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Post by thefullback on Jan 10, 2008 20:39:34 GMT
What is a Heat Pump ? Heat pumps are electrically powered appliances consisting of a compressor and two carefully matched heat exchangers designed to provide space heating through water systems, either radiators or under floor, by extracting from a free, renewable energy source such as the earth, water or air.
The earth, water or air absorbs and stores heat from the sun and from the earth’s core. In the Uk the average constant temperature of the earth at about 1.5m deep, is 11 to 12°C. A similar situation exists with underground water sources or large surface water sources. It is also possible to extract considerable heat from the ambient air at temperatures as low as -15°C.
Heat Pumps are a very cost effective means of providing space heating, because of the high efficiency of the units, the output heat energy can be up to 4 times the electrical input power - something not possible with other methods of heating.
How Does an Air Source Heat Pump Work? Heat pumps use the same basic principle as that employed in a refrigerator or freezer, but in reverse.
An air source heat pump works by extracting low-grade heat from the ambient air. The units utilise a heat exchanger coupled with a fan. The refrigerator rejects heat from the contents to keep it cool, a heat pump uses this heat to heat water to which in turn is used to provide domestic space heating, in the same way as a conventional boiler.
Why Choose an Air Source Heat Pump? Carbon emissions are an ever increasing concern to global warming, the BWarm air source heat pump will save in excess of 2 tonnes of carbon per year compared to other forms of heating - producing 50% less than a gas boiler, and 72% less than an all electric system, taking into account the inefficiency of power stations and losses in the delivery of electricity.
There you go Stealth ... as clear as mud .. but it works
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Post by stealth1039 on Jan 10, 2008 21:04:51 GMT
Thanks Fullback for taking the time & trouble - that sounds very efficient AND very clean. Why aren't all councils fitting them as a matter of course (at least to the four or five council houses they have left!)?
In fact, it sounds as if the government should be offering grants to any one who wants one as they expect us & not industry to save the planet!
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Post by hallmackem on Jan 10, 2008 23:51:25 GMT
Of course there are problems with nuclear Ben, as there are with all the solutions, but other than Chernobyl which was mainly due to shoddy workmanship & was operated in completely the opposite way to most modern reactors, fallout is not likely to be one of them. As I said France has mainly nuclear power, & has done since the 70's at least, with out one accident. Disposal is a major problem but quite probably will be the least of our worries within 20 years - as will decommissioning. Straight comparisons of cost of start up make nuclear more than other technologies however, a new planned gas power station in Wales will cost £800m & will produce 800 MW a new nuclear reactor is estimated to cost around £1.5b but will produce 1,600 MW. Running costs are actually far lower - because oil & gas comprises 80% of cost of production whereas uranium comprises just 10% - and is far more stable in price than oil or gas. Surprisingly, it is also re-newable to an extent because although spent nuclear fuel is highly radioactive, it can be reprocessed to extract the remaining usable uranium and plutonium, a process which reduces the need to mine fresh uranium and cuts the volume of waste. The de-commissioning costs are higher than running costs are they not? Plus how much energy will this re-processing require? But i think we both agree it's the best option right now.
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Post by stealth1039 on Jan 12, 2008 15:22:07 GMT
You're right Ben - it's the only current clean technology that is viable for the near future.
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Post by stealth1039 on Feb 2, 2008 10:56:16 GMT
The UK government's record on delivering renewable energy is under attack. Energy regulator, Ofgem, says the main mechanism for delivering green energy to the national grid is not working. It also told BBC Radio 4's Costing The Earth programme that it believes the government is not listening to its calls for change. One leading industry figure says he regrets getting involved in the UK industry because of red tape. [glow=red,2,300]Only Luxembourg and Malta have a worse record compared with Britain, which since 1990 has only increased its renewable energy by about 1%. In contrast, Germany has been able to add this amount in one year.[/glow] Professor Catherine Mitchell, an energy professor at Exeter University, says: "The problem is that the government doesn't follow through with its rhetoric."
Hardly going to set an example to emerging nations is it?
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Post by Bismarck on Feb 28, 2008 19:16:37 GMT
Just posted this on the Joe Thread....deserves to be here....
Today’s global warming is part of a natural 1,500-year, plus or minus 500-year, solar cycle operating for at least a million years..... The Earth’s climate has warmed and cooled nine times in the past 12,000 years, in lock step with the waxing and waning of the sun’s magnetic activity.Over the last 1,200 years there has been a "Medieval Warming" (900-1300), when Greenland was green; a "Little Ice Age" (1300-1850), when New York harbor froze, and people could walk from Manhattan across the ice to Staten Island a mile away (in 1780); and the current global warming (1850-?). Rather than "global warming," a better term for this phase of the solar cycle is "Modern Warming." Since 1850, temperatures have risen 0.8 degrees C, most rapidly in 1850-1870 and 1920-1940. Temperatures in the 1,500-year solar cycle fluctuate within a 4 degree C range – two degrees above and two degrees below the norm.
