Energy thread

Stevo_666

This seems to be the sort of 'wet suit' they wear in the West Country:


https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/29/is-this-the-end-of-the-line-for-the-somerset-gimp-17662389/

rick_chasey

Stevo_666 said:

I'm not going to suffer for the sake of a few quid. Heating is on and I'm nice and comfy. Kerosene prices were pretty low last weekend (probably as it was so mild) so have ordered a top up that'll see me some time into the New Year.

I understand you’re on the heating oil which is not having a huge supply crisis (afaik) but when it comes to electricity; there’s only so much to go around and so it’s not about if you can afford it as much as if everyone uses as much energy as they want we will all run out and have blackouts if we have a cold snap.

briantrumpet

Part of the game of seeing how long I can last out is that it makes the pleasure of even a little heat that bit nicer, plus it raises my tolerance, I guess.

Stevo_666

rick_chasey said:

Stevo_666 said:

I'm not going to suffer for the sake of a few quid. Heating is on and I'm nice and comfy. Kerosene prices were pretty low last weekend (probably as it was so mild) so have ordered a top up that'll see me some time into the New Year.

I understand you’re on the heating oil which is not having a huge supply crisis (afaik) but when it comes to electricity; there’s only so much to go around and so it’s not about if you can afford it as much as if everyone uses as much energy as they want we will all run out and have blackouts if we have a cold snap.

We're still being sensible about what we use, but taking some sort pride about being cold and wearing the proverbial hair shirt is a bit odd if you can afford a few quid to stay warm.

Pross

Stevo_666 said:

I'm not going to suffer for the sake of a few quid. Heating is on and I'm nice and comfy. Kerosene prices were pretty low last weekend (probably as it was so mild) so have ordered a top up that'll see me some time into the New Year.

Out of interest, how easy is it to know how much your tank can take? Do you have to order the amount or can you just get the delivery to come around and fill it up? Also, do you club together with others in the area to get a better rate or just everyone sorts themselves out? Having taken a tentative look at moving most of the places I’ve seen that are of interest seem to be on oil heating and it’s not something I know anything about. Part of me would be tempted to make use of the various grants to go to heat pump or a biomass boiler but they seem to take up more space.

mully79

Note that if you're considering a heat pump then its powered by electricity which is 5x more expensive than gas. The only way that works is if youre off grid.

Running my energy saving, latest refrigerant dehumidifier for the weekend has cost more than heating my house with gas for a week.

Stevo_666

Pross said:

Stevo_666 said:

I'm not going to suffer for the sake of a few quid. Heating is on and I'm nice and comfy. Kerosene prices were pretty low last weekend (probably as it was so mild) so have ordered a top up that'll see me some time into the New Year.

Out of interest, how easy is it to know how much your tank can take? Do you have to order the amount or can you just get the delivery to come around and fill it up? Also, do you club together with others in the area to get a better rate or just everyone sorts themselves out? Having taken a tentative look at moving most of the places I’ve seen that are of interest seem to be on oil heating and it’s not something I know anything about. Part of me would be tempted to make use of the various grants to go to heat pump or a biomass boiler but they seem to take up more space.

Newer tanks have those gauges on the side like you get on kettles that show the level on the outside: ours is an old one so we use a big dip stick and a tape measure. We know it holds 1,000 litres total so you can estimate reasonably accurately how much it'll take to top up. Generally you need to order a certain amount as you pay up front and the price can be volume dependent, but once you're into the swing of it, no problem. You just need to remember to check the level from time to time.

We don't club together with the neighbours as the other 2 houses who are oil fired on the close tend to order at different times, but the website we use groups local orders together to get a better price where possible. It's one of those that uses multiple suppliers and quotes you the best available price in your area, depending on how quickly you need it and how much you're ordering. I can PM you the link if you want.

The oil tank isn't that large and the boiler is pretty compact.

Overall I wouldn't let it put you off a house purchase.

laurentian

Pross said:

Stevo_666 said:

I'm not going to suffer for the sake of a few quid. Heating is on and I'm nice and comfy. Kerosene prices were pretty low last weekend (probably as it was so mild) so have ordered a top up that'll see me some time into the New Year.

Out of interest, how easy is it to know how much your tank can take? Do you have to order the amount or can you just get the delivery to come around and fill it up? Also, do you club together with others in the area to get a better rate or just everyone sorts themselves out? Having taken a tentative look at moving most of the places I’ve seen that are of interest seem to be on oil heating and it’s not something I know anything about. Part of me would be tempted to make use of the various grants to go to heat pump or a biomass boiler but they seem to take up more space.

