ULEZ

[hughnique]

It seems counterproductive to hand out drilling licenses to seek out oil and gas, when we are being told that petrol cars, gas boilers and the rest are all being phased out in the next few years. Interesting program on heat pumps last night, evidently the French Government gives up to 9K in grants, so where does all this 1€ advertising come from.

[rabbit]

The U.K. is way behind in renewable energy sources and it will be 20 to 50 years before sufficient new nuclear power plants are on stream. Russia has caused a key gas supply to be cut off. So in the meantime the U.K. has to exploit the resources it has or experience winters with power cuts and ever increasing prices. Take your pick.

[niemeyjt]

Agree. Ask yourself how many elderly you would like to see die of hypothermia this winter.

[Headers]

The lead time for developing a North Sea field is years and the oil/gas will be sold on the international market to the highest bidder. I doubt that it will contribute directly to an improvement in the UKs energy self sufficiency.

[hughnique]

So we sell it on to a third party so as they can pollute the atmosphere, sensible.

[exile]

It seems counterproductive to hand out drilling licenses to seek out oil and gas, when we are being told that petrol cars, gas boilers and the rest are all being phased out in the next few years. Interesting program on heat pumps last night, evidently the French Government gives up to 9K in grants, so where does all this 1€ advertising come from.

The key words here are phased out. That does not mean stopped immediately. Indeed it may well be necessary to continue to extract oil and gas into the next century if only to produce all of the chemicals that we know little of until they become something essential in our lives - like medications, insulated cables to run our electric appliances or even wire the house, cases for our latest phone/tablet/laptop or even a humble washing up bowl and so on.

[glazedallover]

I think this explains it rather well.......

[rabbit]

The lead time for developing a North Sea field is years and the oil/gas will be sold on the international market to the highest bidder. I doubt that it will contribute directly to an improvement in the UKs energy self sufficiency.

yes but it can be traded for gas, for which the U.K. no longer has sufficient storage

[niemeyjt]

Storage is an issue - they reopen Rough but it is not a lot.

We pay the price of the Gas Companies flogging holder sites for housing

[Nomoss]

It seems counterproductive to hand out drilling licenses to seek out oil and gas, when we are being told that petrol cars, gas boilers and the rest are all being phased out in the next few years. Interesting program on heat pumps last night, evidently the French Government gives up to 9K in grants, so where does all this 1€ advertising come from.

I was surprised that the programme implied that the only heat pumps available are air/liquid, used to heat fluid to pump around a radiator system.
Justin Rowlatt, now BBC's "Climate Editor" certainly is a Jack of all trades. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Rowlatt

It also suggested that water should be used for this purpose, whereas all the units I have ever been in contact with used a solution similar to that used in vehicle radiators, with antifreeze and anti corrosion properties, as the pumps and heat exchangers need this protection.

The radiators also would benefit from protection against corrosion, as anyone who has encountered the black stinking liquid which can squirt out when bleeding air may have realised. There are also quita few people who have returned from a Winter holiday to find their house flooded due to the central heating system freezing.
I have argued this point with plumbers at various times, but found none who would consider changing their habits.
OK, the existing radiator installation is used, but it's a very expensive installation, and the way the installers humped a delicate unit into place didn't inspire confidence.

A couple of air/air split units with wall mounted indoor units wall mounted in suitable outside walls downstairs would do just as well at a much lower cost.
Mounting indoor units on outside walls simplifies connection to the outdoor unit, drainage of condensate, and therefore installation cost.