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Electricity Usage

Making your money go further
Dod101
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Electricity Usage

#451840

Postby Dod101 » October 20th, 2021, 11:36 pm

For the last 5 years or so I have been tracking my electricity usage (rather than tracking my electricity cost; they are separate issues). For the current quarter, I have used less electricity than ever before. I think it is because of two factors. The first and very easy one is that I only boil as much water as I need (more or less) in my kettle. The second is that I have been conscientiously converting my lights to LED; in my kitchen and bathroom in particular because they are the places I spend quite some time in. With five downlighters in my bathroom for instance, instead of using 250 watts or so I am now using about 25 watts for what is a better light. Certainly they cost more than the old halogen bulbs to replace but they last much longer, about five years longer.

I am thus doing my bit for climate change and saving money, despite running a petrol driven car!

gryffron
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451848

Postby gryffron » October 20th, 2021, 11:56 pm

Dod101 wrote: Certainly they cost more than the old halogen bulbs to replace but they last much longer, about five years longer.

Do they? Pound shops sell LED bulbs. And although they’re not as bright as the full price ones, they’re fine for hallways, bathroom etc.

I don’t know how long LED bulbs last. I’ve never had to replace one yet.

Hated halogen bulbs. They always start really dim. Glad to be rid of them. Even replaced the large kitchen tube with an LED one. It’s wonderful, just comes on, just like that. Click, on! No flicker flicker flicker flicker pause pause light.

I thought it was very funny when my usual online light supplier sent an email entitled “Last chance to buy halogen bulbs!”. Yeah right, good riddance.

Gryff

Dod101
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451854

Postby Dod101 » October 21st, 2021, 12:57 am

gryffron wrote:
Dod101 wrote: Certainly they cost more than the old halogen bulbs to replace but they last much longer, about five years longer.

Do they? Pound shops sell LED bulbs. And although they’re not as bright as the full price ones, they’re fine for hallways, bathroom etc.

I don’t know how long LED bulbs last. I’ve never had to replace one yet.

Hated halogen bulbs. They always start really dim. Glad to be rid of them. Even replaced the large kitchen tube with an LED one. It’s wonderful, just comes on, just like that. Click, on! No flicker flicker flicker flicker pause pause light.

I thought it was very funny when my usual online light supplier sent an email entitled “Last chance to buy halogen bulbs!”. Yeah right, good riddance.

Gryff


I have replaced one or two at about four years or so but they are so much better value! My local supplier was the opposite. She said 'Very sorry but we cannot sell halogen from next Wednesday (or whatever) but you will find the new LEDs so much better.......'!

Dod

DrFfybes
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451891

Postby DrFfybes » October 21st, 2021, 9:08 am

I think someone is confusing Halogen with the old 'energy saver' CFL ones - Halogen are instant on.

Personally I'm not convinced LEDs last any longer than filaments. In fact on average I reckon they will be worse. Filament lamps generally last 10 minutes or 10 years. I can't remember last time I changed a normal one that just went pop. There are numerous outside lights here with them in which will require major work to open when the bulb blows, probably easier to cut it off and replace the whole thing.

When we moved last year the bedroom had 8 35W GU10 lamps in 2 fittings. Only 5 were installed and working (a pattern repeated around the house - it seemed the vendors idea of saving money was simply to remove half the bulbs).

Anyway I replace all 4 lights in one fitting with LAP ones from Screwfix - they had one pack of 5 in store - and put the incadescents in the other fitting. 12 months on one of the LEDs has saterted buzzing loudly, but the others are fine. In another bedroom one of the 3 long barrel Crompton branded LEDs I fitted has failed.

Perhaps I should have kept the receipts :)

One thing I am trying to avoid is the fittings with the fancy inbuilt LED strips - when they fail it inolves trying to replace a ceiling fitting on crumbling lathe and plaster. In the bathrooms I fitted a total of 8 of the Wickes LED downlights, the only IP rated ones large enough to fill the old brass effect 'eyeball' ones I removed. These do have the LED built in, but will never fail, as I bought spares.

Back to the OP - I take monthly readings, and our electricity use is pretty constant at 10-11kWh/day April - October, rising a couple of kWh in winter. However the vast majority of that is the fish tank, fridge, and freezer, and I suspect the 200W fishtank heater runs a bit harder in winter overnight.

Paul

pje16
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451898

Postby pje16 » October 21st, 2021, 9:26 am

DrFfybes wrote:Personally I'm not convinced LEDs last any longer than filaments. In fact on average I reckon they will be worse.

A google search will show that they last a LOT longer than filament bulbs
https://www.google.com/search?&q=how+lo ... bulbs+last

DrFfybes wrote:12 months on one of the LEDs has saterted buzzing loudly, but the others are fine. In another bedroom one of the 3 long barrel Crompton branded LEDs I fitted has failed.

