Stop flicking the switch

Me and my three pusscats are snug and warm inside our cosy house. No we don't have the heating on we don't need it. They have their fur coats, and I have my layers. All the internal doors are open, I like them to have the run of the house to come and go as they please, and I am often up and down, moving from room to room. The windows in the living room have two sets of curtains hanging on each, making double insulation. It is not cold tonight anyway. 

I am becoming more aware of the consequences of flicking switches on either electrical or gas appliances. Every time I flick a switch it costs me money, so before I do it I ask myself, do I really need to. Am I really that cold, do I need to spend some money on an hour of heat. Mostly the answer is no, sometimes it is yes, so I treat myself to an hour of central heating, or put the gas fire on in the living room. Don't feel sorry for me, I am not a poor pensioner who has to make the choice between heating and eating. I can afford to do both, it's just that I don't actually need much heating because after years of working outdoors in all weathers I like fresh air, and hate stuffy rooms. Even now, tonight, I have windows upstairs open an inch to encourage a circulation of air through the house. You know my food situation, I eat well within my budget, because I know how to budget, so no hardships there.  

I noticed on my last utilities bill that my electricity consumption has dropped. Normally it's higher than the gas, but this time it's lower. That's because I have been taking steps to cut back on flicking switches. Ever since Autumn and the start of shorter days and longer nights, I have been looking at ways I can save money on electricity, and that means, looking for ways of using it economically, or not using it at all.  

I no longer boil a kettle for my coffee in the morning. My kettle has an element in the bottom, I cannot put one mug of water in there because it won't cover the element, so I always ended up with two mugs of hot water, one of which doesn't get used. I know you can put it into a flask and use it later, but I only ever have one mug of coffee, the rest of the day I have cold watered down fruit juice. So what do I do now? I put my mug of cold water in the microwave and heat it that way. The benefit of that is the mug also gets hot, so the drink stays hot for longer. 

What else do I do to cut down? A lot of people leave the TV on for background noise, as they go about their daily tasks. I don't have a tele, but I do have a radio. I only switch it on when I actually want to listen to something. There are a few programmes which interest me, and if I am doing something in the living room I will listen while I am crafting. Once the programme is over, or I move to another room, I switch it off. No point in paying for electricity if I am not listening to it. 

Let's look at lighting. These Christmas lights were free, I found them in the house clearing skip I mentioned a few months ago. They are now permanently installed in my living room. I no longer flick the switch on the wall to put the main ceiling light on. I am hoping that these small candle lights use less electricity. 

I also use a desk light. This is my table in the living room. These two lights are enough for me to see what I am doing, and it gives a cosy feel to the room. I don't need any more light than this. I also don't spend much time on the big computer upstairs in the winter. I use my small netbook. I am sure this is saving me money.

Over my clothes I wear a large, man's fleecy dressing gown, which has a handy pocket on the front. In here is my small wind up torch. When I move from room to room I don't flick a switch and put a light on, I use the torch to guide me through the dark house. I might go to the kitchen to get something out of the fridge.

 Aha, there is a light inside the fridge, that's very handy.

About three or more years ago, can't remember how long ago, the strip light on the ceiling packed up. Well I suppose it could be just the little round switch thing, or it could be the whole tube which needs replacing. I'm not bothered about it, because I don't need it. All I need is this small lamp. It gives out sufficient light for me to see what I am doing, on the area of the worktop that I am preparing my meals on. I don't need the whole blooming kitchen lit up. Just one small bulb is fine. 

So, I use the torch to go upstairs to the bathroom. The cats are all asleep so there is no danger of me falling over them. Surely everyone can spend a penny in the dark, I know where my toilet paper is, and the sink is next to the toilet, and the towel is on the stool. Easy peasy.

Here is my little torch. I take it to bed with me and lay it next to my pillow, so it is there if I need to get up in the night. When I wake in the morning I reach for the torch to shine it on my wrist watch to find out what time it is. It is so very handy, and I'm sure it is saving me money.

So, don't forget, stop flicking the switch if you want to cut down on your utilities. Every time you switch something on it gobbles electricity and gas, and it's going to cost you money. I don't have one of those fancy gadgets that tells you how much each appliance uses, I use my common sense. I don't read my meters weekly, because there is only me here, and I know more or less what I use, so no nasty surprises. My little wind up torch will stay in my pocket until the spring, when the daylight hours will be getting longer. Until then I will live in my twilight world inside my cosy house.
Toodle pip