Reply to: All nuclear reactors to restart by this winter

[vetran]

Only 60 years for slate, blimey. That's a short life for shingles too though American houses are much more timber focused... and they just tear them down and build new ones anyway.
But a slate costs about a quid and a shingle pennies... and they are not polluting or hard to recycle.

my apologies I meant tile as well - was failing to multitask.

Slate frequently lasts longer if the bed is good(used to live in a slate roofed house). Tiles crack more often.

Though shingles (they mean the asphalt ones not Cedar) are from fossil fuels and guess where most of our asphalt comes from Tovarich?

Though Cedar which are both beautiful and fairly green can last 50 years apparently.

https://www.customshingles.com/blog/...f-a-cedar-roof

Metal has 50 years but cooking panels isn't a good idea.

Even if some of the tiles fail internally so long as the configuration is redundant the output will just fall. So you may not need a new roof any sooner. Also being plastic and probably on a flat baseboard decent external insulation should be easier.

[d000hg]

Most slate roofs last 60 years in our environment.

https://www.marley.co.uk/blog/what-i...ear%20lifespan.

Tesla are offering a 25 year guarantee.

Now US roofs are more likely to be shingle and last 30 years

https://www.tckroofing.co.uk/news/ho...0%2D30%20years

Now I suspect placing flat slate like tiles on a backing like ply / tile backing would be the most economical way to create a solar roof. Tiles would probably be flatter and less likely to move.

Only 60 years for slate, blimey. That's a short life for shingles too though American houses are much more timber focused... and they just tear them down and build new ones anyway.
But a slate costs about a quid and a shingle pennies... and they are not polluting or hard to recycle.

[vetran]

Quite an interesting idea for new builds I think although does this mean you need to replace your entire roof every few decades?

Most slate roofs last 60 years in our environment.

https://www.marley.co.uk/blog/what-i...ear%20lifespan.

Tesla are offering a 25 year guarantee.

Now US roofs are more likely to be shingle and last 30 years

https://www.tckroofing.co.uk/news/ho...0%2D30%20years

Now I suspect placing flat slate like tiles on a backing like ply / tile backing would be the most economical way to create a solar roof. Tiles would probably be flatter and less likely to move.

[d000hg]

Combine the costs and invest in solar tiles

Quite an interesting idea for new builds I think although does this mean you need to replace your entire roof every few decades?

[SueEllen]

Did you know you can buy shares in wind turbines? https://rippleenergy.com/

Yep.

Thanks to someone posting the energy dashboard link I started looking it all up.

So I'm going to invest my profits from dirty energy into cleaner energy, and I shall be able to look my younger relations in the face.

Edited to say: my own utility supplier is a green energy electricity supplier to the grid. They were amongst the cheapest with best customer service and the least chance of going bust when I changed to them. Now I'm stuck with them....

[tazdevil]

yeah, that's the annoying thing. I could probably just about afford panels + battery now, but the roof adds another £30k I reckon which means a few more years of waiting.. potentially covering the period with the highest energy prices.

Combine the costs and invest in solar tiles

[mattster]

As the panels will be up there for 20+ years and need a good anchor it'd be really stupid to install the panels before sorting the roof

Also get an inverter with a passive heat sink and install it in a cool place such as a garage as the ones with fans chew quite a lot of electricity

yeah, that's the annoying thing. I could probably just about afford panels + battery now, but the roof adds another £30k I reckon which means a few more years of waiting.. potentially covering the period with the highest energy prices.

[d000hg]

Medium term I'm looking to buy a wind turbine. I've decided to use the money I get from fossil fuel drilling and refining to fund it.

Did you know you can buy shares in wind turbines? https://rippleenergy.com/

[tazdevil]

The only thing putting me off is that I really need a new roof soon so wonder how stupid it would be to put panels on it before that job is undertaken?

