Sir, – When I was a little boy, I thought that if the glass was removed from the speedometer in my dad’s car that he could put his finger in and push the needle up to 100 miles an hour and we would whizz along. As we now know, it was not that simple.
Neither Conor Purcell and Michael Keary’s article “We need to get gas boilers, oil-based systems, fireplaces, and chimneys out of Irish homes” (Opinion & Analysis, October 15th) nor Philip Donnelly’s letter (October 16th) mentioned the elephant in the room, the precarious supply of electricity. We are being continuously warned that the electrical infrastructure is facing overload and may not be able to handle the demand at peak times over the coming winter.
If half of the homes in Ireland stopped using gas and oil, changing to simple electric heaters, which would be quite easy, the grid could not meet this demand. Nevertheless it would be the equivalent of the entire population changing to heat pumps.
Sales of electric vehicles have fallen and the demand from the chattering classes is now for more high-speed chargers, which have a big appetite for electricity but can be accessed at peak times.
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However, with the arrival of battery-powered expensive cars and SUVs, the plot was lost. The novelty soon wore off and the “well heeled”, who were never overly concerned about the price of electricity, tired of groping around in the dark of night and a cold winter morning plugging and unplugging a charger.
Sales of electric vehicles have fallen and the demand from the chattering classes is now for more high-speed chargers, which have a big appetite for electricity but can be accessed at peak times.
Yet the short-term remedy to this looming crisis seems to be to install more fossil-fuel standby generators.
None of your previous correspondents make any reference to the successful introduction of wind energy.
If the plans to build more wind farms are not unduly impeded by the indigenous legal industry and an army of planning consultants, Ireland should be able to make considerable inroads into solving this and related problems. It would be advantageous to have legislation similar to the Electricity Act of 1927.
Wind power, of course, leads to a pronounced surplus generation at off-peak times. In the 1960s the then ESB promoted a programme for storage heaters. These were large crude boxes containing concrete encased heating elements which would be heated at night, releasing that heat during the day. Unlike the current smart meters, a separate clock, meter and wiring had to be installed. Their drawbacks were always obvious, and when totally controllable domestic oil-fired systems became popular, they died the death. Nevertheless with modern materials and artificial intelligent systems, similar alternatives could be looked at again. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN GILLEN,
Dundrum,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Philip Donnelly (Letters, October 16th) describes fossil fuel technology for home heating as “tried, tested, and universally popular”, challenging net zero advocates to come up with convincing arguments for radical change to the status quo. The main argument for changing the status quo is climate change – using oil and gas to heat our homes is contributing to ecological and ultimately societal collapse. While people may be comfortable using familiar technologies, a national retrofit programme is essential to reduce emissions. Mr Donnelly queries who should pay for this. The carbon tax funds free energy retrofits for low-income households, while an array of subsidies and incentives assist homeowners in retrofitting their own properties. Those who do so find themselves with low energy bills, as their electrically powered heat pumps are efficient, clean, and effective. They have no more need for fuel deliveries and can enjoy the comfort of their homes with the satisfaction that they are not exacerbating a climate crisis that will render much of the world uninhabitable in their children’s lifetimes, leading to catastrophic levels of human suffering. A sentimental attachment to inefficient and polluting systems should not prevent us from embracing better ones. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN WALL,
Rialto,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – Why are domestic heat pumps systems so unreliable and costly while the underlying technology is well established as efficient, reliable and durable? Heat pumps use the same components as car air conditioners, fridges and freezers, which I have experienced functioning for over 20 years without failing or being serviced. However, within shouting distance of my home, four heat pumps, less than five years old, have been replaced. The reason why €10,000 appliances need to be replaced just because a single component fails is very concerning. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL TERRY,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.