Bigthumb Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Ok...another one of my little observations on life which may or may not be right. With the soaring cost of energy bills just lately. I was watching the news on the beeb this morning and some bloke was saying if every houshold in the country was 'super insulated' to it's maximum efficiency, then this would have the effect of taking hundreds of thousands of people out of 'fuel poverty' (where more than 10% of income goes on energy costs). Now in the short term, I can see and agree with the theory. However, lets say hypothetically that overnight, every household suddenly got their home 'sorted' and as energy efficient as possible. Brilliant....Lower fuel costs. BUT...also a huge drop in revenue for the energy suppliers. So what would the big six do? Raise the cost of fuel to ridiculous levels to bring it back to their former income. Wouldn't they? People would use less, but it would be more expensive! Right I'm going to hide in the cellar now, and wait for the big guns to come and debunk my theory!...hahaha It wouldn't reduce energy costs. It would just reduce energy consumption. The cost of extra insulation would probably outweigh the short term energy cost savings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milquetoast1 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Thermal heating takes the heat from the ground, the only cost is the product and installation. The important word is "takes". It's still a finite supply. ---------- Post added 25-10-2013 at 12:49 ---------- It would result in less energy being used, but it would only lower bills for a short while until the companies increase prices to absorb the saving. Like I never understood why people get so excited about when the Government takes a penny off fuel duty, like it's the best thing in the world, then the next day the petrol stations raise their prices by 1p and you have the treasury 1p a litre down which they will just find somewhere else in tax. So after it all you're paying more taxes and more for petrol. Like ISAs. It wasn't long before the banks realised their customers were locked in to their ISA products so started offering lower rates and in effect skimming off most of the tax advantage for themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Nope, it's suitable for all homes, Have a front or back garden? then it's suitable. Council tower block? these all have land space around them, be it grassed area or car parking. still suitable, in fact it should be made law that new builds should have them inclusive. "The important word is "takes". It's still a finite supply." Yes technically it is a finite source of heat, But if/when it stops, then keeping your bills down will be the least of your worries. Not freezing to death will become of paramount importance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anywebsite Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 If you are going down that route why not just install DIY solar heating. Heating isn't needed so much when the sun is out. There are other more efficient options for heating though now, like heat pumps, as Jace was explaining. There are air source heat pumps too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 My house can't actually be insulated any more than it is already since it doesn't have a cavity to fill with foam and doesn't have a loft to line with insulation either. Even my garden would be of precious little use since it's too tiny to be of use for ground heating purposes. The only potential really is using the roof for either photovoltaic or water heating cells, but even then I don't have the spare space within the roof space to house the extra internal bits and the connectors would have to be bolted to the outside of the house as there's no cavity to run them through, and of course neither of these is exactly a cheap option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angos Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Ok...another one of my little observations on life which may or may not be right. With the soaring cost of energy bills just lately. I was watching the news on the beeb this morning and some bloke was saying if every houshold in the country was 'super insulated' to it's maximum efficiency, then this would have the effect of taking hundreds of thousands of people out of 'fuel poverty' (where more than 10% of income goes on energy costs). Now in the short term, I can see and agree with the theory. However, lets say hypothetically that overnight, every household suddenly got their home 'sorted' and as energy efficient as possible. Brilliant....Lower fuel costs. BUT...also a huge drop in revenue for the energy suppliers. So what would the big six do? Raise the cost of fuel to ridiculous levels to bring it back to their former income. Wouldn't they? People would use less, but it would be more expensive! Right I'm going to hide in the cellar now, and wait for the big guns to come and debunk my theory!...hahaha I refurbished a 4 bed 1945 semi three years ago, I insulated the floor, walls, roof space, windows and it cost just over £300 a year for gas heating and hot water, which is about half of my previous 3 bed semi gas bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the power companies were summoned. Now campaigners have been having a dig http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24655255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milquetoast1 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I reverberated a 4 bed 1945 semi three years ago, I insulated the floor, walls, roof space, windows and it cost just over £300 a year for gas heating and hot water, which is about half of my previous 3 bed semi gas bills. Reverberated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMorris Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Reverberated? I think he may possibly have meant 'refurbished' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I think he may possibly have meant 'refurbished' Or possibly renovated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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