Increased utility bills

[swotty]

Well today was fuel replenishment day. The big truck full of calor rocked up and filled the bulk tank

Calor tanker by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Had a chat with the driver and he was explaining that the refinery is the real problem for deliveries. It takes 45 minutes to fill a tanker. This morning there were five tankers in front of him in the queue. He even gets night fills and says there's a queue at 3am!

We don't use much Calor - it's for "on demand" hot water and if we are away the central heating goes on "frost protection". So this is making sure we can get it. The tank was at 50% and you only fill to 85% ( because it needs expansion room). The driver mentioned that "if it goes up another 10p a litre - and it will be more than that - you just saved £60"

Then the coalman rocked up having just dropped a load at our neighbours

We weren't that short to be honest. This lot was left in the barn

Smokeless coal "before" by English Countrylife, on Flickr


We burn very little smokeless, preferring our home processed wood ( greener, cheaper, prettier), but a little smokeless is great at keeping the stove ticking over at night when it's very cold. Anything we've bought now is a hedge against future price rises. We paid £70 a tonne more than normal. That's a 21% rise. The chap said they are currently calculating the next rise - wholesale prices are up, diesel prices for them are up etc. He believes it will be another £100 a tonne.

Smokeless coal "after" by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Is what these guys are predicting accurate? Who knows? We are lucky to have space to put the coal and a bulk tank to pre-pay for propane - we may well have overpaid - but sadly I doubt it. I think I'll take all the wood that I'm offered!

Heating oil has come down a bit...£634 for 500ltrs last week £550 today. I was also lucky enough to have my heating oil delivery today that I paid £393 forba few weeks ago. With wood and oil that should see me through to next winter. Fingers crossed it'll settle a bit by then .

Sent from Somerset using magic

 

[British Red]

Heating oil has come down a bit...£634 for 500ltrs last week £550 today. I was also lucky enough to have my heating oil delivery today that I paid £393 forba few weeks ago. With wood and oil that should see me through to next winter. Fingers crossed it'll settle a bit by then .

Sent from Somerset using magic

Yup, we are now covered for a good while ( I normally refill in Summer when it's cheaper, but this is a hedge against inflation). Glad to hear the oil is a bit more sensible!

 

[TeeDee]

Regardless of the imposed situation regarding where ever heating costs are , and if they come down ( doubtful ) - its probably a good time to ensure what ever is insulated IS insulated to benefit from every single element of heat produced.

Within my place of work we are seemingly more and more tasked with designing and fitting expensive 'green' renewable heating tech to some very old grade II listed draughty high vaulted properties. People rather than spend money on sensible amounts additional insulation seem pre-focussed on heating the house from the wrong way around.

So I think its a wake up call to check Insulation levels , top up where you can , plug the draughts and get used to not feeling one has a 'right' to sit on your lounge with just yoga pants and a smug grin - get a jumper on.

 

[British Red]

Regardless of the imposed situation regarding where ever heating costs are , and if they come down ( doubtful ) - its probably a good time to ensure what ever is insulated IS insulated to benefit from every single element of heat produced.

Within my place of work we are seemingly more and more tasked with designing and fitting expensive 'green' renewable heating tech to some very old grade II listed draughty high vaulted properties. People rather than spend money on sensible amounts additional insulation seem pre-focussed on heating the house from the wrong way around.

So I think its a wake up call to check Insulation levels , top up where you can , plug the draughts and get used to not feeling one has a 'right' to sit on your lounge with just yoga pants and a smug grin - get a jumper on.

NO-ONE wants me in yoga pants!

 

[TeeDee]

NO-ONE wants me in yoga pants!

Niche 'Only Fans' may?

 

[British Red]

I do hope not!

 

[Bishop]

A fascinating short read for a cold night, possibly followed by some online shopping.

The History of the Union Suit,​

the Infamous Butt-Flap Long Johns​

The History of the Union Suit, the Infamous Butt-Flap Long Johns

The consummate winter base layer has roots in women’s rights, Original Penguin and the world of high fashion

www.insidehook.com

 

[British Red]

I enjoyed that, thank you

 

[TeeDee]

Selk'bag UK | The Original Wearable Sleeping Bag Suit

Selk'bag is the ultimate wearable sleeping bag suit. Providing superior comfort, freedom of movement and warmth for camping, backpacking, and generally lounging around indoors. Choose freedom. Shipping free to the UK from the UK.

www.selkbag.co.uk

 

[TeeDee]

Not directly energy related but we touched upon how anyone can become a little more self reliant , How EVERYONE can grow something regardless of where you live.

You don't NEED a farmstead.

Urban Container Gardening | Grow At Home | Vertical Veg

How to grow vegetables, salad, herbs and fruit in containers. Make the most of your balcony, patio or front yard - and eat fresh homegrown food ev...

www.verticalveg.org.uk

 

[Tengu]

My tutors `dog` wears one of those.

