Energy Matters Global and Domestic

[mickthemaverick]

I watched it all and wish I had dozed off!

[myglaren]

It was rather hard work but corrected some of the assumptions that heat pumps are rubbish.

[Gibbo2286]

It was rather hard work but corrected some of the assumptions that heat pumps are rubbish.

It could probably have been done with 50% less words. I'll give it another look now I'm more awake.

[Peter.N.]

Heat pumps aren't rubbish but the cost of the fuel they use is.

Peter

[Gibbo2286]

Well Iwatched it again but I'm still no wiser about the cost.

[Paul-R]

I finally got around to watching the video. I have to say that his logic of calling it the 'Ugly truth' worked in reverse for me as I passed it by at first because of that. Anti-clickbait if you will.

Anyway I found it quite interesting but along with everyone else wished that it had been shorter. 10 - 12 minutes would have been fine. What did I learn? Not a great deal. I have to assume that it was only heating and hot water that was gas powered previously as he makes no mention of cooking. There would be a not inconsiderable cost if you have to factor in new cooking arrangements - especially if you have a large range type cooker. I have to agree with him about the pernicious standing charge though.

[myglaren]

I won't be fitting a heat pump as only replaced my boiler a year ago and there would be a lot of difficulty finding a suitable site to fit one.

[Paul-R]

... there would be a lot of difficulty finding a suitable site to fit one.

That would be our problem in the UK as well. Well, one of the problems as we also cook with gas.

[Peter.N.]

Our nearest gas is about 3 miles away, I don't think somehow they will connect us. Oil has been the cheapest heating fuel for us, barring the wood that we collect and even at £1.00 per litre its still well cheaper than electricity. Where my son lives over the border in Devon they don't allow solar panels even though the surrounding fields are awash with them so he relies on electricity and a wood/coal burning stove.

He lives in the only one of a row of 6 cottages that he is buying, all the others are rented and have new windows, painting and ground source heat pumps, even if they did give 3 times as much heat per Kwh he still wouldn't be able to afford to run them. Even some railways are going back to using oil.

This situation can't continue. Its probably worse now than just after the war.

Peter

[Gibbo2286]

My old friend lived all her life in a village without gas, told me she once went on a caravan holiday, turned on the gas cooker then looked for a match then found herself on her ass outside the caravan with singed hair and eyebrows.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Gas has always been the cheapest fuel by miles but it looks as though oil is marginally cheaper now. Electricity is just ridiculous....

Peter

The basic reason is the energy market is skewed (and screwed) so the wholesale price of 'energy' (electricity) is set by gas. It makes not a jot of difference that the cost of electricity generated by nuclear, wind, solar, hydro etc hasn't increased, the wholesale market price for energy (electricity) is set by the wholesale price of gas.
I think it's fair to say that the UK wholesale energy market is FUBAR'd on many levels

Here's a comment I read while flicking though the The Energyst

David Dundas August 26, 2022 At 12:58 pm
The problem is that the price of electricity is linked to the spot price of gas by an old algorithm which changes twice a day. This made sense when most of our electricity was produced by gas fired power stations, but now gas only delivers less than half our electricity. As a result, our energy bill from Octopus Energy last month shows that the charge for electricity in kWh was almost 4 times the charge for gas, when electricity should cost less than gas!

electricity: 26.53p/kWh standing charge 45.58p/day
gas: 7.01p/kWh standing charge 25.92p/day

Is David spot on with his comment?

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Our latest salvo heading Scottish Power's way is a stainless steel hob-top kettle, with the theory that heating stuff with gas at 15p is a kWh will be cheaper than the electric kettle at 52p/kWh.

Not a theory, it's a fact. The problem is that people are impatient and can't wait the extra time it takes for gas.

Combining mine and Neil's ideas simply boil the hob mounted kettle in the morning while you wash and shave and fill the flasks (I've now equipped us with 2 x 1 litre versions for £12) then you have almost boiling water on tap with no waiting for the rest of the day!! The flasks are working well for us. I'm off to find a hob kettle!

Has the Kettle arrived at Maverick Manor We are still waiting for ours at Chez Falcon, not superbly confident about the transaction so far but there has been a bit bank holiday and RM strike disruption.

REgards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Yes and No Neil! A kettle arrived, extremely nice and bright and shiny and very well packed. Unfortunately it was the wrong kettle, I ordered a 3 litre model and they sent a 2 litre so it is currently on its way back to them for replacement with a 3 litre model as ordered. If they refund me, as I suspect they might, I have another 3 litre option on the watch list which is twice the price but getting it is the main thing so I'll suffer the £22 as opposed to the £11 from the first supplier!!

[Peter.N.]

I've got an old aluminium one we use to take camping, in fact I still have the primus stove! Its fitted in a metal biscuit box to keep the wind off, worked very well - I seem to remember.

Peter

[mickthemaverick]

Was that the type of primus that ran on methylated spirit Peter? We had one too which was binned in favour of the camping gaz version which has since been buried in my container. It will almost certainly appear over the next couple of weeks as I clear the container. Made 5 dump runs with the car loaded to the hilt so far, I have 11 items for ebaying and I need to put up 9 more shelves in the garage to take the liquids which will still be useful!! Brackets ordered on Wednesday so hopefully get those done next week and then I can move on with the clearing!!