Moorend Magi

After an icy seven days, Chris, Craig and Mark, our trio of patient plumbers, secured us some working radiators last night. It felt luxurious. The bees nesting in the void below our shower room are waking up, unaware of what season it is. There is honey there to be collected, so Chris tells us.

We are still shivering on the lower floors, but the outside temperature is now above freezing, and anyway tomorrow we are promised house-wide central heating! We shall not know ourselves. The battle then will be to remember to wind down the thermostatic valves, so we are not heating the whole neighbourhood.

Next step: getting three very heavy solar panels up onto the roof: our house has four storeys!

Solar thermal

Our drive has been full of vehicles today. Last Autumn, we were approached - who hasn't been? - about putting panels on the roof, and it seemed the right time. After much toing and froing, we decided against the initial suggestion, a ten-unit system of photovoltaic cells. The roof available is 40 degrees off South and our two large chimneys add a deal of shade to the area. So, we are foregoing the attractive 41.3p per unit on offer from the government at present as an incentive to house-owners who opt for PV.

Instead, we asked about solar thermal, to reduce the gas and/or electricity needed to warm our water. We found that it too came with a sweetener - the renewable heat incentive: some £300 a year for 20 years. So, that is what we are now having installed - but of course it doesn't end there. Further questions and answers have led us to agree that our ancient boiler - long since condemned by British Gas - should be replaced, along with most of our rusting radiators. Altogether, a very expensive business.

We are just thankful that the temperature are at this moment above freezing, though this does not seem set to continue later in the week: doors are continually left open by plumbers who - whilst their selling point may be carbon efficiency - were themselves clearly born in a barn.