|
Newsletter November 2009How to be more energy efficient – Part 5 and FinalThis month (September 2009):
Part 5 FIVE – Cooking The most popular and common-sense cooking option is a combination electric oven with a gas hob on top – or a separate gas hob in another part of the kitchen. With the electric oven, if you enjoy or like to bake cookies or roast meat and veggies, you’ll have more control over the heat with electricity than using gas and of course electricity is a dry heat which can be very important depending on what you’re cooking. Even if you have natural gas at the gate, because of supply disruption and ongoing connection charges, Greg says he’d still be tempted to have the cooking hob connected to independent LPG gas bottles. A 9 kg gas bottle will give a couple of months of cooking for an average family of 4 and provided you have a second bottle backup, and remember to get the empty ones filled - it’s an option well worth considering. To help you visualise a 9 kg gas bottle size, it’s usually the same as your average gas BBQ bottle. Electricity on its own does have a couple of options that use this kind of energy very efficiently - induction cook-top hobs and the microwave oven. Yes, they do require the user to learn and understand how to maximise and best use these appliances and the cooking containers and utensils must be user-friendly to the appliance but the energy savings compared with the conventional electrical range is enormous. Induction hobs are 80% more efficient than other types of electrical cooking, and about twice as efficient as gas. I.e. the induction hob costs about 5 times less to use compared with a standard electric hob, and about ½ that of gas. And it’s almost instant, which means, depending on cook-top cooking time this equates to savings of $100-$200 per annum. For the more adventurous and determined energy saver a solid fuel (firewood) in a wood burner with a large steel or case iron top is ideal for cooking on and is extremely economic and energy efficient. And there are, of course, solid fuel ranges that provide space heating, water heating as well as catering for all cooking requirements. I accept that on some occasions or if it’s during the summer months it’s just not practical to have or start a wood burner or range so combining this with a gas or an induction hob makes a perfect partner. Greg Hoskins of Hoskins Energy really knows and understands his stuff on this subject. If you wish to speak to him directly about any point he raises here he can be contacted (sometimes) on 0274-475-117 or after hours on 06-379-7904. How to build a period home on a concrete floor? Proportions and scale are some of the most important factors is designing and building a period New Zealand home or building. This is just as critical with the floor and foundation. 100 years ago, almost without exception, all houses were built using piles which meant that the floor level would default to at least 600mm above ground level, sometimes even higher. These day most concrete floors are not much more than between 200 to 250mm above ground level. Therefore to build a period home on the concrete floor it must have a finished floor level above ground of at least 600mm. To achieve this a concrete wall is poured around the perimeter of the house/building. Then there are 2 options to fill in the area that is created; 1) compacted stones; or 2 polystyrene pods. Moss Brothers tend to always use/suggest pods. The pods are about 1m x 1m x 250mm and are laid in grid formation. Pods are fantastic because of their fabulous insulating properties. What about the veranda or porch? These are still built the traditional way but the only thing that changes is the fact that the sub-floor framing is bolted to the side of the concrete house floor. Letter of the yearTHE TIMES--Letter of the Year An elderly lady actually wrote this letter to her bank. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in ‘The Times’ and this newspaper thanked him most sincerely. Dear Sir, I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three 'nanoseconds' must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my Pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account £30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, re-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become. From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Solicitor, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows: Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous, New Year. Your Humble Client Kind Regards Julian Moss PS: If you wish to unsubscribe please notify us by reply email.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
