Prepping for Poverty???

[Arzosah]

As far as the halogen oven is concerned, katilea, I'm convinced it's cheaper than using *my* oven, at any rate. It was here when I moved in, it's a bit cheap and nasty, and its as wide as a 5 burner hob - it used to take forever to heat up, and using it for one thing at a time was incredibly wasteful, I felt. The halogen, in contrast, has a very small cubic area, and is known to take roughly 5 - 10 minutes less time to do the same job. I use my oven as storage these days, and just use the halogen.

[tanstaafl]

Gas is cheaper, honestly chuck the lecky fires away............ £500 odd quid a year is about right for a 2 bed modern build.....

Google it but using your central heating in a new build is really the cheapest option, switching off (and closing the doors) the bedroom rads will save a little, but in a modern build it really is pennies.... the best way to use a modern system is to have all the rads on and it set as low as poss ( I use 18/20 degrees),

IMO dont bother with thermostatic controls on rads ,, I looked them up when I first moved in and the consensus was they weren't much use in modern stuff..

By my estimation you should be paying "on average" £45 a month or less........(much less)


I am with British Gas and the reason it may have gone up is that it is done automatically by by computer, it looks at your usage in the depths of winter and calculates your yearly usage based on that (happened a few times with me), not taking light summer use into account I guess you could ring them but I use their online system which allows you to change your payment from their estimate to a minimum amount (which is more realistic)......


For instance I have just had a look online and their recommended amount for me is £55pm ( 2 bed mid sized modern build) , I am paying £30, it also offers me the choice to pay as little as £22pm, it is estimating that I will owe £55 at the end of year, which is silly as its only £5 a month more...... I have been doing this for 3 years now and it always evens out at years end... so get online


Also try here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub I dont know if its still on, but I switched from British Gas to British Gas (weird) and saved another few quid via a deal done for a communal shift..........



Older TVs can use quite a bit of energy but new ones are much better , freezers and washing machines are heavier users (and dont mention tumble driers) but the thing with TVs and fridges is that they also give out heat, so in the winter they cancel out a bit of the cost by heating (a little) the room as well... not good in the summer tho......

I generall dont bother with the standby thing these days but use to have a remote box that I pugged the power leads into before plugging them into the socket , and you could switch this off using your tv remote.... something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecotek-Standby- ... B001CL1K32

If you need any help with the British Gas online thing dont hesitate to ask..

[katilea]

Gas is cheaper, honestly chuck the lecky fires away............ £500 odd quid a year is about right for a 2 bed modern build.....

Google it but using your central heating in a new build is really the cheapest option, switching off (and closing the doors) the bedroom rads will save a little, but in a modern build it really is pennies.... the best way to use a modern system is to have all the rads on and it set as low as poss ( I use 18/20 degrees),

IMO dont bother with thermostatic controls on rads ,, I looked them up when I first moved in and the consensus was they weren't much use in modern stuff..

By my estimation you should be paying "on average" £45 a month or less........(much less)


I am with British Gas and the reason it may have gone up is that it is done automatically by by computer, it looks at your usage in the depths of winter and calculates your yearly usage based on that (happened a few times with me), not taking light summer use into account I guess you could ring them but I use their online system which allows you to change your payment from their estimate to a minimum amount (which is more realistic)......


For instance I have just had a look online and their recommended amount for me is £55pm ( 2 bed mid sized modern build) , I am paying £30, it also offers me the choice to pay as little as £22pm, it is estimating that I will owe £55 at the end of year, which is silly as its only £5 a month more...... I have been doing this for 3 years now and it always evens out at years end... so get online


Also try here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub I dont know if its still on, but I switched from British Gas to British Gas (weird) and saved another few quid via a deal done for a communal shift..........



Older TVs can use quite a bit of energy but new ones are much better , freezers and washing machines are heavier users (and dont mention tumble driers) but the thing with TVs and fridges is that they also give out heat, so in the winter they cancel out a bit of the cost by heating (a little) the room as well... not good in the summer tho......

I generall dont bother with the standby thing these days but use to have a remote box that I pugged the power leads into before plugging them into the socket , and you could switch this off using your tv remote.... something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecotek-Standby- ... B001CL1K32

If you need any help with the British Gas online thing dont hesitate to ask..

Thanks I contacted BG they offered to put it back down to £48 but never mentioned being able to change my payment online and opt for the cheapest payment!

