The cost of living... what can we do?

On the heating front, I'm taking a different approach.

I am systematically over time looking for cold points. My focus is, instead of thinking how else can I add heat without being skint, instead it's, how can I reduce losses of the heat we generate now. This might sound crazy, but I factor in all heat sources, not just the actual heating. In my living room, sometimes there are four fairly large objects each running at around 37 degrees centigrade. That's quite a lot of thermal mass, and they running on a variety of fuels, mostly fats, carbohydrates and proteins. I've noticed that the living room floor is always cold, literally sucking all that warmth down into the ground. Next step is to look at carpets and thermal underlay.

 

Like I've said before, this is not true geothermal, I think it was called thermodynamique. The pipes are 60cm down and can't be laid near any source of running water, e.g. drains, modern septic tanks/filter beds, streams or trees/large shrubs. The 'no planting' thing I'd guess is more to prevent accidental piercing of the pipes than any actual root damage by perennials or veg.
The UK version sounds far more akin to true geothermal. Thing is with air source heat pumps, to a far greater extent than captor pipes underground, it relies on positive air temperatures, so just when you need it most, it's more likely to actually be drawing electricity to provide the heat. I think the French have realised that it's very region-dependent and the air-source pumps are falling out of favour in the northern half of France.

 

We will all be dead by then.

 

That's the spirit...positive thinking

 

I'd like to be self-sufficient for power and water but it would cost every penny we've got to achieve it and then the government would find a way to tax us. I've already investigated the possibility of photovoltaique solar panels on a pergola or car-port. The government-funded subsidy would be more than outweighed by the subsequent 'improvement' taxes and increase in 'council' tax, not to mention long payback times.
I did a little calculation the other day. We paid €3700 for the privilege of turning a tumbledown old barn into a house with a garage and pool. We'd pay €35000 to do the same thing now, 15 years on.

 

The area size of your home has to be factored in to give you the surface area required to fit a shallow surface GSHP. You need roughly three times the surface area of your dwelling, all floor levels otherwise a shallow GSHP would be pointless. The average size of a new build residential dwelling in the UK is supposed to be around the 88sqm mark, so 264sqm of surface area is required to lay the pipes, this could increase by 20% if your sitting on sandy loam.

Even if someone goes down the GSHP route or an ASHP, you still need electric to power the pump. If you have enough solar panels fitted to power all your requirements, then it would be worth while looking into, otherwise the savings would be minimal.

They reckon a gas boiler generates 0.26kg CO2 per 0.31 kWh heat. If you install a GSHP and it is powered by zero renewable electric it generates 0.27kg CO2 per 0.20 kWh heat.

 

I'm still confused.
We are getting all the political wrangle now about on shore wind farms.
All the greens moaning about opening up new gas oil /fields in the North Sea, and even moaning about a new coal mine only producing coking coal.

They tell us that renewable energy is the cheapest way of producing energy.

So why is electricity still more expensive than gas???????????????????????????

Sort that one out and you might get somewhere, but until the consumer finds it cheaper you are just P*ssing in the wind, literally.

 

According to the BBC, a local Tory councillor welcomed the decision of the new mine, saying UK coking coal was less damaging to the planet than importing it from Russia and the USA. Yet 80% of the coking coal is due to be exported. So importing is deemed as damaging the planet, but not exporting.

 

UK electricity bill breakdown according to data from Ofgem

Wholesale costs 29.28%, environmental taxes 25.48%, network costs 23.37%, operating costs 16.34%, VAT 4.76%, plus other costs.

The money derived from these levies goes towards funding the production of renewable energy across the UK - this reduces emissions, but increases the price of electricity.

 

Pie in the sky to the end user.
Make it cheaper and people will go over to it for heating, but all the time its expensive they wont.

Why would I want onshore wind farms if the energy produced is more expensive than gas?

 

As to the coal issue, why worry, those we export it to will get it from somewhere, why not make us the benefactor rather than another country.