The reasons why windmills wont work...

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think our annual bill is nearer £2500 at todays prices..

Its teh difference between a 6 bedroom house and a one bedroom hovel..

[Duncan Wood]

Mines currently £120. So there's other factors in there.

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 10:50:20 on Sun, 9 Mar 2008, Bob Eager remarked:

Oil? If most of the gas is cooking.

And the average of the two is £1200.

My gas bill for 2007 was £750 and my electricity bill £900; however it's a fairly big house and we work from home, so everything's on all day.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not on electricity alone it won't. You would blow your main fuse!

I cant think that I could get much more than 27KW out of my 15KW electricity supply (fused at 60A), 12KW boiler and 800W aga!

Interesting to note that your average consumption is about 500W

Compare that with the average consumption of te nation, as a whole, at 3KW.

So it just goes to show that domestic consumption is a fairly small part of the actual nations 'fuel bill'

When I was working, it was comfortably outweighed by travelling costs..£2500 on petrol alone..

Now we have those somewhat below domestic heating costs.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well they didn't.

Highly variable output. And milling flour isn;t that high energy a thing.

It is aimed at the correct target. Wind turbines, popularly known as 'windmills'

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 11:59:07 on Sun, 9 Mar 2008, Duncan Wood remarked:

That's an average of 137 watts on continuously [1]. So either you heat your house with oil, read by candlelight, have no computers on, watch TV in the dark, or something else...

[1] Interesting new rule of thumb: the annual fuel bill in pounds is pretty much the same as the average number of watts on continuously.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Perhaps you live in an modern urban flat?

Very energy efficient, those are.

[Bob Eager]

Yup. Similar situation here. The gas is slightly less and the electricity slightly more...quite a few computers although some are 30W or less.

[Bob Eager]

Yes, I noticed that a little while ago. Helped to 'justify' a new PC that used only 30W instead of 150W!

[Duncan Wood]

I don't particularly feel the cold hence only switch the heating on about

14 days a year.

I turn everything off when I'm not at home or asleep. The fridge, freezer & electic shower probably compete for highest consumption.

[Duncan Wood]

Early 70s. But cavity wall insulation, decent double glazing & being happy at 14degC makes it very energy effecient.

[Mary Fisher]

Quite.

[Mary Fisher]

We're at home all day too, normally, but we certainly don't have 'everything on all day'. Why do you need it?

[Mary Fisher]

Well done!

Um - perhaps you have other fuels - oil, wood, bottled gas, pine cones ... ?

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

Yes it does. But people seem to think that they NEED a 25C ambience and lights etc. on all the time - to say nothing of telly.

[Mary Fisher]

It means more than that. The mill is a power source for grinding all sorts of things including minerals, for fulling and other textile processes, for engineering, for other things.

You're right.

Mary

[Duncan Wood]

Currently it's slightly warmer in here than I need with the heating off & a fleece on.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I was permanently ill as a child until I finally got to somewhere that had central heating..

and

[Rod]

Some people do.

The effects of hypothyroidism include cold intolerance such that the sufferers simply cannot function in ordinary or cool environments.

[Anna Kettle]

Being of a contrary mind I started to think that there must be some exception to the assertion that wind turbines are a problem not a solution and I think I've found an exception

In Galashiels and such places there is often a gale IME and not many people to get upset by turbine noise on their doorstep. The bedrock is pretty solid so I think it unlikely that big blocks of concrete foundation would be needed, so I shall assume that wind turbines are viable up there ...

Bbringing the electricity down south doesnt make sense but what does make sense is using it up there. Not by households because there are not many of them around but by energy intensive industries like cement factories which could be tucked away in some little glen, providing work for what locals there are

Anna