Energy bills

[Mussels]

Well, the dehumidifier had an added benefit I hadn't thought about, at a lower humidity the house doesn't feel as cold. The heating has been off since 8:30 and its 15-16 degrees in here now but it feels crisp rather than cold, I'm just starting to feel the need for a jumper.

[mangocrazy]

I remember back when i used to grow *cough*chillies*cough* in the loft and in the snowy times mine was the only house with a bare roof due to the heat from the lights. This used to only be at night luckily as the lights didn't come on till 6pm then off at 6am. I used to get para as fuck about it. The slightest noise from a copper chopper and i would sit up in bed waiting for the knock on the door.

When I used to grow chillies the cellar was the favoured location, for just that reason...

[Count Steer]

I remember back when i used to grow *cough*chillies*cough* in the loft and in the snowy times mine was the only house with a bare roof due to the heat from the lights. This used to only be at night luckily as the lights didn't come on till 6pm then off at 6am. I used to get para as fuck about it. The slightest noise from a copper chopper and i would sit up in bed waiting for the knock on the door.

When I used to grow chillies the cellar was the favoured location, for just that reason...

+ you get underfloor heating.

[Phoenix]

If you want an organic method to help control condensation then nature has the answer. In particular, there are a number of plants that are excellent at absorbing condensation. Two of which are very good are: Chlorophytum Comosum Variegatum - Spider Plant. Not only will it absorb moisture but will also clean the air. It is very easy to propagate and needs little attention as long as it is not overwatered it will look after itself. Just a little food in Spring and it will romp away. Can be grown in a pot on the windowsill or in a ceiling hanging pot.

The other plant is Aloe Vera, which unlike the above is a succulent. It’s easy to maintain. There are lots of varieties and have interesting toothed leaves. I Grow the Aloe Nobilis. Unlike the Chlorophytum, they are quite small and prefer just a little watering.

Other plants that are suitable include: Peace Lily, Variegated Ivy, Snake Plant - Sansevieria aka Mother In Law’s Tongue Last but not least any of the Palms for those who have a lot of space.

Lots of growing and caring for the plants mentioned can be found on the web. I recommend the BBC’s Gardeners World site and of course Wikipedia for more detailed knowledge.

Be Good. Take Care.

[Greenman]

I remember back when i used to grow *cough*chillies*cough* in the loft and in the snowy times mine was the only house with a bare roof due to the heat from the lights. This used to only be at night luckily as the lights didn't come on till 6pm then off at 6am. I used to get para as fuck about it. The slightest noise from a copper chopper and i would sit up in bed waiting for the knock on the door.

When I used to grow chillies the cellar was the favoured location, for just that reason...

I didn't have one, but agree that underground is 100% the way to.

[Horse]

Any little change may help, our gas bill for last month was £354.72 - wouldn't mind dropping that a bit!

Pah! Amateur!

20221208_173241.jpg (570.39 KiB) Viewed 748 times

[v8-powered]

Any little change may help, our gas bill for last month was £354.72 - wouldn't mind dropping that a bit!

Pah! Amateur!

20221208_173241.jpg

Legend!

[Horse]

Any little change may help, our gas bill for last month was £354.72 - wouldn't mind dropping that a bit!

Pah! Amateur!

20221208_173241.jpg

Legend!

Eyethangyow

Can't beat a smart meter.

[Wscad]

Well here is my 10 bobs worth.

My working background is within the ceramics industry. Temp and humidity control have a huge effect.

If I recall.... a 1 degree C increase in temp will reduce humidity by 7%. That’s what I found to be true in the casting shop.

In our house, I have fluke flir camera. Letter boxes, door handles are very very cold compared to ambient temps.

We have a multi fuel log burner in the living room. Temp at chest high is 6 deg lower than it is at the top of the ceiling.

Bought a very small fan to get some air movement. What a difference in comfort levels. Light the fire at 6.30 pm.... by 8.pm we are in shorts and t shirts. Sorry.....no pics

We have a modest sized 3 bedroom detached house and we more or less shut down half of the house using thermal blinds.

The flue from the wood burner goes up through our bedroom....my side of the

bed and it takes the chill away. Wife wants to swap places but it ain’t happening

Next project is looking at insulating hot water pipes and reflective foam behind the radiators.

Our living room and bedroom windows are south facing .......open the blinds on a sunny day and the temp will increase by around 3 or 4 deg C

[Dodgy69]

Managing to keep the smart meter under £8 a day at the moment, but only just. Gas and leccy. On with the tumble and a bit of cooking and we'll be pushing a tenner. Multiply by 30 and it's adding up. God knows how some will manage.

[Supermofo]

We're finding our new build house isn't keep the heat in as much as our 'old' new build, although I think it is down to the size of the house.

Also, we're getting a lot of condensation on the inside of these new double glazed windows. I'm guessing that means a bad install?

