AIBU not to buy in about all of this net zero/environmentalism?

[ShanCran]

Okay, so I understand the need to look after the planet and all that but just feel that the whole “net zero” agenda is being pushed too hard and too fast. Things like “clean air zones” in cities. Surely that’s just a money making exercise?

I recycle where I can, but not as religiously as most. I also travel about 20,000 miles per year in my (small) petrol car and in my 28 years on the planet have travelled approximately 175,000 air miles. Some will say that I am awful and totally unreasonable - but I suspect that many will agree that the whole concept of net zero is being pushed too hard and too fast.

After all, for all the environmentalist rhetoric that is preached by many politicians, the King, numerous celebrities and the likes - I don’t see any of them being principled enough to reduce their airmiles (often travelling by air for trivial things) or travel less generally. I doubt that the personal carbon emissions of many of such “celebrities” is far from net zero themselves.

I don't think British people are mentally or financially ready for heat pumps.

British people still haven't adjusted to the idea of central heating - i.e. running it 24x7 to gently replace the home's heat loss. Most people run it full blast for a couple of hours in the morning and evening, which doesn't work with heat pumps.

Heating is seen as a begrudged necessity rather than a life enhancing essential.

@ThisOldThang

"This is the problem with thsee self-righteousness sermons. As soon as you scratch the surface, it all turns out to be bollocks - but some people will believe anything."

Meanwhile renewable energy currently receives subsidies of £12 billion per year plus the cost of additional grid balancing of £2.5 to £4 billion per year (because the wind doesn't always blow or blows too much and the same for solar).This cost is placed directly on to consumers bills.

The fuel subsidy relief is for customers living in remote areas in Scotland whose fuel costs would astronomical otherwise as well as tax relief for energy intensive users of gas that would otherwise leave the UK - like we have recently seen with the steel industry. Again I can't see how this is a subsidy for oil and gas.

Using the same logic for oil and gas consumers using electricity from renewables only pay 5% VAT instead of 20%.

The CCS line in the table is for carbon capture and storage which I also can't see how this is a subsidy for oil and gas.

In short the eco zealots put out a bollocks made up figure with no substance or reality. And will then respond with a "whatabout the polar bears" when they are called out on their fake figures.

You could actually do that with a heat pump if you wanted. You can turn them on, off, up and down. But it wouldn't be necessary as they self-regulate and turn themselves off if no heat and air conditioning is needed. They don't run 24/7 and neither do other central heating systems that operate by thermostat. They only turn on when needed to reach your desired temperature.

People adapt to technology. The only objections to heat pumps I've seen were based on a misunderstanding of how they work or how effective they are.
As for financially, the usual market forces apply. The more common they are the more reasonably priced they become.

I don't think that's accurate information. Heat pumps tend to use a much lower flow temperature and flow temperature is directly proportional to heat output (the difference between the room temperature and the radiator temperature is known as 'Delta T'). The higher the Delta T, the more effective/quicker the heating.

If you allow the room temperature to drop overnight (e.g. to 16°C), a heat pump will struggle to raise the temperature back up to 20°C. You need to set the heating to a fairly constant temperature, so that the radiators only need to replace the heat being lost from the house rather than the heat being lost + the heat required to raise the home's temperature.

https://www.heatgeek.com/should-your-heating-be-left-on-all-the-time-or-not/

Our home is occupied 24x7, so we run our gas system (modern boiler with Type 22 radiators and a maximum flow temperature of 60°C) at 19°C overnight, 20°C during the day and 21°C during the evenings. Even during very cold weather our radiators are just 'warm' as the boiler gently replaces the home's heat loss. They only become hot to the touch when increasing the temperature in the morning and evening. We've got a Tado smart thermostat that controls the boilers heat output, so I've mitigated that 'problem' by programming two gently temperature increases of 0.5°C rather than a sharp jump of 1°C.

That's similar to how a heat pump would operate most efficiently.

Also heat pumps are bulky and I believe they go outside?

What information are you referring to?
Any central heating system will struggle under the conditions you're talking about. I said you can do it, not that it's a wise idea.
You insisted British people can't properly manage a central system, so I was saying they still do have an option to use one as badly as you described. I sure as hell wouldn't. I set the thermostat to between 19 and 21 year round and it keeps it there, even in the depths of winter. I have a programmable thermostat, but I never use that function. I just turn it down manually if I'm going to be gone for awhile.

Radiant heat from a boiler really isn't comparable to forced air heat. Radiant is superior heat IMO and pretty much anyone who works in heating and air conditioning will say so as well. The huge downside to it is that it doesn't give you the option of air conditioning. You have to add that on either with traditional ductwork or mini-split. That gets costly.

Yes, they are very popular where I am in Canada. There were a few blips when they first came out, mainly because people didn't always put them in the right places in their homes. But they are really pretty good now at putting in the right unit for the home and people I know who have them love them. Not just because of the costs but they like the way they heat and cool.

Yeah, I'm in Canada too. I got the super high efficiency one and it heats the whole house with no need for supplemental heat. Cost me a pretty penny but there was a rebate.
When you say people didn't put them in the right places I assume you're referring to the mini-split systems. You do have to locate the wall units wisely.

You appear to be referring to modern air-conditioning units. In the UK, ASHPs are connected to radiators and use a low flow temperature.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ashp

Nope. I was referring to forced air systems for both heating and cooling, which is not the same as the ASHP unit itself. In those systems the heated or cooled air is blown from a fan through a network of ducts, not circulated by radiant heat. While it's possible to lower the temperature by circulating cool air through the pipes in a radiant system, it doesn't cool as well as forced air because there is no built in dehumidification, which is a big part of what makes hot weather so uncomfortable. It can also cause condensation, leading to mould growth. You can use a separate dehumidifier though and I would strongly suggest anyone with that sort of system do.