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  • jay's Avatar
    Level 2
    I've been worried about climate change (or global warming as it was known then) for over 45 years and try to live my life accordingly, as best as I can manage. I'm also frugal with money so the two work together when it comes to saving energy. I was told by another energy company customer service adviser that I was the lowest energy user he'd come across in 19 years in the industry!

    Bear in mind I now live alone so there's nobody else using any power. Also I'm in a small mid terrace house which helps. The way I do it is I always use the microwave to heat my breakfast porridge and cook one vegetable casserole per day. I never use my cooker. Evenings I have salad etc regardless of the weather. Recently I have started having 1-2 cups of coffee a day but make sure I only fill the kettle to the minimum level which covers the element. There's usually a mark on the side of the kettle to guide you.
    I never leave any lights on in rooms I'm not using and all my bulbs are energy saving. I don't like centrally heated houses, they feel too dry and stuffy, so I only have my heating on for 30-40 minutes in the morning with thermostat set at 18 celsius. 20 would be much too hot and wasteful for me. In cold weather I wear lots of layers of warm clothes and when I'm sitting down I wrap myself in wooly covers plus usually have a cat or two sitting on my lap and my dog at my side :) I don't wash top layers of clothes like jumpers etc, only those which are next to my skin and certainly not after one wearing. I don't like showers so don't have them very often, but have a daily sink wash instead. (My friends assure me I don't smell!). This all fits with my childhood where ours, like most houses, didn't have CH. My vacuum cleaner is battery operated and I only use it when necessary. I use a manual carpet sweeper every day. Easy, quiet, and people powered.
    My one big electricity consumption is the electric car which ofc I have for environmental reasons but it does need charging. The Power Payback has been an incentive to be more mindful of when I charge it and I now avoid high usage times like tea time. Might be good if Utilita, like Octupus energy, offered a cheaper rate during the night.
    During the 1st paypack I went out for a 45 min walk so only the fridge and wifi were on. On return, used my tablet and one light before going through to kitchen to prepare food. Today I unexpectedly fell asleep during the whole 90 mins so that was handy!
    Hope that helps! As with any changes, if it feels too daunting maybe just start with one thing, like being careful about lights left on and slowly build up to other things.
    Last edited by jay; 01-12-23 at 20:06. Reason: typos
  • 4 Replies

  • Rebecca's Avatar
    Head of Community
    @jay Hi there 🤗

    What a fabulous post in regards to how you save energy in general, and how you are making the most of this alongside participating in Power Payback! ⚡

    It sounds like you have really got into a rhythm with this mindset over the years, and that it works well for your routine and lifestyle.

    I know for a fact this will help other members on here with saving energy in general, as well as some useful hacks for saving with Power Payback! 🤗

    If you manage to find any other useful hacks, please doe feel free to make more posts - this one was fabulous!

    I have heard another great saving tip lately - filling up a thermos with the overall amount of coffee/tea you would usually drink in one day - then you only have to boil the kettle once and the thermos will keep it nice & warm all day! Let me know if you try that out and of you notice it makes a difference.

    Rebecca - your Utilita Community Manager 😊
    I am your Community Manager! 😀

    To post a new thread about anything you like click here

    Feel free to message me any time by clicking here
    🤗
  • jay's Avatar
    Level 2
    @Rebecca Great idea to use the thermos! I'll definitely give that a try. Thanks x
  • jay's Avatar
    Level 2
    @jay I made this post at the suggestion of Rebecca and was hoping to share some helpful tips. I'm taken aback by the fact it's had 323 views and only one thumbs up, which is from Rebecca. Does that mean my post is not helpful? I would be interested to hear from anyone who read but didn't really like the post. I did try very hard not to make the post to preachy. Did I fail?
  • Rebecca's Avatar
    Head of Community
    @jay I would not call it a fail at all, sometimes readership is just higher than anyone actually reacting.

    Also, these views could also be from non-members who are reading but not signing up to be an active community member.

    Give it some time and I am sure more people will see the post - I am also sharing it with other users as help content in regards to 'top tips' for Power Payback! 🤗

    We are trying to encourage more Power Payback participants onto the community for help and to share their tips, so there should be more traffic soon, Jay! 🤩

    Keep up the great advice! 👍
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