Feeling the heat with sky high energy prices

With fuel hitting sky-high prices I've been getting my head out of the clouds and had a closer look at my energy spending.

My average monthly spending is now £120 on petrol, £100 on electricity and £80 on heating oil a month. Total £280-300. 

Here's how I am addressing this.

Petrol is a tricky one so I'll 'park' that as I cannot change where I work which uses the bulk of my spending.

One day I would love to join my neighbours who own an electric car and solar panels to charge it for free, but until then I'll stick to smaller engine cars that can fit all my children in.

Electricity is an area I can address in the here and now. 

I found out just how expensive electric radiators are the hard way. I left one on when abroad for Christmas once - for two weeks! It cost £100. 

I now triple check before departing for more than an afternoon!

Currently I heat a small garden building with one which costs up to 40p an hour. I had put it on a timer coming on for a couple of hours a day but it was never warm when I sporadically used it. 

Solution: a £15 smart plug so I can switch it on from the house half an hour before I head down and leave it off otherwise. I should make the money back by spring.

When my washing machine broke I researched and got a very energy efficient one that is better suited to the size of my family. We can now do a couple of washes less a week in a more efficient washer. 

It will take years to recoup the full costs but if you can afford to spend a bit more when you have to buy something new it'll soon pay off compared to scrimping on something less efficient…

Another saving is tumble dryer balls which reduce the drying time and speed up drying!

Back to heating – this is something my wife can do without. We have settled on 21oC but it has taken us many, many years to get there. 

We’re lucky to have a wood-burning stove and a local, renewable source of cheap wood. One bag of wood costs £5 and I can keep half the house toasty-warm on half a bag a day. 

With the smart valves on the radiators installed last year none of the radiators come on if the house is warm enough and I love nothing more than sitting in front of the fire. Win-Win.

Finally, another Snoop find this month. Amex's 'shop small' is back. A great way to make a little money by shopping locally this Christmas. Spend £15 in selected local shops and get £5 in cashback.