The Modern Warming is not confined to this planet. Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, and Triton (Neptune’s largest moon) in the solar system are also warming......now tell me we have poluted these planets....?
Also.....The principal greenhouse gas that humans make, burning coal, oil, and natural gas for energy, is carbon dioxide (CO2). (In 1750, at the beginning of the Industrial Era, the earth’s atmospheric CO2 concentration was 280 parts per million by volume. In 1960 it had risen to 315 ppmv, and it is now 383 ppmv.) Compared to the volcanic eruptions of the past this is normal....
Further explanations for Global Warming being a natural Phenomenon are as follows. Some of the main reasons are the Malankovitch cycles, of which there are three explanations....
One explanation is Eccentricity; this is where the earths cycle around the earth (every 365 days) changes every 100,000 years from being more elliptical to less elliptical. Today a difference of only about 3 percent occurs between aphelion (furthest point from sun) and perihelion (closest point to the sun). When the earths orbit is most elliptical the amount of solar energy received at the perihelion would be in the range of 20 to 30 percent more than at the aphelion. Most certainly these continually altering amounts of received solar energy around the globe result in the earth either going through particularly cold periods and warm periods (example of warm period, now, i.e. explanation for global warming).
Another one of Malankovitchs theories is Axial Tilt. Oscillations in the degree of the earths axial tilt occur on a periodicity of 41,000 years from 21.5 to 24.5 degrees. Today the earths axial tilt is about 23.5 degrees, which largely accounts for our seasons. Because of the periodic variations of this angle the severity of the earths seasons changes. With less axial tilt the suns solar radiation is more evenly distributed between winter and summer and vice versa.
The final of Malankovitchs theories is Precession; this is the slow wobble of the earth on its axis. This top-like, or precession, has a periodicity of 23,000 years. Due to this wobble a climatically significant alteration must take place. When the axis is tilted towards Vega the positions of the Northern Hemisphere winter and summer solstices will coincide with the aphelion and perihelion, respectively. This means the Northern Hemisphere will experience winter when the earth is furthest from the sun and summer when the earth is closest to the sun. This coincidence will result in seasonal contrasts. And increases and decreases in the earths average global temperature.......
I am really torn......I think our contribution is minimal....don't forget it is my opinion only.....
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Post by stealth1039 on Feb 29, 2008 10:03:24 GMT
There are some convincing arguments there, but not the Medieval Warming. I had read somewhere that in Medieval times England was the worlds major producer of wine - and that would not be possible in the UK's accepted "normal" climate since detailed records begun. As we all know we are now, again, beginning to produce a lot more wine but it's only 700 not 1500 years since the last Modern Warming. Even with a + or - of 500 years his arithmetic's not good!
Anyway, surely it cannot be good for us or the planet to go on destroying rain forests & using up all the natural resources of the Earth as fast as we are doing? Even if you do not believe in global warming just looking at the worlds explosion in population versus resources available tells you that the planet cannot sustain many more people with our current (& spreading) Western lifestyle?
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Post by Bismarck on Feb 29, 2008 12:27:43 GMT
I am not condoning what we are doing to the planet mate.....just pointing out other possibilities
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Post by thefullback on Feb 29, 2008 14:51:40 GMT
There are some convincing arguments there, but not the Medieval Warming. I had read somewhere that in Medieval times England was the worlds major producer of wine - and that would not be possible in the UK's accepted "normal" climate since detailed records begun. As we all know we are now, again, beginning to produce a lot more wine but it's only 700 not 1500 years since the last Modern Warming. Even with a + or - of 500 years his arithmetic's not good!
Anyway, surely it cannot be good for us or the planet to go on destroying rain forests & using up all the natural resources of the Earth as fast as we are doing? Even if you do not believe in global warming just looking at the worlds explosion in population versus resources available tells you that the planet cannot sustain many more people with our current (& spreading) Western lifestyle? We are the cigarette that has attacked the earths lungs .. we are natures cancer .. time to stop now.
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Post by stealth1039 on Feb 29, 2008 16:08:02 GMT
One other thought. Is mankind actually worth saving?
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Post by Wolvensam on Apr 12, 2008 11:45:10 GMT
As I said on the RHF Future Careers thread:
Planes and cars are contributing to the warming up of the planet, despite what Joe thinks!
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 13, 2008 15:48:28 GMT
Agree Sam....I think the planet is in a warming period....and our contribution is making it worse.....surely,all that is asked is that people use less energy, become more efficient and use natural resources better. Why shouldn't we conserve, use less, and save? Why should we worry about oil when we should invest in new energy technologies? Its time to move on from oil and the strain it puts on us......
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 13, 2008 15:51:28 GMT
And I am still a sceptic.....never forget we are just arrogant intelligent monkeys full of our self importance.....maybe our contribution to Global Warming is miniscule....who knows...
