You know those lovely European countries with great railways? State run.
Yeah they are also the ones running ours.
Molgrips +1
We can shout about climate change until we are blue in the face but a hit to the wallet is the only thing whcih actually works
This.
I did a degree in Environmental Management in the mid 90s and it was made very clear to us then that this was the case.
You know those lovely European countries with great railways? State run. Maybe, just maybe, it’s not state run things that are the problem – maybe it’s our state.
And I think that sums up my concerns.
I agree state owned is good - see Scottish Water, Calmac and now Scotrail (none perfect, but all good). I think a lot more should be nationalised and used to meet the needs of the state and the people, not just share holders
I did a degree in Environmental Management in the mid 90s
I’m not sure mid 90s academics could have predicted a return to populism. In a world where working people are routinely ripped off by unaccountable corporates’, they’re not going to accept another drain on their shrinking incomes. Especially when fossil fuel companies are making record profits.
When do we think the rioting will start?
Maybe not riots maybe just people huddling together to keep warm in winter
£1k to replace their draftiest windows
How many windows does 1k buy.....
You know those lovely European countries with great railways? State run.
Yeah they are also the ones running ours.
TBH aren’t the railways are already nationalised but owned by other countries. 🙂
Sure, nationalised businesses might’ve been badly run in the past, but the solution is better run nationalised companies, not privatised ones. How much more evidence do you need that privately run companies aren’t always well run?
And now we've had enough evidence that it's the same folk - whether it's at the top of the companies or in Govt.
We can shout about climate change until we are blue in the face but a hit to the wallet is the only thing whcih actually works
Yes - but this also ignores the need for whatever action is taken to be done on a co-operative basis across large areas of the globe. The UK opted out of a bloc where environmental concerns placed a certain onus of cost and effort on businesses and also one that has some clout (limited admittedly) when it comes to levying tariffs against cheaper imports that have a high carbon footprint.
We all know that we were being trolled when the Brexiteers said that we could adopt higher environmental standards than Europe, we all knew that it was going to be carte blanche for companies wanting to maximise profits and dividends to drop 'onerous' environmental requirements. Cue the upsurge in untreated sewage being dumped in the rivers and seas whilst the companies that do it still fail to invest in infrastructure repairs whilst paying exec bonuses and dividends.
With the rise of populism it makes me even more convinced that mankind is going to dig up every last molecule of fossil fuels and burn them before taking climate change seriously.
With the rise of populism it makes me even more convinced that mankind is going to dig up every last molecule of fossil fuels and burn them before taking climate change seriously.
The only way to curb the rise in populism is to bring back some form of democratic government which acts in the interests of working people rather than a tiny few people and corporations at the top. We lost that long before brexit happened. Only governments can solve the climate change problem, and governments can only do that with the consent of the people. If they load the financial burden onto working people whilst allowing fossil fuel companies and the rich to avoid their responsibilities, then people will understandably react against it and walk straight into the hands of anti-environmental populists like Farage and the ERG (or is it CRG now?).
How many windows does 1k buy…
Two, maybe three. Or probably one decent door. You can insulate a loft for a lot less than that
Anyway, the point was that if we accept the taxpayer should be stepping in here (and that's likely the consensus on a very lefty forum) then that is a far better use of their money than subsidising fosil fuel consumption
They’re quite happy to hand-out grants of £5K to subsidise the costs of a new boiler or ASHP regardless of whether the house is well-insulated or draft proof. There’s no money though if you’d like to better insulate or fit replacement windows or doors. I guess the double glazing industry ought to hire better lobbyists, or maybe get a few Tories on their payrolls?
"Capitalism is eating itself."
Recent podcast about BoE/inflation stuff with Richard Murphy and co.
No pay-wall
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5kPzqYrIs1lJVLtlJvX2Yc?si=ejzZz4xrTfiB4hHya_E15w&nd=1
The great railways of the world may be state owned, but a lot of the services which run on them are in the hands of companies, chasing a profit. There are 16 in Japan alone. There is a place for private enterprise in any economy. As i've said before, we really need to identify the difference between public goods/services and private.
As i’ve said before, we really need to identify the difference between public goods/services and private.
Yes I agree there are obvious choices to me.
The mistake is to slam it in and out of the public sector when it's doing well.
On a separate note I'm expecting some sort of support similar to furlough in its breadth for energy bills if Truss gets her job. Although the roll out is looking way behind now so expect it to be a mess.
Keeping an eye on that one.
How many windows does 1k buy…..
For me, less than one.
Courtesy of the local authorities definition of a conservation area. Go * yourself Fife Council for making energy efficient glazing a thing for the wealthy whilst the many inside that area cant afford to replace or repair said windows.
In a way, im kinda hopeful its something that gets dropped in favour of people being allowed to install affordable windows that arent drafty AF, especially as the proximity of the exposed coastline means any timber frames get *ed in double time.
Recently looked to replace a couple of bedroom windows and for regular plastic encased double glazing, quote was £1700.
look online for supply only and organise your own fitting. significant savings to be had. (I'm getting our builder to fit)
look online for supply only and organise your own fitting. significant savings to be had. (I’m getting our builder to fit)
That is the cost im looking at.
The area in theory, is required to have traditionally built timber sash and case, including some of the absolute poorest household locally.
What has happened more and more, is the planning process gets bypassed and people are fitting the cheapest PVC normal windows they can find (as technically, the last time I checked, they could be ordered to remove them).
I know someone who, going by the official route would have spent £18k+, but by going in without planning and using the cheapest windows they could find, ended up at around £5k, although he was able to fit them himself.
As far as the intentions of the conservation area go, its kind if self defeating, people either put in cheap stuff that looks cheap, or the windows are left in a dire condition. The number of households with well maintained traditional windows is an increasingly small minority. And is exactly the kind of big ticket item the poorest seemingly cant reach losing out on the long term energy savings.
replacing double glazing is possibly negative from a co2 perspective. an amazing double glazed window only saves ~£10 per year in heating costs vs a single glazed window - so lets assume some old double glazed unit saves 50% of that? £5 a year is ~70kw of gas, which is ~12kg of co2.
The cost savings of replacing double glazing never work out (even single glazing is questionable) - I don't know how much co2 is used in producing/fitting a new window but if its > 200kg its probably bad for the environment too..
this paper
suggests 113kg per m2 of glass, so its probably a fairly close run thing
replacing double glazing is possibly negative
Wromg part of the equation, the examples Im thinking of arent windows being replaced because of energy saving. Theyd be replaced because theyre knackered full stop.
Theyd be replaced because theyre knackered full stop.
thats just general house maintenance - nothing to do with energy savings or cost of living? a slightly drafty window is noticable but makes surprisingly little difference to heating costs. A window thats fallen out probably needs changing
Well, for whatever reason that maintenance is often not happening.
And generally not happening in the poorest areas of town.
replacing double glazing is possibly negative from a co2 perspective. an amazing double glazed window only saves ~£10 per year in heating costs vs a single glazed window
Hmm, that sounds a bit low but I cannot be bothered to read the study.
There is actually a gov fact sheet that gives a range of £35 to £155 each year, i think thats per average residance rather than per window