Time to do the calculations again after almost 2 years of operation of the solar PV.
We’ve written to our suppliers to ask why last year’s output (1.5Mw from the top 16 panels) is 20% down on what they projected/promised.
What’s also puzzling, as you can see from this reading, is that even at noon on […]
We’ve been keen for a long time to install a wood-burning stove to replace the old aga. The problem was always going to be the solid concrete chimney breast built in the 1930s. In the event it took two very persistent workmen from the Czech Republic most of a day the hammer through a big […]
It seems that this issue has come out because companies have only recently been required to publish the fuel mix. And it’s going to shock a lot of people.
I had an authoritative response from someone in the business (who had better not be named):
“I am not surprised at this. Ecotricity is run by Dale Vince… […]
I’ve just got round to signing up to Torchbox’s carbon calculator - The Carbon Account. It’s quite the best I’ve used for a number of reasons. It logs detailed information about your particular vehicles and your energy supplier, looks up the latest information on them and presents your progress to reducing your carbon footprint in […]
After the disappointments about finding a place for a turbine with enough wind, I’ve starting thinking about solar again. One way or another I am determined to start making our own electricity to balance out the amount used by the heat pump and all our media work.
I had thought that the roof was too shaded […]
Next steps in putting in a wood-burning stove
A new store has opened in a village garden centre in the UK
October marked the end of the first year with the heat pump and the other energy saving measures we have put in place. The results are very interesting and to some extent surprising. We can look at them in a number of different ways.
Our baseline was 2004 when our heating oil cost £2,431 and our […]
Now after ten months of operation and a lot of adjustments, we are getting a clearer idea of the running costs in terms of increased electricity.
The base case, before the heat pump started running on October 12th 2005, was that the house was using an average of 20 units (kWhs) of high cost plus […]
Before next winter we want to try and improve the performance, and cost, of the ground heat pump system. So one clear step was to put in more insulation.
Because of the strange way the house was built in the 30s, this means taking off the clapboard and fitting insultation between the timbers. We’ll see […]