Ventilation, our 70s built house has crap ventilation. We get it mainly due to 2 young kids and shed load of washing. Last weekend everyone but me went to Spain for 3 days, not a drop on the windows. They came back, few loads of washing and back to condensation. Window vents help to a point but I'm now running a dehumidifier. We have a tumble dryer but I'm guessing the dehumidifier is cheaper to run. Doesn't help I'm the only bastid that opens the bathroom windows after a shower and sucks all the water up with one of those window vac things. That helps a lot

[Hoonercat]

Well here is my 10 bobs worth.

My working background is within the ceramics industry. Temp and humidity control have a huge effect.

If I recall.... a 1 degree C increase in temp will reduce humidity by 7%. That’s what I found to be true in the casting shop.

In our house, I have fluke flir camera. Letter boxes, door handles are very very cold compared to ambient temps.

We have a multi fuel log burner in the living room. Temp at chest high is 6 deg lower than it is at the top of the ceiling.

Bought a very small fan to get some air movement. What a difference in comfort levels. Light the fire at 6.30 pm.... by 8.pm we are in shorts and t shirts. Sorry.....no pics

We have a modest sized 3 bedroom detached house and we more or less shut down half of the house using thermal blinds.

The flue from the wood burner goes up through our bedroom....my side of the

bed and it takes the chill away. Wife wants to swap places but it ain’t happening

Next project is looking at insulating hot water pipes and reflective foam behind the radiators.

Our living room and bedroom windows are south facing .......open the blinds on a sunny day and the temp will increase by around 3 or 4 deg C

A ceiling fan placed a metre or two in front of the burner works wonders on winter setting and lowest speed, you can literally feel a wall of hot air as it's pushed downwards. My woodburner is in the conservatory (approx 8 x 4 metres) which is almost entirly glazed, I sit in the adjoining living room (same size) at the opposite end and temps are between 21 and 23.5 within 40 minutes, depending on how much wood is in the burner. Not so much as a trickle of condensation in either room, unlike the upstairs rooms which are heated with rads.

[v8-powered]

Missus was out with a few of her friends last and being sad women of a certain age, they appeared to be sat nattering about fuel bills and smart meters etc most of the evening

One of her friends is seeing £40 per day fuel bills - I was shocked! Their house is a similar size to ours but more modern, they also benefit from solar so god knows what they are doing!

[irie]

Missus was out with a few of her friends last and being sad women of a certain age, they appeared to be sat nattering about fuel bills and smart meters etc most of the evening

One of her friends is seeing £40 per day fuel bills - I was shocked! Their house is a similar size to ours but more modern, they also benefit from solar so god knows what they are doing!

[DefTrap]

One of her friends is seeing £40 per day fuel bills - I was shocked!

If anything like my breadknife, she could easily have meant £4 or even 40p. Accuracy in arithmetic seems to be regarded as optional these days, even when the error is fecking ludicrously to a factor of 10 or 100. Apparently I'm a terrible pedant (I AM a terrible pedant but this is not a great example of pedantry FFS) for even suggesting it.

[Count Steer]

£40/day? I can imagine it's not too difficult in a cold period. Big house, all rooms heated to 21° (+) constantly inc. overnight, heat the home office in the garden the same, run the tumble dryer every day etc etc. Swimming pool? Aga?

Probably works out at about £10k pa depending how cold the winter season. Don't think that's too unusual for some of the bigger houses that don't change habits when prices go skywards.

[v8-powered]

Yep, £40 per day - seen the photo of their smart meter! It's a 6 bed house over 3 floors, some underfloor heating, 1 of them works mostly from home. They do have a swingers sex tub in the garden but that's switched off. They have a big open-plan predominantly glazed area which I reckon they are loosing loads of heat from though?

Our place is a similar size but running about half the cost of what theirs is but I'm happy to freeze during the day when WFH!

[v8-powered]

Those laser temp things are an indication, at best. Way too many variables to really trust 'em unless you've been through a proper calibration on what you're measuring.

As above, I used a digital kitchen thermometer

55°C is the number I've seen too. Lower is gonna be better, but obviously hotter radiators warm your house quicker. Balances need to be struck!

Well it turns our that our boiler is a little smart and has a whole range of data you can flick trough on the display, so can see the flow and return temps live.
I dropped the flow down to 70 degrees and am now getting a return of 54 degrees, which is apparently bob-on. That doesn't equate to the 20 degree drop you should have across rads but apparently TRV's and random size rads can affect that?

[Greenman]

I had my first bill today since i cancelled my direct debit and now provide them my meter readings.

£83!

It was £94 for the past 3 years on fixed whic ended in oct, predicted to rise to £135 on variable tariff. Con artists. £300ish in credit!

Cancel your direct debit and send them your meter readings!

[Greenman]

Missus was out with a few of her friends last and being sad women of a certain age, they appeared to be sat nattering about fuel bills and smart meters etc most of the evening

One of her friends is seeing £40 per day fuel bills - I was shocked! Their house is a similar size to ours but more modern, they also benefit from solar so god knows what they are doing!

Shoddy setup!