Important: Global Warming Concern

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Brazilian Berseker

I'm not talking about Brazil, because brazil is not that poor anymore,


One litle question: Many people are very worried about global warming and fuel , all those stuf. But how many of you (from developed countries) would turn the heat down in in houses and use coats inside home?

Brazil has just found an oil field with an estimate of well over a billion barrels of oil. Her independence continues to grow, and if the wealth is distributed in a manner different to that of Venezuela, will be a beacon globally.

Brazilian Berseker, I'm one who wears a couple of extra layers in the winter, and prefers a breeze to air-con in the summer.

I think a lot of it is mental. If we are convinced that natural cold and heat are a hardship, we will be more inclined to reach for the switch. If we see them as a good thing, we'll leave that elec-trickery alone.

Osu!

[tmd]

Originally Posted by Dent

Brazilian Berseker, I'm one who wears a couple of extra layers in the winter, and prefers a breeze to air-con in the summer.

I think a lot of it is mental. If we are convinced that natural cold and heat are a hardship, we will be more inclined to reach for the switch. If we see them as a good thing, we'll leave that elec-trickery alone.

Osu!

I sell and install A/C but don't have one in the house, My place faces the North Sea and we have a fairly constant breeze (or gust normally) around the place, hence the 50MW Wind farm opposite me . In the morning the back of the house is cool, in the evening the front so I don't need an a/c unit, I am always honest about it when asked by customers. I do however have a reverse cycle unit in my gym for heating gin the winter as it gives be about 3kW of heating for less than a kw of energy consumed - it goes on 1/2 hour before I start as the buildings very poorly insulated off as I start my work out, one of this summers projects is to better insulate the gym so that I can get this down to 1/4 of an hour.

[Bloke]

Tmd - any tips for homeowners to better manage heating with respect to Global warming?

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by tmd

I sell and install A/C but don't have one in the house, My place faces the North Sea and we have a fairly constant breeze (or gust normally) around the place, hence the 50MW Wind farm opposite me . In the morning the back of the house is cool, in the evening the front so I don't need an a/c unit, I am always honest about it when asked by customers. I do however have a reverse cycle unit in my gym for heating gin the winter as it gives be about 3kW of heating for less than a kw of energy consumed - it goes on 1/2 hour before I start as the buildings very poorly insulated off as I start my work out, one of this summers projects is to better insulate the gym so that I can get this down to 1/4 of an hour.

To be fair, TMD, A/C? Near the North Sea?

But I do like your idea of heating gin to keep warm. I can see real advantages in that!

Osu!

[tmd]

Originally Posted by Bloke

Tmd - any tips for homeowners to better manage heating with respect to Global warming?

I'm no expert but the basics work best -

Heating your home:

Make sure you understand how your central heating system and hot water heating systems work - treat them as two different things, don't run the whole system just to heat your water. A central thermostat and should be well positioned to provide a true reading (not near heat or cold sources) it is essential also to balance the heating system around the thermostat so that you get around 18 deg C in bedrooms kitchen and communal areas such as landings and hallways. Living rooms are more comfortable at 21 deg C, if you have rooms that are not in use you can go as low as 16 deg C without creating too much of a cold spot. If possible thermostatic valves in each room are best. I'm going to make a sexist statement but one I have found to be mostly true; women like to be around 3 deg C warmer than men, if the women rules the home the thermostat is normally on 24+ this must be tackled, delicately as BraziliarBazerker pointed out, if your cold don't turn up the heating put on a jumper!

Hot water; most dishwashers, washing machines showers etc now operate below 50oC and yet most hot water tanks are set at above 70oC - these could all be set at 55oC- there is a scare about legionella but it's a mixture of misinformation and urban myth, the last case in the UK was decades ago in a huge hotel system full of dead ends; If you're concerned, you have a huge tank and little water usage heat it up to above 70 deg C for an hour a week.

The basic rule is get to know your system and keep turning it down little by little until it feels intrusive then go up a degree (bit like dojo sparing in reverse ).

Insulation

If you want to stay warm you wrap up warm including a nice big hat! you're home is basically the same, loft and cavity wall insulation make huge improvements as do double or secondary glazing but beware that some homes do not suit these products as they can cause damp problems, also if you store stuff in your loft be sure that it can cope with the reduced temperature or better still, insulate just under the roof too to create a double insulated barrier to the outside - In winter you can play - lets see who's snow melts last , the winner gets to feel smug all day.

There are a vast array of high efficiency heating devises such as high efficiency boilers, heat pumps solar panels etc as with all things get a reputable supplier I know someone in most areas of the UK if any one wants to PM me regarding Heat pumps or solar panels.

