Reality kicking in..

[Arzosah]

Onn a separate topic, the condensate pump for my new boiler ran ... I need to remember to bury a bag of limestone chips around the outlet in the spring. It does have chips inside, but, belt and braces is always best.

Good grief, something *else* I didn't know about combi boilers! Easy enough to do, but the knowledge of it needing to be done is the missing stair

As for the thread title, Reality Kicking In ... the reality that's kicking in for me over the last month or so is how little ordinary stuff I've done: cleaning walls where mould might go, cleaning crap that's on the walls (alright, spider bodies ) shredding, there's a lightbulb that went in the summer and I still haven't changed it, my bathroom sink is getting blocked **again**, it's no good prepping if you're not taking care of the present.

Though one thing I've done *has* taken care of the present: all the shredding has emptied out a plastic shoebox, and I've used it as a one-stop sewing box. I have lots of equipment, but like is stored with like, so every time I do anything, even something really simple, I have to go through all my boxes, its not good. This is better

[grenfell]

The loft is a bit of a no-go zone for tradesmen. Too much of a prepper space for prying eyes.

The Loft could give Spar a run for its money

We'll have to have a bit of a tidy up there, lob a tarpaulin or something over the 'junk'

A pile of stuff hiding under a tarp is probably more intriguing to a lot of people and may prompt a peak. Bin bags and old cardboard boxes look more "normal" shall we say especially if there's something like a bit of tinsel poking out. Another container I use is 10 or 15L plastic paint and tile adhesive tubs. A little bit of wasted space but easily carried and stacked and can be stored in plain view. Very few intruders will be looking for half a tub of magnolia emulsion.

[Frnc]

Onn a separate topic, the condensate pump for my new boiler ran for about 4 hours yesterday afternoon. Am I right in saying they are supposed to run for a few seconds or a couple of minutes? The noise was annoying. It's right below a lodger's room. He didn't complain. But it might blow up if it keeps doing that. I'll ring them tomorrow. I've not heard it since late afternoon yesterday, thankfully.

I need to remember to bury a bag of limestone chips around the outlet in the spring. It does have chips inside, but, belt and braces is always best.

A complete mystery to me how those combi's work. It surprises me if it was noisy and I'd be concerned if it was. Mine just purrs at its loudest. It seems to kick into some sort of overdrive when running the hot water and pushes out a lot of vapour then. The rest of the time it's on, just a bit of vapour or no vapour venting. Completely separate to that, or so it seems, the CH pump turns off and on for the radiators as the mood takes it. When it was fitted, the plumber buried what looked like a bucket under the patio and fed a pipe down to that? He said something about not just letting it run onto the flags because of staining?

A colder week ahead? Bu66er! Oh how it's changed since not needing the heating on at all in September.
This time last year I had to start heating the garage to let the freezers work. If it gets to that again, they'll have to come indoors.

Definitely getting away with turning off the CH earlier, now as early as 19:20 and the lounge still >20 at midnight.
Must shut the lounge door last thing.

It's not hugely noisey, but it's right below lodger's room and the only thing in between in butt jointed floorboards, ie they have small gaps in between. The thing is, it's supposed to run for a few seconds, not hours! Will be on the phone first thing tomorrow. This is just the pump that sends condensate water outside. It's a very small amount of contamintated water (which the limestone neutralises).

[Frnc]

Bear in mind most trades persons will have no idea what prepping is. If you have a ton of food they might think you have a small shop or foodbank. Other stuff will just look like normal household junk. Just hide valuables. They'll almost certainly be busy working, not looking at your stuff.

[jennyjj01]

Has anyone looked at "Positive Internal Ventilation systems"?
Ventaxia description here - and i am not recommending them, just using them to explain.
https://www.vent-axia.com/positive-input-ventilation
The loft is often the driest part of the house and air in there is warmer than outside (especialy if your insulation is not the best) so filtering it and sending it into the house does make sense. It has us wondering whether to try making a DIY version using vacuum cleaner filters and a computer fan.

Thanks, GillyBee.
That PIV idea is a bit counter intuitive. Pulling cold air into the loft and pushing it down into the house ???
I know ventilation is the objective, but it just seems ar5e backwards. My loft is like a cold damp cellar in winter, when I want the house warm, and a sauna in summer, when the last thing I want is a warmer house.

