The Greening of Gavin

Brass Monkey Challenge – August Update

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Brass Monkey ChallengeWell dear readers, I am happy to report that we are still going strong on this challenge.

The last few weeks have been cold, with a frost or two, but the temperature has not dropped below 3°C (37.4F).  Kim has had her reverse cycle air-conditioner turned on at 21°C (70F) for about an hour a day just to take the chill out of her office, but other than that, we have had no other heating on at all.

We have been rugging up with an extra layer at night, but the house has been staying between 15-18 degrees C during most of the day.

Certainly very livable conditions, especially because we have been utilising passive solar heating in the north facing rooms to good effect.

I find that if I feel cold in the evening, I just put on my sherpa hat and I feel right as rain!  I read somewhere that most of the heat from our bodies escapes through the top of our heads, so this extra layer of insulation works wonders!

Also, I have something quite weird to announce.  We removed the natural gas wall heater from our living room.  No we are not going crazy.

We just figured that because we were going to get wall insulation pumped, and that it was getting old and our plumber suggested that it was probably not safe to use anyway.  We are down to one natural gas heater now, which is in the centre of the house.  Not that it matters, because we haven’t even lit the pilot light!

Natural Gas Wall Furnace

Natural Gas Wall Furnace

We also discovered something that probably has saved us a lot of angst.  We noticed that behind the heater was foil insulation that was nailed to the outside of the timber house frame.

Gap where heat used to be

Gap where heater used to be

It was not intact and had some tears in the foil as you can see in the photo above.

Through the tears we noticed that there was only about a 1cm gap between the foil and the outside brickwork of the house.

So if we were to get insulation into this gap, it would not make much difference at all.  The R value of the new insulation would be miniscule.

We have decided not to waste our money by getting the blown wall insulation, and next time we get the lounge renovated and get double glazed windows installed, we will pull off the plaster gyprock and fit proper rock wool insulation into the cavity.  This should reduce the heat entering through this north facing wall better than 1 cm of blown insulation.

Also we have made the decision to get the roof insulation topped up, which will cost about $2000.  We will also get some additional draught proofing for doors, window frames, and other gaps that the ecoMaster audit found.  We are just saving up for those items before we call ecoMaster back to do the work.

Anyway, that is my update for August.  I am will be very interested to see our natural gas bill for the last two months.  I realise that our gas hot water service has been used a bit more, due to the lack of sunlight for the solar hot water service, but it shouldn’t be too much because we have very short showers.

How are you going on your Brass Monkey Challenge?  Coping well, or are the balls dropping off (the brass monkey that is)?

The Brass Monkey Challenge

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Brass Monkey Challenge

It’s so cold it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey!

Ever heard the term “It’s so cold that it would freeze the balls off a brass monkey”?

Well if you haven’t, it has nothing to do with our primate cousins.  It said to be an old navy saying that refers to the stand that cannon balls used to sit on called the brass monkey.  When is was very cold, the brass monkey would contract, and the iron cannon balls would fall off.  Some say this is not quite factual, but I like the analogy.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with my challenge, except for the temperature part and the catchy name!

Brass Monkey Challenge

We are challenging ourselves here at the house of GoG to see how long we can go without turning on the heating for winter.   As we live in a temperate climate with very few frosts, then it is a moderately difficulty challenge.

The long-term average low for June is 6.9°C and the high is 14.1°C.  Certainly hypothermia causing weather if caught outside for a period of time without any clothing layers.  July and August is slightly colder.

Rising Gas Prices

Natural gas prices here in Australia are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few years.  Domestic gas prices have been historically low compared to the world market, and now that gas exports are on the rise, so are the domestic prices.  In NSW, prices are expected to rise by as much as A$225 per household bill for those on a regulated tariff.  That is scary stuff.

So what better way to save money (and greenhouse gas emission), by trying your best to cut back a little.

