According to Which? switching from an intensive wash to the short economy setting saves about 20p per cycle, and quite a lot less if you have an energy efficient machine.
So if I am to save £87 I would have to be having a full cycle wash eight times a week. Does anyone do eight full loads a week?
The one or two year fixed rate I am being offered is 36p KwH day rate and 22p night rate. Gas is about 10p/KwH.
I am currently paying 13p, 7p, 2.8p.
Those fixed rate options look a bit steep @BenCotto. My former fixed rate scheme with Avro has now been transferred onto Octopus's "Flexible Avro" scheme. This doesn't look too bad by comparison - electricity unit charge 21.80 p/kWh (24 hrs), standing charge 23.50p/day; gas unit charge 4.02p/kWh, standing charge 26.11p/day. That's only going to last a few more weeks though! Does your current energy supplier offer a better "default tariff" for when your fixed rate deal ends?
@Lyn - maybe doing the 'dissolving in hot water' method would work for you? I don't remember having any problems at the last house [ septic tank] with using powder, but perhaps I was just lucky. We did have a blockage early on, after moving in, and had to 'get a man in', but it was clear what the problem was there. I won't go into detail, but looking at the condition of the rest of the house, it wasn't surprising
@Topbird -when I had to get the repair man in last year for the washing machine [wasn't spinning] one of the first things he asked was - do you use powder? When I said yes, he replied 'that's good', and then explained about the problems with liquids and fabric conditioner clogging everything up. @BenCotto- people complain about driers too, but the modern ones are actually very efficient. Not feasible to dry washing without one here, unless you have loads of extra rooms and rails to hang it on. I actually looked at the leccy meter when I had it on the other day - snail's pace I expect we could all tie ourselves in knots though, trying to make comparisons.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We don't use powder either, for similar reasons as Lyn. I do the one hot wash a week thing - bed sheets - it helps OH's dust allergy anyway. I use an Eco Egg for most things too, so no powder or liquid. It doesn't have optical brighteners so whites go slowly cream but I lack the house-proud gene, so don't mind that as long as they smell clean, without the chemical stink. You always have to be careful with all the predictions of how much money this or that will save someone, the whole calculation is an assumption, as a rule. 8 full loads a week? Nope @BenCotto right - well no, you're right. I definitely wouldn't take a fixed deal at that price for electricity
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Those rates don't look dissimilar to British Gas's latest fixed (non-Economy 7) tariff @BenCotto. Suspect it's one of the reasons why the variable rates appear more attractive than they used to be.
I think a lot of people are going to get a real shock when their current fixed tariffs come to an end. MIL has been paying £95 for 2 years for both gas and electric for her detached 3 bedroom house - 1970's standard of insulation and heated to a temp I find a degree or two too warm.
Scottish Power's best deal for her to switch to in April is £180 or £190 pm - a big increase but still seems quite reasonable all things considered....
@Fairygirl - you'd think it would be the powder that would clog things up wouldn't you? I don't use powder partly because there's hardly any available in the SM I use (half a shelf compared to nearly a full aisle of pods and liquids when I looked this morning) but also because last time I used it my skin was really itchy.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I've seen those eco eggs @raisingirl - do you find them good?
@Topbird - I can't use the so called human friendly 'non bio' powders. They bring older fairylet out in a rash, whereas the chemical laden stuff doesn't!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Engineer said it's a common problem with low temp washes because the water simply isn't hot enough to properly dissolve and take away those residues. The only solution he could recommend was either regular use of a washing
machine cleaner (more energy, water and chemicals) or to do a regular
hot wash.
Exactly this. Speak to a dishwasher or washing machine engineer and they will tell you this is now a common problem. Low temps and eco soap.
Would soda crystals help shift the gunk? I don't know how environmentally safe it is to use. Something like every 40 washes my machine indicates it needs a self-clean. I always put a tablespoon of soda crystals in the drum before the 80C cleaning cycle starts.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Would soda crystals help shift the gunk? I don't know how environmentally safe it is to use. Something like every 40 washes my machine indicates it needs a self-clean. I always put a tablespoon of soda crystals in the drum before the 80C cleaning cycle starts.
Posts
So if I am to save £87 I would have to be having a full cycle wash eight times a week. Does anyone do eight full loads a week?
I don't remember having any problems at the last house [ septic tank] with using powder, but perhaps I was just lucky. We did have a blockage early on, after moving in, and had to 'get a man in', but it was clear what the problem was there. I won't go into detail, but looking at the condition of the rest of the house, it wasn't surprising
@Topbird -when I had to get the repair man in last year for the washing machine [wasn't spinning] one of the first things he asked was - do you use powder? When I said yes, he replied 'that's good', and then explained about the problems with liquids and fabric conditioner clogging everything up.
@BenCotto- people complain about driers too, but the modern ones are actually very efficient. Not feasible to dry washing without one here, unless you have loads of extra rooms and rails to hang it on. I actually looked at the leccy meter when I had it on the other day - snail's pace
I expect we could all tie ourselves in knots though, trying to make comparisons.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You always have to be careful with all the predictions of how much money this or that will save someone, the whole calculation is an assumption, as a rule. 8 full loads a week? Nope
@BenCotto right - well no, you're right. I definitely wouldn't take a fixed deal at that price for electricity
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I think a lot of people are going to get a real shock when their current fixed tariffs come to an end. MIL has been paying £95 for 2 years for both gas and electric for her detached 3 bedroom house - 1970's standard of insulation and heated to a temp I find a degree or two too warm.
Scottish Power's best deal for her to switch to in April is £180 or £190 pm - a big increase but still seems quite reasonable all things considered....
@Fairygirl - you'd think it would be the powder that would clog things up wouldn't you? I don't use powder partly because there's hardly any available in the SM I use (half a shelf compared to nearly a full aisle of pods and liquids when I looked this morning) but also because last time I used it my skin was really itchy.
@Topbird - I can't use the so called human friendly 'non bio' powders. They bring older fairylet out in a rash, whereas the chemical laden stuff doesn't!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Something like every 40 washes my machine indicates it needs a self-clean.
I always put a tablespoon of soda crystals in the drum before the 80C cleaning cycle starts.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.