Next session
... is on Sunday February 10th, 10am-12 noon, all welcome.
Depending on the weather, we have a range of jobs including tidying, topping up raised beds, tidying the annual vegetable area and patching up the 'shed'.
We ask people who are coming along to help, to bring gardening gloves, a hot /cold drink and a gardening implement of their choice.
If you haven't been before, the Community Garden is right by the Duckmore Lane gate entrance to the allotments.
Available to pick now:
Herbs.
Light Switching to LEDs
Never been a better time to switch to LEDs!:
Cheaper (£100 saving on annual electricity bill reported)
Use a lot less energy
Short term pay back (4 months has been reported)
Dimmables, strip lights... all types available
How to choose, and “best buys” are given later. First, though, common reasons some people give for not switching, and today’s actual position.
“But my supermarket is promoting halogens which are also energy saving”
When we tested halogens we found they used a whopping 80% of the energy of a traditional incandescent bulb, compared with around 10% for equivalent LED. So halogens don’t save that much energy. (Supermarkets are not necessarily the best place to buy light bulbs).
“I can’t get dimmable LEDs nor the right fitting for my light”
This is no longer the case – although it was for a while
“LEDs give a harsh, icy light”
This used to be a problem – but no longer. Warm white bulbs are easily available now, although you can still get the icy white ones.
“LEDs are very expensive”
Prices have come down (and remember LEDs last much longer and reportedly can payback in just 4 months).
So, having dealt with the most common reasons we get for not switching to LEDs, here is how to choose, “best buys”, where from etc.
Where from
Well, being TinT we recommend your high street DIY/hardware store as first option (sustainability in practice). For Tring and villages either Metcalfes or Grace’s. Screwfix (Northbridge Road, Berkhamsted HP4 1EH) has excellent range, especially downlighters
Internet has lots of options apart from the “Big A” (Amazon), often significantly cheaper than the prices quoted in the “Which?” reviews.
Which are the best?
That’s a good question, to which there isn’t a perfect answer. Not all manufacturers submit their products for “Which?” testing, so the fact that a make you are buying doesn’t get listed by “Which?” doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t any good. https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/light-bulbs
Switching Energy Supplier to Green Energy
Renters can do this too!
(Check your contract or check with your landlord, although our understanding is that it’s rare for renters not to be allowed to switch energy supplier) Switching supplier is extremely easy, taking only a few minutes. It’s the cheapest and simplest way to invest in 100% green electricity (and some green gas).
Are price comparison websites reliable?
In our experience, no, not entirely, and this was recently confirmed by a Guardian report. For example, they don’t always include all the companies that invest in generating their own renewable energy, nor the cheapest companies. Also, you need to input your actual annual usage on supplier website to get accurate costs.
Which company to switch to?
It depends on what is most important to you.
A company that generates its own green energy? The cheapest company? The company rated best by its customers?
There are very few companies that invest in its own renewable energy supplies. There are two pioneers in this, both continuing to invest more in renewable energy. They are Ecotricity (https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/) and Good Energy (https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/).
They quoted the same annual cost based on our actual usage.
They are not the cheapest, but then you wouldn’t expect them to be as they are the only two suppliers doing the hard yards of getting permissions to build more of their own renewable generation capacity, including employing the staff to do this.
The cheapest quote I got based on our actual annual energy usage from the recent “Which?” top 10 companies was from Bulb (https://bulb.co.uk/)
This link enables you to read about the generators from whom Bulb buys its energy (https://bulb.co.uk/generators/)
The company rated best by “Which?” readers in its survey published last month, was Octopus Energy. They quoted 7% higher than Bulb, and are backed by a venture capital company.
(https://octopus.energy/)
The other “top 10” companies in the “Which?” report were Robin Hood Energy, So Energy, Ebico, Tonik Energy, Ovo Energy, Utility Warehouse, Bristol Energy. The report was based on “Which?” members’ experience rated by bill accuracy, customer service (phone), customer service (online), and value for money.
Energy Saving for Renters
Here are some of the things that are worthwhile doing by renters to reduce energy use, not involving leaving anything of value for landlord or next tenant, and not involving cost to you.
Tweaking the thermostat down by 1◦C
Simple moveable draught excluder for base of front door (e.g. “sausage dog” from recycled material)
Drawing curtains as soon as dusk comes/you get home, checking curtain hems are behind radiators (very common to find curtain hems in front of radiators – so much of the heat goes behind the curtains and through the glazing to warm the world)
Turn off the lights when you leave a room for more than 10 minutes. It is a myth that turning lights on and off uses more energy than leaving them on.
Kettle use. Put only the amount of water in the kettle that you need. Kettles use a lot of electricity. Making a mug of coffee in the microwave uses much less energy than using a kettle.
Do not leave appliances on standby (TVs and DVD players etc.). Remember to switch off chargers (mobile phones etc.) when you are not using them.
Thermostatic valves fitted to radiators? These enable you to have radiators in different rooms at different heat levels. In a rarely used room, turn valve to frost-stat level and keep the door closed.
Good News in Tring!
The consultation on proposed 20 mph speed limit on roads in west, and part of central, Tring, and speed profiled humps on Christchurch Road, is now closed. And the outcome? Forty four (yes, 44!) people e-mailed/wrote to Herts Highways to support this proposal. Yippee!!
Eight people sent in objections.
So, in due course, 20 mph speed limits will be in place.
A big thank you to the recipients of our previous Newsletter who made the effort to lodge e-mails/letters of support.
