Energy thread

rjsterry

Did some updated energy calcs for a project yesterday based on the current the new rates. The unaltered house (fairly standard 30s detached house with ground floor extension) was going to jump to about £5k just on heating. With upgrades to the fabric we could get that down to £3k and with some PV added below that. Payback period for PV has halved.

Pross

TheBigBean said:

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

I was trying to work out if I could live off grid if I were single. I have done it for a few months before, but times change. I think I would miss a fridge, hot food and warm showers. Plus I'm assuming I have 5G and I'm charging devices at work. Perhaps I can shower at work too.

Living off grid doesn't mean you would have to go without hot food or hot water but surely if you wouldn't be off grid if you continue to travel into work (or is this like a SC version of off grid?).

I'm assuming I don't also have a wood burning stove, oil heating, solar panels, wind turbines, portable gas etc. Imagine a tent if it helps.

No matches and bits of wood lying around? I managed to eat hot food whilst doing what people now like to call wild camping (it was just camping back then) as a kid in scouts so I’m sure an adult could manage.

shirley_basso

rick_chasey said:

I have always found the system of the energy company "suggesting" a monthly amount and then you randomly get hit by a "oh you owe us / we owe you x amount" because they didn't get it right very weird.

Had to really fight for them to just charge me for exactly what i used that month.

Cancel your DD

rick_chasey

Nah I got them to charge me what I used on the DD, eventually.

surrey_commuter

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

I was trying to work out if I could live off grid if I were single. I have done it for a few months before, but times change. I think I would miss a fridge, hot food and warm showers. Plus I'm assuming I have 5G and I'm charging devices at work. Perhaps I can shower at work too.

Living off grid doesn't mean you would have to go without hot food or hot water but surely if you wouldn't be off grid if you continue to travel into work (or is this like a SC version of off grid?).

don't let them redefine what off-grid means. Of course you can have heating, electricity and hot water you just need to be self-sufficient.

No reason why you couldn't goto work whilst living off-grid

Pross

surrey_commuter said:

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

I was trying to work out if I could live off grid if I were single. I have done it for a few months before, but times change. I think I would miss a fridge, hot food and warm showers. Plus I'm assuming I have 5G and I'm charging devices at work. Perhaps I can shower at work too.

Living off grid doesn't mean you would have to go without hot food or hot water but surely if you wouldn't be off grid if you continue to travel into work (or is this like a SC version of off grid?).

don't let them redefine what off-grid means. Of course you can have heating, electricity and hot water you just need to be self-sufficient.

No reason why you couldn't goto work whilst living off-grid

What if you spent all your time other than sleeping and commuting in the office with all mod cons, would you still be living off-grid?

TheBigBean

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

I was trying to work out if I could live off grid if I were single. I have done it for a few months before, but times change. I think I would miss a fridge, hot food and warm showers. Plus I'm assuming I have 5G and I'm charging devices at work. Perhaps I can shower at work too.

Living off grid doesn't mean you would have to go without hot food or hot water but surely if you wouldn't be off grid if you continue to travel into work (or is this like a SC version of off grid?).

I'm assuming I don't also have a wood burning stove, oil heating, solar panels, wind turbines, portable gas etc. Imagine a tent if it helps.

No matches and bits of wood lying around? I managed to eat hot food whilst doing what people now like to call wild camping (it was just camping back then) as a kid in scouts so I’m sure an adult could manage.

I clearly haven't made my point very well. When I did it before, I did have fire for cooking, but I also had a supply of wood. That supply would now cost lots, so I would be thinking about cutting back. In my thought process above, I'm imagining cutting back on all the supplies of energy. The result would mean cold showers even though it is possible to heat water with a fire.

TheBigBean

Pross said:

surrey_commuter said:

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

I was trying to work out if I could live off grid if I were single. I have done it for a few months before, but times change. I think I would miss a fridge, hot food and warm showers. Plus I'm assuming I have 5G and I'm charging devices at work. Perhaps I can shower at work too.

Living off grid doesn't mean you would have to go without hot food or hot water but surely if you wouldn't be off grid if you continue to travel into work (or is this like a SC version of off grid?).

don't let them redefine what off-grid means. Of course you can have heating, electricity and hot water you just need to be self-sufficient.

No reason why you couldn't goto work whilst living off-grid

What if you spent all your time other than sleeping and commuting in the office with all mod cons, would you still be living off-grid?

Your job doesn't have to be in an office.

rick_chasey

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

TheBigBean

rick_chasey said:

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

Because the cost of one is beyond my hypothetical budget. As I said, I'm not liking that part of the plan.

commuterlegs

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

Because the cost of one is beyond my hypothetical budget. As I said, I'm not liking that part of the plan.

Solar shower like they have on the back of camper vans, take the edge off? Still not pleasant i would guess....

pangolin

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

Because the cost of one is beyond my hypothetical budget. As I said, I'm not liking that part of the plan.

I'm assuming this is just a thought excercise.

Don't discount the gym if your work place doesn't have a shower. £10-£30 off peak at puregym depending on location.

