Are EV's good value? Apparently not!

[John Brown]

Not really sure what you are wanting.
This perhaps? https://science.howstuffworks.com/i...ons/how-to-make-potato-powered-light-bulb.htm although you are right this would cost you 2p and cost of a few nails (I'm assuming you would have grown your own potato).

You could take a car alternator and attach it to a bike on a stand and use the DC current to charge a battery. You'll get a free old bike off facebook. An alternator might cost you a few quid from someone scrapping a car but if you pedal hard enough you'll soon pay that off.
Or if you are feeling lazy you could build a small wind generator from the alternator and a bike wheel.

Alternatively you could fit PV solar panels to your house it would pay for itself in about 5-10 years and the remaining 10 years of service would provide completely free electric.

Good ideas, but I suspect the question was rhetorical.

 

[John Brown]

When we bought ours they said if we replace the bulbs with low energy ones it would go up a level. There was one in the whole place that wasn't low energy. The "surveyor" did however miss twenty four feet of single block wall between the bungalow and the garage that should have been cavity to meet the regs. when it was built.

If I remember correctly, there was a 12 week(?) training course for EPC "surveyors". I believe it is possible to get quite different ratings from different operatives. [Anecdote alert] A friend in the village recently downsized from his converted pigsty/milking shed, and had the foresight to take photos of the insulation during the reconstruction. The EPC inspector refused to accept them as evidence.[/Anecdote alert]
I suppose it's fairly difficult to measure the U value or R value accurately. I estimated our converted barn walls with three temperature readings and a spreadsheet put together by that Mathias chap who builds wooden bandsaws and stuff, but I think you need a high inside/outside temperature difference for meaningful results.

 

[Agent_zed]

Good ideas, but I suspect the question was rhetorical.

 

[artie]

Not really sure what you are wanting.
This perhaps? https://science.howstuffworks.com/i...ons/how-to-make-potato-powered-light-bulb.htm although you are right this would cost you 2p and cost of a few nails (I'm assuming you would have grown your own potato).

You could take a car alternator and attach it to a bike on a stand and use the DC current to charge a battery. You'll get a free old bike off facebook. An alternator might cost you a few quid from someone scrapping a car but if you pedal hard enough you'll soon pay that off.
Or if you are feeling lazy you could build a small wind generator from the alternator and a bike wheel.

A wind generator is on my to do list but not from an alternator or bike wheel.

Alternatively you could fit PV solar panels to your house it would pay for itself in about 5-10 years and the remaining 10 years of service would provide completely free electric.

Done that.

 

[sploo]

A wind generator is on my to do list but not from an alternator or bike wheel.


Done that.

I keep wanting to build my own wind turbine, but every time I look into the details I keep seeing info that domestic sized units (in urban environments) really don't work well, and solar panels are a much better choice. I can't DIY my own solar panels

 

[Agent_zed]

I want to have a 400-500w or so wind turbine as that is more than my house base load, which tends to be around 250w. So would keep things like the fridge ticking over. The solar would then run the higher power bits as needed when the sun shines.

Trouble I've found is there doesn't seem to be much info on connecting it to the grid. All the marine ones are for charging batteries.

Anyone got any links to 240v connected turbines?

 

[artie]

I keep wanting to build my own wind turbine, but every time I look into the details I keep seeing info that domestic sized units (in urban environments) really don't work well,

I don't expect to power the house from it, but I reckon LED garden lights would do for a start.

and solar panels are a much better choice. I can't DIY my own solar panels

Have you researched it, I've seen DIY panels and solar water heat is doable.

 

[John Brown]

Good ideas, but I suspect the question was rhetorical.

Apologies to Artie. Seems I was wrong.

 

[sploo]

I don't expect to power the house from it, but I reckon LED garden lights would do for a start.

Have you researched it, I've seen DIY panels and solar water heat is doable.

Solar water heaters yes (though I can't use them as we have a mains pressure hot water system, and I don't think they work with that). I didn't know it was possible to DIY a solar panel to generate electricity (are they any good)?

(What I really want to make is a low temperature differential Sterling engine, but the fact they aren't used must mean it doesn't really work)

 

[Superduner]

We have mains pressure hot water with a solar heating system. They are quite common in France.
It's just a tank with 2 coils in it. One for the glycol passing through the solar panel and one for a hot water bleed from the log burner/central heating. It also has an immersion heater for cloudy days in the summer.

 

[artie]

Solar water heaters yes (though I can't use them as we have a mains pressure hot water system, and I don't think they work with that). I didn't know it was possible to DIY a solar panel to generate electricity (are they any good)?

I haven't done it, but there are videos online.

(What I really want to make is a low temperature differential Sterling engine, but the fact they aren't used must mean it doesn't really work)

Another thing on my to do list. The main problem seems to be lack of power.

 

[Jameshow]

I want to have a 400-500w or so wind turbine as that is more than my house base load, which tends to be around 250w. So would keep things like the fridge ticking over. The solar would then run the higher power bits as needed when the sun shines.

Trouble I've found is there doesn't seem to be much info on connecting it to the grid. All the marine ones are for charging batteries.

Anyone got any links to 240v connected turbines?

I wouldn't bother, just get a 12/24/48v one and charge batteries which will power stuff via an inverter.