Alzheimers: Devices and advice re gas and electric in the home

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  • SunnyD's Avatar
    Level 5
    Hi

    Well, this is my last Post, god I know how to enjoy myself on a Friday night! Oh well, cant afford to go out, so Gardeners World with Monty, a cuppa and
    the evening sorting out my bleep bleep bills has finally and sadly come to an end folks!!!!!!!!!

    I have one last question:

    Are there any devices available to help me keep my energy bills down in the home, as I'm a full time live in carer for my mum, who has Alzheimers and is very forgetful, so I'm often turning off lights, the iron and the TV's and radios.

    Before anyone says get a Smart meter, I'm aware this could help, but I'm not keen on the idea at the moment, as I've enough to think about, without a Smart meter that I hear, can very often not be very Smart at all!

    Thanks for reading these folks, espec Mr Melldrew😁😄.

    I'm off to bed now
  • 4 Replies

  • Best Answer

    meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    Best Answer
    @SunnyD

    You should also replace all incandescent /halogen bulbs with LEDs.

    If a lamp uses 50w per hour and lasts 1000 hours then it uses 50 kWh in its lifetime. At current prices that's approximately £15.

    So the lamps cost much more to run than they cost to buy. LEDs cost from £1 (poundland - i find they're ok)) but use about 10% of the electricity. And they last a hell of a lot longer than the old lamps.

    This is an easy and quick win.

    Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
  • Best Answer

    Andy65's Avatar
    Level 47
    Best Answer
    It's worth trying to take a step back @SunnyD and look at what appliances you're using, why, do you really need to use them etc.

    You mentioned an iron, I haven't used one for years. I'm adamant that when I change my bedding no-one could tell whether it's been ironed or not. If you can't do without the iron, do you need to iron everything that you are doing?
    It's surprising how much you can cut back on, once things become habitual we often assume they're necessities when they aren't.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @SunnyD

    i recommend a through meter which monitors the consumption of a single device powered through a 3 pin plug.

    this enables you to identify exactly what uses a lot of energy. Freezer and fridge are prime candidates, especially if they need replacing soon.
  • SunnyD's Avatar
    Level 5
    Hi Meldrewreborn

    Thank you very much for all your answers this evening. I really appreciate it. Off to bed.

    Cheers