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Post by stealth1039 on Apr 18, 2008 9:49:32 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7353039.stmAt last! We may now see some hope of real reduction as they have finally realised that individuals contribution is minor compared with industries. On the downside, China announced a couple of days ago that they had no intention of reducing their emissions as their people deserved the same standard of living as the West - which can't really be argued with. However, if we demonstrate that we are actually doing something about our own pollution we can, at least, pressurise them to do the same & stop relying on coal fired power stations so heavily.
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Post by hallmackem on Apr 18, 2008 10:46:05 GMT
And I am still a sceptic.....never forget we are just arrogant intelligent monkeys full of our self importance.....maybe our contribution to Global Warming is miniscule....who knows... Not quite, we aren't Monkeys and people need to stop saying that. We're a Great Ape, calling us a Monkey is an insult to our intelligence. There's a bit of a gap between a Gorilla and a Macaque. Speaking of Apes, Chimpanzees have been spotted using primitive spears to hunt Bushbabies. Some say it's evolution, this in my view is irrational. More likely, they saw a human do it and copied. Still shows how intelligent they are though...
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 18, 2008 21:41:07 GMT
I know it is the lowest form of wit Ben......but I was being sarcastic....!
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Post by stealth1039 on May 3, 2008 13:40:25 GMT
We really are determined to destroy this planet aren't we? Because of the current credit crisis everybody is putting their money in to gold as a solid investment. This, of course, is pushing the price of gold through the roof thereby now making it economically viable to extract much of the gold found in the Brazilian rain forest. Result - a gold rush bringing about the displacement of one of the last remaining indigenous tribes from their reserve and yet more deforestation. Whilst mining is currently illegal on the reserve an Act to legalise it is in the process of being passed by the Brazilian government.
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 3, 2008 14:15:20 GMT
I know it is the lowest form of wit Ben......but I was being sarcastic....! Oscar Wilde?
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Post by Bismarck on May 3, 2008 21:53:10 GMT
I am not young enough to know everything.....
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 6, 2008 10:14:17 GMT
I'm pretty sure ot was Oscar who said that - hang on i'll check.
EDIT: It was, go me!!!!
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Post by Bismarck on May 6, 2008 12:54:27 GMT
Well done young skywalker.....
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Post by stealth1039 on May 9, 2008 10:05:12 GMT
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Post by Lukiebakercafc on May 9, 2008 10:43:29 GMT
I wonder what counts as a marginal profit - maybe they are only making a £30m profit per month
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Post by stealth1039 on May 10, 2008 14:05:23 GMT
I think it's more because the board wouldn't have the excuse of rising wholesale wind prices to put tariffs up whenever they felt like they needed a new country mansion.
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Post by Bismarck on May 10, 2008 14:07:57 GMT
Hee hee...I thought I was the cynic.....
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Post by andynufcfan on Jul 31, 2008 20:53:05 GMT
im afraid oil is everything when we drink water its exported from other country which requires oil everything that we use oils been used in and im afraid while this is the case global warming will continue to happen.
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Post by Bismarck on Jul 31, 2008 22:55:05 GMT
Tottenham have held talks with Spartak Moscow's Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, BBC Sport understands.
The £15m-rated Pavlyuchenko, 26, met representatives from the north London club last week, although no deal has been agreed yet.
Spurs are also believed to be keen on his fellow Russian Andrei Arshavin.
Arshavin's club, Zenit St Petersburg, claim they have not been approached but the player's agent said he may sign for Spurs within the next few days.
"It is my prediction that Andrei Arshavin is going to be a Tottenham player this season," Denis Lacter told BBC Radio Five Live.
"He just rejected a huge, huge offer to renew his contract for another five years. He preferred to leave for the Premier League."
Tottenham boss Juande Ramos has already spent about £45m on transfer fees in the close season.
Forward Giovani Dos Santos, midfielders Luka Modric and David Bentley and goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes have arrived at the club this summer.
They recouped some of that money with the £20.3m sale of Robbie Keane to Liverpool, the £3.5m received from Blackburn for keeper Paul Robinson and the transfers of Steed Malbranque, Pascal Chimbonda and Teemu Tainio to Sunderland.
It has also been widely reported that fellow forward Dimitar Berbatov will leave White Hart Lane before the start of the season.
The Bulgaria international did not appear in the 5-1 defeat of Leyton Orient on Wednesday and also did not feature in Monday's game at Norwich.
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Post by stealth1039 on Aug 1, 2008 11:35:01 GMT
I know we've now got a red hot team but I don't think it's contributing to global warming yet?
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Post by Wolvensam on Aug 1, 2008 15:54:04 GMT
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 1, 2008 18:39:50 GMT
Hahahaha....what a major gaff......Otto,you incredible fool.........full marks for the reposte though Stealth.....have a goal......
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