The Environment Thread :-)
58 watchers
Mar 2022
3:12pm, 22 Mar 2022
87,455 posts
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Hanneke
Use less definitely the key! Staying within the car theme: i bought my second hand Skoda Fabia 1 lt petrol estate 3 yrars ago. It was 3 years old, extremely low mileage. I only use it when I really have to, so I do about 5000 miles a year. It is extremely frugal and clean for a petrol car. It replaces a filthy old diesel van. I envisage to never buy a car again, as this one will last out my need for it. I took all sorts into consideration, including the availability and cost of electric cars. What is involved in producing them, like lithium mining and what is involved in scrapping it and longevity. I found my car, over a 20 year span, to be the most friendly option. I am very much a consume very little person with my 17 year old laptop and a car that will last me 20 years. I only consume what I need, which is very little... No tv, no gadgets etc But to my annoyance, my smart phone, which I had to buy in Spring 2020 because of Covid, is coming to its obsoletion point in less than 2 years!!! Its RAM memory is no longer big enough to process basic functions. I have no apps on it etc but Guggl has been wanting me to dowload missing bits from the playstore. If only I could get rid of such things and if guggl stopped updating all the time, this phone would work fine! I won't be replacing it, assuming I can still make calls and send texts... |
Mar 2022
3:30pm, 22 Mar 2022
12,227 posts
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jda
Well, I do spend on gadgets and laptops etc (some due to legitimate work needs) but the van is 10 years old and does about 6000 miles per year which is only 700 litres (and all rural, I'm not choking schoolkids in city centres). I guess the worst case scenario is it dies and I can't get hold of an electric before I need to buy another vehicle....which would be annoying. I should try to do a test ride at least just to see what they are like. |
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Mar 2022
4:57pm, 22 Mar 2022
1,034 posts
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fuzzyduck79
The waits for EVs are quite long judging by posts I've seen recently, lots of people have had expected delivery pushed back to 12+ months after their order
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Mar 2022
5:16pm, 22 Mar 2022
3,003 posts
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JRitchie
Semiconductor supply & general high demand I think. Actually Tesla has the shortest lead time from my recent enquiries.
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Mar 2022
2:16pm, 23 Mar 2022
3,649 posts
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Fields
No VAT on heat pumps in the spring statement, not sure how how long. I think that, coupled with the grants, could be worth looking at in more detail. I’m hopefully buying a house with a fairly modern Baxi gas boiler, but I wouldn’t mind exploring the options. Stupid question this, but I assume it doesn’t impact on a gas hob? |
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Mar 2022
10:28am, 26 Mar 2022
1,047 posts
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fuzzyduck79
Energy efficiency guru Amory Lovins: ‘It’s the largest, cheapest, safest, cleanest way to address the crisis’ : theguardian.com I’m keen for his suggestions, but it feels difficult to get anywhere with the things he is suggesting. Even getting people round to quote for ASHP was frustrating, most installers blanked my enquiry and the one who responded wanted me to pay him hundreds to do an insulation survey. I’ve since bought my own thermal camera so I can see where my old, poorly insulated house leaks most heat. Feels like there needs to be a small army of people trained up to visit homes and help modernise insulation, and the need has never been so urgent as now. |
Mar 2022
11:18am, 26 Mar 2022
19,119 posts
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Chrisull
Quick q - sure I've mentioned before, what do you do about getting new insulation if you have rodents in the walls, who either getting in from underneath the house or through a roof?
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Mar 2022
11:49am, 26 Mar 2022
87,627 posts
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Hanneke
I tried the ASHP route a few years ago. The guy that came out told me that he wasn't recommending it, as my solid stone house cannot be insulated... Also, it would have to be positioned in front of the only window with a view!!!
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Mar 2022
12:02pm, 26 Mar 2022
16,820 posts
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rf_fozzy
Chris - 1. Get rid of rodents. 2. If you fill the cavity and gaps with insulation, they cannot get in. |
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Mar 2022
12:04pm, 26 Mar 2022
16,821 posts
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rf_fozzy
Hann - the designs and specs change. So what was recommended a few years ago may no longer be the case. That said however, I think the ASHP adaption will take longer to come to fruition than govt ministers are hoping. It took solar panels a couple of decades to come down to the prices you pay to have double glazing installed. Not saying that it'll take that long, but the disruption S cuve is always followed. |
Useful Links
FE accepts no responsibility for external links. Or anything, really.- why Kodak completely missed the boat when it came to digital cameras
- rf_fozzy: This is quite a good article about how disruptive technology work
- run free's Grand Designs example Ben Laws is a man who built his dream
- Carbon Commentary carboncommentary.com
- UK ombudsman for problems with electricity or gas
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