Our Progress So Far

It is already at the end of the first month of winter and we are doing well so far.  Our main heating for the house is two natural gas wall heaters, that blow hot air around the main living areas.  These two units are currently turned off without the pilot lights running.

We also have two energy-efficient reverse cycle air conditioners that could be used for heating, one in Kim’s office and one in the main bedroom.  Both of these are off as well, however Kim did turn her heater on for an hour to heat up her office the other day when it was a max temp of 10°C during the day.

Keeping Warm

So how do we keep warm?

Well, we are keeping toasty warm by using a few methods.  The home is insulated with blown paper pulp in the ceiling, which traps the heat in.

During the evening we keep toasty warm by using cell blankets on our laps when sitting.

During the day, we passively heat the house when it is sunny by opening the blinds on the north side of the house.  This heats up my office, the main bedroom, and the lounge room.  Just before the sun sets we close the blinds to lock the heat in the room.  All of our binds have pelmets fitted above them to prevent the air circulating behind them which cools the air in the room.

We also wear layers indoors, and dress appropriately for the season.  At night we wear warm dressing gowns and slippers.

Our beds have thick continental quilts and organic cotton blankets to keep us warm at night.  Very snuggly!

Join The Challenge

So what do you think?  Do you want to join us in the Brass Monkey Challenge?  You may already be participating, which is great.  Even if you have the heating on, but would like to give this a go, chime in with a comment if you want to take up the challenge.

Each fortnight during the remainder of winter, I am going to post tips and tricks on how to stay warm without the need for whole home heating.

So what are you waiting for?  Join the challenge.  You might even save a bit of money in the process.

Coal Seam Gas Twisted Truth Campaign

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Coal Seam Gas miners are trying a different tactic.  They are stooping to new lows by offering sponsored posts to environmental bloggers.

Typical CSG field 

I suspected that something was up when I received this email the other day;

From: Tessa Dhanaraj
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 [3:16] PM
To: gxxxxxofgavin@gmail.com
Subject: Project Query for The Greening of Gavin

Hi Gavin!
I recently came across The Greening of Gavin and am interested in working with you to create a post about natural gas. If you’re interested, please let me know your rates for a sponsored post! Thank you.

Kind Regards,

Tessa Dhanaraj 

dgm more performance more returnGround Floor, 33-35 Saunders StPyrmont, NSW 2009

Well it turns out that this is the Coal Seam Gas mining companies way of spreading mis-information. So as a service to all eco/green/simple living bloggers, I post the PR company email, just in case you fall for the rouse.

Linda Woodrow in her usual elegant style picked up on this after reading a fellow bloggers “sponsored post”. Here is an extract of what Linda had to say on the matter over at this post titled CSG, LPG, LNG, and Deliberate Attempts to Confuse the Issue;

“A blog I read regularly posted a “sponsored” post yesterday about “natural gas”. It wasn’t in her usual writing style, and I strongly suspect she was set up. 

LPG, LNG, CSG – I don’t blame you if you are totally confused. That’s what the mining companies are relying on. A quick pea shuffle and they will be allowed to extract a quick, large profit and leave a fracked countryside. There is a very, very well funded PR campaign of misinformation going on to rename coal seam gas as ”natural gas from coal seams”, shortened to “natural gas”, and at the same time to convince the voting, protesting, blockading public that natural gas is clean and green and in short supply. I suspect this is part of the next stage in the campaign – sponsored posts on blogs that people who could be expected to care about the quality of our food producing land, and our environment, read. It’s cynical, ugly, and how big budget advertising messes with democracy.”

The fact is that real natural gas is not in short supply.  There is at least 60 years supply at current consumption rates here on the east coast of Australia.  CSG companies are attempting to mount a scare campaign in the form of a perceived shortage so as to expand production, drill more wells, and export the stuff overseas where they will get more profits at the expense of the environment and prime agricultural land.
Who thinks that this method of misinformation is a new low for fossil fuel companies?