Microgeneration Strategy *LINK*

[Anonymous]

The DTI yesterday released the first information on its new Microgeneration Strategy. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme will be officially launched by Malcolm Wicks this evening at the Micropower annual conference.

More can be found here:



Microgeneration Strategy

 

[Anonymous]

Shame it cant happen a bit quicker than that. Do you think the NAD will hold out till 2050?
I at least have now signed up to the Southern Electricity Rspb tariff which whilst not quite the cheapest all green tariff had a high service rating. I had a bad experience before with N power and to this day got so confused with the situation in the end did not know if I had been diddled or not.
Anyway I have until monday to plumb my initial heat pump up and connect all the ground floor underfloor heating circuits into their manifolds lots of pressure vessels and tundishes.
And hoping I get that sorted heat on monday or an expensive abortive call out from the commisioning engineer.
I am hoping this week my wife will sort out the web site so I can edit text and add pictures myself. She has just gone back to full time nursing and started working 12 hour shifts for an American company clearing the backlog of elective surgery for the NHS. The pay is better than NHS, there is a 4 minute journey to work so not to bad. So all in all Its not to easy to get the poor girls attention betwen managing 4 kids and a job.
Suffice to say when sorted out I will be able to share progress a lot more easily.
Are you up to Save and Bill Bryson next week Biff?

 

[Anonymous]

Did you see the first in a series of TV programmes* on Tuesday (BBC2), called "It's Not Easy Being Green"? It's about Dick Strawbridge and his family setting up a "green" home in Cornwall? He is planning microgeneration from a waterwheel and wind.

I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable to know whether he is doing genuinely good work, or just making good television, but I found it interesting. I was, however, a bit sceptical about his waterwheel, which used a welded steel hub, with the main structure in softwood and marine ply. I kept shouting "oak" at the TV!

*Or doesn't your microgeneration installation produce enough to power a TV?! <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/wink.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

 

[Anonymous]

I meant to watch this programme, but I suspect it's more about good tv than good or perhaps "actual" process.

I started enjoying the river cottage programme when it was re-run, but then I read - int the Sunday Times - that he was a rather richer guy then normal, contionued to write for the Sunday Times, his family lived in their london home, he only visited the farm at weekends or for filming........... hardly the centre of the village chappie portrayed on the programme.

Still I made some Lettuce and Radish leaf soup as he did and it was quite nice at our Bonfire Party.

I'll watch this new one, but with some reservations <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

 

[Anonymous]

We've been discussing this over on the PowerSwitch forum. The waterwheel was more 'good' television than sound engineering. A piped leat to a turbine would produce much more electricity would would not look so pretty. Perhaps they'll replace it when all that whitewood rots.


PowerSwitch

 

[Anonymous]

I found it interesting. And it was very refreshing to watch a "reality" show that wasn't about people constantly rowing with each other. They were a nice, friendly, cheerful bunch.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. I sort of enjoyed it, but we thought the waterwheel a bit flimsy - the other half thought the bearing seemed not very robust, and poss an overshot is more efficient. And was that cement being used?

The army of cheerful helpers we all could do with! It seemed a very quick trot through sustainable stuff.

The bit that irritated me (well it would wouldn't it) was the roof - Mrs Going Green had thought that they could re-roof with re-cycled car tyres, but much to her annoyance discovered that as the building is listed the roof had to be 'in keeping' (whatever that means). So more shock horror slate had to be imported from abroad, which went agianst all that they were trying to do etc. Possibly that should have been investigated at the outset?

I was a bit puzzled at that point, until it was explained that yes you could get slate in this country, but it was more expensive than the imports. True - but it possibly is much better quality and may last longer, so it may be more ecologically sound than penny pinching now.

However - surely there was slate which could have been reclaimed on the existing roof? And was I mistaken but didn't the original have diminishing courses?

So it will be interesting to see what else happens to this listed building in the course of the series.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, this programme has been fashioned on the way of life that Brunhilde and I lead when we are not in the pub – only Brunhilde’s moustache is not quite that big.

Grimmers

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting and enjoyable, but disappointing for me in that it was not inspiring - how many people have £500 000 to spent on a dream home and way of life? That in istself is not 'greeen' - unequal distribution of resources as the amount of property and land to the number of souls living there is not sustainable for a whole population. It will just allow most people to continue to think that living green is for a few dedicated souls or wacky few as usual.

