How much energy can YOU save?
- Thread starter oilman
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Now, in the 70's crafty, I'd agree with you. I can't remember the last power cut after then.
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This government are a disgrace - with every soundbite and initiative they show themselves up as the inept incompetent waste of space they really are.
We saw it with the introduction of condensing boilers in April 2005 - many poorly installed (including many from BG) and perhaps saving 10% on your gas bill. Add in the real servicing costs and breakdowns and the average customer won't save a penny.
If they do push windmills it may cut your electricity bill a little - but the payback will be many many years.
Solar, again perhaps save 50% on your hot water bill. Payback 10 - 15 years if it lasts that long and is reliable. Anyone calculated the energy used in manufacturing all those glass panels?
Heat pumps - payback who knows - I've yet to see any true figures for their seasonal perfomance (the sales blurb always quote best case scenario). Since they run on electricity (a hugely polluting fuel since 80% is generated from burning fossil fuels in this country) they are very environmetally unfriendly. An excellent solution in Scandinavia where 80% of their electricity comes from hydro/nuclear.
The fisrt thing we should be doing is a compulsory energy assesment for every household. See what improvements can be made starting with the most effective/quickest payback. Offer interest free loans with payback spread over a few years. The cost of these improvements will be offset by the energy saved so no hardship for the homeowner.
Loft insullation to start, then draughtproofing, energy saving lighbulbs, then cavity wall insullation etc etc.
What is the point in spending another £300 - £400 fitting a complex condensing boiler (over a standard efficiency boiler) to save perhaps 10% gas a year when for the same additional cost you could save 30% energy from heat loss just by upgrading the insulation of the property. And remember insulation doesn't require servicing, doesn't breakdown, and lasts for a lifetime.
Now that the buy to let market has taken off in the last few years and with much of our population now becoming tenants our housing stock is going down in quality. Many landlords are simply not interested in improoving their properties since they are not paying the energy bills. Conversley teanants will not invest in a property they don't own and get saddled with high energy costs.
Yes I am involed in the the heating industry and work in many tenanted properties. There are whole steets without any form of insulation, you can put your fingers through the gaps around the windows and doors. Some of the landlords I have to deal with own 500 properties or more - they are the tightest gits on the planet.
We saw it with the introduction of condensing boilers in April 2005 - many poorly installed (including many from BG) and perhaps saving 10% on your gas bill. Add in the real servicing costs and breakdowns and the average customer won't save a penny.
If they do push windmills it may cut your electricity bill a little - but the payback will be many many years.
Solar, again perhaps save 50% on your hot water bill. Payback 10 - 15 years if it lasts that long and is reliable. Anyone calculated the energy used in manufacturing all those glass panels?
Heat pumps - payback who knows - I've yet to see any true figures for their seasonal perfomance (the sales blurb always quote best case scenario). Since they run on electricity (a hugely polluting fuel since 80% is generated from burning fossil fuels in this country) they are very environmetally unfriendly. An excellent solution in Scandinavia where 80% of their electricity comes from hydro/nuclear.
The fisrt thing we should be doing is a compulsory energy assesment for every household. See what improvements can be made starting with the most effective/quickest payback. Offer interest free loans with payback spread over a few years. The cost of these improvements will be offset by the energy saved so no hardship for the homeowner.
Loft insullation to start, then draughtproofing, energy saving lighbulbs, then cavity wall insullation etc etc.
What is the point in spending another £300 - £400 fitting a complex condensing boiler (over a standard efficiency boiler) to save perhaps 10% gas a year when for the same additional cost you could save 30% energy from heat loss just by upgrading the insulation of the property. And remember insulation doesn't require servicing, doesn't breakdown, and lasts for a lifetime.
Now that the buy to let market has taken off in the last few years and with much of our population now becoming tenants our housing stock is going down in quality. Many landlords are simply not interested in improoving their properties since they are not paying the energy bills. Conversley teanants will not invest in a property they don't own and get saddled with high energy costs.
Yes I am involed in the the heating industry and work in many tenanted properties. There are whole steets without any form of insulation, you can put your fingers through the gaps around the windows and doors. Some of the landlords I have to deal with own 500 properties or more - they are the tightest gits on the planet.
crafty1289 said:securespark said:
errrr hmmmm . . . every time theres a slight electrical storm round here.
Must be something to do with your posh SK postcode eh?
Here too. The fact I can see Drax and Eggborough whilst sitting in darkness in my house only adds to the sense of injustice.....
2
2scoops0406
securespark said:
I assume you mean due to industrial action, rather than technical issues? We tend to have about one power cut a month round here for reasons unknown.
We save energy and save money-> electricity companies don't make their annual profit -> price rises -> we pay more -> we save more energy to save money -> electricity companies .......
keyplayer, I agree, the ones pictured in the mail do look quite pretty, definitely more so than a TV aerial or traditional wind turbine. Though I would gladly and proudly mount a traditional wind turbine atop my house if it meant I saved money and was contributing to reducing CO2 emmisions.
i would happily have one, weve also looked into solar panels etc, we have a south facing garden and we live on a hill so all of them would work reasonably efficently. Trouble is they are so expensive that its just not worth forking out for it.
B
breezer
the thing a picture can not let you know about is noise.
saw a tv prog o n the "big fans" the locals were complaining of the noise.
yes one of those pictured may make a tiny amount of noise, but if everyone has one how noisey will that be?
saw a tv prog o n the "big fans" the locals were complaining of the noise.
yes one of those pictured may make a tiny amount of noise, but if everyone has one how noisey will that be?
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