Night rate and Costs to date

NIMAN

No harm, but would none of you lot be wary about running a dryer during the night?

I have often seen advice about not running a dryer when there's no-one at home. There has been a recent spate of recalls for them catching fire.

DrPhilG

NIMAN wrote: »

No harm, but would none of you lot be wary about running a dryer during the night?

I have often seen advice about not running a dryer when there's no-one at home. There has been a recent spate of recalls for them catching fire.

Not only that, but when I was young we had a house fire caused by a dishwasher going up in smoke!

Personally I'm OK with it. Dryer fires are most often caused by not being cleaned out regularly enough, which clogs them and let's heat build up. I clean ours regularly.

I also have 2 smoke alarms within 2 metres of the utility room (dryer) and kitchen (dishwasher). One standalone and one linked into the monitored house alarm.

zilog_jones

Yes, I've also heard of fires caused by dishwashers, electric showers, and Prius PHVs (like mine) when charging. Not sure how many were caused by wiring faults as opposed to the device. It's all about acceptable risks, and mitigating risks where possible.

unkel

I change electricity and gas suppliers every year to avail of the cheapest prices. Sometimes I give my current provider a call to see if they can match the best price in the market. They usually can't but recently enough I had one that did match and gave me €50 off the next bill too. It didn't happen of course, had to ring after it to get it

Generally it's the easiest money you'll make. Typical household will save about €300 by switching both gas and electricity every year (instead of staying on your current providers who will revert to the standard rates after your year's discount runs out)

cros13

I use a heat pump dryer. Way cheaper to run and safer overnight as the heating element is rarely on.

DrPhilG

unkel wrote: »

I change electricity and gas suppliers every year to avail of the cheapest prices. Sometimes I give my current provider a call to see if they can match the best price in the market. They usually can't but recently enough I had one that did match and gave me €50 off the next bill too. It didn't happen of course, had to ring after it to get it

Generally it's the easiest money you'll make. Typical household will save about €300 by switching both gas and electricity every year (instead of staying on your current providers who will revert to the standard rates after your year's discount runs out)

I was on the phone to Electric Ireland this morning submitting a meter reading as the online system wasn't working. I told them I was about to shop around and asked if they could do anything, they said no.

5 minutes later, 1 customer lost.

unkel

Yeah, there's barely any point. Just keep track of your yearly m3 and kWh consumption, fill in your details in bonkers.ie and switch online (having your meter numbers handy). Takes less than 10 minutes. €300 saving for 10 minutes "work" sitting at your desk sipping a tea / coffee. Easiest money ever!

And most people don't seem to be bothered???

DrPhilG

unkel wrote: »

Yeah, there's barely any point. Just keep track of your yearly m3 and kWh consumption, fill in your details in bonkers.ie and switch online (having your meter numbers handy). Takes less than 10 minutes. €300 saving for 10 minutes "work" sitting at your desk sipping a tea / coffee. Easiest money ever!

And most people don't seem to be bothered???

I've been guilty myself.

5 years at my current address and I've never changed electricity supplier. Nor the phone & broadband. That's on the menu for tomorrow. Just need to dig out a bill and see what I'm paying currently.

BoatMad

DrPhilG wrote: »

I've been guilty myself.

5 years at my current address and I've never changed electricity supplier. Nor the phone & broadband. That's on the menu for tomorrow. Just need to dig out a bill and see what I'm paying currently.

I review , electricity , broadband , health insurance , house insurance , motor insurance every year. Change as appropriate

BoatMad

By the way condenser dryers ( i.e. Washer dryer ) typically has two safety thermostats on the dryer element.

Never have the slightest concern running them at night.

zilog_jones

Would modern dishwashers be similar in terms of safety?

BoatMad

zilog_jones wrote: »

Would modern dishwashers be similar in terms of safety?

Yes typically there is two safety thermostats near the water heating element. ( I fix my own white goods )

Very very difficult for a modern white good to burst into flames. RCD protection furthermore adds even more protection. I've never had a concern

crossmolinalad

DrPhilG wrote: »

I use about 55% of my electricity at night rates.

here 95 % on nights
Shower washing drying dishwasher heating fridge freezer almost every energy eater on nighttime
60 Euros a month

BoatMad

isnottheword wrote: »

Is this the lowest nightrate on the market?

Im with them , and I beleive it is, note that its limited to 2000 units per billing period

cros13

crossmolinalad wrote: »

here 95 % on nights
Shower washing drying dishwasher heating fridge freezer almost every energy eater on nighttime
60 Euros a month

That's bloody good going. And I thought I was good with 60% of my consumption on nightrate.

