Electric Vehicles

[MikeLane]

There;s a lot about the cleanliness and efficiency of electric cars and other vehicles. Also that diesels (which, not so long ago we were told were the "greenest" vehicles) should now be banned !

 

I wrote the following to some comments made by a chap who is "rabid" about his new Zoe and Teslas (one of which he'd just test-driven).

 

All very well to suggest banning diesel cars but what about HGVs? I can;t see them wishing to stop every couple of hundred miles or so to "top up" their, necessarily enormous, batteries.
Another point: the latest version of the Zoe takes 30 mins to get an 80% top up at a 45 KW charging point. 24 Zoes charging simultaniously will consume over 1MW. If electric cars become common, from whence cometh the power required?
And during Winter batteries are less efficient so will need to be recharged more frequently.
Perhaps diesel powered hybrids are the way to go!!!

 

At least these drivers won't be inflicting Brownouts on the rest of us!

 

[paul.h]

All electric cars do is move the emissions to a power station and there might be more emissions whilst making the cars since they are more expensive. However, if the power station/car combination is more fuel efficient than the car only, then overall emissions might reduce. An electric car would not be any good for us though since many of our journeys are further than an electric car can do and when travelling a long way the last thing you need is to stop a couple of times for half an hour.

 

The other week on radio 2 they were discussing the hydroelectric power stations that run water downhill through turbines during high electric demand and then during the night pump the water back up - I think they were wrongly saying this was sustainable energy, forgetting more power was needed to pump the water back than was gained when it first went through the turbines.

 

As an aside, the other day we had an EPC survey (energy survey needed when selling a house). It came out better than average but the only ways to improve were to install a condensing boiler at about 10 years payback (or more if it breaks), floor insulation at about 200 years payback and solar panels on the roof, again decades to payback. So I would not see any payback so will not be doing them.

[Johndouglas]

As an aside, the other day we had an EPC survey (energy survey needed when selling a house). It came out better than average but the only ways to improve were to install a condensing boiler at about 10 years payback (or more if it breaks), floor insulation at about 200 years payback and solar panels on the roof, again decades to payback. So I would not see any payback so will not be doing them.

I think many of these insulating improvement figures are purely theoretical. A few years ago I was told how wall insulation would make some fantastic savings; how 1/3 of heat loss was through the walls and how it would save £100 per year. Having had it done, there's no noticeable difference and very little by way of reduced bills.

[MikeLane]

"The other week on radio 2 they were discussing the hydroelectric power stations that run water downhill through turbines during high electric demand and then during the night pump the water back up"

 

Another argument I heard in favour of this was that at night electricity is "cheaper". This probably means that Hydro generating companies would be buying power from other, not green, generators so...... (Perhaps from the "Oh so green" Nuclears!) I wrote a blog about them!!!

 

 

https://justmikelane.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/going-green/

[paul.h]

We did not bother having our house cavity walls insulated when it was being offered in our area. The main wall receives all the wind and rain from the west. If the insulation got damp, the heat losses would increase and also the internal walls would get damp. To remove the insulation would then be difficult so for the possible energy savings it was not worth the risk.

 

Our daughter has a new build house and there are 23 downlighter lamps in it, all supplied with 50 watt bulbs plus another six 20 watt under cupboard lights - 1270 watts if all left on. However, to comply with the building regulations the bedrooms have special bulb holders that use 9 watt bulbs but have a GU10 type connection - unfortunately the rooms were too dark to see so I have swapped these for normal bayonet bulb holders and put in 20 watt low energy bulbs. Odd the regs allow these downlighter bulbs but not normal bulbs in the bedrooms - where is the common sense and these fashionable downlighters do not give a good spread of light either, try shaving under one, maybe that is why beards are fashionable. The 50 watts have since been replaced with 5 watt LEDs.

[MikeLane]

As you say it's fashionable! We have a 60W tube in our kitchen (which gives excellent light but is turned OFF whenever we leave) and low energy bulbs everywhere else. I too have heard of problems with the blown in type of cavity insulation. After time it all ends up at the bottom of the cavity blocking it and causing damp patches and mould inside.

[MikeLane]

The Tesla Model 3 looks interesting: 210 miles between (super)charges and will retail in the States from $35000.