Pic of our house

[Flyfisher]

Of course Ecotricity are much smaller than, say, Centrica, who are building the windfarm off my bit of the Lincolnshire coast (54 turbines so far and growing). But wind is only a small part of Centrica's business so when you buy energy from Centrica you are contributing to building their fossil fuel projects. Ecotricity only invest in renewables so when you pay your bill you know your money is not being used to build coal fired power stations but will be used to build more wind farms.

Interesting dilemma: contribute 100% to building small renewable capacity or a smaller percentage to building, overall, more renewable capacity. Isn't it better to maximise the actual investment and, therefore, the absolute amount of renewable capacity?

 

[Schoolmarm]

Interesting dilemma: contribute 100% to building small renewable capacity or a smaller percentage to building, overall, more renewable capacity. Isn't it better to maximise the actual investment and, therefore, the absolute amount of renewable capacity?

That all depends on one's moral stance. If Biff doesn't want ANY of his money going towards fossil fuel development, and he is given that choice by provider selection, then there is no dilemma whatsoever.

edited for c.a.r.p spelling

 

[Pford75]

Been searching for a pic without the solar panels....the only one I could find was from this Easter......as you can see, typical Spring weather.

 

[biffvernon]

Yes, if you buy your electricity from, say, Centrica (a company in the news today, announcing a £1billion profit, http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7534421.stm) then only a tiny proportion of your money will be invested in new renewable generating capacity. With Ecotricity it is very different. They are investing in new renewable generating capacity at a rate that about equals income from customers.

 

[Penners]

What do you heat your water with now?

I understand that the eco-acceptable method is manual energy generation. You rub your hands together briskly under the cold tap.

 

[Penners]

Pford75 - Thass a toidy howse you got there, bor. Oi hoope you've larned the loocal names proper. Loik Harfam (Hargham), Windham (Wymondham) and soo on.

Boo'ful work. Congratulations.

 

[Pford75]

Penners - thanks for the kind comments.

Sadly, the accent isn't coming on as well as the house......in Mrs Ford's words "You can take the boy out of Essex, but you can't take the Essex out of the boy".

Happily though, the locals see us as "quite normal" (something I was told at a BBQ in the village....which is nice :wink: ). The previous owners (who's family built the house and still own most of the village) used to insist on everyone leaving the village shop when the Major did his shopping......i've tried this at Tesco's, Sainsburys and Waitrose but sadly none are interested in reviving this age-old custom.....such a shame I think.

 

[pieman]

I don't envy you painting all those sash, did you do them yourself?? I am about to embark on ours, any tips??

Si.

 

[Flyfisher]

I understand the principle, Biff, but according to Ecotricity's own 2007 figures, Centrica spent £42m on renewable capacity whereas Ecotricity only spent £15.6m. Powergen spent £103.7m in the same period. So, the big companies are creating much more renewable capacity, in absolute terms, than Ecotricity.

Isn't it a bit like a small proportion of the population changing entirely to low-energy lightbulbs versus the entire population using just one? The household using all low-energy bulbs might be individually 'greener' but the environment would benefit more from everyone using just one.

I'm not knocking Ecotricity by the way, or promoting Centrica (especially as I'll now be paying 35% more for my newly connected gas supply!), but I think it's good to keep things in perspective.

(apologies for the multi-threading!)

 

[biffvernon]

Of course. Centrica are a humongous company. Ecotricity is Dale Vince and a few mates. But what I was talking about is what happens to your money when you pay your electricity bill. With Ecotricity you are having a direct effect on the amount of new renewable generation that is built. With Centrica you don't because only a tiny fraction of your money goes in that direction.

Lest anyone thinks I've got it in for Centrica in particular, E.On are the real baddies at the moment since they want to build a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent. This is absolutely the worst possible thing. Get down there this weekend. http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/home?q=node/374

Meanwhile, back on the topic, what, pFord75, do you use for keeping warm on those snowy Easter Sundays?

 

[Pford75]

I don't envy you painting all those sash, did you do them yourself?? I am about to embark on ours, any tips??

I did all of the ground floor ones myself (all of the paintwork was in a pretty bad way when we purchased the house). My tip is to tackle a single window at a time....I stripped down every sash, sorted the weights where needed etc. Ours hang on chains rather than sash cord (i guess due to the size/weight)...I oiled all of the chains. Better to do one window properly (puttying, painting etc) than half-finish several windows.

However, for the first floor and soffits/guttering, we needed a scaffold tower. Given the size of the property and the height of the guttering (apx. 35ft), we got someone in to do these. Although a lot of painters/decorators simply weren't interested as the job was "too big"!

In total, we had 46 windows (including outbuildings) to be painted...plus a lot of guttering/soffit. A massive undertaking as a single job, but picking off a window at a time is not too bad. Especially as you are so dependant on the weather.

Also, be honest with yourself about your capabilities/patience. I do not have a delicate hand....so the glazing bars were left to Mrs F.

Final thought, since most of our windows are the same size, I did cut myself a piece of MDF, which I then waterproofed. This was my emergency solution just in case I needed a window boarded before the paint was dry

 

[Pford75]

Meanwhile, back on the topic, what, pFord75, do you use for keeping warm on those snowy Easter Sundays?

It varies...but a combination of jumpers, wood fires and Mrs F seems to do the trick :wink:

 

[biffvernon]

It varies...but a combination of jumpers, wood fires and Mrs F seems to do the trick :wink:

Correct answer. Go to the top of the class.

 

[Penners]

the locals see us as "quite normal"

As in "normal for Norfolk"?

http://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/normal_for_norfolk.htm