Great "Alternative Sources of Energy" Hunt

Ken68

One way of reducing heating costs without spending loadsa capital, is electric blanket "throws". Probably not for families, but a suitably covered blanket with proper cut outs are well up there for low cost. And good payback time.
Ideal for evening use.

dave.trevena

My neighbouring farmer dug out and built his swimming pool years ago, but never used it due to high cost of heating. A couple of years ago, he remodelled it, by digging out another area the same size, but so shallow that it would only hold 4 inches depth of water. Once plastered and tanked, it was painted black, and the pool water was pumped across it and into the main pool, after filtering. He now reckons to get 8 months of the year use out of it, with the pump and chemicals the only runing cost. And in mid summer, he only pumps evenings, otherwise too hot to swim comfortably.

BrightEnergy

Solar vacuum tubes (also known as evacuated tubes) are more efficient than flat plate collectors, and are better suited for the UK climate. They work a bit like a vacuum flask, so the fluid heated inside is protected by the vacuum and doesn't lose it's heat to the outside cold UK climate. They are a little more expensive (sometimes) than flat plate, though not so much now, but the extra energy generated will pay for any price difference. We reckon it's may be £500 more for an average installation. But it does mean they still generate energy quite well during the winter.

However, they're NOT more problematic I'm pleased to say. In fact they're easier to maintain. If a flat plate collector fails, you need to replace the whole collector. If a tube in an evacuated tube collector fails (e.g. someone breaks it) then you can replace just that one tube.

rfburke wrote: »

Apparently vacuum tube solar water heats although more efficient are more expensive and apparently more problematic.

BrightEnergy

In theory you'd have a pre-heat cylinder which the solar system would heat up. This cylinder would then feed to your combi boiler. The idea being the combi only heats up when you haven't got enough hot water.

HOWEVER! Your combi boiler needs to be modern enough and able to accept pre-heated water, or you may have problems. I don't know much about boilers, even less about combis, (I'm a solar girl) but I wouldn't fancy forcing pe-heated water through a combi that can't accept it - you may get an expensive boiler bill!

As for selling back energy - for electricity, you'd need an agreement with your energy supplier (you may need to change energy supplier). For solar hot water there is a company called Good Energy which will pay you for the solar heating that you generate.

Sarah

grazer wrote: »

This sound similar to what I'd like to achieve. However, we have a combi-boiler for hot water and heating. How do you combine a hot-water storage tank with a combi-boiler?

Do you need to speak to your electricity provider to find out about selling back?

Thanks very much for your helpful post.

Graham

barisax_al

kebabjones wrote: »

hi we have purchased a lazy spa as we dont go out so this is our relax time on a evening we have 3 children and both have to work full time so this is our justification for such and extraigance but it costs a bomb to heat works through a filter and heater thingey LOL if anybody has any ideas i would be eevr so grateful. we love this site and have used it to save money - make money etc this is our only little thing lol

We have a large metal water tank which I've thought would make a good pool for parties, it's in a hillside (old water supply tank) and you could easily build a bomfire under one end! As for heating a hot-tub, which probably uses an electric element the easiest would be to have a wind turbine connected up to the heater element with either a wind/mains switch over, or a second heater element. Second idea, would be to use a solar panel with a solar PV pump to heat the water. You could probably get away with using the hot-tub water directly in the panels rather than having a coil as long as you drain it in the winter so it doesn't freeze. Or, for more effort you could use a woodburner with a back boiler, this would probably work better if you did a whole DIY hot-tub with this heating method in mind from the start.

radio10

If you can get hold of one cheaply getting an energy meter and seeing how much different appliances use is quite eye opening(Centre for Alternative Energy sell them and other companies online)[/QUOTE]

Try your local Library. I have borrowed one of these gadgets for free (for three weeks, like you do for a book!) from my local Essex Library.

barisax_al

albyota wrote: »

Has anybody considered replacing their LPG or Oil boiler for an Air Source Heat Pump boiler? they are over 300% efficient and the cost of installing are comparable to replacing boiler and oil tank...and upgrading your controls.... no 'tie ins' or contracts... they run on electricity, all the manufacturers are producing them from Mitsubishi, Daikin, Dimplex, Danfoss, Worcester Bosch, etc..try reseaching renewables ASHP in the midlands, I no longer have oil as I have replaced with the ASHP, I have now saved over £740 since it was fitted October 08, I hope this helps those of you worried about the fuel increases this winter, or the governments proposal to introduce a climate levy tax on fossil fuels starting with oil.....then gas.....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...en-energy.html

start looking now for alternatives.... you can get grants upto £900 for ASHP's from the Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) by using the Micro-generation Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited installers and equipment on the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) from the energy Saving Trust.

