OT: Following on from Windmill/nuclear discussion

[The Natural Philosopher]

Indeed. The biggest single impact I could make in my domestic situatuon is to knock two degrees off the thermostat.

I reckon the house is at 22C and the average annual temperature must be about 10C.. going from a 12C difference to a 10C difference knocks 20% off the fuel bill - say around £300. That buys a few pairs of socks and a woolly jumper OK :D

CFLS make almost no difference...by the time they have had the extra heat they aren't producing replaced with heating oil..

I estimate that we average a KW of electrical consumption. Lights are not a huge feature of that - its probably mostly 24x7 kit - fridges, freezers, phones on charge, TV's on standby and PC's, the masthead amp for them, the PABX, ADSL router etc etc.

There is a case for extending a concept I had in one workshop. There is a large switch by the door, that is next to the lights. When its OFF NOTHING in that room is powered up.

[Guy King]

The message from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:

I've just walked past the back of a truck-mounted backup generator that's feeding part of the estate today[1] and the amount of waste heat is incredible! Huge gust of roasting hot air pouring from the back.

[1] During the building of the new White Elephant Centre the services buried in the road ended up rather shallower than they should have been

- like about a foot below the tarmac surface for the telecoms and only a few inches more for the power and gas. Ooops. It's being put right this week.

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:15:36 +0100 someone who may be The Natural Philosopher wrote this:-

The Royal Navy has a similar system. To add to the ambience little lights outside the building indicate what supplies are connected or not connected.

[Mary Fisher]

The other day our neighbour was sloshing a wet chamois over his car windows in the street with the engine running.

I asked why his engine was running, he said he just hadn't switched it off, did it bother me?

It did but I just said that it would be having an effect on global warming. He he said that didn't affect him.

At the moment he's sitting in the shade in the back garden. His house is too hot, he says. He's still leaving the new ch system on to prove that it works. At night he sleeps with the fan on to try to keep him cool - with the heating still on.

Mary

[The Natural Philosopher]

I see Drivel has moved in next to you.

[Doctor Drivel]

Snotty uni one, my house is as cool as ice - and no a/c.