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Extra Uses For Off-Peak Electricity
- Thread starter ME_UK
- Start date
ElectricPolice
Member
If you have to ask the question I’m guessing, no disrespect, you haven’t done it?
No problem with smells if machine isn’t rammed with washing and taken out normal morning time in our house? Have been doing this for a couple of years and no funny looks from friends and family yet. Smelly washing easy to notice, I’m a little particular to smells, the wife more so and would be on me instantly if not to standard. Don’t get me wrong, it has happened so requires another wash but we’re talking left for a prolonged period, usually 8h+.
Biggest issue these days for us is cold washes, it just doesn’t cut the mustard. I use 50oC minimum where possible unless woolly or gym wear which itself requires a good old soak. Forget quick washes..
Clean clothes in clean water shouldn’t smell bad in a couple of hours, provided your washing machine isn’t minging.
Jason71
Well-Known Member
How much bacterial growth are you Expecting in 2 hours in clean clothes and water?
@ElectricPolice & @Jason71 yep I haven't tried it, hence the question. I just know when I've accidentally left clothes in a machine in the past they've needed a re wash, though never timed it to know the "stinking point"!
Now I just need to work out if the noise of the machine or the beep at the end would wake me up!
Now I just need to work out if the noise of the machine or the beep at the end would wake me up!
Country Boy
Member
What a wonderful thread. I am glad to come in from the cold and meet my like minded nighttime energy users.
I have 4.8kW solar, and power wall. 2 EVs. I'm on a conventional E7 tariff.
In the summer I am virtually self sufficient in electricity. Washing and dishwashing done during the day on solar & Battery. Zappi charger charges car when power wall is full.
In winter dishwasher and washing done at night. Charge power wall from grid overnight and don't take anything (well maybe 300-400 watts) from the grid during the day.
I have 4.8kW solar, and power wall. 2 EVs. I'm on a conventional E7 tariff.
In the summer I am virtually self sufficient in electricity. Washing and dishwashing done during the day on solar & Battery. Zappi charger charges car when power wall is full.
In winter dishwasher and washing done at night. Charge power wall from grid overnight and don't take anything (well maybe 300-400 watts) from the grid during the day.
Country Boy
Member
Regards the washing machine.
Looking at the energy usage, it is mainly at the beginning of a cycle when the water is being heated. The rest of the time the motor doesn't use very much at all.
If your cheap rate ends at 4:30, you could consider starting the was cycle at 4am. Depending on your machine, this would heat the water on the cheap rate, but not finish the washing until 6:30, leaving an hour or so before you get up to hang it out...
I do agree if the washing is left for hours damp clothes in the machine it does start to smell requiring another was which defeats the object.
Dishwashers, on the other hand tend to have a period at the beginning of the cycle where they rinse with cold water. The heater kicks in later (about 50 minutes with ours on economy) for the main wash and again for the drying cycle. There is not a problem leaving stuff in the dishwasher as the heat and chemicals sterilises everything.
Looking at the energy usage, it is mainly at the beginning of a cycle when the water is being heated. The rest of the time the motor doesn't use very much at all.
If your cheap rate ends at 4:30, you could consider starting the was cycle at 4am. Depending on your machine, this would heat the water on the cheap rate, but not finish the washing until 6:30, leaving an hour or so before you get up to hang it out...
I do agree if the washing is left for hours damp clothes in the machine it does start to smell requiring another was which defeats the object.
Dishwashers, on the other hand tend to have a period at the beginning of the cycle where they rinse with cold water. The heater kicks in later (about 50 minutes with ours on economy) for the main wash and again for the drying cycle. There is not a problem leaving stuff in the dishwasher as the heat and chemicals sterilises everything.
ElectricPolice
Member
I concur with exactly what you’re saying. I’ve done the same and viewed the energy usage and on various cycles so, as you say, can start the dishwasher on an eco cycle then after an hour start the washing machine. The latter has used its energy by the time the dishwasher drying cycle kicks in 2 hours later.
As I was told when I bought solar it’s all about spreading the load so as not to exceed the inverter output, in my case the usual 3.68kW.
I hadn’t thought about running the washing machine later so might consider that in the future as an option. As I’m a rubbish sleeper sometimes I get up at 3am and load the tumble dryer.
What have I become
Drew57
Active ember
I'd like to consider one or two night storage heaters to charge up overnight (Intelligent Octopus, winter months) for the part of the house most commonly used in the day.
Can anyone recommend a product to achieve the following:
& To give me some idea....From an ambient ~6ºC in a 12m² space, what energy rating would be required (2kW, 2.5kW etc) to give at least 6 hours heat at 19-20ºC?
Can anyone recommend a product to achieve the following:
- Charge overnight to set schedule, discharge programmable preferably via an app or wifi
- Discharge easily adjustable to accommodate different daily requirements but can also accommodate simple on-off
- Moveable
- Can be plugged in, not hard wired
& To give me some idea....From an ambient ~6ºC in a 12m² space, what energy rating would be required (2kW, 2.5kW etc) to give at least 6 hours heat at 19-20ºC?
With a storage heater, you're literally heating a pile of bricks with a resistivity heating element. Even the smallest storage heater is shipped in 3 parts. Heater, set of bricks 1, set of bricks 2. Afraid there isn't any way you're going to get an easily moveable version.
