UK Energy Costs

[Protagoras]

Well, inevitably, that's the prices for UK energy going up again.

I note that the new so-called price cap includes an adjustment for demand elasticity. So they're admitting that people are going to be accept being colder as the price goes up!

We've got modern insulation, new windows, dry-lined walls, upgraded carpet underlay but still the costs for running a 2-person 3-bed house in the north well exceed the so-called typical 4 bed house with 4-5 occupants. And most of the time I'm wearing extra layers of clothes and heating to less than 20degC.

Anyway, what practical steps are folks taking to reduce demand / price (if any)?

Maybe the answer is to re-locate to the south where it's warmer - or just go abroad for 3 months in winter !

[sadkingbilly]

AYSYCOTBAC???
+£60 per annum <av>
peanuts ffs.

[WooHooNomad]

Use oil here and twice as expensive as last year. Moved from an old farmhouse to a recently renovated house, so fingers crossed it doesn't cost so much to heat.

I do have a fairly fast-flowing burn running down the hill through the property. I’m still tempted to look into hydro power, but that’s probably another project for another day!

[Protagoras]

A friend had a stream running down the hill behind his house - on his land. He tried a Pelton wheel to extract energy but I don't think ever did get it working properly. I did suggest that given his location, an off-the-shelf wind turbine would be simpler and cheaper!

But there's hours of fun in trying to get something working!

I'm looking at installing solar + battery, but am restricted to east-west facing. I'm sizing for 8kWp with 11kW battery pending a proper survey.

My consumption is 220-280kWh/month in summer (!) and at least another 10kWh/day in winter. At the moment, the dividend income from utility company shares covers my cost of energy but lots of people are cutting back to save money.

Really need regional prices to be introduced, but the Westminster government doesn't want this, preferring to offer energy price subsidies to huge data centres to locate in the north.

[DoctorStrangelove]

A friend had a stream running down the hill behind his house - on his land. He tried a Pelton wheel to extract energy but I don't think ever did get it working properly. I did suggest that given his location, an off-the-shelf wind turbine would be simpler and cheaper!

What sort of head of water exists at his location?

[woody1]

Where we live the temperature rarely falls below zero but it's very windy, so the C/H churns through oil when the wind gets up. I did think that a simple setup might be to have a wind turbine powering electric heating of some form; the windier it gets, the more heat it pumps out. However it probably wouldn't save enough on oil to be worth the initial outlay or the bother.

[WooHooNomad]

But there's hours of fun in trying to get something working!

I'm looking at installing solar + battery, but am restricted to east-west facing. I'm sizing for 8kWp with 11kW battery pending a proper survey.

Good to know about your friend, I'm more likely to try solar and battery as the land to the side and behind of the house is terraced into the rockface and south facing. I think the hydro might actually be better for 24 hour energy but so much more on the internet about Solar.

I would probably just do it for the fun of it like you said. I eventually want to automate as much as possible, gates, cameras, outside lights etc. Just really fun projects.

[Protagoras]

What sort of head of water exists at his location?

The location was about 500' up a hill and just below a waterfall. Within his property boundary there was probably 40' of fall. But I've no idea what hydraulic head he was able to establish. My suspicion would be 'not enough'.

I would probably just do it for the fun of it like you said. I eventually want to automate as much as possible, gates, cameras, outside lights etc. Just really fun projects.

I think that for many, these projects for saving energy have a 'for fun' element.
Because we can means that we just have to do it; so often it's more than simply the financial cost-benefit.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Head requirements for a Pelton wheel appear to start at 500 feet.

Jack Hargreaves Old Country visited a water mill where the water wheel had been replaced by a low head turbine that produced 25hp which seemed quite impressive for its era. (1904).

[Protagoras]

Head requirements for a Pelton wheel appear to start at 500 feet.

I've seen figures suggesting 100W from a 4-nozzle design fed from 50' head (that wouldn't even run my 24*7 IT kit).

There's lots of project parts for sale on-line to play with for those so-inclined.