Second system extension extension.

Oldgreybeard
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#411

Post by Oldgreybeard »

Stinsy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 9:12 am
Joeboy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:45 am All joking aside, looking at the headlines today on the energy cap and defo all you can do for yourself the better. :shock:
I’m a big believer in taking responsibility for yourself.

Throwing up a few panels and installing a few batteries has significantly reduced the impact of the recent energy price rises for us lot to one degree or another.

I’m jealous of those who have a logpile / wood burner that’ll keep them warm this winter. I’m relying on my A2A and resistive heaters together with my 0230-0630 7.5p/kWh cheap slot to keep my gas consumption under control this winter.

However the majority seem to be planning on doing precisely nothing to mitigate their costs this winter…
There's a very big problem with the majority of the population having pretty much no understanding of energy. For many years now I've been a part of a local group that has been trying to do little things to encourage people to adopt a less energy profligate lifestyle. It's staggering how few people really grasp the important stuff. The most common question that's been asked at open days we've held is from those worried about the cost/energy usage of charging their phone. Trying to explain that a phone uses a tiny amount of energy rarely succeeds. People that worry about charging their phone will very often not bat an eyelid at leaving a dozen lights on when they aren't needed.

Even my wife still struggles with trying to understand energy. I think she's grasped the basics that things that get hot or that move heavy stuff around use a lot of power, but she can't wrap her head around the effect of time. A few weeks ago I tried to explain that something left on for hours that only used a small amount of power will use quite a lot of energy. Our water butt has been empty for weeks, and it had just started raining. She heard it start to fill, and she know that it uses a lot of energy to fill from the well, as the pump (around 600W) has to run for around half an hour to fill it (we don't do this, doesn't make sense really). I suggested she keep an eye on the level and timed how long it took to fill. This seems to have helped her get a feel for energy as "volume", as she could equate the slow trickle from the rain to the high volume from the hose.

Many people will be struggling because they have never understood the basics. A neighbour of ours gave some slow cooking lessons a while ago, showing others how she'd been taught as a small girl to use a hay box to cook stews. This seems to have taken off, as there is now a thriving recipe and idea exchange group on the local social media forum, with people being amazed that they can cook meals mostly with heat that would otherwise be wasted. The government should really be trying to educate people as to how best to save energy and yet stay safe, as this seems to be something that our education system has failed to do.
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Joeboy
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#412

Post by Joeboy »

Stinsy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 9:12 am
Joeboy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:45 am All joking aside, looking at the headlines today on the energy cap and defo all you can do for yourself the better. :shock:
I’m a big believer in taking responsibility for yourself.

Throwing up a few panels and installing a few batteries has significantly reduced the impact of the recent energy price rises for us lot to one degree or another.

I’m jealous of those who have a logpile / wood burner that’ll keep them warm this winter. I’m relying on my A2A and resistive heaters together with my 0230-0630 7.5p/kWh cheap slot to keep my gas consumption under control this winter.

However the majority seem to be planning on doing precisely nothing to mitigate their costs this winter…
I bought another jumper today, secondhand. Luckily we are geared towards not relying on others and due to our nature live a kicked backed parsimonious lifestyle where we enjoy each other and the life.
The easy credit, live beyond the salary every month, cards maxed out crew are in for a real shock.
The thought of relying on the largesse and decision making of a govt to get me through a Winter makes me want to just rail back and puke. Personal not judging....

Best book I ever read was The Three Little 🐖.
19.7kW PV SE, VI, HM, EN & DW
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42kWh LFPO4 storage
95kWh Heater storage
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Oldgreybeard
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Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2021 3:42 pm
Location: North East Dorset

Re: Second system extension extension.

#413

Post by Oldgreybeard »

Joeboy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 2:40 pm
I bought another jumper today, secondhand. Luckily we are geared towards not relying on others and due to our nature live a kicked backed parsimonious lifestyle where we enjoy each other and the life.
The easy credit, live beyond the salary every month, cards maxed out crew are in for a real shock.
The thought of relying on the largesse and decision making of a govt to get me through a Winter makes me want to just rail back and puke. Personal not judging....

Best book I ever read was The Three Little 🐖.