TheBigBean

commuterlegs said:

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

Because the cost of one is beyond my hypothetical budget. As I said, I'm not liking that part of the plan.

Solar shower like they have on the back of camper vans, take the edge off? Still not pleasant i would guess....

In the absence of new tech, I think I would go India style and have a bucket of water. Soap on. Bucket over head. It's over quicker that way.

shirley_basso

commuterlegs said:

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

Because the cost of one is beyond my hypothetical budget. As I said, I'm not liking that part of the plan.

Solar shower like they have on the back of camper vans, take the edge off? Still not pleasant i would guess....

Camper van? Pah. That's got a license plate - the 'man' will find you

kingstongraham

This thread has taken a strange turn. I guess this means most are now not worried until the gas runs out.

pangolin

kingstongraham said:

This thread has taken a strange turn. I guess this means most are now not worried until the gas runs out.

Agree, backs up the point you were making I think

First.Aspect

It is particularly odd given talk on other threads about high yield investments. Bunch of 6 figure earners banging on about saving money by taking cold showers.

shirley_basso

You don't stay rich by wasting money

kingstongraham

shirley_basso said:

You don't stay rich by wasting money

Yeah you can.

TheBigBean

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Why would you put yourself through cold showers in winter?

Because the cost of one is beyond my hypothetical budget. As I said, I'm not liking that part of the plan.

I'm assuming this is just a thought excercise.

Don't discount the gym if your work place doesn't have a shower. £10-£30 off peak at puregym depending on location.

Yes, just a thought exercise. I can now afford it, but that hasn't always been the case.

Pross

shirley_basso said:

You don't stay rich by wasting money

The dog clothing section in Harrods disagrees.

kingstongraham

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

You don't stay rich by wasting money

The dog clothing section in Harrods disagrees.

I'd say if you can't afford to waste money, you aren't rich.

orraloon

Alt you get your bills paid by the taxpayer on expenses, like the previous temporary Chancellor of Exchequer Zahawi and his horse stables heating bill.

focuszing723

kingstongraham said:

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

You don't stay rich by wasting money

The dog clothing section in Harrods disagrees.

I'd say if you can't afford to waste money, you aren't rich.

Have a Google for Warren Buffetts house and car.

Munsford0

Eon website says they are applying the govt handout to fixed tariffs too so we won't be paying more than peeps on the variable one. Immediate panic over!

kingstongraham

focuszing723 said:

kingstongraham said:

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

You don't stay rich by wasting money

The dog clothing section in Harrods disagrees.

I'd say if you can't afford to waste money, you aren't rich.

Have a Google for Warren Buffetts house and car.

Sure, or his private jet and the billions he's literally given away.

I think he can afford to waste money, he just enjoys making and saving money for the sake of it which I find bizarre.

I did google it, and found this: Buffett only plans to leave his kids $2 billion each; He once said he wants to leave his children "enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing."

focuszing723

kingstongraham said:

focuszing723 said:

kingstongraham said:

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

You don't stay rich by wasting money

The dog clothing section in Harrods disagrees.

I'd say if you can't afford to waste money, you aren't rich.

Have a Google for Warren Buffetts house and car.

Sure, or his private jet and the billions he's literally given away.

I think he can afford to waste money, he just enjoys making and saving money for the sake of it which I find bizarre.

I did google it, and found this: Buffett only plans to leave his kids $2 billion each; He once said he wants to leave his children "enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing."

Yeah, but with inflation though Graham that two billion wouldn't last long, would it!?

TheBigBean

kingstongraham said:

This thread has taken a strange turn. I guess this means most are now not worried until the gas runs out.

I'm probably more worried about the impact of the government spending £150bn on hot air, but everyone's circumstances are different.

Jezyboy

TheBigBean said:

kingstongraham said:

This thread has taken a strange turn. I guess this means most are now not worried until the gas runs out.

I'm probably more worried about the impact of the government spending £150bn on hot air, but everyone's circumstances are different.

Wahay!

Nice way of phrasing it, but I do wonder what the realistic options were beyond ones that involve massive debt. I think progressively charging for units would be a better approach to encourage lower useage, but I can see that being challenging to implement. Especially given the Tory parties refusal to openly debate the issue during their self indulgent summer.

surrey_commuter

Jezyboy said:

TheBigBean said:

kingstongraham said:

This thread has taken a strange turn. I guess this means most are now not worried until the gas runs out.

I'm probably more worried about the impact of the government spending £150bn on hot air, but everyone's circumstances are different.

Wahay!

Nice way of phrasing it, but I do wonder what the realistic options were beyond ones that involve massive debt. I think progressively charging for units would be a better approach to encourage lower useage, but I can see that being challenging to implement. Especially given the Tory parties refusal to openly debate the issue during their self indulgent summer.

By all accounts they deliberately timed it with the duration of the (private) school holidays so as not to inconvenience anybody.

I think if it was something that cost £10bn in total they would fret about it but when the total is over £100bn trying to save at the margins seems pointless