Sorry to be a misery but i want to see more 'accessible', affordable and realistic green living!

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I suspect it will end up being as realistic as 'The Good Life'

I still remember the episode where they turned all storage space in the bedroom over to the vegetable harvest, to see them through the next year. Not sure that a cauli would be too great after a month or two in the wardrobe!

I suspect though that we all had to be fed 'edutainment' as anything more serious our short attention spans can't take!

 

[Anonymous]

My main interest is in industrial history/archaeology and we have always believed that water wheels were made of elm which is better in the continually wetted conditions. The Ford Estate in North Northumberland used (from memory) Oak for the axle and arms and Elm for the buckets.
We had a huge , side aching laugh one year at CAT in Machynlleth - one of their water wheels, an overshot one in a small pit , was going backwards because the bottom of the wheel was so waterlogged - we just couldn't reach far enough with a walking stick to push it round that little bit further which would have got the weight over the top so it could have continued turning normally.
One of their windmills had blown down too.
You had to be there I suppose but it's one of those memories that makes me want to LOL even 15 years afterwards ))

 

[Anonymous]

didnt see the programme but am at present researching what various technologies I could use in my (soon to be ) beautiful part of 1950 (one day historic ) house. I have a condensing boiler and radiators and am thinking to install a heatpump for the heating, and solar panels to top up the heat above 50 C for safe water consumption and photovoltaic panels for electricity. The real trouble is the cooking and how to determine that in the end I am actually warm, fed and watered and not bancrupt, freezing cold chewing on a carrot ( or Big Mac )

Thanks in advance!
Any suggestions?

 

[Anonymous]

"Interesting and enjoyable, but disappointing for me in that it was not inspiring - how many people have £500 000 to spent on a dream home and way of life?"

Well, recently retired lieutenant colonels with consultancy work in the defence industry. He's an engaging TV presenter and the programme's pretty enjoyable (though a piped watercourse to a turbine would have been MUCH more efficient that his bodged-up waterwheel) - but is it me or do I detect a tiny hint of "do as I say, not as I do"?


http://www.dickstrawbridge.com

 

[Anonymous]

Well, any excuse to post a link to one of my favourite websites - stuff part way down the page on electricity at Cragside.

Currently the house is being re-wired as the ancient wiring was condemned as dangerous.

I've just put my foot through a worm eaten floorboard, so possibly we should be condemned too.

Thankfully we as yet are not in a Pathfinder area.

Mr Strawbridges 'tache was interesting. Does it act as a filter do you think?


http://www.hevac-heritage.org/items_of_interest/heating/national_trust_properties/cragside/cragside.htm

 

[Anonymous]

They did explain on the prog that the existing slates couldn't be re-used because they have been overcoated with a cement render.

Actually I remember that this is quite a widespread practice in the West Country - I understand it's to stop them blowing off*. What it does to the ventilation of the roof space I hate to think.

*That ought to elicit a lavatorial response from Grimmers.

 

[Anonymous]

I understand he's going to use it instead of a reed bed!

 

[Anonymous]

I suspect that "bodged up" is a bit of a trade mark for Mr Strawbridge. Hence his frequent appearances on Scrapheap Challenge.

I like the cursor on his website, though!

 

[Anonymous]

it looked like it had been Turnerised to me. Process invented in the 1890s, and therefore - perhaps - "historic", for buggering up your roof slates with an external application of roofing felt and bitumen and God knows what else, not vastly unlike an external version of spray-foam. There was a tradition of lime-rendering roof slates externally in some areas (Anglesey for instance).

The house also looked as if it had some placcy windows - I wonder what General 'Tache's approach to those is going to be?

 

[Anonymous]

But as they seemed pretty unfazed about giving away the precise address at several points in the programme, here's the list description:

T********TH
1.
1584A
******* Farmhouse
SX 05 SE 16/579

II

2.
On site of St Andrew's Priory and some of the walling may be medieval.
L shaped plan. Rubble, partly plastered, with hipped slate roof and
brick stacks. 2 storeys, sashes and casements. Long C19 wing, 2 storeys,
3 sash windows. 2 gables on south elevation.

 

[Anonymous]

Quite a few Purbeck stone roofs are also bedded on, or daubed in lime mortar (or worse). Not only do they resemble 'pitched patios' the woodwork will also doubtlessly be as rotten as a pear beneath.

Bryan