First Utility are quoting what you are saying is about right for a property my size, though I was thinking of emailing them to say I only heat it as a 1 bed property as the radiator in the spare room is never on, as its just a storage room used for medical equipment. I'll have to see if I can find my password or reset it to get online I always get mixed up but think its BT I'm having a nightmare with and can't access my account online at all as it won't recognise the answer to my security question to reset my password!

Was thinking of changing to Plusnet, but was told their routers are crap and customer services aren't as good as advertised on TV. Just looking for free BB for a year (line rental only package) to reduce monthly outgoings and hopefully by next year cable or fibre would be in my area as my BB speed is really slow being rural and a fair distance from the exchange. Apparently I can't get the reduction for it being under 2mps (or whatever they are) cos I'm not an homeowner! ..so just looking for cheapest line only deal/free unlimited BB I can find for a year or so. It is a pain though as only BT give a rebate for textphone users on phone bills cos phone calls take longer to make having to type everything out letter by letter! ..thats why I went with them for BB. and not willing to part with SKY TV as my fav channel is exclusive to them and many of the others don't have as many subtitled programs I can follow.
I might just move my BB back to Sky as at least I can get into my account!!

so where do I go once I log into BG to choose to pay £22 (or whatever lowest price is) instead of £55. The person who emailed already said I would still be in credit but never mentioned that I could just lower it online myself!! But always having to sort out cos they said I'm not registered for Warm Home Discount so won't get the £140, when person on phone told me it was all sorted! ..which was why i was just gonna leave and switch to First utility.

[yorkshirewolf]

This is something we should all prep for because poverty can happen to any of us. This past year our earnings have been ok, but instead of having a 'i'm earning it so i can spend it' attitude, we've actually gone the other way and tried to cut back.
I look at it in two ways;

Firstly; in the grand scheme of things, whoever is in power in downing street, they're not there to do us worker bees any favours, so as the population increases and resources become more stretched, we all need to be aware that it ain't going to get any easier.

Secondly, anyone who is in a position to help themselves, need to start now, and keep doing it, this is obviously where prepping comes in.

Being in a position financially to invest in things which will save you money long term are always good, so investing in LED bulbs, good insulation (whether bedding, walls or clothes) new, low power technologies for TV/PC/Fridges/freezers - even the new type of heat pump tumble dryers are vastly more efficient than the older type.

As has been said, anything electrical which produces heat - and is especially designed to create heat- will hammer you power usage. and bear in mind that Electricity costs three times more to produce than gas.

We lived in a caravan for three years, so had to be very sensible with the electric use, i worked out that allowing for a little extra, we were paying about 18p Per KWH - that included the standing charge.

To make sense of that:

A 2kw fan heater will heat a room, it will give out instant heat but that stops as soon as it's turned off, so say it's cold and you leave it on for 12 hours that will cost you -£2.16 per day, over 7 days thats £15.12 per week.

A modern fridge freezer in energy group A will use about 340KWH per year, thats 6.5kwh per week which will cost about £1.18.

Honestly, it's the little things you don't think of and the cumulative effect that end up costing money. Have a read of this article, it shows how much is wasted on small things that really add up:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bill ... andby.html

It takes some doing and some working out, but you really can minimise your bills, we got ours down to about £6 per week, and a mate of mine who lives in a one bed flat actually got a call and subsequent inspection from NPower as he was using so little - £5 per week! They thought he was fiddling the meter!

[katilea]

I found the thing on BG it won't let me go any less than £46 I can't choose as low as £22 and says I'll owe them £90 at end of year... balance is £0.00 on electric (showing online) though he told me I was credit in email! My gas is in credit by £12.

I'm really annoyed that I was told on phone that my application for Warm Home Discount was sorted and now they're claiming they can't find me on the system so I'm not happy about to stay with them as feel I can no longer trust them. If he confirms I'm definitely not registered then I may as well go straight to First Utility and switch today!

[ForgeCorvus]

I use Plusnet but still use my old BT router (I also get my phonecalls and line rental as part of that package)

We have used portable oil-filled radiators as our only source of heating. They're slower to come up to temperature but with a built in thermostat they heat rooms quite well and unlike fan heaters theres no sudden drop-off when you switch them off.

GFCH is probably the cheapest option for you though.... You should still heat the storage bedroom otherwise it will leach out the heat in your living space, it doesn't need to be up at the same level just warmer then outside.

