Green Party policy on .....

[Amanda P]

Just about every Norwegian/Scandinavian house has one of these:

http://www.jotul.com/no/wwwjotulno/Main-Menu/Produkter/Ved/vedovner/

but here there is NO shortage of wood.

And there are, what, 4 million Norwegians, 3 million Finns...

And 60-odd million Britons.

 

[DJ]

Now that the winter is almost upon us, we've discovered that our central heating isn't working properly. We were all set to rip out the gas fire downstairs and stick a wood burner in; unfortunately, the gas fire is plumbed into a back boiler which feeds the heating. So it's going to cost us to get that modified, and while we're at it we're going to have a combi boiler installed, and the upshot is we'll probably need about £2,500 to get everything done ... a project for next year, I think.

We have one that the previous owners installed, if you are in a hard water area make sure you install a magnetic flush device as we did not have one and it nullifyed our insurance when it broke down!

I find our Edwardian fireplace really good at this time of year, only when the weather gets colder we need the central heating, the longer I can put turning that on though the better, as the bills last year where huge!!

As others have said wood is very dear so I am going to try and salvage bits from our local woods, like an old Tinker really!!

 

[Davidc]

I know quite a few Green Party members with multi fuel stoves.

The fuel of choice is normally wood or pellets (made from biological source materials).

Coal isn't very environmentally friendly - fossil fuel, too much carbon content etc. - but I've seen some of them burning it!

There's something realy pleasant about a 'real' fire - enough to tarnish the greenest of exteriors.

 

[Dayvo]

And there are, what, 4 million Norwegians, 3 million Finns...

And 60-odd million Britons.

And if we built 'weather-proof' houses with double, possibly triple glazing, and had solar panels in the roof and small wind turbines to charge basic domestic appliances and to heat water, instead of having poorly insulated, over-sized and over-priced housing, with greedy and expensive heating systems, then possibly 60 million Britons could live more eco-friendlyly(?) without breaking the bank and, in some cases, possibly get government funding/assistance to boot!

But that's never going to happen!

 

[Arch]

And if we built 'weather-proof' houses with double, possibly triple glazing, and had solar panels in the roof and small wind turbines to charge basic domestic appliances and to heat water, instead of having poorly insulated, over-sized and over-priced housing, with greedy and expensive heating systems, then possibly 60 million Britons could live more eco-friendlyly(?) without breaking the bank and, in some cases, possibly get government funding/assistance to boot!

But that's never going to happen!

What are you, some kind of communist eco-freak?

Please sir, can I be allowed credit for living in one room, kept warm by a single fan heater and pyjamas?

Of course, that one room is immaculately decorated with some lovely cushions....

 

[Campfire]

I couldn't have a wood burning stove because of the chimney. I've not yet switched our heating on, am putting off the moment as long as possible. Tonight not even the gas fire!

Arch, I've got a tiny Tobermory womble - do you want it? Ok if you don't as I'll put it on my handlebars when I'm doing my Sustrans Ranger litter-picking up thingy! Let me know & I'll post it to VV offices.

 

[Dayvo]

What are you, some kind of communist eco-freak?

Of course, that one room is immaculately decorated with some lovely cushions....

No, not quite!

Glad the cushion covers are still to your liking!

 

[Davidc]

I've never seen a multifuel stove that uses pellets. How does that work?

Presumably you buy them, put them in the container which sits beside the fire and shove 'em on.

Where they come from? Don't know, I have gas central heating with a high efficiency condensing boiler, and a virtually disused gas fire so have no use for them!

All I've seen is them being shovelled into a black stove with dinky little doors with little windows in them belonging to some friends (yes, he has a beard and she doesn't) who are members of the Green Party, and don't approve of it having a leader!

 

[User482]

Those of you living in large towns or cities probably come under Clean Air legislation, which legally requires that you only use approved fuel in an exempted appliance. In practice, this means seasoned wood or smokeless fuel, in a Clean Air approved stove.

Your local council will have the details.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I've never seen a multifuel stove that uses pellets. How does that work?

On my last 'fact finding' mission to Sweden I visited a sawmill where they put the shavings through a sort of sausage maker type thing that produced these long tubes of wood that then broke into pellets. They had an enormous warehouse stuffed full of these pellets, all used as heating fuel for stoves. 50,000 tonnes a year it produces apparently.

 

[Dayvo]

I'm just a sucker for stoves, basically.

Hmm, most people use bellows!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I'm just a sucker for stoves, basically.

I used to have a lovely stove called a Chappee - think it was French, really nice enamelled dark red beauty. I loved that stove.......sigh!

 

[sheddy]

Please sir, can I be allowed credit for living in one room, kept warm by a single fan heater and pyjamas?

Will we get a picture of these room sized pyjamas ?

 

[snakehips]

........ and the upshot is we'll probably need about £2,500 to get everything done ...

Have you had an estimate yet ? £2500 doesn't go far in this game !



Siamo tutti farabutti

 

[Over The Hill]

I know quite a few Green Party members with multi fuel stoves.

The fuel of choice is normally wood or pellets (made from biological source materials).

Coal isn't very environmentally friendly - fossil fuel, too much carbon content etc. - but I've seen some of them burning it!

There's something realy pleasant about a 'real' fire - enough to tarnish the greenest of exteriors.

The advantage of the pellets is in that a hopper can feed the fire and so the fire run unattended.

I am not sure of the green credentials of pellets as they take a fair manufacturning process and certainly the pellets I have seen have been sourced in Scandinavia so have a few pellet miles on the clock.

I have a really nice second hand stove that has a flat top for heating water/soup etc. As it is in the middle of the house it is quite good at heating it through without central heating radiators.

For anyone who does not have a wood fire, wood is rubbish so they are glad to get rid of it. I scavenge skips for wood to burn and with a card in the newsagents get a supply of local timber which I log myself with a chainsaw.

The transporting of logs and wood based fuel must to some extent negate its green credentials. I am lucky as I live in a village but I think local sourcing may even work in a town as there is a fair bit of garden growth that people want to get rid of.

(Yes the same OTH by the way)