My father worked for a bank, just a cashier, and my earliest memories are of him drumming into me that borrowing was a fool's game and that the only people that ever benefited from it were the money lenders. He made me save up for anything I wanted, often with an incentive if I reached a savings target, and made a point of never giving me money unless I'd earned it in some way.

Stuck with me my whole life, I would still far rather go without something than face the idea of borrowing. The only credit I've had in the last couple of decades has been one credit card, automatically paid in full by direct debit every month, and I only have that for the security it gives when buying something.

We have friends (well, friends of my wife, really) that rent/lease/finance just about everything, from cars and furniture to holidays. They exist on credit, always have done, and they often throw out perfectly good furniture etc when they get bored with it and then use credit to get replacements. If they ever find their income squeezed I rather think they will find it tough, losing their leased cars and being faced with a mountain of debt.
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Joeboy
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#414

Post by Joeboy »

The worst one I ever knew of was a lad who started offshore at 18. I met him back then, millennium party it was on a ship. Nice lad, keen. Did a load of days every year, made a fortune. Call it £2,000,000 across the twenty years give or take. Last time I saw him a few years back he had split up from his wife and was cynically laughing, saying 'well if she thinks she'll get any money she is in for a shock. The house is £47,000 in the red'. True story that.

I was already making plans to leave the company and tbh couldn't wait to get away from him and back to my RE projects.

In the end they got back together, so that's a happy ending (sort of). 20 years in the offshore game and in debt, HOW!!!!!

His Dad was the same, 25 years offshore and got a job driving a Tesco delivery van when he was bumped. What a waste (not the van driving).
19.7kW PV SE, VI, HM, EN & DW
Ripple 7kW WT & Gen to date 19MWh
42kWh LFPO4 storage
95kWh Heater storage
12kWh 210ltr HWT.
73kWh HI5
Deep insulation, air leak ct'd home
Zoned GCH & Hive 2
WBSx2
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Oldgreybeard
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#415

Post by Oldgreybeard »

My ex-father in law was the skipper of a jack up rig, made loads of money working in the Gulf pretty much his whole life. Lost the lot and ended his days in a council house. In his case he just spent money like water, took big risks on dodgy investments and just didn't do any sort of planning for his future. Lovely chap, very generous, just hopeless at managing money.
25 off 250W Perlight solar panels, installed 2014, with a 6kW PowerOne inverter, about 6,000kWh/year generated
6 off Pylontech US3000C batteries, with a Sofar ME3000SP inverter
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Joeboy
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#416

Post by Joeboy »

Oldgreybeard wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 3:04 pm My ex-father in law was the skipper of a jack up rig, made loads of money working in the Gulf pretty much his whole life. Lost the lot and ended his days in a council house. In his case he just spent money like water, took big risks on dodgy investments and just didn't do any sort of planning for his future. Lovely chap, very generous, just hopeless at managing money.
There are 1,000's like that offshore. Not a reflection on the individual, I use it as an example of how far apart people can be in.outlook and place yet look very similar.
19.7kW PV SE, VI, HM, EN & DW
Ripple 7kW WT & Gen to date 19MWh
42kWh LFPO4 storage
95kWh Heater storage
12kWh 210ltr HWT.
73kWh HI5
Deep insulation, air leak ct'd home
Zoned GCH & Hive 2
WBSx2
Low energy bulbs
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Joeboy
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#417

Post by Joeboy »

Stinsy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 9:12 am
Joeboy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:45 am All joking aside, looking at the headlines today on the energy cap and defo all you can do for yourself the better. :shock:
I’m a big believer in taking responsibility for yourself.

Throwing up a few panels and installing a few batteries has significantly reduced the impact of the recent energy price rises for us lot to one degree or another.

I’m jealous of those who have a logpile / wood burner that’ll keep them warm this winter. I’m relying on my A2A and resistive heaters together with my 0230-0630 7.5p/kWh cheap slot to keep my gas consumption under control this winter.

However the majority seem to be planning on doing precisely nothing to mitigate their costs this winter…
Are the A2A's your intelligent storage heaters Stinsy?
19.7kW PV SE, VI, HM, EN & DW
Ripple 7kW WT & Gen to date 19MWh
42kWh LFPO4 storage
95kWh Heater storage
12kWh 210ltr HWT.
73kWh HI5
Deep insulation, air leak ct'd home
Zoned GCH & Hive 2
WBSx2
Low energy bulbs
Veg patches & fruit trees
Bugtownboy
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Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:35 pm

Re: Second system extension extension.

