Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

Do any of the nice peeps know anything about solar PV panels? I have a south facing roof and fancy some decreased electricity bills and the chance to sell some back to the grid. I have no idea where to start. Are there better/worse companies to talk to?

No...but I'm having a couple of panels. I think we're having the one that isn't PV. I would have thought you were better placed than most to understand it ...the physics of it leaves my in weepy knots. Its for that sort of thing I have an architect. No point having a dog and barking.:o

LydiaJ

Oh yes, I understand the physics. It's the commercial side of it I'm not sure where to start with. I need to get somebody round first of all to look at my roof and confirm whether it's suitable. But whom?

I think perhaps I'll put something on facebook to see if any of my local friends have had them done, and if so what they think of them.

The "not PV" kind are the ones that pre-heat your water. My brother has a very old set of those that were on his house when he bought it. He's not impressed. The problem is that (at least with the old ones), if you have the solar heating of your water, then you can't do the rest of the heating by gas; you have to do it electrically. So unless you get lots of sun, it ends up costing more than it would have without the panels. But the more up to date ones may be better.

chewmylegoff

lostinrates wrote: »

Vague memory here but: isn't it the case that in some cases a whole family travelling by car is less carbon heavy than the same journey by train?

The trouble with calculations like that is that they ignore the fact that the train is going to run anyway. The real incremental carbon production would be the total produced by the car journey minus the saving from running the train with the weight of four fewer people on it.

Its difficult to envisage a scenario where that would produce a net saving. It's difficult to pay much attention to the carbon emissions when the price of 4 train tickets is about seven thousand times the cost of running the car there and back though!

JonnyBravo

michaels wrote: »

Megaflow type Unvented seems to require annual servicing which sounds a pain.

Never serviced mine. What are they meant to do to it?

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

The "not PV" kind are the ones that pre-heat your water. My brother has a very old set of those that were on his house when he bought it. He's not impressed. The problem is that (at least with the old ones), if you have the solar heating of your water, then you can't do the rest of the heating by gas; you have to do it electrically. So unless you get lots of sun, it ends up costing more than it would have without the panels. But the more up to date ones may be better.

Thanks! That helps! we don't have gas anyway. Or oil, aymore. Everything will end up being home generated. ATM they are looking in to biomass or something, so we can use the stuff we produce in huge quantities each day. we looked at air source....I don't like it...the housing of the unit is too big an issue and I can hear the silent unit we visited...it would drive me potty. we are also considering ground source and lake bottom heat pumps. Apparently the problem with ground source is it becomes progressively harder to heat with it the longer its been on as the earth around it is depleted of warmth and it transfers back more slowly.....not sure.

neverdespairgirl

michaels wrote: »

Reading I have done is ASHP is about the same as mains gas as long as it doesn't get really cold - may be ideal for places like the SW?

You can use those Calor (sp?) gas bottles if you don't have mains gas.

lostinrates

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

You can use those Calor (sp?) gas bottles if you don't have mains gas.

We thought about them...mainly for a gas hob, but realistically I'd have trouble if it needed changing and it was just me here and I was having a bad day. There is also the fact you have to look at them (or hatever you construct to house them). I like a gas hob, I prefer an electric over. The electric hob has been a tolerable compromise. (I do miss flames but c'est la vie...you can't have it all!)

lostinrates

chewmylegoff wrote: »

It's difficult to pay much attention to the carbon emissions when the price of 4 train tickets is about seven thousand times the cost of running the car there and back though!

True. HAvng worked out rough milage on new-to-us gas guzzler it will make sense for me to drive to London rather than use train (providing I can still sweet talk free parking). That is crazy-stupid.

misskool

lostinrates wrote: »

We thought about them...mainly for a gas hob, but realistically I'd have trouble if it needed changing and it was just me here and I was having a bad day. There is also the fact you have to look at them (or hatever you construct to house them). I like a gas hob, I prefer an electric over. The electric hob has been a tolerable compromise. (I do miss flames but c'est la vie...you can't have it all!)

An induction hob is just a good. I would never have an electric hob but we trialled one and it's just as good as gas, if not more responsive. You do have to make sure your pans will be ok though.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

Megaflow type Unvented seems to require annual servicing which sounds a pain.

JonnyBravo wrote: »

Never serviced mine. What are they meant to do to it?

I don't have mine serviced annual either. It was last serviced five years ago, but then mine is on an electric rather than gas system. My next door neighbour works for a housing trust and tells me what to do when I have any problems. I have to "bleed" it (probably not the right word but it'll do) once every six months or so and give it a descale when it needs it (about once every 3 years) and then its fine. Well, mine is anyway.

LydiaJ wrote: »

Do any of the nice peeps know anything about solar PV panels? I have a south facing roof and fancy some decreased electricity bills and the chance to sell some back to the grid. I have no idea where to start. Are there better/worse companies to talk to?

I've seen a big thread on this somewhere Lydia. It may be on the DIY board or it maybe on one of the energy threads. One of the questions is whether something other than photovoltaics will come up soon. Another seems to revolve around if you get your panels free, you are effectively "renting" your roof for 25 years in exchange for the energy, which can affect house sales. That's how I understood it from limited reading anyway. It may be worth doing a search for.