Steven P

Depends what you are asking for, the cheapest (least efficient) are half the price of the most efficient, ranging from about £800 / kwh to £1500 / kwh.

What I love about the report I read this week is that the offenders were stopped, had to reload their vans, then had the vans confiscated and were prosecuted. Almost perfect, if only they had to walk home instead of a comfy ride to the police station. (I have no sympathy for them, mentioned here I litter picked my road over Christmas, a few hours, today, big bag of litter thrown out of car.... 25m from the litter bin... no excuses)

It's not the political party as such but more the idea that Tony Benn, who was Secretary of State for Energy 45 years ago has such as great influence on our energy security today. Not believing that line.

You got to do the full quote!! In the medium term yes, I think what ever storage there is has to be an energy dense storage. I don't have the figures but reckon that equivalent energy in pumped storage and in Hydrogen, and Hydrogen will take up much less space, just as an example.

Even in the 30 years of Conservative governments?

As I read it, he didn't do a deal with Iran (a beacon of world stability) and made a certain type of Nuclear reactor in the UK because Iran would have half owned it? I think looking at world history in the last 45 years probably a good thing (of course, doing a few deals here or there might have changed history, we will never know). Of course, since 1979, Thatcher came to power Benn wasn't secretary of State for Energy, and U2 released their first album (1980). Bono and his hippy ilk were in no position in 1977 to influence the government. 40 years later and of course, Tony Benns hatred of nuclear power has influenced Conservative, Labour and coalition governments? (even extending beyond his death?). I don't think his influence extended that far.

Pumped storage: It is quite a recent problem we are talking about and the technology is catching up. 10 years ago windfarms and solar were a small part of the generation mix, we could generally take all they produced and no problem, overcast still days we just ramped up another generator to make it all work. Now of course about 40% of our electricity can be produced by renewable means... but the storage solutions have only recently (last few years) become viable for large amounts. I reckon this discussion will go on and around for a few years till the engineers get something worthwhile working. My money would be to convert spare electricity to hydrogen generation in the medium term - we are used to storing liquid fuels and transporting them, small changes we could supply domestic gas as hydrogen - I think they are trying this in Hartlepool. Discounting large pumped storage, the energy store isn't large enough in the UK (I think enough for a days electricity before the dams are empty), though we have an interconnector to Norway, we take electricity as needed and can send it the other way to refill their pumped stores (which empty when we need it). Domestically... you could say that heat pumps are pumped storage on a micro scale, instead of water it is heat we are pumping. Needs a different mindset to use though, got to get away from needing instant heat, and have constant heating at a lower heat output.. and that can help even out doemstic electricity supplies too, reduces the peaks first thing when the electric boilers start and at tea time when we al come on from work.

Didn't realise that Labour politician served in Thatchers government

Have you seen Jacob Rees-Mogg? Eat the rich, We'd need to feed him up first to make it worthwhile

So does Denmark - we had a week staying with friends who took the empties back after... and had a meal out on what we drunk

They're the worst for greenhouse gasses....

or just use them regularly

Looking at the chart above.... anyone notice India with the same population as China are a ticking time bomb when it comes to green stuff?

For kindling I use a no-name DIY warehouse hatchet - great if you use them for that - wouldn't even consider going across the grain with it though - I need a better collection of axes I think,

Wasn't it Tesco that coined the phrase, "Every Little Helps"?

Just to add a little more details, here is the government report on this.# A few charts, some are split into PM2.5 at the road side and in Urban areas (doesn't specify the exact difference), roadside has more particles and urban values follow the roadside values closely.... which to me suggest the biggest culprit occurs at the road. Also to note that in the last 30 years that the charts show, the values have dropped to between 1/3 and 1/4 what they were in 1992... the issue is getting smaller over time despite the recent popularity of wood burning stoves (small dip during the Covid years when we weren't driving about as much) Particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5) - GOV.UK WWW.GOV.UK

I'd also blame volcanos as well, and forest fires.

