Home Energy Analysis

Ground source heat pumps can apparently produce 4 watts of heating for each watt of electricity input. Metal pipes are buried in the ground at a depth of at least 1.5 metres where the Earth’s temperature remains constant. I don’t have any figures for how much piping is required but it can be a major excavation. A pump is used to move a water/ethylene glycol mixture around the pipes so that it is warmed and can then be used to provide house and water heating with the appropriate heat exchangers and compressors. The capital costs are high, but running costs are low, and I would expect maintenance would also be low. Of course, it will be more economical in colder regions.

The technology can also provide cooling, but it seems most installations are heating only. 

Most installations are in the United States and Sweden according to George Monbiot. There seem to be a few companies active in Australia but they keep a low profile. There have been a few installations in Tasmania: the Integrated Energy Management Centre
could tell us more but it doesn’t have a website.

Some time in 1978 I was in a bar with two mates who were recounting some of their exploits. One had rafted wild rivers and the other had crewed in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. With nothing to offer in the same league, I decided to enter the first Melbourne Marathon to be held later that year.

Bruce Adcock and I went on a vigorous training program and duly completed it. My time was bad and we entered next year.  Once again Bruce finished well in front and my time was even worse. So I entered again, and times started coming down. After a few years, sub 3 hours looked possible so I pursued that for a while. Eventually I ran my one and only sub three (2 hours, 58 minutes 48 seconds since you asked).

By 1987 I was one of 88 who had completed all ten. The Melbourne Marathon Spartans Club was formed with automatic eligibility for all who complete ten Melbourne Marathons. Like most of the others, I protected my record of completing them all. In 1992 the number had dropped to 56 and 35 had run all 20 in 1996. There are now 13 of us who have run 30 with ages ranging from 51 through to 78. Someone will run 40, perhaps 50, but I doubt that it will be me. My times have lengthened and the pride of accomplishment diminishes as I struggle at the rear of the field.

Names of the 13 are: Peter Battrick, Frank Biviano, John Dean (current president of the Spartans), John Dobson, David Foskey, Bruce Hargreaves, Neville Gardner, Jack Gubbins, Manual Karageorgiou, Peter Ryan (past president), Wayne Thompson, Roger Weinstein and Shirley Young. We are officially designated Legends, embarrassing as that is.

Before 2007’s run there were 1014 Spartan males, 52 females and one wheelchair Spartan. More than 100 have completed more than 20 with at least one (Conor McNeice) on 29.

See the web site of the marathon and follow the menu for the Spartan’s site.

The Australian Government has recently made this small booklet available.  Non-Australians can see its contents on the web here. It contains a mixture of motherhood advice and sensible suggestions. Among the banal is the recommendation to switch off lights when leaving the room. Among the sensible is a list of ways to obtain rebates for going solar. Among the very sensible would have been a suggestion to use the Home Energy Analysis System as a way of measuring the effects of changes in behaviour on energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

It is a very slight document considering the volume of press and TV advertising. Many interested people will, like me, have requested a copy through the web site or the advertised telephone number under the impression that this was the only to obtain it. However, we received two copies with Sunday papers a week after the commencement of advertising.

The booklet is also an instrument of electioneering propaganda.  Australia is soon to have an election and the current government has changed from climate change scepticism as it realises that most of the electorate believes that climate change is real. The booklet mentions “The Australian Government” (sometimes without the Australian) ten times in 12 pages. The url www.australia.gov.au/climateclever is on each page. A url like www.climateclever.org.au would have been more appropriate.

Thanks to this blog post we are now the proud owners of an electricity consumption meter. This enables me to wander around the house to measure the wastage associated with devices left on stand-by. So far, my conclusion is that there is more to be gained by switching off lights in vacant rooms and ensuring that the 450 watts of back yard lighting is on only when necessary. We had a renovation a few years ago, and our architect who was “good with lighting” left us with a large number of quartz halogens. At that time, we were lead to believe they were energy efficient. We only replace blown globes if they happen to be in a critical area.

Even the power board in my son’s room which feeds screens, playstations and assorted other things that glow, draws less than 20 watts. He should still turn it off. 

The laser printer, left on for the last 18 months just in case it was needed, was drawing about 15 watts. The inkjet that superseded it draws zero according to the meter and reached a maximum of 17 watts when printing. This report found an average of 3.4 watts for inkjets which is the consumption that Epson claims for sleep mode. Perhaps it is a power factor effect.

The worst appliance found so far is the tumble dryer which draws 1800 watts when in operation. Not only that, it shrinks all my socks.