Since I have tried to keep a tighter control of my energy costs, I was a little shocked to discover the following about my domestic system. We have a Neff electric cooker, bought and replaced several years as well as a Panasonic multi-use microwave-grill-convection oven. When I looked at the rating plates on each (4.6kw and 1.4 kw respectively) and then computed the cost of about 40 minutes usage in a typical day, then the difference came to about 60p a day which is evidently £18 a month if used on a daily basis. So I have now consulted my manual and started the to use the ‘oven’ function within it which is really simplicity itself. These figures might be a slight over-estimate because I tend to use the electric oven at a temperature of 180° rather than its theoretical maximum but it makes the air fryer I saw being sold in my local Aldi at a price of £40 pay for itself a couple of months. I am not tempted to go down the air fryer route again having done it once and then given my appliance away but I might be tempted to reconsider if my calculations are correct. As part of my ‘recording drive’ throughout this month of February, I am recording my daily energy consumption daily in an old diary and then making cross-checks with the smart meter and with the readings indicated in my Octopus energy account. So far, my careful energy housekeeping as generated savings of over £80 a month as Octopus have accepted the lower figure for my monthly bill that I have suggested rather than own calculated figure. With rising energy costs all over the country, I am sure that other households are going through a similar exercise but it does make one think. I have often thought that one solution to the country’s energy problems might be a massive government led programme to increase the insulation levels of each house to about 2-3 times the existing standards and the savings associated with this would be experienced immediately and must equate to the output of a nuclear power station but as a low tech solution and not backed by huge commercial interests is not really favoured by governments. When I worked at the University of Winchester, a new library and IT building was constructed which, in its time, was one of the ‘greenest’ in Europe as it deployed little or no actual heating systems. Instead, the heat produced by the human bodies within it coupled with the heat of the computer systems and some natural solar gain was all recycled by a sophisticated system that was built in at the design stage. I have explored the idea of radiator reflector packs that reflect heat back into the room and one market leader reckons that the product will have a payback time of reduced energy costs within a year. This all makes one think of course, even allowing for a bit of manufacturer’s ‘hype’ but in the meanwhile, we just have to tunnel through this winter and wait for spring to arrive.
Friday is when our domestic help arrives and, of course, I was pleased to see her. But first we add the scenario which is all too common these days when I got a text asking if I could act as second helper to the very amiable and capable care worker who had been allocated to us. On days such as today, we ensure that Meg after she has been clothes is put into her wheelchair because if the weather turns out better, we always have the option to wheel her down the hill to collect our newspaper. But today was one of those cloudy and rather windy days when it might feel colder than it actually is so I did not take too much persuading that it was better that we give our walk a miss for the day. Our domestic help set to work on the microwave which badly needed a cleaning, and which was a job I had got allocated to myself later on in the day. She made a pretty good job of it but there are still some stubborn marks to be removed. Consulting the web, there is advice that one can avoid harsh oven cleaning chemicals but merely loosen the stains with a bowlful of boiling water which steams the inside of the microwave and loosens the burnt-on marks. It was also suggested that to the boiling water one adds some lemon juice and white vinegar which, of course, everyone has in their stock cupboard. I know that some weeks ago I had located some white vinegar but I spent an age looking for it amidst the myriads of chemical preparations held underneath our sink but without success. Once I get it from nearly clean to absolutely clean state, I must make this into a weekly or even twice weekly job to keep it in a pristine condition. I must always remember to use a splatter guard as well and this assumes a greater importance as I intend to use the microwave in preference to the normal oven these days. Talking to friends and carers, I think I am not alone in making the switch away from conventional ovens to much more economical alternatives.
I made a particularly tasty risotto for lunch today but as is usual these days, made rather too much. So I have save one half of it and that will serve well for the ‘fish’ meal that we have on Tuesdays. Meanwhile, the weather is cold in the afternoon that I was looking for something hot to serve with a bowlful of custard. Not having bought an apple pie as I sometimes do, I looked in our fruit bowl and stewed the remaining apples that I had supplemented with a few sultanas. The workers were scheduled to come quite early on in the evening so I did some preparation in the afternoon so I can quickly prepare the tea whilst we watch the 6.00pm news.
I saw some heart-rending video on Sky News during the day. South Africa is home to one of the world’s worst HIV/AIDS epidemics. At least 8.5 million people here are living with HIV – and now their treatment is in doubt thanks to Trump’s executive order to freeze foreign aid for 90 days. The video tape shows HIV infected patients coming along to a clinic to receive the drugs that will keep HIV at bay only for them to be turned away – presumably only to have an imminent death in prospect.