carbon neutral homes

[ratewhore]

Anyone got one? I can''t seem to find much information beyond one development in London where they are quite cheap 1 bed flats or architect designed multi-million pound homes. Having no stamp duty on cheap homes is not that much of a winner nor really expensive homes where the owner can probably afford it anyway.

Either way, another crappy 'benefit' disguised as an enviromentally sound measure...

[PerlOfWisdom]

Where do they get their energy from then, windmills and solar power? What about the energy used to build them.

[tim123]

Where do they get their energy from then, windmills and solar power? What about the energy used to build them.

Yep, I think that's exactly it.

They were saying on the TV last night, that in 10 years time it would be illegal to build a house that wasn't carbon neutral. Either someone has mis-understood or they aren't going to be building new houses in 10 years time unless all the nimbies stop complaining about wind generators in back gardens.

It's bloody hard to use only your own generated electricity. The average 'home' wind or solar generator makes enough power to run a couple of TVs.

tim

[ratewhore]

but the vendors will tell you you can generate enough to power your home and sell the surplus back to the national grid...

[wendigo100]

Suppose it's not windy or sunny? How do you store enough energy to see you through a week or two of dank weather?

[hyperD]

It's bollocks - like "green" biofuel.

Transportation costs (we'd have to import majority)?
Refining energy costs?
Refinery process change costs?
Biofuel processing costs?
Additional Fuel Change Management and Blending costs?
Specialised storage costs?
Land reclamation costs?
Aggressive deforestation?
Increase pesticide and pollutants/leaching?
Soil degradation due to intensive monocultural activity?
Aggressive reclaimation of land reserved for food (bio crop growing: low efficiency per hectare)?


Solar panels?
20 years lifespan
30 years + payback


Problem is you have to ignore the politics and look into actuals. All the fuel engineers I talk to about bios say it's a load of spin.

[PerlOfWisdom]

A good start would be to massively increase insulation standards for all houses - not just new, so that energy use is reduced. Electric heating should be banned in almost all circumstances as it's massively inefficient - a gas or oil boiler is 90% efficient but electricity generation and distribution is less than 30%.

Solar water heating should be promoted - panels could be made for about the same cost as a velux window, where they currently cost over £2000.

Rental properties should be included as landlords have no interest in how high energy bills are.

[Troll]

Solar water heating should be promoted - panels could be made for about the same cost as a velux window, where they currently cost over £2000.
.

If you google for it - you will find many articles about build yourself solar water heating panels - not the most complex technology & within the means of competent DIY - and substantially below 2k