Utility bills

[Gemini]

This month our fuel bill was the highest it has ever been. It was shocking.
It set OH off saying we mustn't leave the hall lamp on, have fairy lights plugged in etc.
Whilst I agree that we need to rethink things and economise, things which produce light but not heat are the cheapest to run, so she's on the wrong tack there!

The bill covers a cold month and one when DD3 and family were here most of the time so it should be less next time anyway.

Are you making any changes due to the increase in fuel costs?

[Lizzie48]

Gem, it is a huge problem here as well. We have the heating through geothermal heating, we don't get our yearly bill until next month, we are all holding our breath!!! We have no idea what to expect. Then again the government is being very good with surcharges, we will have to wait and see what happens.

Our apartments are being renovated to be low energy, when they will get round to ours I do not know, the electric boiler is being replaced by the geothermal system, the gas is being removed, new glass etc etc.

I do agree with you, it is the "heating" implements that use the energy, not the fairy lights etc.

[Oma]

We always try to be conscious of what we use
We tend to do washing on the cheapest tariff if we can , for instance I always put a basket of washing that needs doing on the landing ready and if B gets up very early sometimes 3-4am he will put the washing in then .

We have a smart meter in but I must confess I never look at it , if I need to use something I won’t worry about it but I will turn it off as soon as I’m finished .
We don’t put the hall light on or the lamp in the sitting room often to be honest just because we forget it’s there , we tend to watch TV in the dark .

[Plantaholic]

I have a smart meter and recently my supplier has changed and I am over £80 in credit. I have asked for a refund but have yet to see it arrive.

[Daisy]

It's a huge worry for a lot of people at the moment, I know.

When it was very cold we often lit the wood burner as we've nearly always got a stock of burnable wood in, thanks to OH's woodturning activities. I'm very conscious that I'm burning electricity now using the oven, (I used to have gas) and I know people save money using slow cookers/air fryers etc. But I don't often plan far enough ahead to use a slow cooker and I haven't got an air fryer.

We've now got the central heating thermostat set to 16C and mostly that is ok.

Most of our lights have low-energy bulbs, so I don't worry too much about them, and we haven't got a smart meter.

Plant, keep pestering your supplier for credit. They'll 'forget' it if they can! We were several hundred pounds in credit at one stage and had a real battle to decrease our Direct Debit!