We have a guage on the tank - it's cheaply made and, I suspect, not terribly accurate but I can see when we're running low. It is possible to buy some kind of bluetooth device and app but I've never felt the need to get anything beyond the "fairly accurate" guage that we have.

When ordering, we would order, say 500 litres. The delivery tanker comes and puts 500 litres into the tank if it will take it. However, should the tank only take, say, 420 litres, we're only invoiced for that amount.

Stevo_666

And a spot of good news for gas users:
https://msn.com/en-gb/money/other/gas-prices-to-tumble-by-a-third-in-5bn-boost-to-jeremy-hunt/ar-AA13Fojf?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=7b8309b4a62d436ed3178ac877a16fae

shirley_basso

Smart meters, eh. Tin foil hatters were right

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63554879

rjsterry

So, not really to do with smart meters, per se. Just that without that they would have to physically change you over to a pre-pay meter, which they already had the right to do.

shirley_basso

The story being that the woman in question couldn't get through to her provider to discuss her position, but they went ahead anyway.

rick_chasey

Still not turned the central heating on this side of summer!! Remarkably warm autumn (and clearly my house retains some heat).

rjsterry

Have just attended a very interesting seminar on monitoring of energy use as both a means of assessing existing buildings and checking real world performance against what was designed. The most startling point was the degree of variation found in what were in theory near-identical buildings. This was due to a variety of factors but in one example where every flat in a block was measured, the best flat was 65% better than expected and the worst used more than double the expected energy.

Pross

rick_chasey said:

Still not turned the central heating on this side of summer!! Remarkably warm autumn (and clearly my house retains some heat).

Seems strange for someone who seems to have lizard blood. I've had mine 'on' for a month or so.

*I've switched it on with the timer set from just before wake up time to just before bed time and the thermostat set at around 19 degrees so it comes on in the chillier moments. I'm not quite sure why people have this obesession with whether they've turned it on or not, why don't they just let their thermostats do the work for them?

rick_chasey

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Still not turned the central heating on this side of summer!! Remarkably warm autumn (and clearly my house retains some heat).

Seems strange for someone who seems to have lizard blood. I've had mine 'on' for a month or so.

*I've switched it on with the timer set from just before wake up time to just before bed time and the thermostat set at around 19 degrees so it comes on in the chillier moments. I'm not quite sure why people have this obesession with whether they've turned it on or not, why don't they just let their thermostats do the work for them?

Well for me it's a good test of endurance and adjustment to see how low I can go before I really do need it in. I've whacked the temperature down to 15.

So far, the lowest it's gone is 17.5 and even after dinner it picked up again to 18.

Stevo_666

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Still not turned the central heating on this side of summer!! Remarkably warm autumn (and clearly my house retains some heat).

Seems strange for someone who seems to have lizard blood. I've had mine 'on' for a month or so.

*I've switched it on with the timer set from just before wake up time to just before bed time and the thermostat set at around 19 degrees so it comes on in the chillier moments. I'm not quite sure why people have this obesession with whether they've turned it on or not, why don't they just let their thermostats do the work for them?

Exactly - timer plus thermostatic valves makes it comfortable without wasting loads. I think there is some sort unofficial competition over who can be the tightest with their heating

rick_chasey

Yes absolutely. If we are all tight with the heating we won't have blackouts!!

We need to help the war effort by using less energy.

Stevo_666

rick_chasey said:

Yes absolutely. If we are all tight with the heating we won't have blackouts!!

We need to help the war effort by using less energy.

Pross and I are talking about sensible use rather than no use BTW. If you want to suffer, that's fine with me.

Anyhow, my use of kerosene isn 't going to affect it.

Pross

rick_chasey said:

Yes absolutely. If we are all tight with the heating we won't have blackouts!!

We need to help the war effort by using less energy.

But if you have a thermostat set to a sensible level you are only using energy you need and still not wasting anything so it makes no difference. Mine is currently down to 15 as it is so mild again but last night I'd been running in the pouring rain for an hour then had to sit through a club committee meeting in the unheated room of a pub so when I got home I banged it up to 20 for a bit to get warmed back up. I also turn it up if we've got clothes drying on an airer in the house which, in this weather, is most days (it's that, the tumble dryer or the clothes taking so long to dry they continue to smell damp).

rick_chasey

Sure, but surely it's a good thing that despite the low level I have set my thermostat at, it's not ever had to come on?

Pross

rick_chasey said:

Sure, but surely it's a good thing that despite the low level I have set my thermostat at, it's not ever had to come on?

