What's your electricity usage?

For a three bedroom house with only electric heating, I use about 7000 kWh per annum. I guess it must be colder where you are!

The estimate is based upon last year's use and that was a cold winter. Also the house was built in 1931, is poorly insulated and I use direct electric heating. There is no space to fit more insulation under the loft floor, so the roof insulation needs to be between and under the rafters, which would need the roof to be re-done, and the entire house needs double glazing.

However, there is insufficient cost benefit to carrying out the work, purely on the basis of reducing the electricity use. I reckon that, simply adding up the cost saving, it would take me around 16 years to recover the capital cost. I usually apply discounted cash flow, but the calculator programme I use only goes up to 20 years and I wouldn't get my money back in that period.

As it happens, my roof and windows need replacing due to age, so the insulation will be improved. The marginal cost of bringing everything up to modern standards is easily justified.

Colin Bignell

I don't use any gas, oil or electricity for heating. So that's zero.

I use my own generated power when I can. I export more than I use. So it's very relevent.

Those figures make you barking mad.

Possibly infiltration. (Draughts)

Yes - quite possibly, thanks. The attic rooms haven't been finished and I've yet to seal them properly. Even so, quite a hit.

You are still not answering the question.

The question is "What's your electricity usage?"

That means he wants to know the gross total consumption so he can assess how reasonable his own consumption is

He does not want to know what your nett usage taking into account you local generation is - since this figure is meaningless to those without generating capacity and simply obfuscates the actual information of interest.

Are you really so thick as to nut understand that? Or just too busy being smug?

Not in the slightest.

Not everybody has the same priorities as you. See my reply to MattyF for a detailed justification for the decisions I have made.

Colin Bignell

You are still not answering the question of how much you use. You are answering the unasked question of how much you buy. Ironic that you have an opportunity to demonstrate how effective your insulation is, but choose to ignore it in favour of standing on your soapbox.

Colin Bignell

If he wants to know that he can goto his supplier website where they so electricity consumptions for comparable houses. I don't know how much I use because I don't know what proportion of what I generate is exported and what proportion is used by me. There is no export meter.

I import electricity, I export electricty, I generate electricty, I consume electricty. I know what I import, I know what I generate, without the export meter everything has to be estimated based on previous years.

Yet you seem, unless I have missed something, unwilling to share that number with us.

Chris

Its a none zero positive number which if he states it will show that he does use none solar power, in fact nuclear power.

It can be worked out from the figures I gave earlier. Are you smart enough to do this?

Solar power IS nuclear power. Fusion power.

It is the hardest problem to solve. The best way to find them is to wait for a cold day and then have someone do in infra red camera survay. (Inside the building) Draughts can be clearly seen.

Suspended floors are bad news too for draughts.

Even when you've fixed them, they don't stay fixed, draught seals wear out/deform.

The survey will also detect where insulation is needed most.

If you can find a "Transition Trust" in your area, they might do one for free

Make sure you have a door at the bottom of any staircase.

On 01/03/2014 17:40, harryagain wrote: ...

I can't think of any house I have ever lived in where that would be possible.

Colin Bignell

We have one at work apparently which I think I can borrow. Mind, I can feel the draughts sure enough in any case ;-)

I've been giving them a go with insulation board and expanding foam. Quite pleased with the results so far.

Thanks - I'm rather a way away (Sheffield) and couldn't claim fuel poverty. I'll try the work route first.

Well, that's not going to happen at ground-first floor because it'd look silly. But my last house (above) did have a 1st-2nd arrangement - just some TG pine/door, and I'd guess that did no harm, other than being a little clumsy and blocking light. May look into it.

All quite interesting. My concern, I suppose, is that these (late 19C) houses have done pretty well as they are. Plenty of draughts and cold almost designed in. Hermetically sealing buildings of this kind might be storing up problems. What and when, not sure.

On 01/03/2014 18:37, RJH wrote: ...

How else to get enough air to the coal fire?

Colin Bignell

No trouble with maths, but the post with numbers doesn't seem to have appeared in my feed.

This newsgroup is generally about sharing information, not stroking posters' egos.

Chris