CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING

[LizG]

I have a feeling that requirements depend on the council. We had to jump through all sorts of hoops to get permits. We also have double glazed windows that, despite everyone's understanding to the contrary, let the heat in and don't let it out; great in winter, not so good in summer. We are now monitoring our electricity consumption on line via a smart meter. Scary that we could tell what time I watered the vegie garden (the water pump obviously ran), used my sewing machine etc during the day. There were also times where we consumed nothing and generated back to the grid.

[Marilyn]

We have a lot of glass, with reflective coating applied. It is marvellous!

And Hartley...I would be lucky to have to heat my home on more than three days during an entire winter...not bad for an ignorant Aussie. We have brilliant insulation and the sun floods in and heats the slab. Bet you have to heat your home more than three days of an entire winter!
Sure it gets hot here. But like Liz, our bills are very low. We certainly don't waste power...water...or gas. Only a mug would waste such precious resources and pay more than they need to heating and cooling their homes.
( we don't live in Hicksville you know!)

[Tizer]

When we were planning to build a highly energy-efficient home here in the UK (but thwarted by the council planners) I did a lot of searching and learning about how to do it. Many of those searches took me to excellent Australian sources, so I'm not surprised by what Liz and Maz are telling us.

[plaques]

We are now monitoring our electricity consumption on line via a smart meter. Scary that we could tell what time I watered the vegie garden (the water pump obviously ran), used my sewing machine etc during the day.

Another example of "1984" coming home to roost. Most people appear to be quite happy with the fact that the energy companies will know when people have taken their bath on what day and at what time. We are assured that they use the latest encryption to transmit this data to their receivers. But has Edward Snowden has shown its not impossible to break this code.

[Marilyn]

And don't worry...the power companies know exactly who is growing " whoopee weed" as the difference between normal power consumption and excessive is patently apparent from their end...

[hartley353]

We have a lot of glass, with reflective coating applied. It is marvellous!

And Hartley...I would be lucky to have to heat my home on more than three days during an entire winter...not bad for an ignorant Aussie. We have brilliant insulation and the sun floods in and heats the slab. Bet you have to heat your home more than three days of an entire winter!
Sure it gets hot here. But like Liz, our bills are very low. We certainly don't waste power...water...or gas. Only a mug would waste such precious resources and pay more than they need to heating and cooling their homes.
( we don't live in Hicksville you know!)

Apologies if you took my post personally Marilyn, the term ignorance could be applied to every one on earth it just means you dont Know everything. Today is very cold out doors so I have the gasfire in the lounge on minimum, The thermometer says it is 16.9C to me that is toastie. Our home is fitted with CH but we never use it, this is the only room we heat. As a boy in Barlick many of my aunts uncles cousins were tempted by the promise of Australia and New zealand, so I think of you all as family. The post on Hvac could have been applied to many countries, but Australia was the best example, my last three cars came with this but i have only used it to quickly demist the glass. The technology is hugely wasteful.

[hartley353]

I have a feeling that requirements depend on the council. We had to jump through all sorts of hoops to get permits. We also have double glazed windows that, despite everyone's understanding to the contrary, let the heat in and don't let it out; great in winter, not so good in summer. We are now monitoring our electricity consumption on line via a smart meter. Scary that we could tell what time I watered the vegie garden (the water pump obviously ran), used my sewing machine etc during the day. There were also times where we consumed nothing and generated back to the grid.

When I built my last house I had umpteen battles with the building inspector, a very intransigent fellow, we won all points when they were taken to a higher level and I was able to offer evidence that my techniques not only met spec, but far exceeded them, but it put months on the build. the techniques used were gathered from many sources around the world and made for a very efficient home. At the end of the build I documented all the modifications, and the techniques used. Listed all the materials, and the suppliers, plus specialist companies used. Then finaly I recorded all running costs for the home for one year. The document was passed to the new owners when I moved on. As to smart meters I have had to face many clients and try to explain why they were damaging their businesses, when my superiors had convinced them they would save money. I bought a device on line which I fitted to my elec supply to monitor usage, but the novelty soon wore off and i seldom look at it now unless it is to explain to the meter reader what it is.

[Tizer]

In the 1970s I spent a week working at the Scripps Oceanography Institute in La Jolla, California, and their equivalent to our lunchtime visit to the pub was a journey down the coast road towards the Mexican border for a spicy meal and Margaritas (the drink, not Mexican girls of that name). There was another British guy working there but for a longer term and he had a car, so we took some of the Americans and drove down the coast road the British way - cruising with all windows wide open, Pacific rollers on the right, California hills on the left. The Americans hadn't experienced driving the road with open windows and were astounded by the feel of of the wind and the sound of the sea. When we got back they were telling all their friends how exciting it had been!

[Marilyn]

Cheers, Hartley.
( we still get the occasional person who thinks we all live in caves and dress in Kangaroo skins here in Oz...but we just act like that for the cameras!)

[hartley353]

Cheers, Hartley.
( we still get the occasional person who thinks we all live in caves and dress in Kangaroo skins here in Oz...but we just act like that for the cameras!)

We get lots of telly coverage on Australia over here,you have no secrets, we think Skippy is wonderful.