BoatMad wrote: »

Im with them , and I beleive it is, note that its limited to 2000 units per billing period

Yup... me too... though I negotiated a slightly better rate for moving a multi-property account. Broke contract with Airtricity to move, 'cause the difference in rates was enough to make the early termination fee back in a few months.

pwurple

crossmolinalad wrote: »

DrPhilG wrote: »

I use about 55% of my electricity at night rates.

here 95 % on nights
Shower washing drying dishwasher heating fridge freezer almost every energy eater on nighttime
60 Euros a month

90% Wow. That's very good going.
Do you switch your fridge/freezer, wifi routers etc off during the day? 
Is your house vacant during daytime?
Do you use an electric oven, hob or a hairdryer?

I've a heat pump dryer on order alright. it's more expensive, so it better be worth it. 
I'm convinced my ancient fridge freezer is eating electricity. Must get a lend of one of those monitors to check it out.

KCross

crossmolinalad wrote: »

here 95 % on nights
Shower washing drying dishwasher heating fridge freezer almost every energy eater on nighttime
60 Euros a month

95% on night rate?! You definitely dont have a typo there?

You must be obsessive about turning things off during the day (lights, TV, fridge, heating) to achieve 95%?

DrPhilG

BoatMad wrote: »

I review , electricity , broadband , health insurance , house insurance , motor insurance every year. Change as appropriate

I can't change car insurance at the minute due to a never ending outstanding claim.

Don't have health insurance as I work in the North.

I do always shop around for house unusual but bizarrely never end up moving. Quotedevil.ie for the last 5 years on my own house and the one I rent out.

Will definitely be shopping around for electric and phone/broadband again this time next year.

unkel

Just checked and I have 30% on night. No EV yet. Don't put in any effort to run things at night, except the dishwasher runs 4 times a week (1.5kWh per go) and mostly at night rate. The occasional wash at night rate, that's it.

oinkely

We have just changed supplier and have used, since April last year, 2262 units at day rate and 5054 at night rate.

So 70% at night. Cant really see how I could improve that bar getting up extra early to do the ironing! Dishwasher, washing machine, bread machine always run at night. Slow cooker often does. That was charging two leafs at night from april to november, currently just one. but hopefully back to two in the near future.

peposhi

When we first got the Leaf in 2015 we immediately switched to N/D rate. We were paying €135 per month on a budget plan before the switch and currently paying €137 per month . Gas and leccy all included. Currently 40% of leccy consumed during the night.

crossmolinalad

KCross wrote: »

95% on night rate?! You definitely dont have a typo there?

You must be obsessive about turning things off during the day (lights, TV, fridge, heating) to achieve 95%?

yes I'm that obsessive Switching off the mains at the consumer until when leaving the house and switch it on when come back again
No electric use when nobody is there
Have no electric hob using Gas
And all of the expensive users like showers washing machines only in use in the nighttime
is impossible to use on daytime all connected on the old storage heater meter so the whole family has to wait until that's kicking in
storage heaters are disconnected and wall switches are replaced with sockets

peposhi

crossmolinalad wrote:

yes I'm that obsessive Switching off the mains at the consumer until when leaving the house and switch it on when come back again No electric use when nobody is there Have no electric hob using Gas And all of the expensive users like showers washing machines only in use in the nighttime is impossible to use on daytime all connected on the old storage heater meter so the whole family has to wait until that's kicking in storage heaters are disconnected and wall switches are replaced with sockets

... just curious... how do you keep your fridge on?

crossmolinalad

peposhi wrote: »

... just curious... how do you keep your fridge on?

On daytime in summer only in winter kitchen is cold enough to switch it of on daytime
freezer without power can stand 24 hours if unopened but switching on at nighttime to top up the cold and have some icepacks in it

unkel

I recently ate a lobster that was 5 years out of best before date, kept all that time in my freezer (which is always at or below -19C). According to the US FDA, frozen foods keep into perpetuity and are safe to eat provided they are always stored below -18C. Needless to say, I was fine.

From your freezer I would probably have become seriously ill, or worse

Why the extremism? Why go to all that effort? Like to save yourself €1 per day?

isnottheword

unkel wrote: »

I recently ate a lobster that was 5 years out of best before date, kept all that time in my freezer (which is always at or below -19C). According to the US FDA, frozen foods keep into perpetuity and are safe to eat provided they are always stored below -18C. Needless to say, I was fine.

From your freezer I would probably have become seriously ill, or worse

If you'd been switching off the freezer each day for the past 5 years, you'd have built up the requisite immunity. That lobster wouldn't have gotten his bacterial ridden claws into you - you'd have well and truly crushed him.



(j/k - don't try this at home, folks).

unkel

Haha, I like your theory but it would probably have been lobster 1 - unkel †

n97 mini

Frozen food, depending on how it has been packaged, may have been packed in a sterile environment and therefore will keep forever, frozen or not.

unkel

It won't keep forever if it had been left to rot in crossmolinalad's dogy freezer

Mope

On topic: I do not have night rate :O

Will need to ring I guess ESB to check what has to be done to have one installed/setup.