If you look at the figures and the chart above shows this too, over time in the last century the emissions in question have dropped considerably - including domestic combustion. Domestic combustion is seeing a resurgence but nowhere near like what it was and never will be. So now with all the other emission types falling it is a substantial portion of the total... and so is on the radar. Suppose that all stoves are banned, no domestic burning (including bonfires) then another burning type will become significant in the mix too and they will whinge about that one too.. until we live in a sterilised world where your front door is an air lock with particulate filter, windows will not open and we'll all live till 130.... but it will feel a lot lot longer. Before commenting I read a few articles - not in depth research - but it appears that the particles as such are not a killer, but... if you have another condition then they can add to those problems - and the other conditions? Things like high blood pressure, overweight, and so on.... the ones that a better diet and more time outside (in the polluted air) could help a lot. Like a lot of things in UK politics, education into a better healthy lifestyle is too difficult, so tax and ban is the way forward - sugar taxes, minimum alcohol prices, high taxes on spirits, banning chocolate bars from the checkouts and so on and of course, wood burning stoves... but cut the tax on sports equipment, trainers, bikes, gym membership.. not a chance (and here they have redone the largest park in the city with a new museum... and turned the 24 hour £2 parking fee into £5 for 2 hours... so it isn't viable to take the kids there for a 20 minute kick about). Of course they could also cut the electricity taxes to equalise gas and electricity prices (without the tax electricity prices would fall a lot) - and then I could afford to run a few fan heaters in the winter (the tax thing... will be going into political stuff... but a modern essential like gas / electricity, water and sewerage, perhaps even broadband.. should be under close control of the government to stop profits going overseas... electricity is taxes several times apart from the end 5% (tax on the gas producers, added to tax on the gas distributers profits, added to tax on the electricity generators profits, added to taxes on the electricity distributers profits, and whoever you are supplied from, their profits, and then 5% VAT.. it is a lot of tax) I do believe that a lot of this is given time by the politicians because me burning firewood is not a taxable activity... and they hate me to do anything without taking a cut.

However, all might not be lost, once the flu if hot (hot enough for any potential acids to not condense on it), then you might be able to burn a mix, have a bed of anthracite as a base heat and logs on top to keep the fire going - at least till you use up the coal you have. As above a little experimenting with the fuels you have will get you a nice fire going. I've also used smokeless coals similarly, about 3-1 mix smokeless to anthracite to use it up. (alternative might be an angle grinder to the grate to give a better air flow, but not sure anyone would recommend that, it will lower your wood burning efficiency a bit)

I'll just take the stove out then and have an open fire. Fuel will burn at 1/4 of the efficiency, I'll use 4 times more and emit 4 times the pollution.

Anthracite is a bit of a specialist coal, it needs a good air flow and a decent start. I have 2 fires, the stove multifuel grate has half way between coal and a flat bed sized gaps, sort of best of neither but it will burn wood Ok and it will burn house coal or smokeless OK... but not enough airflow for anthracite. Upstairs is a traditional open fire, the grate has larger gaps and anthracite will burn on that. It is never a roaring fire, more a steady burn - with the blue flames. On larger steam engines, much better air flow and the fire box is a lot hotter generally and anthracite is good on them. Right to your problem them. Ignore the sulphur thing, it is only really an issue if it condenses in the chimney as an acid (sulphuric acid?), as a gas it will go up and out. If the chimney is warm you'll be OK. Get a good wood fire going to start, you can try making a bed of coal and lighting the fire on top or you can try wood fire and adding coals on top of that, both ways should work. You need a decent heat in there to get the coals to light - letting the wood nearly burn out will be too cold. I found it works best with a thin bed (not a thick load of coal) but you do need to add more coal more often. If at bed times you have a decent red / orange fire going then you can bank it up a bit for overnight. As above, keep the grate clear of ash, riddle it ever so often to keep the air flowing. Not a lot of volatile gasses from Anthracite, so it works better with more lower air than top air

Main roads it is off the back of a truck, on the side roads it is dumped out of a parked car window, MuckyDs style. This week seen it where lots of wind blows all the little stuff about - so it looks like loads of domestic waste but that has just been blown from hedgerows on the smaller roads - around here anyway (I littler picked my road before this weeks storms, spotless, after the storms and I don't think I should have bothered - all wind blown)

If only there was some sort of mower thing that could be swung out the back of a tractor, say 1/2m to 1m over the grass verge and cut a strip at 30mph. Leave the bit in the middle for the wildlife

Which I think is the point. If the employer is willing to stand in a court of law to prove that the employee was suitably trained and is certified to say so, then the employer could issue any certification that they want to, or use any other organisation to do the training and certification. I don't think there are many employers out there who would be willing to do that. Goes back to who is going to ask awkward question after an accident, I would say the insurers would and the HSE. HSE are going to be as vague as the regulations as to the training standard and certificates, but the insurers should be able to say what the minimum they would accept is, and that is what I would use for a groundskeeper (as a minimum)

It is like most health and safety requirements out there regardless of the industry. Very little set in stone along the lines of "You must be qualified with this or that ticket", but a little more vague "suitably qualified", "experienced", "competent" and so on with no minimum requirements. If you could get one to do this, a local tree surgeon watching the groundskeepers fell a tree, and then issue a certificate of competence complies with the regulations, if the employer and employee are happy with that.... Not sure I would want to work for them though. Not sure the insurers would either. Golf courses, lots of trees, lots of groundkeepers, I reckon this is not a unique case or question to ask, but for insurance purposes a call to their insurers might be the way to go.