Have either LED or low energy bulbs standing by to replace any incandescents you may still be using.
I changed the three spotlights in the kitchen with LED versions and noticed the difference in my next bill.

[yorkshirewolf]

LED bulbs are a huge energy saver, they've come down a lot in price too over the last couple of years, especially if you shop around.

Halogen and incandescent bulbs really are old hat now, and although LED are more expensive they last about ten times as long, so long term will save you money.

Have a look here:

http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/article/co ... spotlight/


We're replacing all our bulbs with LED, especially the security lights, which have gone from 3 lights at 250w total, to the same output in LED at 25w total. Big difference.

[katilea]

I use Plusnet but still use my old BT router (I also get my phonecalls and line rental as part of that package)

We have used portable oil-filled radiators as our only source of heating. They're slower to come up to temperature but with a built in thermostat they heat rooms quite well and unlike fan heaters theres no sudden drop-off when you switch them off.

GFCH is probably the cheapest option for you though.... You should still heat the storage bedroom otherwise it will leach out the heat in your living space, it doesn't need to be up at the same level just warmer then outside.

Have either LED or low energy bulbs standing by to replace any incandescents you may still be using.
I changed the three spotlights in the kitchen with LED versions and noticed the difference in my next bill.

I didn't know could still use BT router with PLusnet. how do you do that then and still be using Plusnet? How did you find PLusnet's customer service and reliability for connection etc?

Not sure what 'leached out' means? The door to that room is usually closed.

I'm not sure whether energy bulbs will fit in the old lamp I'm using in bedroom but could get a new one. Not sure the energy ones work with a dimmer switch though.

My brother did mention he had an old oil radiator called a Delongi Dragon or something that was good, unfortunately he didn't tell me this until after I had got mine and it was his ex wifes!

[ForgeCorvus]

I didn't know could still use BT router with PLusnet. how do you do that then and still be using Plusnet? How did you find PLusnet's customer service and reliability for connection etc?

Routers are not tied to specific networks like mobile phones are, I'm trying to remember if there was any hassle in making the switch..... I don't think there was, and we do have some IT types on here so I'm sure someone will be able to talk you through it. I'm a borderline Luddite so if I can do it anyone can.

As to customer service I can't fault them, BB in my area is a bit spotty sometimes and they don't seem to be any worse then other local providers

Not sure what 'leached out' means? The door to that room is usually closed.

I used "leach" to mean a slow(ish) transfer of heat, closing the door will slow but won't stop it unless the walls are insulated.

I'm not sure whether energy bulbs will fit in the old lamp I'm using in bedroom but could get a new one. Not sure the energy ones work with a dimmer switch though.

You should be able to get Low Energy and LED bulbs to fit all standard light fittings.... Some of the long looped LE ones don't work too well in the type of table lamp with the shade that clips onto the bulb.
It should say on the box if they're dimmer-switch compatible, it tends to be the LE rather then the LED type that have problems

My brother did mention he had an old oil radiator called a Delongi Dragon or something that was good, unfortunately he didn't tell me this until after I had got mine and it was his ex wifes!

Yep, we had a Dragon and they're great

[tanstaafl]

The £22 I mentioned was on mine only it will be different for everyone, but there should be 3 figures..... 1) what you are paying now 2) what they recommend you pay which may be the same figure and 3) the minimum.....

It will change from time to time (helps to put regular meter readings in) and will lower in the summer as you use less....

As said I would not use leccy fires of any type if you have central heating , its just more efficient........


If you look on their site (where you did the direct debit check) there is something called a tariff checker ,, which has to offer you their cheapest tariff and is just a click to change so worth doing.........




And you asked about broadband, a very cheap way to get cheap broadband is to tether to your mobile phone......(smart phone)

I do this,,, my tarrif is £15 per month (on three) but that is for all my phone needs (no landline so no line rental ) (unlimited texts ,200mins calls and all I can eat data) and 4gb a month is allowed for tethering (but there are ways around that limit )

And its just as good as normal broadband ...I run these thru it all day long, Laptop, tablet, kindle, sky, 2 x chromecasts, nowtv and netflix......... its not superfast (between 5mbps and 9mbps) but apparently 4G will be along later this year, but fine for me ...................


My old chap uses a dongle with one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Network-PAYG-Tr ... e+data+sim works out at £3 a month , ok if you are a very light user (1 gb pm) tho you can get 3gb a month for a tenner