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"Gas Armageddon": Energy/electricity prices in EU/UK (and how to deal with them)
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nctnico:
There is no crawl space at all? How to get to pipes under the house?
Don't be surprised if it turns out that is is easier & better to rip the entire ground floor out and replace the entire floor. My guess is that after all this time, some timbers will have started to rot and need replacing anyway. It will cost money but IMHO the increased living comfort alone will be worth it. It would be a pity to add insulation on top only to find out everything needs to be ripped out again to fix the floor.
tom66:

--- Quote from: nctnico on August 30, 2022, 11:48:11 am ---There is no crawl space at all? How to get to pipes under the house?
Don't be surprised if it turns out that is is easier & better to rip the entire ground floor out and replace the entire floor. My guess is that after all this time, some timbers will have started to rot and need replacing anyway. It will cost money but IMHO the increased living comfort alone will be worth it.

--- End quote ---

All pipes are above ground, inside the living space.  This is pretty common for British homes.  They're either buried in walls and covered with plaster, or just below the subfloor (therefore requiring the floor to be ripped up to service them, yay), or just routed around the walls as a surface fixture.
Black Phoenix:

--- Quote from: Simon on August 30, 2022, 06:50:25 am ---Can we keep the politics out please.

As for the UK Armagedon will start when we have to cut gas supplies as we don't have enough to generate electricity and you can't have a bit of a grid. Industries will have to shut down to save electricity.

The UK made it's worse mistake when it did not take renewables seriously. Without outside energy supplies we are nought.

--- End quote ---

Strange because I see a ton of Solar being installed in the UK. That and people buying EVs and installing their EV charging points.

I say that because I follow 2 YT channels that focus in electrical and solar instalations/troubleshooting in the UK:

https://youtu.be/C6RBzFaf9Lg

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2u_ypf5vMypbnMhzsbNlBhr-lX2wp0et

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2u_ypf5vMyqQe9mb7V1ohQg-2TgVZJ34

https://youtube.com/c/OvalRenewables

Going by this I would assume that although not taking seriously before, there have been a push and increase in Solar plus EVs.
james_s:

--- Quote from: tom66 on August 30, 2022, 11:51:37 am ---All pipes are above ground, inside the living space.  This is pretty common for British homes.  They're either buried in walls and covered with plaster, or just below the subfloor (therefore requiring the floor to be ripped up to service them, yay), or just routed around the walls as a surface fixture.

--- End quote ---

Lots of US homes don't have a crawlspace either, although lots of them do. They built millions and millions of the classic split level design which is what my house is. It's built on a slab with a daylight basement, there is a central wall that the water supply and DWV pipes are in and they branch off from there in the cavity between the upper floor and the basement.

The thing that surprised me about UK homes is how many of them have the DWV pipes run down the outside. All of the houses in the area where my friend lived had toilets on outside walls that drain right through the wall to a pipe run down the outside. You would never see that over here, our toilets universally drain out the bottom and into a pipe that runs down an inside wall. You don't see exposed infrastructure in general here on private homes.
Zero999:

--- Quote from: vad on August 30, 2022, 05:16:58 am ---
--- Quote from: Zero999 on August 29, 2022, 08:00:08 pm ---The problem with propaganda is there's some element of truth to it. I can confirm there are Nazis in Ukraine. I've been there and witnessed it myself. It goes back to the Germans helping some Ukrainians, during the WW2. Obviously, Zelenskyy is no Nazi, neither are most Ukrainians and that's no justification for it. My point is, some of the money sent by the West is going to Nazis.

--- End quote ---
This is Russian propaganda. The truth is, Zelensky, who is ethnic Jew, got 73% popular vote during last elections.

--- End quote ---
What propaganda? I've been to Ukraine and personally spoken to Nazis there. They referred to blacks as niggers and that the country would be better without them and the Jews. I know Zelensky is a Jew. I never said he was a Nazi. I clearly said that's not the case. How free and fair the election was is another matter. It's much more complicated than Putin bad, Zelensky good. The two men have a lot in common, character wise. They're built of the same stuff. The difference is Putin did start it and is in the wrong, but that doesn't mean Zelensky is a saint.
--- Quote from: Black Phoenix on August 30, 2022, 02:54:51 pm ---
--- Quote from: Simon on August 30, 2022, 06:50:25 am ---Can we keep the politics out please.

As for the UK Armagedon will start when we have to cut gas supplies as we don't have enough to generate electricity and you can't have a bit of a grid. Industries will have to shut down to save electricity.

The UK made it's worse mistake when it did not take renewables seriously. Without outside energy supplies we are nought.

--- End quote ---

Strange because I see a ton of Solar being installed in the UK. That and people buying EVs and installing their EV charging points.

I say that because I follow 2 YT channels that focus in electrical and solar instalations/troubleshooting in the UK:

https://youtu.be/C6RBzFaf9Lg

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2u_ypf5vMypbnMhzsbNlBhr-lX2wp0et

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2u_ypf5vMyqQe9mb7V1ohQg-2TgVZJ34

https://youtube.com/c/OvalRenewables

Going by this I would assume that although not taking seriously before, there have been a push and increase in Solar plus EVs.

--- End quote ---
Solar is useless during the winter. The equinox is just over three weeks away, most of the country is north of 50o parallel and the weather tends to be the most overcast between October and January, so we often get no solar at all on some days. Wind tends to pick up at this time of year, but it's also quite common to get fog, when it's cold with no wind or solar.

In the long term we need nuclear, but I do think we need fracking to supply energy in the meantime. I know that's an unpopular opinion, but needs must. I think there should be some sort of scheme to give people who live near a nuclear reactor, or fracking field cheaper energy bills, so they're less likely to complain. I suppose cheap district heating for those near a nuclear plant would be a big benefit and save more energy at the same time.


--- Quote from: tom66 on August 30, 2022, 09:19:03 am ---Moving away from politics as clearly there is fairly fierce disagreement here.

I have been looking at super-insulating my home.  It is a 1930's detached house, extended in the 80s.  The walls have cavity insulation, and the loft is insulated, the windows double glazed, but I'm fairly sure the floor isn't insulated.  I found this interesting guide:
https://www.sureinsulation.co.uk/services/services-house-warming-parties-blog.shtml

It looks like a day or two's worth of work to do for the living room (and I'd probably use PIR sheets instead as it'd be quicker for minimal extra cost. would save fitting battens between the boards) but potentially worthwhile.   I want to replace the carpet in the living room anyway as it's badly stained from the previous owners, so it might be a good two-for-one job.

The other rooms would be more difficult.  The diner has a solid floor and the kitchen is tiled, so those might need to wait, but the living room is one area we will spend a lot of time in.

--- End quote ---
Insulation is good. Here's a picture of the loft insulation in my house. It keeps the heat out in summer, as well as warm in winter.
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