saving money on electric:

Recently changed a perfectly good gas cooker about 10 years old for an electric one. Brilliant. Side issue? No naked flames in the kitchen anymore. Even more brilliant. No nutritional difference observed.

Adjusted central heating and water timing planner to only provide a tank of hot water when it is actually needed, ie early morning (7.00 am) for an hour and an hour in the evening.

Turned the gas boiler (in the garage) down to about one third of its range. Expect the combined difference to be marginal but adequate. Don't even have to wear a cardy.

omg I miss my gas CH and cooker. Electric seems to heat quicker but the oven in no where near as easy to use and when a saucepan boils over, water goes everywhere as the electric hob is flat.

macafee2

Who's doin' the cookin'? You, or Mrs. Macafee?

We fitted a new electric cooker and hob to replace our old gas cooker when we did our kitchen over "lockdown". Both are "A" grade in terms of economy. The induction hob is a Bosch and the oven is a Neff (couldn't get both the same at the time due to supply issues). The big difference is the speed of cooking. It is sooooo fast!:eek: It took some getting used to at first. The induction hob is super responsive so you need to watch it carefully when bringing stuff to the boil etc., as it will soon boil over if on full power.

Early signs are that it is much more economical due to the speed. Food tastes as good, if not better and we have also purchased an electric pressure cooker (also very quick) for ease.

The best of all is the lack of condensation (from burning gas flames). In winter, we always had to dry all the windows on cold mornings. We occasionally need to only dry the bottom edge now.

The cooker and hob were both expensive options but well worth the extra initial expense. You can't really wander off when you are cooking as it is so fast.

me every day except thursday when she cooks fish

macafee2

would an extractor fan be the answer for condensation?

macafee2

4 suggestions to save money.

1) Electric Halogen oven.
£30 from Aldi, with a 3 year warranty (keep the receipt).
Basically a turbo fan oven in a glass bowl. Very fast to warm up.
1400 W rather than 3500W for a full oven. Has been measured to use less than 40% of the energy of my fan oven, over the entire cooking cycle. And faster.
Easy to clean. Ideal for one person, or two with smaller appetites.

2) A dessicant based dehumidifier, such as the highly recommended Meaco DD8L. (~£250). Very effective at lower temperatures, such as caravans, garages and R75s.
Keeps the house dry, significantly reduces heat loss by keeping walls drier. Stops all damp on windows, except under extremely cold weather.
Absolutely no mould ever again.
Only ever runs when needed.

3) Marry a Yorkshire lass (without a deadly right hook) !
(Preferably not Mrs Delphine Featherstone, the Black Widow!)

4) Treat her to a fur coat. Then you can turn the heating down when you go out, and she won't freeze...