As the panels will be up there for 20+ years and need a good anchor it'd be really stupid to install the panels before sorting the roof

Also get an inverter with a passive heat sink and install it in a cool place such as a garage as the ones with fans chew quite a lot of electricity

[mattster]

The first place you divert energy is into your hot water tank (if you have one). Heating water takes a lot of energy, and a well-insulated tank will store the hot water for several hours, so once your batteries are full, heat the water.
Feed in tariffs are pretty much a joke these days, unless you got a government grant and feed in guarantee a few years ago, you've got no chance of getting anything worthwhile back.
The Tesla wall is a nice design, but like most designs, it's form over function at a price.

Yeah I guess, depending on how much hot water you use. The long and short of it is that between hot water tanks, house batteries and perhaps car batteries there should be no need to feed energy back into the grid, and every kwh harvested can be used. Come to that, I'd rather mine dogecoin with my excess than give it back to SSE. Time to pull the lever on some panels I think - I've got massive south facing roof space. The only thing putting me off is that I really need a new roof soon so wonder how stupid it would be to put panels on it before that job is undertaken?

[WTFH]

Less than half the price of the Tesla, so looks good in that respect (although Tesla only quote a full installed price).
Another point is that once we all move to EVs, we'll have 20-30+kwh of storage sitting in the drive. Obviously you can divert any excess energy into that, rather than get whatever pitiful feed-in tariff is on offer, but also I believe there are ways to use the car as a battery for the home electrics as well - or even to function as part of a distributed grid.
Even if it ended up costing me more (certainly in the short term) I'd love to get off grid and stick a couple of fingers at the energy companies. No doubt they'll bring in legislation to try and stop us soon, as I think they have done in Aus and US.

The first place you divert energy is into your hot water tank (if you have one). Heating water takes a lot of energy, and a well-insulated tank will store the hot water for several hours, so once your batteries are full, heat the water.
Feed in tariffs are pretty much a joke these days, unless you got a government grant and feed in guarantee a few years ago, you've got no chance of getting anything worthwhile back.
The Tesla wall is a nice design, but like most designs, it's form over function at a price.

[mattster]

Daisy chain a few of these:
https://www.zerohomebills.com/produc...attery-module/

More flexibility than the model T.

Less than half the price of the Tesla, so looks good in that respect (although Tesla only quote a full installed price).
Another point is that once we all move to EVs, we'll have 20-30+kwh of storage sitting in the drive. Obviously you can divert any excess energy into that, rather than get whatever pitiful feed-in tariff is on offer, but also I believe there are ways to use the car as a battery for the home electrics as well - or even to function as part of a distributed grid.
Even if it ended up costing me more (certainly in the short term) I'd love to get off grid and stick a couple of fingers at the energy companies. No doubt they'll bring in legislation to try and stop us soon, as I think they have done in Aus and US.

[WTFH]

My thoughts on a generator are more along the lines of get a solid solar array (maybe 10kw?) and a big battery (> 10kwh I guess), but have a generator on hand to charge the battery if the solar fails, for whatever reason, or usage spikes. Then pull the plug on gas and electric so I don't have to pay the standing charges..

Daisy chain a few of these:
https://www.zerohomebills.com/produc...attery-module/

More flexibility than the model T.

[minsky1]

My thoughts on a generator are more along the lines of get a solid solar array (maybe 10kw?) and a big battery (> 10kwh I guess), but have a generator on hand to charge the battery if the solar fails, for whatever reason, or usage spikes. Then pull the plug on gas and electric so I don't have to pay the standing charges..

That's what a Tesla Powerwall system gives you .....

http://cuberoot-energy.co.uk/images/...Experience.mp4

[mattster]

A generator can be a viable alternative if you have a steady demand.
For most home owners that is not the case, you'll want to boil the kettle, or cook something, which will cause a big increase in your demand. During the day the requirements will be enough to run a computer or two. In the evening, add in the lights. Don't forget your fridge/freezer/iron/central heating/hot water.

But yes, if you set up a separate circuit for the steady demand stuff, you could run that efficiently on a suitable generator.

My thoughts on a generator are more along the lines of get a solid solar array (maybe 10kw?) and a big battery (> 10kwh I guess), but have a generator on hand to charge the battery if the solar fails, for whatever reason, or usage spikes. Then pull the plug on gas and electric so I don't have to pay the standing charges..