Better start saving for next winters fuel bills

Petrol prices are continuing to rise and we have fuel protests. Tractors and other vehicles are blocking roads in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry.

My state’s governor just suspended gasoline use tax for a month, but we still have our normal fuel tax in effect. It helps a bit, gas is apparently much cheaper around my area than in other parts of the country. I feel pretty fortunate.

I can’t imagine how much worse it is over there. Fuel protests? That’s wild.

I paid £1:51.9 a litre yesterday for normal unleaded and that's the cheapest I could find, most are a few pence dearer. Deisil is about £1:89.9 a litre.

I know what you mean ArchaeC, ordinary people in Iran and Lebanon are really suffering and it does seem a bit harsh to be complaining about our lot in comparisson, but the only way these maniacs on both sides will stop is if, we, the people, force them to with our protests.

It looks like Britain will be the worst hit of all the major economies we rely so heavily on imported gas and oil. Now everyone expects the government to flick a switch and make it all alright again and they can't, I'm sure they'd like too. We have a former NATO leader saying we're woefully underprepared for conflict, but again thats something you can't just switch on, it takes a couple of years to build ships, fit them out and then have the people to sail them, we've had decades of underinvestment, not just in the military but everywhere.

Only my opinion but I think it would be a lot of work, new ground floors have a minimum of 150mm of insulation under them. The plasterboard has insulation on the back of it,

They have a system in the loft that removes the stale air but reuses the heat, the windows have a higher U rating. 
The engineers thoughts were that people are guided by the subsidies, his company fitted a heat source system for a customer, the customers often think a bit of extra loft insulation is all they need, the customer in question is now suing the manufacturer for the ’promises’ they made.

Thats exactly what I thought the answer would be, is there any way you could insulate your home enough to make it worth while?

That’s good to have a first hand account about heat pumps. 

The diesel situation is concerning. The government was dismissing claims of upcoming shortages two weeks or so ago, yet the service station forecourts tell a different story. 

I’m going to fill the car up with petrol in the morning, even though it’s still 3/4 full. 

I spoke to a heating engineer last week, my house is stone built and was built in 1850. He said a heat source pump wouldn’t work. Most probably okay in a new air tight property with masses of insulation. In an old property just a waste of time.
I drove up the M5 & M4 on Sunday, not one service station had diesel. It’s thought the UK has about 3 weeks of fuel left.

TheCatWoman said:

I wonder if heat pumps work in all buildings, would they work as well in a house built of fieldstone? Do you really need underfloor heating for them to work well? stuff like that

I don’t know all the technical ins and outs of installing heat pumps, but I believe not every home is suitable. The last time I looked for information, it came mainly from suppliers rather than independent sources. 

The government should have been looking at the practicalities of our energy needs and infrastructure years ago, I agree. I haven’t seen anything that would indicate the current government is taking a big picture approach to infrastructure, despite what they say. It all seems rather disjointed.

Trouble is, that like so many things, government don't think about the practicalities of rural living that our infrastructure is generally so much poorer, cables and substations that can't cope with demand, power cuts because of storms.

I wonder if heat pumps work in all buildings, would they work as well in a house built of fieldstone? Do you really need underfloor heating for them to work well? stuff like that

TheCatWoman said:

to me it's absurd that we have so many people reliant on oil when there are so many alternatives

I agree. Government ministers talk about alternative energy but they don’t seem to act on it. Surely grants should be given for air source heat pumps and solar energy installation, starting with those on the lowest incomes. That could really help those who need help most and less demand on fossil fuels would also have a positive impact on the whole population and the earth. 

Those plug in solar panels that can sit somewhere in a garden or on a home look like an interesting potential but temporary solution.

I think there are always pro's and con's when it comes to protesting, I think with the fuel protests it depends on if its you stuck behind a really slow moving tractor.

Whats worse is none of this is a new problem, governments have known for years how vulnerable we are to fuel price hikes and heating oil in particular, to me it's absurd that we have so many people reliant on oil when there are so many alternatives.

I think there are always pro's and con's when it comes to protesting, I think with the fuel protests it depends on if its you stuck behind a really slow moving tractor.

Whats worse is none of this is a new problem, governments have known for years how vulnerable we are to fuel price hikes and heating oil in particular, to me it's absurd that we have so many people reliant on oil when there are so many alternatives.

Only my opinion but I think it would be a lot of work, new ground floors have a minimum of 150mm of insulation under them. The plasterboard has insulation on the back of it,

They have a system in the loft that removes the stale air but reuses the heat, the windows have a higher U rating. 
The engineers thoughts were that people are guided by the subsidies, his company fitted a heat source system for a customer, the customers often think a bit of extra loft insulation is all they need, the customer in question is now suing the manufacturer for the ’promises’ they made.

Thats exactly what I thought the answer would be, is there any way you could insulate your home enough to make it worth while?

That’s good to have a first hand account about heat pumps. 

The diesel situation is concerning. The government was dismissing claims of upcoming shortages two weeks or so ago, yet the service station forecourts tell a different story. 

I’m going to fill the car up with petrol in the morning, even though it’s still 3/4 full. 

I spoke to a heating engineer last week, my house is stone built and was built in 1850. He said a heat source pump wouldn’t work. Most probably okay in a new air tight property with masses of insulation. In an old property just a waste of time.
I drove up the M5 & M4 on Sunday, not one service station had diesel. It’s thought the UK has about 3 weeks of fuel left.

TheCatWoman said:

I wonder if heat pumps work in all buildings, would they work as well in a house built of fieldstone? Do you really need underfloor heating for them to work well? stuff like that

I don’t know all the technical ins and outs of installing heat pumps, but I believe not every home is suitable. The last time I looked for information, it came mainly from suppliers rather than independent sources. 

The government should have been looking at the practicalities of our energy needs and infrastructure years ago, I agree. I haven’t seen anything that would indicate the current government is taking a big picture approach to infrastructure, despite what they say. It all seems rather disjointed.

Trouble is, that like so many things, government don't think about the practicalities of rural living that our infrastructure is generally so much poorer, cables and substations that can't cope with demand, power cuts because of storms.

I wonder if heat pumps work in all buildings, would they work as well in a house built of fieldstone? Do you really need underfloor heating for them to work well? stuff like that

TheCatWoman said:

to me it's absurd that we have so many people reliant on oil when there are so many alternatives

I agree. Government ministers talk about alternative energy but they don’t seem to act on it. Surely grants should be given for air source heat pumps and solar energy installation, starting with those on the lowest incomes. That could really help those who need help most and less demand on fossil fuels would also have a positive impact on the whole population and the earth. 

Those plug in solar panels that can sit somewhere in a garden or on a home look like an interesting potential but temporary solution.