how can i power my house without access to mains elec??

Owain_Moneysaver

alfie_1 wrote: »

iv been told "highways " must do the road work and that is the expensive bit!

Any contractor registered under the Roads & Streetworks legislation can do it - they're who the leccy people pay to do the digging up the roads anyway.

RAS

Alfie

A few thoughts because I think you need to do a bit more exploration.

Also, think what you want out of this scheme? Enough power to run a couple of lights in the winter and maybe power a lap-top and charge some battery operated kit?

Enough to jump start the gas central heating?

Or enough to run a conventionally organised house with light blazing, fridges, freezers and all sorts of electric kit?

or enough to allow you to avoid running the gennie most of the year, with maybe one power up a week for the washing machine et al?

alfie_1 wrote: »

grade 2 listed 1882 detached house

Ouch.

alfie_1 wrote: »

3 sides tall big trees ...north, east, southish.

How close are the trees? Do they shade the ground floor windows in winter, or the roof? For how many hours a day?

alfie_1 wrote: »

field to the southish up to the north west, wind from the solent fairly/very strong.[in from south to north west]

You may need to check your basic wind speed on one of the windpower sites. IF that suggests there is sufficient, get permission for a temporary wind speed meter installed at height.

Remember that output increases in proportion in the square the increase in radius. increase the length of the arm from 2 to 3 units and the square increases from 4 to 9.

alfie_1 wrote: »

very tall house with two roofs one roof north south, other west east.

Also are you saying the building runs east-west or the roof aspect is east to the front and west to the rear on a building that runs north-south?

For solar, it rather depends on layout as well - does the roof on the building running north-south shade the southern facing roof at any time?

What is the current roof covering? it may be easier to get permission to replace slates with solar tiles that to add panels to a thatched roof:D.

alfie_1 wrote: »

no natural water but lots of bogs in the woods.

You may want to check out those bogs. Have you ever read up on boxing springs? There is an old MotherEarthNews article on it somewhere. If these bogs hide springs, you might be able to make very small reservoirs and run a microhydro system.

Read here http://www.judyofthewoods.net/hydro.html

alfie_1 wrote: »

national park status .... so your guess is as good as mine as to what they will allow !!

Ouch again. have you asked them what they might allow.

Definately consider a wood burner to supplement heating and maybe contribute to cooking.

alfie_1 wrote: »

small fridge,

..........i would like to get a small freezer but cant at mo as cant sustain temp when genny off [most of the day].

Are you aware that you can get gas powered fridge-freezers? About £1500 for a big one (5 foot high)

dyrniboy

Hi, have you thought of a combined Heat & Power mains gas boiler ?.Or maybe wait until a biomass or woodburning model becomes available. I am led to believe that the CHP unit, If supplied and fitted by an accredited installer, qualifies for the Feed In Tarriff ( approx 43p per Kilowatt )so you would get paid to generate your own electricity !!., and you can sell your surplus back to the grid !. A long shot, but there is also a Renewable Heat Incentive payment due this year, which might pay you to produce your own heat !

zeupater

dyrniboy wrote: »

Hi, have you thought of a combined Heat & Power mains gas boiler ?.Or maybe wait until a biomass or woodburning model becomes available. I am led to believe that the CHP unit, If supplied and fitted by an accredited installer, qualifies for the Feed In Tarriff ( approx 43p per Kilowatt )so you would get paid to generate your own electricity !!., and you can sell your surplus back to the grid !. A long shot, but there is also a Renewable Heat Incentive payment due this year, which might pay you to produce your own heat !

Hi

Good in theory, but it really misses the point on a couple of levels.

A CHP system would be totally inefficient in the Spring/Summer/Autumn when the heat isn't required at the same time as the electricity, also, although there are FiTs available for 'off grid' systems the OPs main issue is the cost of grid connection, so the option to sell back to the grid doesn't apply. Regarding RHI, the issue is to reduce the cost of electricity production year round, not production of heat during the heating season.

..... apart from that, well done !!

Z

alfie_1

savemoney wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/1632835.stm

thankyou, this is very interesting and i have contacted the company.

alfie_1

oh my! i have just sent various e-mails off to various companies with lots of questions, thankyou all as i now have more ideas and will await thier replies....

Poosmate

Hi Alfie, as you already know, I love learning things off YouTube and I wondered if you making your own biodiesel would be an option just to stretch the pennies a bit. Don't know how much red diesel is compared to car diesel or if making your own would be cheaper than the red stuff. Anyway, I thought I'd post a YT guide for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-SaPRccSDE

It's maybe not the best I've seen but there are loads to watch. This one uses new clean oil (vegetable I think), but obviously it would be cheaper to use used oil.

Hope that helps.

Poo

JC_Derby

Mankysteve wrote: »

National park are not necessary against wind turbines and the such and will consider each application on merit.

same with being a grade two listed they may allow things such as solar panels.

Take a look at the navitron forum some very knowledgeable people on there.

im not trying to be awkward alfie...
how do you get your telephone? is that from a pole? are there any wooden poles anywhere neaby at all.
£26k for an electricity connection is an awful lot of money, but you arent being helped by the park.
Definately would be a good ideea to meet with someone from the park and find out what they will allow, remember if their are poles up already, that they have set a precedent. an overhead service would be massively cheaper than underground.
Would also be good to see what the park will allow you to do on all fronts ie electric, water renewable energy..

zeupater

Hi

All DNOs have to publish connection costs .... you should be able to check the mains connection charge using the following information supplied by your DNO (SSE) ......

http://www.ssepd.co.uk/SSEInternet/uploadedFiles/Power_Distribution/Technical_information/Charging_statements_and_look-up_tables_2009-2010/SEPD_charging_statements_and_look-up_tables_2010-11/Doc1.pdf

HTH
Z

alfie_1

JC_Derby wrote: »

im not trying to be awkward alfie...
how do you get your telephone? is that from a pole? are there any wooden poles anywhere neaby at all.
£26k for an electricity connection is an awful lot of money, but you arent being helped by the park.
Definately would be a good ideea to meet with someone from the park and find out what they will allow, remember if their are poles up already, that they have set a precedent. an overhead service would be massively cheaper than underground.
Would also be good to see what the park will allow you to do on all fronts ie electric, water renewable energy..

its all these questions that have to be asked and they DO help me so dont think your awkward !
re telephone... it took me 5 months to get connected cos the line goes to a pole on the edge of my property then goes underground along the road side BUT it had been "chopped up" by ditch clearance...so BT were arguing who was responsible for the damage whilst i twiddled my thumbs waiting. they re did the cable but deeper in the ditch. unfortunately it goes in opposite direction to that which my power would need to go !!!!