Search with Wattson

Notifications

Clear all

Joining the Renewable Heating Hub forums is completely free and only takes a minute. By registering you’ll be able to ask questions, join discussions, follow topics you’re interested in, bookmark useful threads and receive notifications when someone replies. Non-registered members also do not have access to our AI features. When choosing your username, please note that it cannot be changed later, so we recommend avoiding brand or product names. Before registering, please take a moment to read the Forum Rules & Terms of Use so we can keep the community helpful, respectful and informative for everyone. Thanks for joining!

I might be being selfish but…

Well & Truly Off The Grid

Last Post by Toodles 3 years ago

6 Posts

4 Users

0 Reactions

1,773 Views

RSS

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2944

Topic starter 11/02/2024 5:29 pm [#1370]

With my ‘selfish hat’ on (and I can sport a pretty wide range of styles and sizes when I want to) Global warming does have its’ advantages! With the present warm spell we are experiencing in the SE of England, our heating requirement is really low; even with our somewhat elevated comfort level of 22.5 degrees C throughout the house 24/7 (apart from bedroom at night) our ASHP is just ticking over on 500-650 Watt hours. The ‘cold’ radiator in the bathroom is a small downside of course, though the dual fuel towel rail alleviates much of this ‘hardship’!

I wonder if this is typical of what we might expect over future years; tomorrow’s Met Office forecast suggests we will be running everything in the house on solar power and possibly still exporting a little besides.

Such low consumption sounds good to me but I realise that is only a few hairs on the tip of the dogs tail compared with all the downsides and the upsetting of the worlds natural cycles etc. But I can’t help being just that little bit grateful just the same! Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

Quote

Abernyte

(@abernyte)

Reputable Member Member

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 264

12/02/2024 10:15 am

Aye, @Toodles, I know exactly what you mean. I look out over the current run of winters from the top of our cold hill in NE Scotland and reflect that not that long ago much of the winter would have seen us up to our armpits in snow. No more. While we undoubtably get periods of intense cold it is not the unrelenting months of sub zero or near zero that we would have experienced, and are grateful for it. I know that this "comfort" is bought by the misery of others but the selfish gene still lurks.

I also wonder if my Ecodan would have coped with the winters of old or is being able to use it also product of this warming?

ReplyQuote

JamesPa

(@jamespa)

Illustrious Member Moderator

Joined: 3 years ago

Posts: 5341

12/02/2024 10:43 am

Posted by: @abernyte

↑

Aye, @Toodles, I know exactly what you mean. I look out over the current run of winters from the top of our cold hill in NE Scotland and reflect that not that long ago much of the winter would have seen us up to our armpits in snow. No more. While we undoubtably get periods of intense cold it is not the unrelenting months of sub zero or near zero that we would have experienced, and are grateful for it. I know that this "comfort" is bought by the misery of others but the selfish gene still lurks.

I also wonder if my Ecodan would have coped with the winters of old or is being able to use it also product of this warming?

All very fine until the Gulf Stream stops working, which is predicted to happen due to the melting of antarctic glaciers.

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.

ReplyQuote

Mars

(@editor)

Illustrious Member Admin

Joined: 6 years ago

Posts: 4837

12/02/2024 10:53 am

@jamespa indeed, and then our heat pumps need to adapt to months of subzero temperatures.

And the other big impact last year was a milder than usual end to the winter for us which triggered a lot of our fruit trees to blossom earlier and then they got nailed by a really cold blast that they never recovered from and we had an awful fruit harvest, so I can only imagine what havoc that causes for fresh produce farmers.

🔥 Britain’s Heat Pump Shitshow
How Installing a Heating System Became a National Nervous Breakdown
Free UK shipping.
Rewritten and updated for 2027
📘 From Zero to Heat Pump Hero
🛠️ Bodge Buster
New to heat pumps?
Take the Heat Pump Fundamentals course and use INTRO50 at checkout for 50% off.

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2944

Topic starter 12/02/2024 11:11 am

@jamespa I believe that the effect of the Gulf Stream has been diminishing for some years already. Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2944

Topic starter 12/02/2024 11:20 am

@editor ‘I remember it well’ Our heating was turned off at the end of January for the ASHP installation to commence; the old failing gas boiler had to be removed first (hence the loss of heating) so we huddled in one room, with the door shut and the gas fire on! I have noticed that all building / plumbing jobs are carried out with all possible doors and windows wide open all day long (must be something in the training programme). By the time the heat pump was commissioned on the 19th. February, spring had arrived! Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

ReplyQuote