12 months ago today two engineers drove away from our house after fitting 13 solar panels to our roof, and connecting the system to the National Grid. Their parting words were: “You’re now generating your own power”. True, although only up to a point. That many panels goes nowhere near providing the energy to run… Continue reading
Browsing Category Environment
IKEA has the last laugh. What’s the funny Swedish name for energy self-sufficiency?
Isn’t there something about the IKEA brand that we British don’t take entirely seriously? We are full of respect for John Lewis, and Fortnum and Masons and Harrods, but when we picture this jaunty Swedish furniture and household goods company I think many of us can’t resist a smile. At those funny (apparently) made up… Continue reading →
50 years on, is global warming today’s Cuban missile crisis?
50 years ago today President Kennedy had a cold, or more precisely an “upper respiratory infection.” We soon knew that wasn’t true. It was a “diplomatic cold”, an excuse to cancel engagements so he could attend to the greatest and most pressing International crisis the modern world had known. That night, October 22, 1962,… Continue reading →
Top motoring writers unite to praise car that does 2000 miles – and more – on a tank of petrol
So, you have £29,995 to spend on a nice new car, or your firm is doing it for you and letting you make the choice. You think about going green. But you don’t want a model that would draw disparaging glances from the Top Gear team, or their many supporters. So that rules out green? Wrong…. Continue reading →
Saved from the chop – how councils interfere to benefit us all
The media strains to find positive things to say about the work of councils, and elected councillors. It’s much easier to report the opposite. The sort of news story that goes down well, and has the reader or listener nodding in agreement, is about petty, obstructive Town Hall bureaucracy, interfering busybodies imposing silly rules that… Continue reading →
Switching the lights off from afar – are mobiles finally becoming really useful?
When will we be able to do really useful things with our mobile phones? I don’t mean check the weather, look up the train times or find an interesting restaurant nearby, although these are all valuable functions. But they can also be done on a portable computer. And even sending a text to pay for… Continue reading →