Daydream thread continues.....

alfie_1

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

i think by the end of todays "looking out at the rain" we could well be either..............

putting ourselves up to run the government

or verbally killing each other....:rotfl:

which in hindsight puts us well up on qualifying to run for government...:rotfl::rotfl:

rhiwfield

alfie_1 wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

i think by the end of todays "looking out at the rain" we could well be either..............

putting ourselves up to run the government

or verbally killing each other....:rotfl:

which in hindsight puts us well up on qualifying to run for government...:rotfl::rotfl:

Who'll be Chief Whip?

And what shall we call the party?

Hmmm, best stop raining soon, feel a schism coming on

choille

Tromptian walls - I think. We have always been solar gain freaks & insulation nuts - cut energy usage massively. Regs in Scotland are much higher that Englands & quite silly to work out SAP calcs & stuff - some academic who knows nothing of the real world designed the current system, but it is a step in the slightly right direction.

If people want to fly everywhere & then go all so called green with solar then that's for their consiounce {sp?}
We did have a big windmill where we used to live - no mains there & that was interesting - but an expensive set up & the maintenence was pretty dear & well...............

I don't believe that energy consumption is sustainable the way it is at all. We need extremely radical approaches that would not impact overly on people's lifestyle if they just were a bit more savvy & less removed from the reality of the environment. We have massive hydro schemes here & once they're in place they work & they are pretty green. We have plentyyyyyyyy of water. Well, maybe not this Summer - oddly, but we got looooooadddddddds 'o the stuff. We also have plenty of wind.
Talking of which - must be the tablets..............

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Alfie.. is there anyone of us close to where the phone is? maybe they could pick it up and post on to you..

Monsoon weather here:o

Stonemason came this morning.....and He cant see why the architect and the builders want to knock the 2 side walls down... even with the bow in the middle of one of them...

He must know what he is taking about as he does alot of work for st fagan's. even though he only looked about 12:rotfl:

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/historic-buildings/

Alfie.... as you thought, its all down to the wet ground, and 'proper' maint done on the property...

soooooooooooo over the next few weeks .. we are going to hire mini diggee and dig trench around 3 sides of the house, and put trenches to run down to the stream to take away the water etc away from around the house...

He mentioned the french drainage pipes?

The mystery of the mix of stone and brick on the outside walls etc, He thinks the fireplaces, were re-placed/re-newed in the victorian times... so they took out the stone and put in brick..

the outside crack on the 'wet' wall corner.. is down to the wet ground, so suggests it is under-pinned, same with the other corner at the back... and he can rod/staple the wall ( he did say another word for it, but I have a memory like a sieve:o:D)

Sooooooooooooo we are going to gear ourselves up to start one side of the house( 'wet' wall side .. ) in the spring... this will give us time to save up the money to completely finish that outside end of the house, facias chimmley, re-point, staple, 2 new windows ( if needed) underpin corner...

Anyway I am wet/damp and cold so going to make a cuppa and have a nice hot bath.. with loads of bubble bath:D

Itismehonest

rhiwfield wrote: »

Itsme, agree with some of what you say, and disagree with other parts.

Our modern lifestyles are so energy intensive that supply side solutions will usually have flaws. Much more needs to be done to tackle demand side.

Locally should we suffer the impacts of fracking so that people can have cheap gas?

Should airports be expanded so that more people can jet away on hols.

Should we accept right to unlimited car travel even though biofuels are causing food price rises?

I think you have to delink green and fashionable.

I strongly agree with the concept of living within sustainable energy supply. So for me utilising the energy of water, wind, sun, anaerobioc digestion are not about fashion but about necessity.

Then again I do consider climate change to be real BUT I dont have any hope that govts will take effective action and that nature will do that for them in the form of weather extremes and crop failures.

Govt encouraging use of wood fired appliances seems short sighted and cost of wood has risen astronomically in many areas and will no doubt continue to do so. I personally would not put in a CH system that relied on it unless I had a private wood supply. Does it make sense to rip out an efficient oil boiler and fittings to replace with an ASHP. Probably not. Does it make sense to spend £10 to fit more window film insulation. Definitely yes.

For a new build I would look at passive heating using solar gain (incl transpired walls?) and would install solar thermal even though not economic atm. I would again put in solar pv. I'd improve insulation and heat recovery systems. If what I do is unfashionable or fashionable is besides the point, if it fits within a modern green definition likewise, the important elements would be does it work, is it sustainable, is it affordable?

Off my soapbox too :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I think you misunderstood me, rhiw. I'm saying "Horses for courses" as opposed to the must-haves of the moment.

