Reducing carbon emissions

[PJ87]

I already have solar, and I have looked at getting batteries my problem is finding the right company to come in and give the right advice re a set up.

That seems to be the massive issue. Companies ..

Like this guy is clued up on wiring.. built it himself and done it for 5k.. that's a reasonable amount.. I mean 4 years time he breaks even.. even quicker now electric has risen as the electric car tariff is 6 hours at 5p now and much much higher in day so he would be able to use only the 5p rather than the 25p times

But companies get involved and charge stupid money for less

Telsa (don't get me wrong amazing tech) is it 10k per 12kw battery? That's so much .. if they did a 50kw battery for like 15k least that would be considerable for long term saving

Solar I really wanted but the wife said no it's too ugly.. excellent ... Sod the planet then

 

[fundy]

https://www.thewrightbuy.co.uk/hobs...m-4-zone-touch-control-induction-hob-in-white

sooner we get an induction hob again the better, cant stand cooking on the "old style" hob having got used to induction

 

[Bunkermagnet]

https://www.thewrightbuy.co.uk/hobs...m-4-zone-touch-control-induction-hob-in-white

Im afraid I haven’t seen an induction hob that doesn’t have 9 power levels.
What might have been a better option to show, would have been the Bosch/Neff ones that are plug and play, ie run on a 13a plug so don’t need to be hard wired into a 32a circuit at minimum. That is perfect for those removing a gas hob who just have the hob ignition running on a 13a plug(as they should be)

 

[jim8flog]

They work with normal radiators aswell just not as efficient, basically you need your house to be well isolated for them to be effective

I live in a detached house is that good enough?

 

[jim8flog]

But like a converted old church. Fire up the wood burner

I thought wood burners were getting banned for the same reason ie carbon emissions.

 

[PJ87]

I thought wood burners were getting banned for the same reason ie carbon emissions.

Isn't it what you burn on them? Has to be a certain thing that's fine and others aren't

I can't remember but I saw something about it

 

[bobmac]

Im afraid I haven’t seen an induction hob that doesn’t have 9 power levels.
What might have been a better option to show, would have been the Bosch/Neff ones that are plug and play, ie run on a 13a plug so don’t need to be hard wired into a 32a circuit at minimum. That is perfect for those removing a gas hob who just have the hob ignition running on a 13a plug(as they should be)

Do Bosch or Neff sell white induction hobs?
I only linked that one because it's the one I'm considering to replace my current induction hob which is hard wired.
But if you want a plug in........
https://www.myappliances.co.uk/Econolux-ART29208-60cm-13a-Plug-ECOboost-White-Induction-Hob

 

[BiMGuy]

Isn't it what you burn on them? Has to be a certain thing that's fine and others aren't

I can't remember but I saw something about it

Yes, there is/will be legislation dictating what you can burn.

I'd be happy to see them gone altogether.

 

[PJ87]

Yes, there is/will be legislation dictating what you can burn.

I'd be happy to see them gone altogether.

We have one here. Never used it..assume it works

Guy who sold me the house said how brilliant it was in the winter etc

With the dog , then the kids it's just sat unused for the last 7 years

 

[cliveb]

Seeing that BBC article made my heart sink.
I think the government has made a hasty political decision intended to boost its green credentials without considering the downsides:
1. Air source heat pumps only work if your house is properly insulated, otherwise they eat electricity at eye-watering levels.
2. Air source heat pumps don't heat the water to anywhere near as high a temperature as a gas boiler. This means you need a much higher flow rate around your radiators. But the microbore piping that's been used for the last few decades won't support it, so will have to be ripped out and replaced with wider bore piping.
3. Air source heat pumps tend to be rather noisy. If everyone has one, we'll be living in a world of cacophony.

Bottom line is that the housing stock of the UK is not currently suitable for widescale adoption of air source heat pumps.
(Don't known enough about ground source heat pumps to comment).

If the government is keen on subsidising something that will reduce the carbon footprint of domestic heating, the best use of that money would be for insulation. That way you'll reduce energy usage regardless of whether you have a gas boiler, heat pump, storage heaters, or whatever. Once the UK housing stock is properly insulated, THEN start thinking about new heating methods. Problem is that those Insulate Britain clowns have probably made it politically difficult to go down this route, as it might make such groups believe that this kind of direct action works.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Isn't it what you burn on them? Has to be a certain thing that's fine and others aren't

I can't remember but I saw something about it

If you burn anything it causes a problem. Some things are less polluting than others, damp wood is the biggest enemy, but nothing is clean to burn. It is just a scale of how bad.

 

[fundy]

If you burn anything it causes a problem. Some things are less polluting than others, damp wood is the biggest enemy, but nothing is clean to burn. It is just a scale of how bad.

are some woods better/worse than others or is moisture content the main issue? (as we are starting to get a build up of "firewood" from clearing the back jungle we have bought)

 

[Lord Tyrion]

are some woods better/worse than others or is moisture content the main issue? (as we are starting to get a build up of "firewood" from clearing the back jungle we have bought)

I'm not an expert but I believe it is moisture content that is the problem. If you store it for long enough it dries out then becomes a less polluting option. You can get a device that you stick into the wood that tells you the moisture level. I think the recommended time is around 6 months to dry out (this is well over the top but I think they build in that people will cheat and go early).

