Reducing carbon emissions

[Bunkermagnet]

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

Hardly anyone does white cooking equipment now for the reason hardly anyone wants it.
My only reason for saying about 13a plug and play is that most people wouldnt have the needed 32/45A circuit ready a full blown induction hob needs if they have a gas hob currently in situ as that would only require a 13a socket to power the ingnition.
If you want a white hob, be my guest. Personally I don't like them and think they look tired much quicker than the black glass.

 

[Fade and Die]

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

Bit misleading that, the thing says it is a 13a plug in jobby but the words say to wire it to a Switched spur. Also it’s reduced to 2.8Kw If you look at the real rating of each zone it’s 6.8Kw so in its reduced state you are not going to be cooking anything in a hurry.

 

[bobmac]

Bit misleading that, the thing says it is a 13a plug in jobby but the words say to wire it to a Switched spur. Also it’s reduced to 2.8Kw If you look at the real rating of each zone it’s 6.8Kw so in its reduced state you are not going to be cooking anything in a hurry.

I wont be cooking anything on it as mine is hard wired.
I was just advertising the fact that you don't need to buy the boring black hobs any more.
I won't bother next time

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I wont be cooking anything on it as mine is hard wired.
I was just advertising the fact that you don't need to buy the boring black hobs any more.
I won't bother next time

White is now such a rare colour for cooking appliances, that even pre pandemic most manufacturers were minimising their white offerings and even stopping altogether as the consumer was very much stainless steel for most things cooking side and black glass for ceramic hobs. Post pandemic it’s fair to say even the smattering of white offerings have been cancelled or at least had their production suspended.

 

[PJ87]

White is now such a rare colour for cooking appliances, that even pre pandemic most manufacturers were minimising their white offerings and even stopping altogether as the consumer was very much stainless steel for most things cooking side and black glass for ceramic hobs. Post pandemic it’s fair to say even the smattering of white offerings have been cancelled or at least had their production suspended.

White does look dated these days to be fair

 

[Bunkermagnet]

White does look dated these days to be fair

I wouldn’t disagree.
Now, those that might do a white offering also have a surcharge on them because of the colour, just as when stainless steel first came out it had a surcharge on them because it wasn’t white, black or brown.

 

[Crazyface]

All this talk of saving the planet and all the money the people of the UK are expected to shell out, is all well and good, but surely it pales into significance when you look at really densely populated places like India, America and China pump out into the air. It's all cobblers knoblers.

 

[GreiginFife]

All this talk of saving the planet and all the money the people of the UK are expected to shell out, is all well and good, but surely it pales into significance when you look at really densely populated places like India, America and China pump out into the air. It's all cobblers knoblers.

So basically what you’re saying is that as long as others are being bad we might as well be bad too?

Rather than try and lead the way and show that it can be done by way of being a richer, more developed nation than, say, India.

Not sure the if everyone doesn’t act, no one should act view is all that sustainable.

 

[PJ87]

So basically what you’re saying is that as long as others are being bad we might as well be bad too?

Rather than try and lead the way and show that it can be done by way of being a richer, more developed nation than, say, India.

Not sure the if everyone doesn’t act, no one should act view is all that sustainable.

Too right. For every one person who can / is self sustainable ie panels , batteries, heat pumps etc etc makes a difference no matter how small

To steal from Tesco

Every little helps

 

[cliveb]

All this talk of saving the planet and all the money the people of the UK are expected to shell out, is all well and good, but surely it pales into significance when you look at really densely populated places like India, America and China pump out into the air. It's all cobblers knoblers.

It's true that unless the likes of China and the USA do something to reduce their emissions, the whole planet is doomed.
But don't forget that Europe also pumps out a great deal of CO2, and Britain as part of Europe (geographically) has its part to play.

But the world is driven by economics (especially in the USA). Once renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels (which they pretty much are) AND once the problems of storage and large-scale production/deployment are sorted, the change will come. Let's just hope it happens in time.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

So basically what you’re saying is that as long as others are being bad we might as well be bad too?

Rather than try and lead the way and show that it can be done by way of being a richer, more developed nation than, say, India.

Not sure the if everyone doesn’t act, no one should act view is all that sustainable.

right now 99.9% of people who are doing all the “sustainable” stuff will be doing it for financial reasons as opposed to any “green” reason

So when all these tax reliefs and subsidies “disappear” imo it will be interesting to see what happens then

 

[GreiginFife]

right now 99.9% of people who are doing all the “sustainable” stuff will be doing it for financial reasons as opposed to any “green” reason

So when all these tax reliefs and subsidies “disappear” imo it will be interesting to see what happens then

Regardless of the driver, what’s important is that it is happening.
One of the biggest reasons for moving to renewable sources (aside from environmental) is cost.