I'm sorry to say but you guys deserve the truth (as I see it) the renewable energies market is like the double glazing market in the 80's, (I should know I worked in it ) yes there are some great products but there is also a lot of rubbish - more importantly there are a lot of people selling it who are doing just that 'selling it' rather than knowing what works, knowing the limitations of their products and specifying what is right for you and your home, as ever buyer beware.

[tmd]

Originally Posted by Dent

Osu!

To be fair, TMD, A/C? Near the North Sea?

Osu!

The North Sea does travel south you know! it was 26 deg C here today in the garden of England!

Actually Dent on a serious note (sorry) I do sell a lot of AC around here because the homes and businesses are so wrapped up tight to keep in the heat people are unable to properly regulate the temperature in the summer weeks (yes I mean weeks, haven;'t had a decent summer in years). Also people are getting used to it being the norm, I think the rise in Car A/C has something to do with this, they get up in the morning get in the controlled environment of their car and expect their work place to be the same; then they move on to their home - what about just having a fan and opening a window? To noisy, to polluting, to high a security risk - there are the reasons I hear all the time.

Originally Posted by Dent

Osu!

But I do like your idea of heating gin to keep warm. I can see real advantages in that!

Osu!

Trust you to spot the typo - Sorry that should have been Morgans Spiced Gin ,

[cochito]

Originally Posted by Brazilian Berseker

Tmd.....

One litle question: Many people are very worried about global warming and fuel , all those stuf. But how many of you (from developed countries) would turn the heat down in in houses and use coats inside home? That would save a lot of carbon from the atmosphere.

I do! I don't really need that much of heating house in San Diego, anyway. And, I've never personally used A/C in my life since none of my home in Japan and apartments I've lived has had A/C. I've used fans, though.
I'm so mad at my university for wasting energy (and our tuition) by over-cooling (even during winter) the facilities. What an education !

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by tmd

The North Sea does travel south you know! it was 26 deg C here today in the garden of England!

Actually Dent on a serious note (sorry) I do sell a lot of AC around here because the homes and businesses are so wrapped up tight to keep in the heat people are unable to properly regulate the temperature in the summer weeks (yes I mean weeks, haven;'t had a decent summer in years). Also people are getting used to it being the norm, I think the rise in Car A/C has something to do with this, they get up in the morning get in the controlled environment of their car and expect their work place to be the same; then they move on to their home - what about just having a fan and opening a window? To noisy, to polluting, to high a security risk - there are the reasons I hear all the time.



Trust you to spot the typo - Sorry that should have been Morgans Spiced Gin ,

That 26C would be where we put on those jackets, right? It was 34C today. Lovely!

I do appreciate your info though, and when I buy a house, expect to be harassed for more detailed info. I know I'm learning a lot from this thread.

Morgan's? Must be that sea getting to you!

Osu!

[Brazilian Berseker]

TMD / DENT

I'm really learning a lot in this thread. I even learned about AC in North sea!...heheheh Man! For me AC in the North Sea was similar to Heating in Rio or Cancun.....hehehehe
I really like to talk to you guys...lots ofi nformation.
My apologies if sometimes I sound a litle bit bitter, that 's just the way I'm. My mother used too tell me to loose up, my wife tells me the same, my friends do it........and you know what? They are all wrong....hehehe.... Just kidding.

I'm glad that many opinions and posts are popping up.......Global warming is a serious issue!

Osu!

[Brazilian Berseker]

Originally Posted by Dent

Osu!



Brazil has just found an oil field with an estimate of well over a billion barrels of oil. Her independence continues to grow, and if the wealth is distributed in a manner different to that of Venezuela, will be a beacon globally.

Brazilian Berseker, I'm one who wears a couple of extra layers in the winter, and prefers a breeze to air-con in the summer.

I think a lot of it is mental. If we are convinced that natural cold and heat are a hardship, we will be more inclined to reach for the switch. If we see them as a good thing, we'll leave that elec-trickery alone.

Osu!

Dent,

You are right. Brazil has discovery some major Oil fields under it's territory. I just hope that our government explores it wisely. Unfortunately our governments (brazilian) tend to be really stupid about exploring our natural resources. Just look at the amazonia.
I just hope that we follow the way Norway did with the whelth created by Oil. They explored it, and used the money to create a stronger and diversificated economy. Always the scandinavians....man I just love those countries, civilized and smart people!!!
I hope that we don't follow the arab and Venezuelan model of oil exploring with created too much povert for most of the people, and extreme large fortunes for very feel people. Not to mention that Chaves is a complete idiot.

About heating and AC, I also prefer to live in a more natural way, avoiding too use heating or AC. (let me be clear, heating when I was in Colorado, of course...because here there is no need for that). Concerning the AC, I never use it (unfortunately my office at the bank has AC, but i hate it). Even my car doesn't have AC.