Providing you and your family aren't overly uncomfortable then yes. I'm actually surprised seeing as you didn't seem to think human life could continue in a house at that temperature just a couple of months ago. I guess on the downside you could argue that the only reason you are able to do this is due to the weather still being unusually warm (possibly the highest ever November minimum daily temperature tomorrow apparently) which is possibly due to climate change.

Stevo_666

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Sure, but surely it's a good thing that despite the low level I have set my thermostat at, it's not ever had to come on?

Providing you and your family aren't overly uncomfortable then yes. I'm actually surprised seeing as you didn't seem to think human life could continue in a house at that temperature just a couple of months ago. I guess on the downside you could argue that the only reason you are able to do this is due to the weather still being unusually warm (possibly the highest ever November minimum daily temperature tomorrow apparently) which is possibly due to climate change.

Agreed.

I look forward to some of the conversations on here when there is a proper cold spell.

blazing_saddles

rick_chasey said:

Sure, but surely it's a good thing that despite the low level I have set my thermostat at, it's not ever had to come on?

Lucky you.
I only live 20 miles or so North of Pross, but the unseasonably warm weather you both have enjoyed equates to 8C here. (Both Monday and Tuesday)
I was in Cardiff during the morning and it was 5C warmer.
At those temperatures it doesn’t take long to reach 15C and below.

briantrumpet

I've had my oil-filled 'lectric radiator on low for a couple of evenings, but it's off again now, and I'm in shorts & T-shirt. 18C indoors.

bonk_king

I'm not sure how I fit into this energy saving malarky.

I haven't had the central heating on since around November 2021 when we had our wood burner installed. So energy saving wise I should be able to puff my chest out proudly.

But when it gets cold now, we burn wood!!!

So I'm an energy saving hero on one hand, and an air polluter on the other!

wallace_and_gromit

bonk_king said:

I'm not sure how I fit into this energy saving malarky.

I haven't had the central heating on since around November 2021 when we had our wood burner installed. So energy saving wise I should be able to puff my chest out proudly.

But when it gets cold now, we burn wood!!!

So I'm an energy saving hero on one hand, and an air polluter on the other!

Tricky one this. We are currently heating ourselves largely on wood, having built a large stockpile of logs (enough for circa 2 years) following a lot of safety-related and Environment Agency-related tree-felling in recent years. So whilst we're saving money (good personally) and reducing demand for gas (one in the eye for Mad Vlad) we are doubtless on Greta's hit list for our air pollution.

I guess metaphorically dying of shame is better than actually suffering from cold/damp.

surrey_commuter

wallace_and_gromit said:

bonk_king said:

I'm not sure how I fit into this energy saving malarky.

I haven't had the central heating on since around November 2021 when we had our wood burner installed. So energy saving wise I should be able to puff my chest out proudly.

But when it gets cold now, we burn wood!!!

So I'm an energy saving hero on one hand, and an air polluter on the other!

Tricky one this. We are currently heating ourselves largely on wood, having built a large stockpile of logs (enough for circa 2 years) following a lot of safety-related and Environment Agency-related tree-felling in recent years. So whilst we're saving money (good personally) and reducing demand for gas (one in the eye for Mad Vlad) we are doubtless on Greta'censored list for our air pollution.

I guess metaphorically dying of shame is better than actually suffering from cold/damp.

I am in a similar position with logs but having hit my target of Nov 6th to turn the heating on it makes for a much more pleasant house. Interesting that the thermostat is only set for 18 so maybe we have acclimatised.

bonk_king

For those burning wood I suspect the vast majority haven't actually paid for it. I get as much free wood from work as I want, and others, as mentioned may have a supply of logs or whatever.

That's great for us, but have you seen the price of small bags of wood in the likes of B&Q, and even buying kiln dried logs in bulk isn't cheap.

All the suppliers, whatever fuel they are selling, are getting in on the act that's for sure.

wallace_and_gromit

wallace_and_gromit said:

bonk_king said:

I'm not sure how I fit into this energy saving malarky.

I haven't had the central heating on since around November 2021 when we had our wood burner installed. So energy saving wise I should be able to puff my chest out proudly.

But when it gets cold now, we burn wood!!!

So I'm an energy saving hero on one hand, and an air polluter on the other!

Tricky one this. We are currently heating ourselves largely on wood, having built a large stockpile of logs (enough for circa 2 years) following a lot of safety-related and Environment Agency-related tree-felling in recent years. So whilst we're saving money (good personally) and reducing demand for gas (one in the eye for Mad Vlad) we are doubtless on Greta'censored list for our air pollution.

I guess metaphorically dying of shame is better than actually suffering from cold/damp.

I like how the Forum software converts "Greta's_hit list" to "Greta'censored list".