(I say `dog` because he is working hard to mutate into something else)

 

[Deleted member 56522]

We've just come to the end of our fixed period for electricity and been put onto a variable rate while I look at other options, the closest I can find is nearly £200/month more than we've been paying/paying right now. My bill is going from about £1500/year to nearly £4,000/year.

Anyone else having the same issues?

I get some of the reasoning behind the increases but it's still quite astounding and they say it's going to go up a lot more...

The main reason for the high prices are the various green policies that both directly add substantially to the price, but have also reduced global production and put up the price.

It's what they call "Net Zero" .... and the way to stop people using fossil fuels, is to make the price of energy infinite ... which will turn our economy back to something like the 17th century. This is only the foothills ... it will get a lot worse soon.

 

[henchy3rd]

Now I’m not tight.. I’m careful of my expenditures mostly due to the fuel price hikes.
I live on a boat & my fuel bills work out at around
£80 quarterly electric
£30 a year calor gas
£13 week for coal
£00 free water
I boil the electric kettle full, then pour the rest into a flask or keep the copper kettle on the stove.
Do as much cooking on the stove with billy cans as much as possible.
Walk most places instead of using the car.
Started taking cold showers before the price hikes, so the emersion heater isn’t on( or use my parents shower when I visit)their fully solar.. my next step.
I don’t put the heating on unless it’s drops to around 12 degrees.
Handy tip here.. open the windows if it’s chilly in the home..instead of cold stale air, you’ll have moving air which feels warmer & put a jumper on.
For me there are two winners, me being better off & the environment isn’t being depleted as much.
Every little helps.

 

[henchy3rd]

Ooh i have an eu20i and didn’t know you could propane them - how hard is it to do?

I had a letter from EDF saying my electric bill is going to increase by 54% from April due to the price rise of oil.

I thought EDF were predominantly nuclear so I am missing something here. I don’t know.

Also I don’t mind fuel costing more at the pump etc if that’s the price of freedom in Europe but BP turned a record profit of 9.5 BILLION in 2021 so I suspect some of it is the consumer being used as a cash cow (again).

Thankfully i have a wood burner and the recent storm provided me with a huge chunk of wood and I have a huge chunk I haven’t processed yet!

I feel it will get worse before it gets better, might get a stick off paraffin in for my couple of paraffin lanterns

Paraffin, reminded me when I was a kid in the late 70’s when the miner’s were striking .. my dad with paraffin heaters & fairy lights connected to a car battery because life was hard..hold on a minute?

 

[henchy3rd]

OK, have I got this wrong?
I can run my new generator on 28s paraffin or red diesel at 67p/L
1L of fuel will give me 2.5kwh so 1kwh = 26.8p
E-On are going to charge me 29.58p/kwh from 1st April + the standing charge.

So I can generate electricity cheaper than E-on are going to supply it at - have I miscalculated?

May I suggest about clogging the injectors up with red diesel uk or green in Ireland on newer generators/engines if you go ahead.. you’ll have to put an additive in at an extra cost?

 

[Fadcode]

May I suggest about clogging the injectors up with red diesel uk or green in Ireland on newer generators/engines if you go ahead.. you’ll have to put an additive in at an extra cost?

Why would red diesel block the injectors?, it is normal diesel with a dye added, so will not damage your engine or your injectors, many farm vehicles run on red without any problem, the only diesel that might damage your injectors is red diesel that has been turned into normal diesel(the dye removed) as it is filtered through Fullers Earth which tends to form a residue in the filters, ( not that I have ever done this)

 

[grizzlyj]

Selk'bag UK | The Original Wearable Sleeping Bag Suit

Selk'bag is the ultimate wearable sleeping bag suit. Providing superior comfort, freedom of movement and warmth for camping, backpacking, and generally lounging around indoors. Choose freedom. Shipping free to the UK from the UK.

www.selkbag.co.uk

That's a lot of cash for something if you don't mind a bit of surplus seems just like the softie suit is it called?

We don't have to use smokeless and are very rural. The heat output of smokeless compared to normal is abysmal. Almost everyone uses normal. We do 50/50ish.
Edited to add, our smokeless is branded Staybrite, costs £1 a bag more and stuffs the ash pan full every day which goes to landfill. I know Govt policy is pay more to be colder but the only benefit to the person indoors by the fire is it might stay in enough to stir into life the next morning. Chimney temperature struggles to reach 120C. Not exactly fit for purpose

 

[TLM]

That Selk'bag looks like a solution without a problem. I don't quite see the use of it.

 

[henchy3rd]

Why would red diesel block the injectors?, it is normal diesel with a dye added, so will not damage your engine or your injectors, many farm vehicles run on red without any problem, the only diesel that might damage your injectors is red diesel that has been turned into normal diesel(the dye removed) as it is filtered through Fullers Earth which tends to form a residue in the filters, ( not that I have ever done this)

To much to write on her why.. just do a bit of home work & find out why?

 

[nigelp]

The main reason for the high prices are the various green policies that both directly add substantially to the price, but have also reduced global production and put up the price.

How?