Saving on heating bills

[peter]

Vacuuming is not one of my favourite activities, and it adds insult to injury to see the smart meter display glaring its amber warning light at me and the usage costs rising rapidly.

Modern vacuum cleaners are much more energy efficient - a combination of pressure from the EU and the trend towards cordless devices. But my grandmother refused to use a vacuum cleaner - she preferred her Bex-Bissell.

 

[Margery]

my husband doesn't bring me breakfast in bed as it's not something I'd enjoy

I couldn't agree more.
Also, on the subject of dishwashers, we have a Fisher & Paykel dish-drawer dishwasher. It is two independent drawers, one drawer being just the right size for the two of us, which we use daily. When there are more of us we use both drawers. Simple.

 

[peter]

Also, on the subject of dishwashers, we have a Fisher & Paykel dish-drawer dishwasher. It is two independent drawers, one drawer being just the right size for the two of us, which we use daily. When there are more of us we use both drawers. Simple.

I've seen them in glossy magazines, but they're incredibly expensive to buy here in the UK (John Lewis charge £1425 for the DD60DDFHB9, three times the price of my Best Buy Bosch). Which? have only reviewed single-drawer versions, but found their use of water and energy was high. Most full-size dishwashers have a half-load setting, but I've never had an opportunity to try this out on ours (because it's always full).

 

[Margery]

£1425 for the DD60DDFHB9

The Good Guys currently have this model for AU$2,599. One of the benefits of this dishwasher is that there is no bending when using the top drawer - an important issue for older people. My husband worked in the Whitegoods industry for many years (prior to retirement to our farm) and carried out a comprehensive research before we bought our dishwasher approx. 5 years ago. There was no indication of higher use of water or energy. Fisher & Paykel make a quality product and I guess it's a case of getting what you pay for (e.g, we drive a Toyota, our son has a Range Rover - both nice vehicles and get us from a to b but you really can't compare them).

 

[At home in NZ]

£1425 for the DD60DDFHB9

The NZD equivalent of £1425 is approx 2,794.
I can only find one store that has the DD60DDFHB9, price is NZD2,899.

I had a white double dish drawer in a previous house, I loved it. I would still choose the white over stainless steel and quick look around seems I would be paying around $2,500.

 

[Margery]

white double dish drawer

Ours is intergrated. We had a new kitchen installed when we moved into town. The d/w looks just like another kitchen drawer.

 

[peter]

One of the benefits of this dishwasher is that there is no bending when using the top drawer - an important issue for older people.

You can also get counter-top dishwashers, and as they're typically the same height (45cm) as a single-drawer Fisher & Paykel I suspect some could be fitted under the counter.

There was no indication of higher use of water or energy. Fisher & Paykel make a quality product

That where it is useful to have a report from an independent consumer organisation. The Which? reviews not only highlighted the higher use of water and energy, they also found the performance wanting. The good news is that the fully-integrated DD60SDFHX9 got a significantly better rating than the semi-integrated model.

 

[At home in NZ]

Fisher & Paykel make a quality product

I hadn't noticed this little gem until Peter replied to it.
Of course they are quality, they are a New Zealand 'invention'.
You can read their history here.