Both of these incidents may well be attributable to "dirty" connections
https://ledlightinginfo.com/my-led-ligh ... urning-out

I have never replaced any

Dod101
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451901

Postby Dod101 » October 21st, 2021, 9:41 am

Halogen lamps I found to be perfectly good. Instant light and I am referring to two types in particular. GU10 downlighters and these come/came either low voltage (with a transformer for each bulb) or 240V mains bulbs. The latter can be directly replaced with LEDs , for the others the transformers need to be removed.

The other halogen lights that I have are very small G4s. They last no time at all and the entire fitting needs to be replaced to get rid of them. That is my current task.

For table lamps these have an assortment of 'long life' type bulbs. The early ones with the screw type filament were hopeless; poor light and although they lasted a good time, the light was never much good and needed to 'warm up'. These can now be replaced with LED bulbs.

The other thing is the K value which in my experience ranges from 2000K (a warm not very good light) to 6500K, a bright white light. All very complicated.

My point is though that they save a lot of electricity and undoubtedly last longer. My kitchen has LED downlighters and they have been in position for at least four years and none has so far had to be replaced. From my own experience the el cheapo ones available do not last long and more expensive ones definitely last longer.

Of course in the old days when we all used the then ubiquitous 60W and 100W filament bulbs it was easy but they were expensive to run and did not last long compared to LED.

Dod

Cornytiv34
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451963

Postby Cornytiv34 » October 21st, 2021, 12:23 pm

We have also kept monthly records of electricity, gas and water usage so this is interesting. Gas for central heating and hot water & live in Devon.

External ground area of mid 2000 3 bedroom semi x 2 =116 SqM floor area.

Annual average usage per SqM Kwh
13 year Elec 8 Gas 24 Total 35 = 1.25 Kwh per SqM
5 year Elec 6 Gas 22 Total 28 = 1.00 Kwh per SqM

We have replaced lights with more efficient ones as they failed and so have a mixture. Stopped using Electric for hot water some time ago because of the price differential.

Fortunately renewed Octopus in July with a fixed 2 year deal. Phew!

Mike

DrFfybes
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Re: Electricity Usage

#451994

Postby DrFfybes » October 21st, 2021, 1:38 pm

pje16 wrote:
DrFfybes wrote:Personally I'm not convinced LEDs last any longer than filaments. In fact on average I reckon they will be worse.

A google search will show that they last a LOT longer than filament bulbs
https://www.google.com/search?&q=how+lo ... bulbs+last


Actually, most of those hits seem to explan wy they don't last like they claim :)
But at the moment that is all it is - a claim. Having worked in streetlghting I know a lot of these are based on extrapolating data, switching frequency, load, etc. In the real world of brownouts, fluctuating voltage, frequent on/off, humidity, etc things might not be the same. Having a light fitting above a radiator or near a woodburner never used to be a problem, and the cost and mess of moving one massively outweighs the energy savings.

DrFfybes wrote:12 months on one of the LEDs has saterted buzzing loudly, but the others are fine. In another bedroom one of the 3 long barrel Crompton branded LEDs I fitted has failed.

Both of these incidents may well be attributable to "dirty" connections
https://ledlightinginfo.com/my-led-ligh ... urning-out

I have never replaced any


I have certainly replaced more LEDs than old style ones in the last couple of years, probably as I made the naive assumption I could just swap them like for like. But therein lies the problem. A lightbulb is a lightbulb, and the new ones should work like the old ones.

The bedroom replacement one is fine - the old bulb resonated, and gripping the sides of it stops this. It rattles when shaken. I hadn't thought about dirty contacts, but tbh if a fliament lamp lasts in a fitting and an LED doesn't then that is down to the bulb not being correct for the use. If they said "lasts 10 years in a brand new clean light fitting in a dry environment at a steady 230V" then fine, if not and I shove it in a spider ridden coach lamp above the porch then it should outlast the filament lamp that went in with the fitting 18 years ago :)

It's like introducing a new 'green' fuel and then telling people their old cars won't work on it, not that the govt would be that daft.

Paul

JohnB
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Re: Electricity Usage

#452003

Postby JohnB » October 21st, 2021, 1:59 pm

I'm still buying fluorescent tubes (and the Amazon seller keeps warning that the supply is drying up), because changing the fittings would be a PITA. There are LED plug-in replacements, except the small print says you need to disable something in the socket, so they aren't really plug-in. They are the flicker, flicker on type. Energy costs certainly play second fiddle to electrician costs.

Dod101
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Re: Electricity Usage

#452057

Postby Dod101 » October 21st, 2021, 5:14 pm

I think the problem people have with LED bulbs is that they are using them in the wrong fittings. I have had an electrician in to tell me where I need to change the fittings and where that has happened I have had no problems. I have in th least four years I think, had to replace only one LED downlighter and I have about 20 or so in different rooms. With the old halogen ones I was replacing one at least every month. It is so long since I used incandescent ones that I really do not remember but they did not last very long. Like Paul though I think I have one or two in outside lights which are seldom used.

Interesting his usage because that is about what I use, about 10 KW a day over the summer months and a little more in the winter (mainly I think because my oil fired boiler which provides central heating needs electricity as well).

Dod


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