andrewducker | (Reply)

From:

I had electric heating most of my life, so I know how much that is. Depressingly much.

Power here is 230V so no worries there.

I need wind power. It's almost always windy here. Too high a lat for sun to work in winter. Though of course I should get some.

I did not capitalise on this winter's storm windfall for wood as well as I should have. I wasn't sure what's allowable scavenge from the roadside etc. But my neighbour phoned the council about a tree down just across from him and they were more than happy that he cleared it up. So, next time! I have a small chainsaw and an axe.

We have one Kachelofen - a kind of wood fired storage heater - that's great, but sadly they dismantled the 2nd one! I don't know if ALL the bits are in the barn. Suspect not. Have one modern A++ rated Kaminofen fitted and another one to go in - should be enough. Officials come every year to inspect all "fires" (wood,gas,oil) and you have to pay them. (About €100). Which is annoying, but can't be helped. I don't see wood being disallowed round here for decades if ever - too many houses have nothing else still and we have some good tech like wood gas boilers (for solid wood, not pellets) which are very efficient.

I would love to have a rocket (mass) heater but not sure on regs. Must be possible because the Kachelofens are ok - just in a rocket stove I could burn twigs or make my own "fuel cakes" from chipped garden waste, since (I believe) they actually burn the creosote rather than it building up into a chimmney fire hazard.