Would you like gas and electric for 33p per day Forums

artona · Moderator

Hi

I have put this into fulltiming as we have been thinking recently of whether we really need leccy all the time. But the story that amazed us most was actually based on a Gran living in a house

see

johnandcharlie

I think it's a bit misleading, because she uses free timber in her wood stove. It's like the discussions on running vehicles on waste cooking oil. There's a finite supply, and only enough to supply a limited number of people. Great when few people are doing it, but not a solution for the majority. I'm not arguing against it though, as we need to move away from one size fits all solutions.

However, at 64 she may be able to collect all the timber she needs, but what about when she's 84? When money is really tight in the future she would have to rely on the goodwill of others to supply her, or start paying for it. I don't fancy her chances in a fight over scrap timber with someone younger when everyone catches on to the idea either.

Insulating is really important, but needs to go further than the article suggests she has. The loft and floor insulation she has done is really important, but I would aim to externally insulate the walls as well, although this would probably cost a lot more than her wood stove and swimming pool, and isn't a total solution in a terraced house unless the whole terrace is done. And the planners may not like it Sad

Air tightness is also very important, with a proper ventilation system, but has yet to catch on in Britain.

Having said all that, what she's doing is a great example that others should follow.

As far as motorhomes go, with my 110 amp battery, 60 watt PV module, and the modest amount of driving I'm doing, I have all the electricity I need through the summer, and with another 60 watts should be fine in spring and autumn. If I get to live in my dream house, with a few more PV modules correctly orientated, rather than flat on the roof, and maybe a small wind turbine for winter, I reckon I'd be OK being off grid.

The gas heating isn't up to surviving the winter, so I need an EHU for electric heating. The insulation isn't bad, but I get draughts from around all the doors. There's no way I can insulate the van as well as a house, unless I pile up straw bales around it, but it would be difficult to drive and visibility wouldn't be very good Laughing

. I'm currently replacing my 3.9kg gas cylinder about every 2 weeks, so that's nearly £1 a day, and I reckon half of that is running the fridge. Add heating to that, and it would cost a fortune.

I have cunning ideas to reduce my dependence on gas for heating and refrigeration, but am not ready to write about them. I use my Cobb BBQ for cooking some of the time, and also have a storm kettle that will boil water on a few twigs and a bit of newspaper (although I'm not currently using it). If I had the time and facilities, I'd be tempted to do my own van conversion, so I could insulate it better, install a wood stove and other simpler low tech stuff.

Next problem with the van is growing food, and I've failed dismally with my first attempt at that Embarassed