101 ways to use less gas and electricity...

[Muddypause]

...without feeling like you are depriving yourself.

1) Only use the hot tap if the cold really won't do
2) As your lightbulbs blow, replace them with low energy ones
3) Become a salad expert
4) Insulate and draughtproof your home
5) Use a teapot that only holds what you are going to drink
6) If you don't want to shutdown your computer when you leave it, turn the monitor off at the mains
7) Don't phone your neighbour, go and visit them
8) Don't turn the heating up, actually use that Christmas sweater
9) Use a solar battery charger
10) Make sure the washing machine is full when you use it

[cat]

...without feeling like you are depriving yourself.


10) Make sure the washing machine is full when you use it

11) And the oven too
12) Unplug the TV, Video recorder etc when they're not in use
13) Make sure the fridge is placed away from the oven and other heat- producing appliances
14) Keep the freezer as full as possible (with the food you filled the oven
with in point 11)

[2steps]

15) don't leave lights on
16) put lids on saucepans when cooking to keep heat in
17) don't use standby
18) buy higher energy efficent appliances when old ones need replacing
19) turn heating down a little, you probably won't notice the difference
20) make double use of electric - eg. drying clothes on radiators when there turned on
21) only heat rooms you use
22) batch cook and freeze so you only need to reheat a mea another day quickily in the microwave

[Martin]

23 if bathing, use less water, otherwise,
24, bath with a friend!

[Milims]

25 BBQ everything as much as possible (we had one to celebrate bonfire night last night and we usually have one at New Year too!!) Nev will know all about this

26 Fit thermostatic radiator valves

27 If you have a large roof space think about solar water heating and photovoltaic cells

28 Check out your local council for grants for insulation and free low wattage light bulbs.

29 Spend more time cuddling your other half - share body heat

[Wombat]

25 BBQ everything as much as possible (we had one to celebrate bonfire night last night and we usually have one at New Year too!!) Nev will know all about this

29 Spend more time cuddling your other half - share body heat

No 25 oh yeah!

No 29 - I think this deserves special mention as a super good idea!

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

30. Read a book rather than watch TV.
31. Have all your meals at friends houses

A real 31. Make and use a solar oven whenever convienient.
32. Put foil behind your radiators (not sure if it does work about to try it out)
33. Have a duvet in your living room and use it instead of the fire.
34. Clean the rings on your electric hob
35. Use flat bottomed pans and not rounded bottomed ones.
36. Clean the element on the back of your fridge
37. Put your fridge in the garage if you have one as the colder air keeps it cool, if you really want you can make a hole under it too but not in a rented house and I am sure it would help with keeping the heat in.
38. Fill your fridge with beer. Seariously the cold cans will keep the fridge colder.
39. Make sure the seals on your oven and fridge are working.
40. Get your kids to move out.
REal 40. close your curtains (20% heat loss in a room) and make sure they are thick.
41. close all doors to keep drafts at a minimum
42. make draft excluders from old socks.

[Andy Hamilton]

and for one more that I have to do now.

43. Never forget that you don't have to read every single post on ssish, you can walk away and go to bed instead

[Wombat]

I dunno, I like the original no 40

Nev

[wulf]

I think we could bring back the original 31:

43. Share more meals and other time with friends (better use of cooking facilities, heating, lighting etc, not to mention the social benefits).

Wulf

[Stonehead]

37. Put your fridge in the garage if you have one as the colder air keeps it cool, if you really want you can make a hole under it too but not in a rented house and I am sure it would help with keeping the heat in.

Not always true! If a fridge is kept in a cold area, such as a garage, unheated room or shed, you will find that many fridges will "think" they don't need to come on as the temperature is below 5C. This is because they only have a single thermostate and it's in the fridge section.

But that means the temperature in the freezer compartment will be a lot higher than it should be - even above zero - and frozen things will either thaw or not be as frozen as they should be.

The solution in this case is to buy a fridge with thermostate in both the fridge and freezer sections.

But, there's another problem that this may not solve and it applies to both fridges with freezers and those without. If fridges are kept in an area that goes below about 16C they may not operate as efficiently (they need a temperature difference for heat exchanger to work efficiently).

Basically, in cold temperatures, the coolant spends more time as a liquid and while the compressor has an easier job, the difference between the low pressure and high pressure sides is less, which means less cooling effect. (Topping up the pressure would overcome this, but then the compressor would be over-pressurised come summer.)

Many fridges and fridge freezers operate most efficiently with an external temperature range of between 16C and 32C. Appliance companies do make different versions for different climates, though, and also ones that are specificaly designed to be used in an unheated (or uncooled for the Aussies) outbuilding.

So read the instructions very carefully!

[Shirley]

44. It's really an extension of 42 though... use an old pair of trousers - cut the bum bit out and sew up one end of each leg... stuff with old odd socks or plastic bags/packaging/newspaper whatever... then sew up the top of the legs and use as draught excluders.

You might be able to use the bum bit as a cushion... too!

And yeah... what stoney said about the fridge/freezer in the cold place... we had a freezer in the bothy once upon a time... it was always covered in condensation and mould... and costs a fortune in leccy!

[Stonehead]

45. Trip the mains off switch when no one is looking and pretend it's a very long blackout.

[Shirley]

I like your style!!!!

[red]

46. set your pc to hybernate when you dont use it for so long. that way if you are in the middle of something and get distracted and walk away,, your files are still there, nothing is lost, yet the computer is powered down when not in use.