[Marilyn]

One thing South Australia has done is ban plastic shopping bags. Our state is bigger than the entire UK and we all take re-usable shopping bags to the supermarket. That saves billions of plastic supermarket bags per year.
I even packed ours in our luggage and used them on our recent UK holiday. Got a few funny looks, but I feel so strongly about plastic bags that it is second nature to avoid using them. Imagine if the trend took off in the UK ( though I hasten to add it is not just a trend here...they have officially been banned.)
Just wish that the money our state has invested in a desalination plant had come to fruition. Currently shelved, though construction was well underway. That is a shame. South Australia is the driest state on the driest continent. If we could have ensured a water supply from the desalination plant, it would have been a wonderful thing.

[Stanley]

There is a hell of a lot more to Oz than Skippy!

[LizG]

One thing South Australia has done is ban plastic shopping bags. Our state is bigger than the entire UK and we all take re-usable shopping bags to the supermarket. That saves billions of plastic supermarket bags per year.
I even packed ours in our luggage and used them on our recent UK holiday. Got a few funny looks, but I feel so strongly about plastic bags that it is second nature to avoid using them. Imagine if the trend took off in the UK ( though I hasten to add it is not just a trend here...they have officially been banned.)
Just wish that the money our state has invested in a desalination plant had come to fruition. Currently shelved, though construction was well underway. That is a shame. South Australia is the driest state on the driest continent. If we could have ensured a water supply from the desalination plant, it would have been a wonderful thing.

I packed my re-usable bags for our UK trip too. Used them for all sorts of things including dirty washing.

They finished the de-sal plant in Victoria last year. It's costing a fortune to run, and we don't really need the water at the moment, but I agree with you, having a guaranteed water supply is a marvelous thing in a country so used to drought conditions.

[hartley353]

There is a hell of a lot more to Oz than Skippy!

Sorry I forgot about Neighbours, Bluey, and Home and away, my personal favourite is the one about Border controls. At present I am not happy about their treatment of sharks, but so are many of their countrymen.

[Pluggy]

I must be a freak, I take re-usable bags to the supermarket in the UK. The heavy green Co-op bags they flog for 10p and replace if they get knackered. The bottoms are less likely to drop out when you put too much in them.....

[hartley353]

Any supermarket bags coming into our homes are used many times over for various purposes, and when there is no life left in them are shredded before disposal. She who shops uses proper shopping bags, and now has a Sholley.

[Tizer]

Using heavy duty, long-lasting shopping bags is obviously the best solution with regard to protecting the environment ...but `thin-gauge' plastic carrier bags can be recycled into new carrier bags although it requires some energy input for reprocessing. Whether it happens or not depends on whether they are separated and collected for this purpose rather than being allowed to go into landfill.

[Marilyn]

My fruit and veg peelings get collected by the council and go into compost for public gardens too...
( we are big on recycling here)

[hartley353]

Us Brits are getting pretty good at recycling. We have bins for Garden waste, Plastic, Metal,Glass,Paper and card,Compostable food waste, plus one for general household waste. Just to make sure no fuel is wasted in its collection they built a recycling center only a mile away. Greater Manchester the greener county. The only down side one side of the house is lost to bin storage.

[Tizer]

They finished the de-sal plant in Victoria last year. It's costing a fortune to run, and we don't really need the water at the moment, but I agree with you, having a guaranteed water supply is a marvelous thing in a country so used to drought conditions.

California is having increasing water supply problems too...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25996522

[Stanley]

Have a look at this LINK for an interesting article about water reserves.

[hartley353]

Now here is a case for dredging, many a year i have stood in acres of mud on Stocks reservoir, and thought if some one took the time to remove the mud a lot more water could be stored. Every winter thousands of gallons an hour go over the spillways when the reservoir has reached its capacity, much of which could be saved if the mud was removed. This is happening at every storage point, and most folks will have seen the reportage on TV when ever we have a water shortage. I appreciate that whilst dredging is going on the water will not be potable and the reservoir out of service, but this could be done in twenty years cycles.

[Stanley]

We used to clean the dam by draining it and helping the silt into the fast flowing water, you could soon get rid of 100 tons with minimum effort that way but the River Board didn't like it..... But our becks have enough fall to get the silt away.....

[hartley353]

During the summer holday recess in the 60's, I got a job with my friends fathers company. The task was to clean out the sumps on Chadderton power station cooling towers. With the tower out of service, and the surface water drained 5ft of black mud was exposed all of it washed out of the air we breathed. First job was to liquify a small hole which could be pumped away, then using high pressure hoses to expand the original hole, the spoil would be spread out on a wide open space to dry, then to be carted away. Loved that job good pay and a van thrown in. The next year working with the same firm I spent all summer dewatering the land on which Shell built their Carrington petrochemical plant. Heavy dirty work but very enjoyable. The icing on the cake was when his fathers firm sponsored our aspirations in motor cycle racing by buying us two works 354cc Yamahas.

[Pluggy]

We used to clean the dam by draining it and helping the silt into the fast flowing water, you could soon get rid of 100 tons with minimum effort that way but the River Board didn't like it..... But our becks have enough fall to get the silt away.....

Who put that mill over Bancroft Fold ?