Energy prices, what's your plan?

Last year I melted a hole through the glass plate and set fire to the wheeled support it sits on

 

That's a statistic, saying most are caused by misuse or faulty appliance. Just because there were cases, doesn't mean it is unsafe. What percentage is 600 odd washing machine fires vs washing machine cycles of same period?

If prices are different, where you can save 80% running cost if you ran it overnight, would you entertain the idea of running this overnight?

That's the problem with current single price (or dual-rate) tariffs, there is a lack of incentive for people to shift their habits. Somethings cannot be shifted, stuff can be shifted should be done. The attitude of "I'll do whenever suits me, power station burn another coal if needed" is just wrong on so many levels.

 

Nice link, no LG or Samsung, still won't run them unattended, I say that but in the part of the house mine is in I would not have a clue if there was a fire during the day as its the other side of the house, I did fit a fire alarm in there though.

Generally issues with the heating elements and lint build up

https://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help...iances/3977-tumble-dryer-fire-risks-explained

Also being used on extensions with the washing machine or the shaking of the washing machine leading to an electrical fault.

Heat pump dryer would save that over most conventional condenser dryers. most loads only being a unit.

 

It's a significant a risk that I won't take, for sure I totally get the probability for the hazard to present is low, but when the worst case outcome is death of the whole family I take it seriously.
Hell, even if you take death off the table, the potential loss of every possession your family owns along with the memories they hold isn't worth the risk in my opinion, and thats before the ball ache of trying to find new housing and dealing with insurance company shysters

'Strokes beard contemplatively' Nope, even if the energy co. offered to pay me £10 per appliance per night to run them overnight I wouldn't entertain the thought.

But that's just me, I've been in a house fire which originated in the kitchen, albeit it was a chip pan fire (that should date it) rather than an appliance, but the kitchen is filled with flammable stuff, they get out of hand quickly.
We got out through the windows in the living room very easily and without panic, but that's because it was in the middle of the day, middle of the night I'm not so sure.........

 

Fair enough, family safety is top priority for pretty much everyone. The risk, no matter how small, is still a risk.

But pretty much all of these appliances can still be timed to happen outside of peak hours. Doesn't have to be overnight. It's just overnight is usually the most spare capacity on the grid, cheapest wholesale unit price.

It's crazy non-heat pump dryers are still an option!

 

I don't think we're ever going to agree on the "just shift your usage pattern" argument, so I'm just going to side-step that

Honestly, a good first start would be a regulator that isn't almost completely toothless. Second on the list would be public ownership - it's obscene that such vital infrastructure is owned and operated by profit-driven businesses. Next would be investment in nuclear power. And I'm not talking about gargantuan pork barrel projects like Hinkley Point C, but smaller reactors; there are modern reactor designs that are inherently safe, they literally cannot meltdown, and there are reactor designs that can utilise "spent" fuel from older reactors. This latter point solves two problems at once, reliable power generation and reducing nuclear waste stockpiles - we don't even need to mine or process any more radioactive fuel. And next on the list, far more investment in renewable energy sources and grid storage capacity (which doesn't always have to be LiIon/LiPo batteries).

Honestly I'm with you on this. It doesn't matter what the appliance is, I don't want the risk - I don't want it on when I'm not there or when I'm asleep. Of course there are going to be exceptions like fridges, freezers, and stuff in low-power standby, but everything else can wait until I'm there and I'm awake.

I haven't been in any house fires, but I worked in home insurance claims and I'm well aware of the consequences. The worst case I ever had was someone who suffered a total loss house fire a few days prior and had lost a family member in the fire. We had specialist departments and companies to handle this type of case, so there wasn't much for me to do except make a payment of several grand there and then for food, clothing, accomodation, etc, and then literally walk the claim over to the right team. But that one stuck with me, and you can bet your ass I went home after taking that call.

The most unlikely cause of a fire I ever saw was a shaving mirror. The bathroom window wasn't frosted and the shaving mirror was concave. The sun had hit it at just the right angle to reflect off the mirror, and the mirror was just at the right distance from the curtains for the concave curvature to focus the sun's light into a nice little fire-starting point.

 

Yeah way more washing machines around than dryers because the dryer has to compete with the dishwasher for the one spare appliance spot.

 

Never owned or used a dryer, no intention of ever having one, hell we don't even use the dishwasher

 

You savage.

I am so sick to the back teeth of washing stuff up by hand. When we move I have only two requirements for the kitchen: it has to be at least as big as what we have now (which will be pretty easy to meet), and there must be space for a dishwasher. Or have a utility room where I can put a dishwasher...

 

What is wrong with you people?!

 

I hate them, hate the way they smell, hate the way they make glass feel, current house has one that has sat unused for the past 8 years, I'd ask the landlord to remove it (he was happy enough to get rid of the tumble drier) but have nothing to put in its place
And yes I've tried cleaning them, I've tried new ones, I've tried every washing tablet / powder / salt combo on the market, bleurgh.

 

Ah, to be fair, I'd still probably wash glasses by hand. I do recall from living back with my parents that having glasses going through the dishwasher just wasn't the same as properly hand-washing them.

 

They can come out sort of sticky and dry feeling, like they've got a higher coefficient of friction?

 

Yeah that's about the best way I can think to describe it.

And after enough washes, some glasses can get marked and discoloured.

 

Not sure 'sticky' is the right word, yet is, they take on a strange dryness / texture which makes them sticky, sort of rough but not, you feel like you've got gecko fingers

 

I found getting the rinse aid just right in terms of amount dispensed and type had the biggest effect on the feel of things coming out of the dishwasher.