You're also looking to charge in 4hrs, when most will be optimised for economy 7.
I admire your desire to load shift, but unless you're going to fully commit to storage heaters in the house all year round (And see if you can get E7 / Go Faster), I don't think this will be practical.
IO here.
Still in the process convincing wife to do washing/drying during the night.
- 1 EV, charge off peak only.
- dishwasher off-peak only.
- both work from home most of the time. When it's just regular use (3 monitors, 2 laptops, fridge and fish tank) then my usage is ~350-400w. so on quiet day I should be using up to 8 kwh on regular use.
- kettle is 2kw, toaster 1 kw. but these are for short spikes only.
- similar figures for oven. this one is painful.
- washing machine is good enough that the usage during the cycle is not that bad (wife uses 65 deg for whites, 30 for everything else) and heat pump dryer is NOT THAT BAD too, although I think it consumes more than washing machine. but due to stubbornness we use them during peak...
- floor heating is 200-300W each bathroom
- towel rails is 400 W each. usually start in the evening (after 10-11 pm) and switch off early morning, before 8. Will upgrade to thermostats with timers.
- all in all - I think I can live with 4 kw inverter and 9 kwh battery even without solar...
trying to sort out solar with batteries/batteries only quotes and to do the calcs.
Still in the process convincing wife to do washing/drying during the night.
- 1 EV, charge off peak only.
- dishwasher off-peak only.
- both work from home most of the time. When it's just regular use (3 monitors, 2 laptops, fridge and fish tank) then my usage is ~350-400w. so on quiet day I should be using up to 8 kwh on regular use.
- kettle is 2kw, toaster 1 kw. but these are for short spikes only.
- similar figures for oven. this one is painful.
- washing machine is good enough that the usage during the cycle is not that bad (wife uses 65 deg for whites, 30 for everything else) and heat pump dryer is NOT THAT BAD too, although I think it consumes more than washing machine. but due to stubbornness we use them during peak...
- floor heating is 200-300W each bathroom
- towel rails is 400 W each. usually start in the evening (after 10-11 pm) and switch off early morning, before 8. Will upgrade to thermostats with timers.
- all in all - I think I can live with 4 kw inverter and 9 kwh battery even without solar...
trying to sort out solar with batteries/batteries only quotes and to do the calcs.
- A standard tumble drier is going to pull 2kw for 90m-2h, lobbing the heat out the side of the building. Let's say 3.5kWh
- A heatpump drier will pull 400-600w for 2.5-3 hours. Let's say 1.25kWh
A 40c cotton wash is about 0.75kwh. 60c more (1kWh), 30c less..
Not a lot in it for a heatpump, but enough to make a decent saving. Only thing is, I'd be really hesitant to run a standard tumble drier while sleeping.
Steve
May depend on the dryer - worth a look on condensing dryers vs newer washing machines. I don't know the answer (yet) need to do a 'lone' cycle in the night
mine is condensing with the heatpump.May depend on the dryer - worth a look on condensing dryers vs newer washing machines. I don't know the answer (yet) need to do a 'lone' cycle in the night
as per manufacturers:
- Bosh washer (A+++) consumes per cycle (60c full load) <1kwh
- Beko dryer (A with Heatpump) consumes per cycle 2.5 kwh (1.5kwh if part load)
scdoubleu
Member
Recently swapped our ailing resistive tumble dryer for a heat-pump model. 400-600 watts is about right, but we're finding drying times to be not that much different to the old dryer. A load of towels is still around 2 hours, but things like bed sheets are dry in an hour.
As you say, a standard dryer throws the heat outside. Whereas the heat-pump model nicely heats our utility/kitchen area.
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You ideally need a washer dryer combined otherwise you have wet laundry hanging around all day to go on during the following off peak cycle (unless you wake up in the night).
Was looking at heated airers but £150 means it’d take a year or so to pay its self off. Having said that I’d keep my study a bit warmer and smelling fresh.
Was looking at heated airers but £150 means it’d take a year or so to pay its self off. Having said that I’d keep my study a bit warmer and smelling fresh.
as in my post:
- Bosh washer (A+++) consumes per cycle (60c full load) <1kwh, less if lower temp.
- Beko dryer (A) with Heatpump consumes per cycle 2.5 kwh (1.5kwh if part load)
this is from datasheet. observations somewhat similar.
Just checked on my Miele app - and the last 40 degree wash used 49l of water (Wife put it on heavy soiling and water plus) but only 0.5kWh of energy.... impressed by that. Not sure about the Siemens condenser drier. No App for that one.
We have a condensing heatpump dryer and it uses about the same amount as washing machine - around 1kwh for a load in each. Try to put the washing machine on in the evening, and then set the dryer to run overnight
Drew57
Active ember
My post was at a 'consider' stage but I subsequently decided against this prior to reading your reply.
I've also looked at a freestanding infrared heater panel because my wife is often at home for several hours during the day, mainly in the open plan kitchen-dining-conservatory area. Maybe I will try one as the cost is relatively low & it would be powered from overnight battery storage plus any winter solar generation on cold sunnier days.
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