The big problem is people buying newly cut, damp wood and then burning it within days or a few weeks. This is cheaper to buy. The new legislation, I think, means the sellers will have to store and dry it out before selling.

In your case, cut it up, put it in a wood storage place and leave it be for 6 months. You can use it eventually but you will need to buy wood in the meantime.

I don't have a log burner but I know plenty who do and you pick things up . Log burner owners are like BBQ enthusiasts. They love to talk wood, where to find bits for free etc. There is always someone cutting down a tree, golf clubs for example, and that can keep you going for ages. I'm in a rural area with lots of trees around and so it is often a conversation I overhear or am stood listening to.

 

[fundy]

I'm not an expert but I believe it is moisture content that is the problem. If you store it for long enough it dries out then becomes a less polluting option. You can get a device that you stick into the wood that tells you the moisture level. I think the recommended time is around 6 months to dry out (this is well over the top but I think they build in that people will cheat and go early).

The big problem is people buying newly cut, damp wood and then burning it within days or a few weeks. This is cheaper to buy. The new legislation, I think, means the sellers will have to store and dry it out before selling.

In your case, cut it up, put it in a wood storage place and leave it be for 6 months. You can use it eventually but you will need to buy wood in the meantime.

I don't have a log burner but I know plenty who do and you pick things up . Log burner owners are like BBQ enthusiasts. They love to talk wood, where to find bits for free etc. There is always someone cutting down a tree, golf clubs for example, and that can keep you going for ages. I'm in a rural area with lots of trees around and so it is often a conversation I overhear or am stood listening to.

cheers LT

as well as the jungle the garden came with 2 sheds we dont really need, so one of them is currently the woodstore

 

[Neilds]

Seeing that BBC article made my heart sink.
I think the government has made a hasty political decision intended to boost its green credentials without considering the downsides:
1. Air source heat pumps only work if your house is properly insulated, otherwise they eat electricity at eye-watering levels.
2. Air source heat pumps don't heat the water to anywhere near as high a temperature as a gas boiler. This means you need a much higher flow rate around your radiators. But the microbore piping that's been used for the last few decades won't support it, so will have to be ripped out and replaced with wider bore piping.
3. Air source heat pumps tend to be rather noisy. If everyone has one, we'll be living in a world of cacophony.

Bottom line is that the housing stock of the UK is not currently suitable for widescale adoption of air source heat pumps.
(Don't known enough about ground source heat pumps to comment).

If the government is keen on subsidising something that will reduce the carbon footprint of domestic heating, the best use of that money would be for insulation. That way you'll reduce energy usage regardless of whether you have a gas boiler, heat pump, storage heaters, or whatever. Once the UK housing stock is properly insulated, THEN start thinking about new heating methods. Problem is that those Insulate Britain clowns have probably made it politically difficult to go down this route, as it might make such groups believe that this kind of direct action works.

They are discussing this on Radio 2 at the moment. The points above have been mentioned, along with one of the experts admitting he is currently walking around his house with a padded jacket on as the heat is not as good as with a conventional boiler. I can't see people wanting to splash out thousands on a new heating system, to then have to wrap up in coats to keep warm!
I understand that technology (and costs) will improve in time but I won't be rushing to change any time soon

 

[PJ87]

They are discussing this on Radio 2 at the moment. The points above have been mentioned, along with one of the experts admitting he is currently walking around his house with a padded jacket on as the heat is not as good as with a conventional boiler. I can't see people wanting to splash out thousands on a new heating system, to then have to wrap up in coats to keep warm!
I understand that technology (and costs) will improve in time but I won't be rushing to change any time soon

I'm going to monitor mine this winter for sure..the heat pump side of the air con gets the room so toasty very quickly so we do 30 mins when the kids go bed to get their rooms warm and it lasts a while

Downstairs bigger space so takes longer

I wonder if I could get a heat pump just for the hot water .. because these suit my needs fantastically tbh

Imagine no radiators aswell. Be great

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I wonder if I could get a heat pump just for the hot water .. because these suit my needs fantastically tbh

Imagine no radiators aswell. Be great

Would you not be able to get some form of standalone water heater rather than get a heat pump just for that. It would still be heated by electric? An old school immersion heater that most of us have had removed and replaced by a combi boiler in effect.

 

[PJ87]

Would you not be able to get some form of standalone water heater rather than get a heat pump just for that. It would still be heated by electric? An old school immersion heater that most of us have had removed and replaced by a combi boiler in effect.

Probably do an more efficient version now days .. might be worth looking into

I mean the air con covers most the house and if I left upstairs open it would heat more of house lol

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Probably do an more efficient version now days .. might be worth looking into

I mean the air con covers most the house and if I left upstairs open it would heat more of house lol

It's ironic that immersion heaters were removed for being inefficient, you were heating large amounts of water 'just in case' and even if you only needed a sink full. We are now going to have to have fitted a form of these again as the air source pump does not get water hot enough. Progress

 

[jim8flog]

I wonder if I could get a heat pump just for the hot water .. because these suit my needs fantastically tbh

To my knowledge you do not need any sort of pump for hot water just tubes stuck on the side or roof of the house passing the water through an immersion tank. The water naturally circulates as it heats up.

This system was available long before Solar Panels.

One of the houses in a nearby road has so many of these tubes that I wonder if he is using the system to heat the house as well.