| Wind and solar power is not fully utilized by domestic | | | | unless we grow our own, we can save on our fuel |
| consumers, most people rely on the national grid for | | | | costs. In some Scandinavian countries 70% of the |
| gas and electricity and many consider renewable | | | | heating for domestic properties is produced by such |
| energy as something for the eccentric few. | | | | things as ground and air source heat pumps. These |
| Gas and electricity prices have been rising significantly | | | | are fantastic things, when I first heard about them I |
| recently, oil has gone even higher and there does not | | | | could not believe how much energy could be produced |
| seem to be an end in sight . These price rises are | | | | from essentially nothing. There is of course the |
| affecting the cost of all consumables. Everyone | | | | electricity used by the pumps but this could be |
| suffers when they are forced to spend a large | | | | produced by solar photovoltaic cells or a wind turbine. |
| proportion of their income on fuel, the end affect is that | | | | Solar thermal panels are capable of providing 70% of |
| prices for everything increase, these rises in costs are | | | | a households hot water requirements. Some heat |
| not truly reflected in the official inflation rates. which are | | | | pumps will provide all heating and hot water |
| actually much higher (when inflation is calculated, large | | | | requirements. Any additional electricity required can be |
| electrical items which have gone down in price are | | | | topped up by the grid, alternatively if a large wind |
| included, this distorts the reality of massive rises in the | | | | turbine or solar PV array was installed, surplus power |
| costs of fuel and food). The true inflation rate is | | | | could be stored in battery banks for even less reliance |
| substantially higher than governments would have us | | | | on the grid. Worth considering! The more people that |
| believe. | | | | use this technology, the more prices will drop. |
| Whilst we cannot escape from rising food costs, | | | | |