A frugal life is an easy life!

For the draining of household finances, there is no bigger burden [that I am aware of] than that of the energy companies.
The examples of mis-selling, mis representation and often blatant untruths are out there for all to see.
Is there any other industry in Britain today that has been fined more than energy companies for their failings?

Years of ineffectual "regulation" (use that term loosely) - a complete lack of reality or understanding of the financial damage that the energy companies are inflicting on the people from successive governments via the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) - an Energy Saving Trust (EST) body that publishes all over the media and internet about the so called saving money, energy saving features of everything from new boilers to lamp bulbs, which, on their own figures and percentages, a maximum "bill saving per year" will not cover the costs of having the energy saving measures put in.
The EST are funded by both the taxpayer and private sector companies [which conveniently provide not only the percentages for the "efficiency" of their goods, but also pay money to the EST!] to the tune of Millions of pounds a year.

For years now, my own home has been subjected to increases in prices, standing charges, lies, mis representations and, in the case of British gas and Eon, billing and statements that even their own staff have not the foggiest idea how to work out.

Well just two words for British gas and Eon * No not those two words! - NO MORE!

This winter, some of our friends and neighbours will have to decide something I didn't think could happen in my lifetime, they have to decide whether to heat or eat.
Back in March 2011, I decided that it was time to give our family something we have not had or needed for more than 20 years, a choice.
Unbeknown to myself, price rises would come soon after followed by an enormous price rise at the beginning of August.

In June 2011, I sourced us a 16KW log/peat/coal burner and had it delivered, where it has sat in the hallway until last Friday. The old back boiler ripped out, the brickwork repaired to a safe standard, rendering of sand, cement and lime has been applied, a metal shelf for the flue to sit in has been bent, cut and fitted, a stone hearth has been created out of a large stone flag and a huge piece of stone that took four people to lift into place. The area around the burner has been finished with two coats of sandtex and the flue pipe bought, sealed with fire cement and fitted.
The chimney has had a new pot put on and a cowl inserted to stop rainfall down the chimney.

Last Friday we fired it up for the first time, small fire at first to help the cast iron burner's paint to seal itself.
By Saturday we started cranking it up to see how warm we could get the house. WOW!
Sunday it was on since teatime as it was tonight. Our open plan front room is reaching 2 degrees higher that our gas central heating was when on full.
The chimney stack running up through our bedroom is heating it so much so, we have to sleep with a window open.
The heat from the burner is going through into the kitchen and up our open plan stairway, heating landing, bathroom and other bedrooms.

Now the beauty of it so far...

* Where you see a pile of newspapers to recycle, I see free fire lighters. Collected twice a week from family, at a cost to us of NIL.
* Where you see old white pallets, I hope to secure a regular supply of smashed up old pallets to use as kindling, at a cost to us of NIL.
* Where you see a tree chopped down where you may walk or pass on the way to work, I see, with a bit of application, 2-3 months energy to heat our home, at a cost to us of NIL!

For 7 small logs, I can heat our home for around 9 hours.
If there is a really cold spell this winter, as some of our neighbours found to their cost last winter, the breather pipes on their "energy efficient boilers" froze, leaving them without heating or hot water, we will not be effected too much as our burner is big enough to hold a large kettle and three large pans.
If there is a power cut, our boiler won't be able to fire up (most have electronic ignitions now instead of a pilot light) yet we can continue to have hot water and heat via our burner.

There is some initial outlay for the burner and fitting it, but nothing like the cheapest quote I got for "fitting" it, £650 was the cheapest fitting price, we have prepared the area where it is for around £240 (only because the old back boiler left such a mess after removal that it had to be bricked back up again) that is including materials.
There is also a bit of work in cutting the logs and driving out to get them, but I'd rather do a bit of work than pay way over the odds for heating/cooking etc.

Over the coming 6 months I will be monitoring the amount of gas we are using, as well as comparing what we are spending each month to what we have spent over the last 2 winters.
If comparison goes well, it is currently 4 days since we had to use the gas central heating, the burner should have paid for itself by February 2012.
Including the installation costs and a chain saw to chop up the logs, by September 2012, gas savings should have paid for those as well.

All this has been possible because the family have dug in and helped in some way, whether it's cutting logs, very heavy lifting, working long hours of overtime. Our neighbours have helped by giving up their time and advice.

I shall keep this post updated with falling gas use and real energy/money saving progress.
The message for British gas and Eon is simple, you have held our family to ransom for far too long... NO MORE!