If only!

According to the energy saving trust the coefficient of performance is 2.5 (or 250%)

Also, fromt the information on the energy saving trust website I have extracted the following table which shows some interesting information, they also note an installation cost of between £5000 and £9000 for a typical range of detached house sizes:

Fuel Displaced £ Saving per year CO2 saving per year Gas £50 No saving Electricity £700 5 tonnes Oil £20 No saving Solid £460 4.6 tonnes All savings are approximate and are based on an air source heat pump providing 100% of space heating and up to 50% of hot water, with the additional 50% provided by electric heater, in a detached property

Obviously if you live in a remote area with oil heating saving £20 per year is pointless, and for the same money you could have installed a wind turbine, solar PV and solar hot water!

Also, they don't mention that they require an outside unit which has a big fan in it, this can be annoyingly noisy if you live next door to one, have thin walls or no double glazing.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Air-source-heat-pumps

albyota

barisax_al wrote: »

If only!

According to the energy saving trust the coefficient of performance is 2.5 (or 250%)

Also, fromt the information on the energy saving trust website I have extracted the following table which shows some interesting information, they also note an installation cost of between £5000 and £9000 for a typical range of detached house sizes:

Fuel Displaced £ Saving per year CO2 saving per year Gas £50 No saving Electricity £700 5 tonnes Oil £20 No saving Solid £460 4.6 tonnes All savings are approximate and are based on an air source heat pump providing 100% of space heating and up to 50% of hot water, with the additional 50% provided by electric heater, in a detached property

Obviously if you live in a remote area with oil heating saving £20 per year is pointless, and for the same money you could have installed a wind turbine, solar PV and solar hot water!

Also, they don't mention that they require an outside unit which has a big fan in it, this can be annoyingly noisy if you live next door to one, have thin walls or no double glazing.


Yes.......If only….. But I have one fitted already, it is not at all noisy, (if you haven’t stood next to one you aren’t gonna know) my next door neighbour doesn’t even know I’ve got one and his front door is only 4 metres away, its probably quieter than the oil boiler flue it has replaced. It was less than £3K to buy and install, I WAS ON OIL! (No more!) It has already saved me over £700 since it was installed last October, it has a 3 yr warranty, it is guaranteed to operate down to minus 25 degrees C, unlikely in the UK, in Feb it was minus 8 outside that’s when the COP was as low as 2.1, however it is heating my hot water only in the summer at a COP of 4.2 but over the year an average COP of 3.6 is fine, for those who need to know…. 1kW (10p) in 3.6 kW (36p) of heat out, my system is feeding my space heating 100% (there is no electric element) and 100% of our Hot water family of 5.

Wind generator…. No…. still a waste of money
Solar Thermal…. Yes I have 4 square meters, it does help, when the sun shines, today 19/08/09 temperature raised from 36 (after we all had showers/washes this morning) by tea time it was 61 degrees at the bottom of the cylinder possibly 70 odd at the taps, way too hot, but that was for free. However, with any heating system it only costs between 45p and 90p to heat a tank of water, how many tank fulls at 90p a go can you get for a solar installation of circa £2,400? Quite a lot….! spend your money on something else! I will probably end up selling mine and replacing with Solar P.V with grant of £2.5K plus FIT’s.
Hope this helps some of you eager to get off oil or LPG.

thescouselander

redduck369 wrote: »

The best way to save money on energy is to insulate your building within an inch of its life, then the money you spend on heating stays in your house rather than heating the neighbourhood. Very cost affective and you can sometimes get grants from your local council or energy company.

Also the small things like having curtains that stop draughts and closing them.

If you can get hold of one cheaply getting an energy meter and seeing how much different appliances use is quite eye opening(Centre for Alternative Energy sell them and other companies online)

I couldn't disagree more. our house is fairly new and very well insulated - now we need air conditioning as there is no other way to cool the house. Opening the windows has no effect.

harryhound

How is the summer time heat getting into the house?
Sunshine via the windows? (fit shutters/canopy/deciduous trees)
Electrical equipment possibly left on standby?
Cooking without an extractor hood?

Ideally you would leave the ventilation open at night to cool a house with high thermal mass; then keep the windows shaded and closed in the day time.

The Italians have been doing this since Roman times.

Greenery helps too cool the air as its moisture is absorbing the heat as it vaporises. The centre of (say) London can be 5 degrees hotter than out in the green belt. That is before taking into account the extra cooling of the free movement of air round & through isolated buildings.