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| Britain |
| Millions of Britons suffering from 'fuel poverty' |
| 2012-02-16 |
| h/t Gates of Vienna Despite plummeting temperatures, Rita Young only puts her central heating on twice a day. Instead, the 76-year-old widow from Peterborough, a town about 150 kilometers north of London, says she "tries to keep busy and warm." Young survives on her UK state pension - one of the least generous in Europe - and is classed as being in fuel poverty. That's when more than 10 percent of a household income is spent heating and lighting the home. As recently as 2008 - before the financial crisis and subsequent deep recession hit - an estimated 3 million British households were classed as being in fuel poverty. Since then, with incomes squeezed and salaries frozen, the figure has nearly doubled. Well, you gotta have your priorities straight |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #6 Moose - do you have sources for the info on aerogel clothing? I've never heard of any clothing insulation rendering the wearers 'too hot' under Artic conditions. The human body generates about 100W of heat, and that makes it very hard to imagine any such scenario for a body that continues to breathe out some of its hot air and take in some Artic type air, even if heat loss through skin were zero. Retro-engineering dilapidated and obsolete housing for proper insulation does tend to be uneconomic. I must say I have met many elderly individuals who complain bitterly about cold temps and utterly refuse to wear knit caps, sweaters & other such appropriate indoor wear even though it might solve their problem. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2012-02-16 13:37 |
| #5 Jeremiah, this is Europe we're speaking of. The cartel exists as part of the EU it's the gov't. that causes and enforces these conditions for their own greater good. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2012-02-16 12:26 |
| #4 Although Britain has one of the most competitive markets for home energy in the 27-member European Union, Young claims the big fuel companies act like a "cartel," deliberately working together to keep prices high. Uh oh, we have a turd in the punchbowl! Somebody shut this guy up! He's giving away industry secrets! |
| Posted by: Jeremiah Snailet8035 2012-02-16 11:07 |
| #3 10% of household income is spent on heating and lighting? Many people in the U.S. would being living in fuel poverty by that standard. I seem to recall that hearth burning in London for heat/cooking was banned many years ago because of smog. So far in our area, using wood, oil burners and fireplaces are not against the law. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2012-02-16 11:00 |
| #2 Britain used to get its energy from a source other than windmills. I'm told it was common in Wales and in the southwest. You could send men under the ground to bring it out. Too bad they can't use that instead of windmills. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-02-16 09:32 |
| #1 There is a frustratingly easy solution for a lot of this, with mass production of thin sheet aerogel insulation. They have tried weaving it into extreme cold weather clothing but it insulates so well that in near Arctic conditions, wearers are too hot. Lining a refrigerator, it would use only a fraction of its energy to keep food cold. Lining an oven, the same, but keeping food hot. Line a building with it and human body heat will turn it into a sauna. The key is mass production to drive the price down. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2012-02-16 08:50 |