Don't forget the daily standing charge! Certainly still cheap, compared with bottled water, but it ain't free!
The standing charge is charged whatever.Don't forget the daily standing charge! Certainly still cheap, compared with bottled water, but it ain't free!
P.S. Wasn't it the nuclear power industry that once supposedly claimed that the electricity it generated would be "too cheap to meter"?
I think that was energy from fusion. First mentioned just after the war, the Zeta scheme claimed energy from sea water. The process hasn't been successfully demonstrated but there's a groundbreaking announcement about once every ten years. Don't hold your breath though.
I'm trying!
Tha garage is the best place for a freezer if practical, (it isn't for us yet) because the garage is generally cooler than a kitchen/utility in the summer, and definitely in the winter. Why waste energy adding local heat and then pay to remove it from the freezer? Insulation is the biggest thing that I need to improve, and is for most dwellings. Sooner or later the penny will drop with the government that trying to offset increased heating bills caused by excessive heat loss with loans, discounts of increased benefits is the worst of choices when the payyback for fixing the heat loss is getting shorter every year.
Better to keep the freezer in the coldest place of the house.It's sometimes said that filling empty space in your freezer will save energy. Some people suggest using old milk bottles filled with water. I'm not sure whether this is true or not, and if it is true I imagine any saving would be negligible.
My dad used to keep everything switched off. He'd even switch his broadband router off when he wasn't using the internet. TV, microwave etc were all unplugged from the wall when not in use. He even used to take the batteries out of the clocks when we went on holiday so they'd last a bit longer
In theory it should save some energy in two ways that I can see. First the increased thermal inertia will reduce the temperature cycling - it will stay colder for longer meaning that the compressor will need to run less often. Secondly, assuming it's an upright freezer rather than chest, more space filled means less cold air to fall out and be replaced by warm air when you open the door.
It's sometimes said that filling empty space in your freezer will save energy. Some people suggest using old milk bottles filled with water. I'm not sure whether this is true or not, and if it is true I imagine any saving would be negligible.
My dad used to keep everything switched off. He'd even switch his broadband router off when he wasn't using the internet. TV, microwave etc were all unplugged from the wall when not in use. He even used to take the batteries out of the clocks when we went on holiday so they'd last a bit longer
Someone told me that if you regularly switch your router on and off, the ISP may think the line's unstable and reduce the speed. I have no idea if that's true or not (or if it was true once, if it's still true with modern broadband and routers)
It is with BT. The line between the modem and the cabinet goes through a line testing period when installed and whenever the modem is turned off and back on. During that period a number of profiles are tried to acheive the optimum bandwidth. During this period intenet access may be unreliable and slow as it will default to a safe low speed at first. It may also register faults based on the intermittent connection. Not really good for internet reliability, especially in view of the limited savings on energy.
A full freezer will take longer to warm up to the point that the compressor starts. However, it will also take longer to cool back down to the point where the compressor stops. The compressor will start less often, but will run for longer each time it does. I suspect the proportion of the time the compressor runs for will be much the same. The job of the compressor etc. is to remove thermal energy that has leaked in from the environment. When the door is kept closed, that is determined by the internal temperature, the temperature of the environment, and the construction of the freezer, but not what is inside the freezer. Fewer longer cycles may be more efficient for the compressor etc.
True. The numbers are small though. The specific heat capacity of air is low.
This, exactly.
Thanks for the prompt, I invested in something similar, from the well known online retailer named after a large river.
I think that's true for DSL connections but I am sure I was told that they analyse over a fairly long period, so turning off at night likely won't make a difference to your profile (and I think you can even ask to be put on a fixed profile).
Fundamentally, this is the key point.
plus a lot more for disposal of same! They assume it all goes down your bog too and you pay to get rid of it. Use rainwater for flushing and your bills will go down a lot because they can't measure the supply which comes from above!
So how much does it cost to install rainwater collection, storage in sufficient quantity and a secondary supply to all relevant points in the premises?
I thought we had the lowest water bills for libertarian capitalist ideological reasons?
It's presumably an ideological choice as to the levels of investment and bills that Ofwat allow the water companies to set. The companies usually claim they would be happy to invest more (which would result in higher profits in the future) but Ofwat limit it to prevent bills going up now.
Or we already have high quality water supplies and waste treatment, the replacement costs of which are already reflected in water company accounts [depreciation, investment allowed by OFWAT etc] whereas other countries are still 'catching up', or am I late to the party on the relative quality of drinking water in Spanish etc resorts? Or put used toilet paper in a dish by the toilet [for the housekeeper to dispose of] because the treatment works can't cope with it all?