And who has ring main in the loft ?

[Vitamin c]

Went to see relatives yesterday we had been speaking about power prices and they said it would be fine .
Well yesterday it was about 4/5 above freezing and in the evening when I left them it had gone down to 2 above.
They had bought these giant fleece hoodie all in one things from premark and yesterday was day one of them testing them
It didn't go well I was wearing outdoor clothes and a coat they had on their hoodies and it was cold they cooked me a nice meal and after that I couldn't get out of their fast enough .
It just didn't work curled up on the sofa and just not warm especially hands ,feet , heads .
I don't know how their going to cope this just wrap up and we'll be OK is a joke and this at just the start of winter.

Do you know anybody like this.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxupdate.
Well my relatives have coped they used their heating especially when the temperatures dropped to the minus 8-10 mark a while back .
They have been honest with me and said the bills were big and they really struggled to pay them but their point was that it would of been impossible to cope without the government help .

How did everyone else get on .

[jennyjj01]

It just didn't work curled up on the sofa and just not warm especially hands ,feet , heads .
I don't know how their going to cope this just wrap up and we'll be OK is a joke and this at just the start of winter.

Do you know anybody like this.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxupdate.
Well my relatives have coped they used their heating especially when the temperatures dropped to the minus 8-10 mark a while back .
They have been honest with me and said the bills were big and they really struggled to pay them but their point was that it would of been impossible to cope without the government help .

How did everyone else get on .

The problem about this energy price situation is that we* are kicking the can down the road and such struggling folks look to get absolutely debt crushed when this year's winter comes. Here's how I see it playing out.....

In this winter so far, usage is high, bills are so high as to be just about bearable. The gov gives us £400 in the run up to April and we* survive. We* have unit charges capped at what they are now. Then in April, prices go up but usage comes down with the warmer weather. Net zero benefit to us. The cap rises and unit prices rise. We* continue to just about survive, but with no breathing space afforded by our warmer weather. The government may stop the £66 monthly support, so we* again really struggle into summer, even with the heating mostly off. But then.... November comes and we* go back to high usage, but this time at a high unit price, with little support. Maybe there will be no support. THAT is the cliff edge that really crushes. Super high unit costs: No support: Winter usage needs. Come November, the energy poverty will spring shut like the jaws of a bear trap.

I draw parallels with the way food inflation is strangling us. We drop meals out: we drop holidays: We carve non-essential spending to the bone. We survive. Then we switch down from Waitrose, through ASDA, down to Lidl, then Farmfoods, then eventually some hit the foodbanks, which themselves are struggling. We lose weight, we have our spirit broken, and when we are living on the absolute breadline, MORE inflation hits. But there's no way of making more savings, so we start to die. Literally die!. Some by suicide: Some by hypothermia: Some with stress. And if next winter doesn't clinch it, there will be plenty more to follow.

I'm not blaming anyone and we all just knuckle down as best we can. No point grumbling, but equally no point ignoring our situation. We can do A BIT to alleviate it. The energy price, in particular, is just a feature of the world running down it's resources, and of nations fighting over them. C'est la Vie.

*'We': In this post, 'We' means those of us on fixed or mostly fixed incomes which don't keep pace with inflation. I include those on company or state pensions or living off their depreciating savings. We could also include those on negligible benefits or in low paid employment, working every hour god sends. I'm part of 'We', albeit buffered by savings and preps.

[Frnc]

Personally I'm OK. I dread to think what my mum's bill are compared to her pension. She'll get less now my old man's gone. She's just sold the car and got rid of the internet anyway.

Quick recap on my boiler. The condensate pump only runs for a minute every now and then. I've only heard it a few times in the last few weeks. The radiator hammering only happened on Christmas day. And maybe a few times before that. I heard some noise but assumed it was next door, who were decorating.

I left my boiler turned down to 63, water to 43.

Heating goes off at 9.40 pm weekdays and 10.10pm Fri and Sat night.

[Frnc]

It just didn't work curled up on the sofa and just not warm especially hands ,feet , heads .
I don't know how their going to cope this just wrap up and we'll be OK is a joke and this at just the start of winter.