#418

Post by Bugtownboy »

A lot of what you’ve both said (Joe and OGB) really chimes with our situation.

Finished work mid 50’s, paid off the mortgage on the five bedroomed place, cut up the credit cards and bought, finally our forever home - longest we’ve ever stayed in a place is 9 years. End of this year we’ve bettered that.

1930’s 3 bed detached that really needed dragging into the 21st century.

Became my ‘job’ to repair and improve. Completely redone - with trade help, I know my limitations. We’ve changed most of our furniture with bits I’ve renovated - I’ve even made some, as long as it’s not too fancy.

Took me 35 years of doing the corporate thing to realise the most important thing is time.

Time to appreciate changing seasons, the ‘critters’ we share our space with (we had the first reported Ivy Mining Bee colony in South Somerset in the garden), time to realise that ‘weeds’ offer important food plants to insects and their progeny.

Appreciating the taste of anything home grown - and we are growing more and more.

But, even though we have far less money coming in than when we worked, we have more truly disposable income.

We have also developed an absolute aversion to debt.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not rich in the financial sense, but the amount of joy we get from appreciating little things and having time to do ‘things’ is priceless.
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Joeboy
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Re: Second system extension extension.

#419

Post by Joeboy »

Bugtownboy wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 5:41 pm A lot of what you’ve both said (Joe and OGB) really chimes with our situation.

Finished work mid 50’s, paid off the mortgage on the five bedroomed place, cut up the credit cards and bought, finally our forever home - longest we’ve ever stayed in a place is 9 years. End of this year we’ve bettered that.

1930’s 3 bed detached that really needed dragging into the 21st century.

Became my ‘job’ to repair and improve. Completely redone - with trade help, I know my limitations. We’ve changed most of our furniture with bits I’ve renovated - I’ve even made some, as long as it’s not too fancy.

Took me 35 years of doing the corporate thing to realise the most important thing is time.

Time to appreciate changing seasons, the ‘critters’ we share our space with (we had the first reported Ivy Mining Bee colony in South Somerset in the garden), time to realise that ‘weeds’ offer important food plants to insects and their progeny.

Appreciating the taste of anything home grown - and we are growing more and more.

But, even though we have far less money coming in than when we worked, we have more truly disposable income.

We have also developed an absolute aversion to debt.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not rich in the financial sense, but the amount of joy we get from appreciating little things and having time to do ‘things’ is priceless.
Don't we have some stuff in common? :D
I turned over a composter today to get potatoes (and compost) and saw a wee movement. It was a 🐸, about the size of a thumb, living in there where its damp and the hunting is good. I picked him up and took him to another shaded composter. Hopefully settling in fine. I am actually in debt to myself to the tune of the remaining Ripple WT Kirkhill payments and the batteries we are ordering Mid Sept. I won't let myself off the hook and there will be no more big purchases until next Spring and I've cleared the debt and brought the bank account back up. I'm also due SWMBO 5 grand for our new eyes!
For any young fellas reading this, buy 'The millionaire next door' & also 'your money or your life'. Game changing books.
Thank you OGB & BTB for sharing, damn it, I need a 3 letter handle to keep in! :)
19.7kW PV SE, VI, HM, EN & DW
Ripple 7kW WT & Gen to date 19MWh
42kWh LFPO4 storage
95kWh Heater storage
12kWh 210ltr HWT.
73kWh HI5
Deep insulation, air leak ct'd home
Zoned GCH & Hive 2
WBSx2
Low energy bulbs
Veg patches & fruit trees
Oldgreybeard
Posts: 1873
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2021 3:42 pm
Location: North East Dorset

Re: Second system extension extension.

#420

Post by Oldgreybeard »

If you want some more batteries to play with I just spotted a couple of duff 5kWh Growatt packs on ebay. Cells look OK, just the BMS has packed up. They're in Axminster though, so probably not ideal for anyone further up country: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134210436769 ... R7i3qrHbYA
25 off 250W Perlight solar panels, installed 2014, with a 6kW PowerOne inverter, about 6,000kWh/year generated
6 off Pylontech US3000C batteries, with a Sofar ME3000SP inverter
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