That's all, OSU!

[jcc]

Osu! B-B,

You´re 100% right that global warming is really serious, so I´m going to take a bit of the 'heat' off you by maybe being a bit controversial here.

I had a really good (visionary) teacher at school who often threw the quote: "Go out and multiply and fill the earth" at us, followed by the question: "And once the earth is full, what do we do?". IMHO nothing we do to alleviate the immediate problem of CO2 emission means anything unless we also tackle the thorny issue of birth/population control. We live in a finite system, but have carried on as if it were infinite. This obviously just can´t go on. My teacher realised this back in 197-something and tried to pass his concerns on to his students. In the meantime the problem hasn´t gone away. Far from it. For example, the thread about the couple who used fertility treatment and ended up with sextuplets. IMO (not humble!) this is obcene. A couple of kids is great - but 5,6,7, etc? And any child born in the rich north/west has 10x more enviromental impact than one born in the developing world. Do people consider that at all when planning their family?

Saying that, some countries are waking up. A while ago I read somewhere that Iran, of all countries, introduced family planning and have managed to reduce the average family size there from 6 or 7 to 3 or so. Also, I heard yesterday on the radio that the authorities in Egypt are getting seriously worried about the rapid population growth there.

This site has some statistics: http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

OK, that´s my rant over for the moment I wonder how others here feel about this?

[Brazilian Berseker]

Jcc,

I completely agree with you. Child control is absolutely essential. Some countries are waking up for that, thaks god. of course the chinese model generates a lot of problems and humanitary issues and I do not agree with then at all, but birth control throught information is essencial.
For example he in Brazil, most of the educated people have only 1 or at most 2 kids, but among the illeterated people (well, unfortunately there lot of people that can't read and write here) it's quite normal to have 4, 5 or 7 kids. That's absurd. They have too many kids, they can not educate they properly and create another generation that will be condened to povert and suck the planet to the end.
Education is the key for polution, overpopulation an birth control problems.
I think this reality goes for all Latin American countries too.
At least here in Brazil the church does not have great influence when it comes to governamental campaings for birth control. The church (Catholic - and most of the brazilians are Catholics), tries to interfere and say that child control is a sin and all this bullshit, but they (fortunately) don't have much succes influencing our government about this. Do you believe that one Bishop tried to stop the distribution of condons in public hospitals last Carnival? it's absurd. I'm glad he was arrested...hehehehe
in developed countries, overpopulation is not a big deal, in fact many Europeans countries, Japan, Canada are having problems with the lack of child births, and the population is getting older and getting smaller.

[jcc]

Osu! B-B,

Thanks for your support!

You´re right - education in the key, especially for women. I think that very few (educated) women would choose to have 5 kids! And keeping the church out of the picture along with a good support program and easily available contraceptives helps as well. As you say, it´s a vicious circle - which makes one wonder why the church would want to keep people poor and uneducated!

I find it quite ironic that Italy, the 'home' of the chatholic church has the lowest birth rate for Europe They obviously gave up following that church doctrine a long time ago!

What worries me more are the religious nuts in the USA that have managed to stop funding going to NGO´s who encourage family planning. This has cut off federal funding for some really important projects in Africa. Crazy.

[vapor]

And speaking about Africa, the sad state of the world there is that child mortality is still very high, with the death of children under the age of 5, by preventable diseases, or basic sanitation the cause.

What you see happening there, is families will have many children, with the hope that a couple survive, knowing that many will die.

That is a reality that I have difficulties comprehending.

vapor

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Brazilian Berseker

My apologies if sometimes I sound a litle bit bitter, that 's just the way I'm. My mother used too tell me to loose up, my wife tells me the same, my friends do it........and you know what? They are all wrong....hehehe.... Just kidding.

I'm glad that many opinions and posts are popping up.......Global warming is a serious issue!

I think we know where you're coming from. Many of us wish our own governments would become what they claim to be, and do things for the people, instead of just to them...

Osu!

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Brazilian Berseker

You are right. Brazil has discovery some major Oil fields under it's territory. I just hope that our government explores it wisely. Unfortunately our governments (brazilian) tend to be really stupid about exploring our natural resources. Just look at the amazonia.
I just hope that we follow the way Norway did with the whelth created by Oil. They explored it, and used the money to create a stronger and diversificated economy. Always the scandinavians....man I just love those countries, civilized and smart people!!!
I hope that we don't follow the arab and Venezuelan model of oil exploring with created too much povert for most of the people, and extreme large fortunes for very feel people. Not to mention that Chaves is a complete idiot.

I went to Iceland earlier this year, and I was very impressed with the way they have harnessed their natural energy. I understand that they want to be oil free by 2050, an I think they can do it.

Osu!