The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Effician

Really can't understand the mentality of the rush to ashp as the vast majority of properties are just not ready for them.

Far better to get the homes ready first ( insulation, draught proofing etc) as this would benefit the majority in the way of warmer homes for less energy use,  my guess this would have a far greater effect on reducing the UK's carbon emmisions .

Once the majority are prepped & ready then it would make sense to roll out grants for ashp's.

Now where did i put my glue

Si_Clist

There is no sense whatsoever in using a heat pump in an old building which cannot be insulated effectively.  That's what both the heating engineers that we got to quote us for one reckoned. 

They also said we would need to find room against the back wall for a unit 39" X 39" X 14", and neither of them could suggest how that might be done without it becoming a major obstacle.

thriftwizard

I think we're probably in the same boat as @Si_Clist. Some of the windows & one door are being replaced as we speak, but it's going to be a long job saving up to have the rest done. The walls were cavity-insulated when we moved in, but that was nearly 30 years ago so it's probably slumped down by now. I'm planning to do the loft insulation myself with help from the "kids" but I know it's a pretty horrible job, having done an industrial "unit" in an old mill previously, and this will be worse, as the roof (which is in 3 parts, originally t-shaped with a later, longer addition on one "arm") is very low and there's no proper loft-boarding, just wobbly old kitchen-unit doors placed haphazardly across the ceiling joists, if that's the right word - probably not! And needless to say, it's full of junk... 

Effician

Si_Clist said:

There is no sense whatsoever in using a heat pump in an old building which cannot be insulated effectively.  That's what both the heating engineers that we got to quote us for one reckoned. 

They also said we would need to find room against the back wall for a unit 39" X 39" X 14", and neither of them could suggest how that might be done without it becoming a major obstacle.

Good advice from them.

We're in a 1870's terrace ( fairly well insulated, draught proofed but no wall insulation) & for the last couple of yrs have found ways to improve further,  result is warmer house for around half the energy.

No need to spend big to become greener.

Toonie

I'd definitely have trouble installing one...I understand they have to be a metre away from your neighbours and I'm in a terraced house with a just under 3 metre wide garden. DP and I have already looked into trying to make our property more energy efficient and we just don't have the funds to even think about it. Grants for energy efficiency and insulation would be far more useful.

prepareathome

We only put GCH in, in 2009 then eventually double glazing in 2010 - we live in a conservation area and it's a battle royal to have anything done to front of the house - was 2015 before we were able to replace the original door which was totally rotten and you could punch your fist through,  Windows are supposed to be doubled glazed properly - technically they are two layers of glass but we have windows made up of very, very small windows and since having them put in still have draughts and noise from outside is worse than before but we had to use council approved company and they swear they are fine.  We live on outskirts of a city but on a road that goes into it and so its busy a lot of time and getting worse so was hoping for less noise not more.  No space for any air pumps here and although most likely have enough ground for a ground pump cannot get underfloor heating here unless it's laid on the floors and ceiling height is low so would make rooms even smaller than they already are.  We have been here 20 odd years and half of it was battling to be allowed to have the double glazing and front door replaced and getting how up to standard to have GCH fitted as was in a bad way - thankfully back and sides of house are not affected by conservation rules but gardens are and took years to be allowed to replace front and side garden fence that was falling down and then had to be a low certain height so could not make it secure which annoys me as side garden is massive and back garden less so.   I wanted to make side garden into my own allotment area but even though have put hedging all around for some reason there are gaps and nothing will grow in them so often have people jumping over fence and helping themselves to vegetables etc never mind flowers.  In reality we should have enough ground around the house to grow everything we need but back garden is on a steep slope and small and no big enough.  Why our homes - just a row of red brick terraces (I am at one end) is under a conservation order no one can say, not even council and homes only built in late 1920s so not exactly old or anything special but they refuse to remove it - nice little earner for the cost of all the extra we have to pay on top of normal planning permission we presume.  The road itself is old - been the road to the port in the city for over 1000 years and is on all old maps but it went through fields nothing else and of course long tarmacked over.

Si_Clist

We've just realized that one eventuality we hadn't considered is being without hard fats, which if nothing else would mean no baking.  

Is it possible to make pastry with cooking oil instead, and if so, how much oil would roughly equal say 4oz Marg?

-taff

Don't know but you can freeze butter...I usually have a few packs floating around. There are quite  alot of recipes for it if you do a search on google. I'd imagine you do like for like, so 4 fluid ounces. Might be wrong though....

C_J

https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-oil-pie-crust-recipe-304979

CCW007

-taff said:

Don't know but you can freeze butter...I usually have a few packs floating around. There are quite  alot of recipes for it if you do a search on google. I'd imagine you do like for like, so 4 fluid ounces. Might be wrong though....

Picked up 13 packs of reduced butter yesterday for the freezer, the woman on the till thought I was quite mad!