if you had £4,000...

I don't I hasten to add... yet, I'm saving... anyhoo.. if you did would you

a) Put up Solar power

b) Put up wind turbine

c) Other form of sustainable energy

d) Throw your green principles out of the window and head to the Bahamas...

I want something to sustainable energy wise to aim for, but I'm not sure what... remembering I will be 307 by the time I reach £4,000

I am quite keen on PVT, but not sure if a standard has been made yet.

Under a) solar
you have the option of electricity generation - PVT as Badger prefers but also
solar hot water. Basically thin tubes with water in them that heat up, simple idea but they work best if the water tubes are within vacuum tubes and have a reflective layer around each tube. So the technology is a bit more expensive - but they work even in the UK.

You can get tube sets 1mx1.5m made in China for about 800euros here but then you need the plumbing and the pump etc and probably a new hot water cylinder if the one you have is only heated by electricity. So this all adds up; but you should get change on your 4k.
And that is what I would like to get next if I had the money.

Lottie you don't say where your hedge is and that definately could rule out wind.

Badger, PV is coming of age hopefully as the Chinese are starting to realise the sun is a resouce they can tap! I am told they are making them without iridium. Which is good news. (Iridium is not found on the surface of the earth much and thats why I think "they" are so interested in the asteroids!)

I've already done a c) - installed a Wood only Rayburn (which I love ) That was 4k very well spent!

Use the money to make your existing home as well insulated as you can first. We have done that and are now adding in the renewable stuff but better IMO to waste as little energy in the house first and then worry about generating it yourself. !


Our 30 tube vacuumn solar thermal system parts including a new cylinder and ALL the bits cost a total of £1667. That was the cost of the bits.

We get a payment from Good Energy of £125 per year as they can buy back the "deemed" ROC from us for the fuel we have not used to heat the water... and in terms of paying for itself finacially ( allowing for saving on oil, depreciation and return on capital if left invested etc ) we will recoup the money spent in 5 years total from install.

well worth it.


Our PV system is described somewhere on here it is great, it cost £12 ish K and will pay for itself ( again under same conditions) in 12 years. By the end of its life (25 years) it will have given us £25 k extra money ( and the electricity)

It, too is well worth it as we get a much better financial return from the £12 k than if we left it in a savings account.

But you need to have the cash to start with....



Wind turbine. We are thinking about this but tbh unless you live somewhere VERY windy, and isolated from neighbours who won't mind the slight noise and blades turning...it seems a lot of money for a not that good return.

Buildings, trees, hedges etc will all have a big effect on the performance.

So, best value for your money? Solar thermal, and if you have lots of available wood, get a good woodburner with the money left over ( typical 8 kW woodburner of 80% ish efficiency is about £1 - 2 K to buy, but then you have to allow the installation costs which are variable...)

With a bit more money get a woodburning stove (as Zoe suggests) as well as solar thermal.

You can even get woodburning stoves with an oven attached...

Location, location, location.

If you have a windy spot, get a windmill, if you don't then maybe a PV...
Or invest it in the HML cooperative energy company.

Hairyloon wrote:
Or invest it in the HML cooperative energy company.

Eh

What

When did I set that up?

Oh, didn't we say?

Badger wrote:

Hairyloon wrote:
Or invest it in the HML cooperative energy company.

Eh

What

When did I set that up?

Damn that temporal anomaly... Have we not done that yet.

If I had £4k to play with i would be more inclined to spend it on improving insulation etc rather than renewables.

I said that Billy and as I typed it I thought of you....

Def worth spending the money on maximum insulation etc first

Compostwoman wrote:Def worth spending the money on maximum insulation etc first

Nah. Sign on and get it for free.

You can't get solid wall insulation for free, regardless of status.

Does anyone have information on solid wall insulation? Will have to bite the bullet and get this done at some point (no cavities in our walls!)

We have/are doing all ours, internally, with an assortment of techniques...come and have a chat...

Just line all the walls with shelves full of books.

It depends very much on the property, dandelion. There are some grants that are going to become available depending on the property type and the system used. External insulation is obviously the preferred method as it involves much less disruption and does not compromise the living space.

I shoulda said....

I live on the coast in Suffolk, (in a hedge..) on top of a hill..but surrounded by trees we have good insulation both in the walls and lofty bit, and a wood burner stove... we're really trying to beat the ineviatable fuel hikes...

Lottie wrote:I live on the coast in Suffolk, (in a hedge..) on top of a hill..but surrounded by trees .

Have I not told you my plan for putting a turbine on top of a tree?

Hairyloon wrote:

Lottie wrote:I live on the coast in Suffolk, (in a hedge..) on top of a hill..but surrounded by trees .

Have I not told you my plan for putting a turbine on top of a tree?

nope...

... be careful, you so know I will.... Middle name is gullible...

I am intrigued, HL, and have hammer, nails, sticky back plastic, sellotape, yogurt popt and tree ready and waiting...

Lottie wrote:

Hairyloon wrote:

Lottie wrote:I live on the coast in Suffolk, (in a hedge..) on top of a hill..but surrounded by trees .

Have I not told you my plan for putting a turbine on top of a tree?

nope...

... be careful, you so know I will.... Middle name is gullible...

I am intrigued, HL, and have hammer, nails, sticky back plastic, sellotape, yogurt popt and tree ready and waiting...

No more than it says on the tin.

It seems to me that a significant part of the cost of a turbine is on erecting a damn great big stick to mount it on... and what is a tree if not a damn great big stick?

Did anyone see that article about the farmer whose wind turbine came free of its damn big stick in a storm and sliced his house in half? Quite literally.

Yep. The last lot of storms did for an awful lot of them, especially in Scotland.

A tree is designed to cope with the loads from windthrow when in leaf, but I bet the sort of strss from a turbine would act in a very different manner.

Compostwoman wrote:A tree is designed to cope with the loads from windthrow when in leaf, but I bet the sort of strss from a turbine would act in a very different manner.

Pretty much all just a lateral bending force I reckon.