On Thu, 24 Nov 2005 13:05:44 +0000, David Hansen
wrote:

On Thu, 24 Nov 2005 11:23:28 +0000 someone who may be Peter Parry
wrote this:-

No, because it is trivially insignificant. If every house in the UK
went to solar water heating tomorrow it would have a negligible
effect upon world greenhouse gas emissions.

As the old Chinese proverb says, the longest journey starts with a
single step.

Old Chinese proverb also says starting the journey in the wrong
direction and wearing a blindfold makes sure you don't get very far.

Saying that it is all too difficult and there is
nothing I can do is common, but not useful.

Who said that? I said it was the wrong answer and contributed
nothing to solving the problem. The problem may be solved but not by
political and making token ineffective gestures.

If you switch off the boiler for the summer

Who said anything about doing this?

You did "Not running a boiler all the year round is not an advantage?
Fascinating." You obviously meant it differently.

Excellent, personal abuse. Usually the resort of those with no
better arguments.

I noticed that in your first rather weak attempt.

http://www.imaginationsolar.com/Gallery/v_panels.htm does not
involve a dull grey roof and neither does
http://www.imaginationsolar.com/Gallery/new_dev2.htm both of which
don't look in the least awful to me.

Some people think Tracy Eminem produces art, there is no accounting
for taste.

As a matter of interest an oft touted figure (by the manufacturers of
course) is that putting solar panels on a house increases its selling
price by GBP1,000 over neighbouring houses - has anyone any evidence
this has ever happened? I'm aware of one person locally who had some
trouble selling a house with commercially fitted solar heating
because it looked so awful and buyers wanted to reduce the price by
the amount needed to take it out and rebuild the roof but I've never
come across anyone actually reporting a higher selling price being
achieved.

Given that Mr Prescott wants to build huge numbers of houses in
England over a relatively short period of time, over and above what
the volume builders are providing, we are talking about changing the
economics over a period of, say, five years.

How many of the plans for those houses currently mandates solar water
heating?

Early adopters retrofitting houses will undoubtedly bring the price
down, as we see in other fields.

"Early adopters" of this have been around since 1970 all chanting
"price will come down any day now - honest Guv". It still hasn't.

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/