 

[bobmac]

right now 99.9% of people who are doing all the “sustainable” stuff will be doing it for financial reasons as opposed to any “green” reason

That's a pretty strong statement
Can you back that up with any facts/figures or is your statement just based on a gut feeling?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Regardless of the driver, what’s important is that it is happening.
One of the biggest reasons for moving to renewable sources (aside from environmental) is cost.

As i said - right now it’s fine as a driver but the question is what happens when those “extras” or tax breaks etc are removed or stopped

That's a pretty strong statement
Can you back that up with any facts/figures or is your statement just based on a gut feeling?

It’s just my feeling from when speaking to people who have got electric cars etc etc.

They are happy to admit they get an electric car because of the tax breaks it gives them.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

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.

Whether or not you agree with their means of drawing attention to the ’cause’, it is clear that the Insulate Britain protestors (I do not consider them clowns, they are activists) are 100% right…their cause is actually our cause and us just hanging around waiting for the government to come up with something on the insulation front is not good enough. We should all be loudly demanding a government strategy and action plan to get us all properly insulated - if they have now published one I missed it. Then, as suggested, we can start worrying about the affordability of heat pumps for everyone. At least now we are all, well most of us, fully aware of why Insulate Britain are as exercised over the matter as they are…

I have little time for an argument that says a government can’t do the right thing and take action because protestors demanding that action were right all along. After all, was that not what the poll tax riots were all about.

 

[GreiginFife]

As i said - right now it’s fine as a driver but the question is what happens when those “extras” or tax breaks etc are removed or stopped

You're working on an assumption that they will stop and nothing will replace them.

Sea changes are about small adoptive behavioural changes that enable that big change. I don't know many electric car owners or people that have gone solar panel routes who would actively seek to regress to previous behaviours just because they weren't getting free road tax.

In many cases, it's probable (and you will note I say probable as I simply don't know and would not purport my opinion as fact) that in the event that incentives are removed we will be upon or beyond dates of "no return" for bans etc.

 

[bobmac]

It’s just my feeling from when speaking to people who have got electric cars etc etc.

They are happy to admit they get an electric car because of the tax breaks it gives them.

So this statement of 99.9% is just plucked out of the air and is not based on anything factual.
And as for saving taxes....
If you are talking about vehicle tax, my present car costs £30 per year
If I bought an electric car for £5,000 more than a petrol/diesel equivalent, it would take £166 years to break even.

 

[Foxholer]

...
And as for saving taxes....
If you are talking about vehicle tax, my present car costs £30 per year
If I bought an electric car for £5,000 more than a petrol/diesel equivalent, it would take £166 years to break even.

Tax is not the only saving! Just another incentive!
Fuel cost is (likely to be) far more significant! Though could also cost more, so research (and possible additional investment) should be done by potential purchaers!

 

[Foxholer]

As i said - right now it’s fine as a driver but the question is what happens when those “extras” or tax breaks etc are removed or stopped
...

Hopefully, government(s) will only wind the incentives down once manufacturers are producing so few fossil-fueled vehicles that the 'cost balance' shifts to make them uncompetitive. Plus they could also apply 'penalties' to fossil-fueled vehicles as an additional disincentive.

On the negative side of electric vehicles.....
Currently, most of UK's electricity is still produced from fossil fuels! So until electricity generation is replaced by 'renewables', the overall effect of movement to electric vehicles is reduced!

 

[Whereditgo]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58959045

A step in the right direction but what’s the average cost, will it work with an average radiator system. Thoughts from those in the know appreciated

A few pointers that may be useful to note:

The hot water produced from heat pumps is considerably lower (circa 40 deg C) than the hot water produced from a conventional boiler, because of this most manufacturers are producing hybrid boilers to supplement the heat with a gas fired heater.

Just utilising heat emitters that were designed for a conventional boiler heating system will not give the required heat output, even if the system is left to run longer, so for a heat pump system to function effectively the heat emitters would need to be replaced and possibly the distribution pump and pipe work system, again adding to the installation costs.

Ground source heat pumps are massively more expensive to install than air source and the jury is out on their long term efficiency, unless there is a large water source (think river or lake) that can be utilized, the reason being that the ground needs to ‘re-charge’ which may not happen until summer.

Air source heat pumps become dramatically less efficient as the outdoor ambient temperature drops, beware the manufacturers quoted output figures which are typically at unrealistic operating temperatures. Once the ambient air temperature approaches freezing, the system will go into a defrost cycle with increasing frequency, particularly in the UK with the relatively high humidity in winter months.