Do you know anybody like this.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxupdate.
Well my relatives have coped they used their heating especially when the temperatures dropped to the minus 8-10 mark a while back .
They have been honest with me and said the bills were big and they really struggled to pay them but their point was that it would of been impossible to cope without the government help .

How did everyone else get on .

The problem about this energy price situation is that we* are kicking the can down the road and such struggling folks look to get absolutely debt crushed when this year's winter comes. Here's how I see it playing out.....

In this winter so far, usage is high, bills are so high as to be just about bearable. The gov gives us £400 in the run up to April and we* survive. We* have unit charges capped at what they are now. Then in April, prices go up but usage comes down with the warmer weather. Net zero benefit to us. The cap rises and unit prices rise. We* continue to just about survive, but with no breathing space afforded by our warmer weather. The government may stop the £66 monthly support, so we* again really struggle into summer, even with the heating mostly off. But then.... November comes and we* go back to high usage, but this time at a high unit price, with little support. Maybe there will be no support. THAT is the cliff edge that really crushes. Super high unit costs: No support: Winter usage needs. Come November, the energy poverty will spring shut like the jaws of a bear trap.

I draw parallels with the way food inflation is strangling us. We drop meals out: we drop holidays: We carve non-essential spending to the bone. We survive. Then we switch down from Waitrose, through ASDA, down to Lidl, then Farmfoods, then eventually some hit the foodbanks, which themselves are struggling. We lose weight, we have our spirit broken, and when we are living on the absolute breadline, MORE inflation hits. But there's no way of making more savings, so we start to die. Literally die!. Some by suicide: Some by hypothermia: Some with stress. And if next winter doesn't clinch it, there will be plenty more to follow.

I'm not blaming anyone and we all just knuckle down as best we can. No point grumbling, but equally no point ignoring our situation. We can do A BIT to alleviate it. The energy price, in particular, is just a feature of the world running down it's resources, and of nations fighting over them. C'est la Vie.

*'We': In this post, 'We' means those of us on fixed or mostly fixed incomes which don't keep pace with inflation. I include those on company or state pensions or living off their depreciating savings. We could also include those on negligible benefits or in low paid employment, working every hour god sends. I'm part of 'We', albeit buffered by savings and preps.

The energy price is high because the gas extractors such as Shell and BP can get away with huge price rises and huge profits. The government did add a temporary 25% windfall tax to the 40% they pay, but they are offestting a lot of their tax against new investment. Shell said it paid 134 million dollars (£109 million) through the UK windfall tax last year, or 0.16 per cent of its mammoth profit. On Thursday, Shell said that core profits rocketed to 84.3 billion dollars (£68.1 billion) in 2022. Roughly £1000 PER PERSON in the UK, ie £2,400 per average household.

Anyway, the energy price guarantee has been fixed for another year, to April 2024, but at 20% higher than Oct '22-Mar '23 price which is currently £2,500 average.

[jennyjj01]

The problem about this energy price situation is that we* are kicking the can down the road and such struggling folks look to get absolutely debt crushed when this year's winter comes. Here's how I see it playing out.....
...
I'm not blaming anyone and we all just knuckle down as best we can. No point grumbling, but equally no point ignoring our situation. We can do A BIT to alleviate it. The energy price, in particular, is just a feature of the world running down it's resources, and of nations fighting over them. C'est la Vie.

The energy price is high because the gas extractors such as Shell and BP can get away with huge price rises and huge profits. The government did add a temporary 25% windfall tax to the 40% they pay, but they are offestting a lot of their tax against new investment. Shell said it paid 134 million dollars (£109 million) through the UK windfall tax last year, or 0.16 per cent of its mammoth profit. On Thursday, Shell said that core profits rocketed to 84.3 billion dollars (£68.1 billion) in 2022. Roughly £1000 PER PERSON in the UK, ie £2,400 per average household.

Anyway, the energy price guarantee has been fixed for another year, to April 2024, but at 20% higher than Oct '22-Mar '23 price which is currently £2,500 average.

We could easily get drawn into controversy about the inequity of capitalism, so I'll just get this out there: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'll be checking out the potential of investing in energy shares. I already have some National Grid. I rather hope that somewhere in my pension funds, some managers are exploiting those opportunities. Let the treasury exploit them too with their fiscal policy.
But let's not get into disagreement over the rights or wrongs. We have certain realities which we just have to deal with.