In 1890 when many large towns & cities were still lit by gas, Lynmouth on Exmoor had electricity (hydroelectric power). They used what was best & readily available for them - an endless supply of fast running water. If the water wasn't from a reliable, permanently available & free source then setting up the system would have been a vast expense unlikely to be recouped.

Wave power is, indeed, under utilised. However, as the idea (as with every other 'farmed' power) is for it to provide for the large urban centres - which don't tend to be by the sea or where wind farms get sited - they require miles & miles of pylons & cables across the countryside.

Smaller wind turbines on individual properties make much more sense than enormous farms which can only work when the wind is strong enough but not too strong. Some places have already started reducing CT in recognition that the turbines have devalued certain properties.
Hands up who would choose to live under a wind farm themselves? NIMBYism is rife when everyone wants these things as long as they aren't personally affected by them.

I travel abroad by train. I don't fly. Unfortunately, our railway system is antiquated, slow, dirty & extremely expensive but unlikely to improve as long as we consider the car a bigger priority - particularly by those who have adequate available public transport.
As with most things in the UK the problem is London. Other countries seem to spread their air traffic across their regional airports much more sensibly than we do. A 'hub' doesn't need to be in London if it's just somewhere the majority of passengers change flights.
Elsewhere in the world people fly into 'city' airports that are hours away from the city which they serve. Here, it seems, they have to be a morning's jog from Hyde Park or nobody will want to come to the UK anymore

My point is not that the search for alternative energy is wrong. It's that it should be chosen on it's merits for local needs.
For instance, solar panels are of far greater use in the South & East (where they get the brighter skies) than in the West where many more days are dull, wet & overcast. I should imagine any panel here would be green & mossy in a couple of years unless someone got up on the roof to clean it :rotfl:
Much of the clamour is promoted by companies with a vested interest in making money. It has little to do with what is best for the individual customer.

Actually, there's one very easy situation but it's not one anybody likes. We live in a country which for a great part of the year is wet, cold, dark & miserable. Nature never intended us to walk around half-dressed for most of the year
The 'greenest' amongst us are actually those that just put on more clothes & jump into bed earlier in the winter.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Talking about fuel etc..

In this months smallholder magazine ( I get the 'proper' mag, but I might subscrib to the on-line one when i subscription ends to save some money)

The mentioned in cambridge they have a village/area co-operative for buying heating oil...where people have signed up, and they then buy it direct which saves them money...

Havent read the article properly, as it only came yesturday, so will have a proper read of it, and see if there is any other info..

Just a thought if you know of a few of you in your area, to form a scheme like this...

Davesnave

alfie_1 wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

i think by the end of todays "looking out at the rain" we could well be either..............

putting ourselves up to run the government

or verbally killing each other.....:rotfl::rotfl:

rhiwfield wrote: »

Hmmm, best stop raining soon, feel a schism coming on

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Monsoon weather here:o

Does this mean it's been raining then? It's not raining here.

OK it was raining buckets earlier, so instead of writing epistles, (most of which make great sense BTW:)) I was reading bits of the forums related to heating.....and getting even more confused! :rotfl:

Lucky I have the coming winter to get fully clued-up.;)

Meanwhile, in our bedroom furthest from the woodburner it's a comfy 20.5C. All the rads are slightly warm. The stove is the only source of heat we'll use until the Aga goes on in November, hopefully for the last time!

Good that you now have an action plan, CTC. :):)
http://www.ihbc.org.uk/guidance_notes/docs/tech_papers/French%20Drains.pdf

rhiwfield

Itsme, having reread our posts I think we're more in agreement than disagreement

Though prob not on windfarms.

But as my brain isnt working too well I cant be sure

Yes Dave, cats, dogs and a few elephants as well

All Ebay listings ended and no more going on until nx Thurs. So my total for w/e 23/9 is a paltry £119.89 and for next week a bit fat zero.

Rummer

Just taken a walk round the garden and realised my grass has gone and it is almost all creeping buttercups! What can I do?

alfie_1

i think we should be the SOAP BOX PARTY

i would offer to be chief whip but alas me finks my "whipping" days are over...;) :rotfl::rotfl:

rhiwi....chancellor of the Exchequer
itsme.......Sec. of State for Energy & Climate Change
davesnave....Sec. of State for Education
choille.........Sec. of State for the Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs
ctc..Sec. of State for Business, Innovation, & Skills
LIR....Sec. of State for Health

i havent forgotten everyone else just ran out of time....roast dinner beckons