Energy Update

Published Tue, Oct 18, 2022

Energy round up

Energy is big in news with increased prices.

Like many others I have not only turned down the thermostat last year but optimised the flow temperature, make sure boiler condensing and operating efficiently. There are several good videos on YouTube about this including those from Szymon Czaban (Urban Plumbers) and Heat Geek. I am also now taking cooler shorter showers, less often. My job no longer needs commuting but when I have to go into office it will be by either bus or bicycle with a train. I used to cycle to work. I have been trying to get out walking and sometimes cycling each weekend.

I have long been interested in many of the issues around energy particularly environmental and social with the transition to an energy system less harmful to the world and ourselves. I watch with interest from the side-lines the debates on energy, listening to several podcast that cover it as well as reading various websites.

I thought it interesting that a import adjustment tax on embedded carbon put to Dan Sadler of Equinor in an interview on a Hydrogen podcast. I would like to hear more discussion of this. I have previously advocated such as tax, to go along with a carbon tax and/or carbon emission saving measures.

Today a campaign to win acceptance and promote Hydrogen started called Hello Hydrogen. Looks alright but bit thin for me, and does not rebut with detail many of chaallenges to hydrogen, but maybe that will come in due course.

How Clean is Hydrogen? (Podcast by Fully Charged) covers many of points of opposition to Hydrogen for domestic use and more in favour of electrification. But it missed out the ability to store hydrogen from summer to winter in underground salt caverns, more economically than other storage methods. But in future insulation of houses will reduce the winter demand, and the running of heat pumps over more of the day will reduce the evening peak each day, compared with way boilers used now, so issue not as big as looking at historic peaks in gas demand in winter make it seem. Insulation and switch to heat pumps can be done now, where as Hydrogen is still many years off. Electric induction hobs probably the better option now than gas.

A recent podcast interview with California’s Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister covered some planned policy direction with regards to regulations, that good to see adopted worldwide.

Some Energy links:

My old energy webpage

Ex-Nudge Unit: Money Saving Boiler Challenge

Urban Plumbers

Heat Geek

Heat Geek courses

Heating Academy Northampton

Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering

Zero Ambitions Podcast about sustainability, the built environment, and carbon-zero goals

Octopus: Get a Heat Pump

Octopus: Hydrogen

How Clean is Hydrogen? (Podcast by Fully Charged)