Roger440

Good summary Which is the utterly ludicrous part. We are just off shoring it. Stangely, because we still want all the benefits of modern life. As you say, if/when, we progress the destruction of our way of life, it will certainly be interesting if those same people urging us down that road are quite as keen when it impacts them.

Its just another example, of many, where the technology, has fast overtaken the skills and ability of the people who have ended up with it on their plate. Just like cars. The motor trade, by and large, is ill equipped to deal with vehicles as they now are. Im not offering a solution, as i dont see one. It requires people of greater technical ability and understanding to ensure these tasks are done correctly. However, the reality is, such people are unlikely to choose a career of standing in mud and working in the freezing rain, when there are so many other options available to them.

Agreed. Problem is, it will be more than deindustrialisation. Its the complete destruction of life as we know it. Those flag waving for it, are either sufficently wealthy to be insulated from the effects, or unable to see the consequences of said net zero policies. Sunlit uplands it certainly isnt. Fortunately, well, probably, i shall be dead before it gets really bad. Meanwhile, the rest of the world will sit around pointing at us, while there living standard go up.

If it costs more, which is of course possible, then as i say, priceless, as i get to choose when to be warm. If oil gets too expensive v elecricity (which id rate as "highly unlikely") then i can add a heat pump, but keep the oil. So i can still not be a victim, because when Ed turns off my heat pump, i can just turn on my oil boiler. Win win.

As far as i need to to be confident that i can be warm regardless. OK, if the apocolypse comes, then all bets are off, as someone withh simply steal what i have, but outside of that, its just a case of insulating onesself from government stuipidity and incompetence and control.

Thats a bit low. Ive done a fair bit of work. But, regardless, still cheaper. And with my new bigger tank, probably cheaper still. But most importantly, i get to decide when i have heat. Thats priceless!

Not doing it to make me "happy". Im doing it to ensure i stay warm. At a temp i decide, not Ed. Edit to add, for clarity, give me electricity at a sensible price in line with much of the world, and convice me, by actions, not words, that you are serious about ensuring the supply remains that way, and ill switch to heat pumps for both house and barn tommorow. The reality however, is lack of supply, planned "management" by the state of your heat pump, the right for the state to dictate which washing machine you can have, and ever increasing prices, suggest that i will be a victim" if i go all electric.

Oil still cheaper. Circa 55p = vat a litre. 10kWh in a liter. Circa 85% efficiency. And an awful lot less buggering about. primary aim at the moment is to buy a 2500l tank so i can pick and choose when to buy oil

I dont have gas. Just oil. Which is cheaper. I can service myself, its not rocket science, and have the infrastructure in place already. Whilst its possible that they may artificially put up heating oil price, given the scale of usage, unlikely id say. Certainly less likely than ever increasing electricity prices and rolling blackouts. On the basis of that brief risk assesement, best stick to oil. If they really did put it up, just switch to red diesel instead. Dirtier to run, but, forced into a corner of be warm and burn disel or be cold, theres only one way im going. No one can know the future, but cheaper electricity definitely isnt in the mix.

Yes, any such device would be outside. No need or desire to pollute ones self. Would be wood, not wood pellets. 12p/kWh is higher than oil, so that would be pointless. Yes, you are of course right about electricity prices pegged to gas. You are right also that it must change. Problem is, it wont. To many people making too much money from the status quo. Government could change that tommorow. But they wont. Id lay good money on it. Im sufficiently convinced that im putting all my efforts into reducing my reliance on electricity insofar as is practical. As i said, im not planning on being a victim.

Where will this stability come from? We are on track to have an intermittent power supply, at the highest prices in the devoped world.

Yep. Got my generator already. It was highly effective after the recent storms when we had no power for 2 days. A handy reminder of what life will be like in the future. Probably need to make my generator firing automatic. Once Ed's finished with us, ill wear my shoes out going to the barn to start the genny manually.

A succesful economy depends on abundant, sensibly priced energy. What you propose is madness. I hope you will be happy with the outcome. I know i wont, and nor will most people.

The answer surely, ignoring practicalities, is someone who understands what insulation is for and how it works. ie, not leaving gaping gaps, or paths for air to get behind it. Sadly, that probably rules out 95% of brickies. They are, after all, brickies. Their skill is laying bricks. I wouldnt go to my dentist and ask him about my back pain. But they are both in the medical profession.

No dam required. Sure, if you start building proper dams, thats a different situation. All i want to do is run a pipe parallel to the stream from a pre existing pool at the highest point. Maybe there should be a middle ground? As it is, its just to hard for the power available. Cheaper just to continue burning oil.

I just want to be warm, as cheaply as possible. Therefore electricity is excluded on cost alone, before we consider future costs and stability of supply.

Sorry, was aimed at Steamy.

I like the picture of the petrol pump rather than a real one. Very cost effective. Im still looking for a cheap one, because i want to actually dispense tractor food from it. But there are no cheap ones.

As rants go, not your best. 5/10 However, id imagine we will see more of this, as well as more "proper" stoves, once either, there are rolling blackouts, or the remote control of heat pumps is implemented. Im not everyone else, but i really, really dont like being cold. Going solely electric for heating puts me at the mercy of Ed and chums. I will not be part of that experiment, nor a victim. Add in to the above, ever increasing elecricity costs, means that people will use alternatives. Despite being in the "no wood burner" camp, im having to reconsider that position for my barn, especially as im surrounded by free wood. A combined system of oil and wood is probably my best option, with just oil and a bit of solar for the house. Which leaves me independant of the grid for heat. 4/10?

I reckon ive got about 8 meteres of head, on a stream that runs about 9 months of the year. Kris harbours youtube channel is useful. Which would suggest i could get to circa 750watts, which at 24 hours a day for say 7 months would be rather useful. However, if you want to do it legit, its an approvals nightmare. For no sensible reason as Dave observes.

Its a good question. And one i cant answer, which is why i do almost everything myself. Unless you are in the trade in some way, finding good ones is largely a lottery. One, which on the few occasions i have had to do it, often have been lacking. Only the plumbers have ever been good.

Indeed. Theres plenty of videos on youtube of builders installing cavity insulation as they build. Lets hope none of them ever build a house for anyone here. And they are putting these videos out to promote themselves. Ive long concluded, most builders simply dont understand insulation.

£95k! Ive posted this recently, but these chaps quoted me £40k. With the longer term bonus of a much lower "per kWh" cost. https://www.energy-solutions.co.uk/applications/off-grid/residential

Im not sure "we" are stupid. However, traditionally, people that go into the "trades" (like myself) are generally considered stupid and a failure by most of society. One cannot be overly surprised at the outcome of a system, that pushes those who are acedemically weak, into these trades.

Surely one cant expect anything else? Installers are businesses. As soon as you have to "come back" your profit from the job starts evaporating. Its also, invariably, unplanned, so causes great disruption to your other work. The 3 heating systems ive tinkered with are all fairly simple, but to get them to perform at optimum took many many hours of work spread over a long period of time. Commercially, that simply couldnt fly.