Future Firewood Demand Optimism?

[Woodworks]

Nothing wrong with most heat pumps but plenty of problems with salespeople selling them for totally unsuitable homes. On top of good levels of insulation you need large heat emitters ie very oversized rads or UFH. Heat pumps are way more efficient the cooler they run. Once they start having to heat water to the temps a conventional heating system with rads need the efficiency drops off a cliff. Seems a typical gas boiler will heat your water to 75c. This enables a quick response from small radiators. For comparison out GSHP never has to heat our UFH water over 30C. They are OK to 35C but I am a tight git and if it needs to run warmer and the weather is bitter I top up our house temp by running the stand alone wood burner. 

 

This site gives lots of info about them and this page talks about the efficiency (COP) if a bit over optimistic IMO. Also efficiencies dont take into account running a circulation pump which are on 24/7 in the heating season so even though low wattage its small draw adds up with all the hours it runs.

What is the COP? – John Cantor Heat Pumps

HEATPUMPS.CO.UK

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Heat pump energy efficiency

 

[Billhook]

Do as I say, not as I do!

 

NONE of the 30 ministers who attend Cabinet have had £10,000 heat pumps installed at their homes | Daily Mail Online

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

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The Telegraph approached each Cabinet minister either directly or via their press aides over the last 48...

 

[Billhook]

I bought two techno gas cookers years ago from Curry’s for £325 a piece

Each one has four hobs  and two ovens

On Amazon there are equivalent ones for just over £2000 a piece so with I assume special saucepans and other equipment it would mean another £5,000 on the bill

 

Smeg Symphony 90cm Electric Range Cooker with Induction Hob - Stainless Steel : Amazon.co.uk: Large Appliances

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

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Buy Smeg Symphony 90cm Electric Range Cooker with Induction Hob - Stainless Steel at Amazon UK –...

 

[Woodworks]

36 minutes ago, Billhook said:

Do as I say, not as I do!

 

Goes without saying with this government!

 

The fact they haven't should tell you they are a good idea 😂

[Billhook]

Yes I know it is the Daily Mail, but I have never thought of Humphry’s opinions as being unfair

 

JOHN HUMPHRYS: My heat pump has me left in the cold... but I'm hot and bothered about the PM | Daily Mail Online

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

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JOHN HUMPHRYS: I was helping save the planet and saving myself the cost of buying oil. The perfect...

 

[Stere]

You don't hear  much  about solar thermal hot water theese days?

 

Hardly see any installed sytems around either.

 

 

[nepia]

Like many I constantly face the turning up the heating vs putting on a fleece battle. Hundreds of millions for the govt to hand out thermal vests?  Not that much surely; I've already got mine!

 

Unless I've misunderstood there are many homes simply not suitable for heat pumps - ours for example.  It's a 100-year old timber framed house so our underfloors need ventilation, not insulation - that alone is a fail n the heat pump front.  Then I'd have to double the size of our rads; where the heck would I find the space?  It's a 2-bed house!  But I don't feel too bad; the walls are well insulated, we have decent x2 glazing, a blue flame oil-fired boiler outside the house and the thermostat sits at 17.5C.  There's a logburner in the lounge that's a dinosaur of a horrible Charnley - nominal 8kW, capable of 11kW 🤪 but it sure warms that room.  And it's fuelled by softwood arb arisings that from next year will have 0 carbon miles as I'll start scrapping all the horrible macrocarpa on the place.

 

And all the countless thousands of flats - how on Earth do you heat them with heat pumps!

 

Boris, you're making the usual amount of sense - at least you're consistent

[nepia]

Just now, Stere said:

You don't hear  much  about solar thermal hot water theese days?

 

Hardly see any installed sytems around either.

 

 

Looked into solar at the last house for hot water but was told it was technically very difficult with a sealed system.  We have one here too so maybe one day.

That day may come sooner than I thought actually. The estimates for the small extensions we wanted and applied for were so ridiculous we've withdrawn the application; even the prices for a Sussex barn are silly so perhaps solar could happen...

[Woodworks]

38 minutes ago, Stere said:

You don't hear  much  about solar thermal hot water theese days?

 

Hardly see any installed sytems around either.

 

 

I think PV pretty much killed it. PV became cheap and electricity can be used for multiple things including heating water. 

[Stere]

Kind of guessed that that but solar thermal tubes still alot more efficent near 70% .

 

 

&  PV  makes near zero financial savings or very small benefit after 20yrs  on  the payback calcs since FIT  cuts?

 

Suppose it depends on future lecky prices