Recession Statistics Ireland

.

Lest We Forget

As it would appear, Ireland looks to be on a steady pathway out of the recession - better IMHO termed the DEPRESSION, for what transpired over the last 8 years amounts to a DISASTER of enormous proportions.

500 Deaths

One single statistic alone serves to give us a clear impression of the enormity of the disaster. It has been estimated that there were 500 extra suicides as a result of the Recession / Depression. Those who helped cause the recession / depression have 500 deaths on their conscience.

Irish Youth Dispora

Add to that the 1000's of our youth and our finest minds who have fled the country in search of a better life, and who will not be in a hurry to return. Recent estimates put the figure at almost 10% of our youth had left the country. Then there are the many thousands of damaged families, the lost homes, the lost life-savings etc. etc.

Greed

Greed was the essential cause of the calamity. Along with a very imbalanced society. The gap between the rich and the poor is WAY WAY WAY too wide in Ireland. There is an elite in Ireland who are completely out of touch the what happened. The top elite actually benefited financially by as much as 7% during the recession, while others lost everything including in some cases their lives. Members of the Irish Parliament can be numbered among the elite, I say this based on their large disproportionate and self-appointed salaries and huge expenses. Many failed to apprehend the level of suffering that the people endured due to their financially insulated positions. 

The Irish Prime Minister draws €183,350 p.a. PLUS €296,000 in expenses. An ordinary member of the Irish parliament, who only attends the house for very short numbers of hours in a year, draws €87,000 p.a. PLUS average expenses of around €25,000 p.a. and some have claimed twice that amount - that salary exceeds what the Spanish Prime Minister is paid. Not-imbalanced? Small country - in deep recession - 500 extra suicides provoked by the hardships - can pay that sort of money to it's politicians - BALANCED compared to other countries - compared to the work involved - compared to those on minimum wage?

Faulty Political System and Gross Imbalances

Are we out of the depression? Perhaps we are seeing clear skies again after the deluge, but what worries me is too many of the imbalances still remain, and our politics are fundamentally faulty and incapable of delivering any real changes.

LEST WE FORGET

Compiled October 2012

STRESS and DEPRESSION IN IRISH CHILDREN up in 2 years by 30%

ALCOHOL and SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN IRELAND up by 42%
(increased 42% in 5 years 2005 to 2010)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE up from 2010 to 2011 by 15%
(11,000 women and children sought refuge in 2011 according to SAFE organisation).

UNEMPLOYMENT has increased by 352%
( from 4.2% in 2007 to 14.8% by October 2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT among 15 to 24y group nationally stands at 39%

UNEMPLOYMENT in the 15 to 25y group in some areas is at 74%

HOUSE BUILDING homes built 8,488 has dropped over 90% since 2006 at 93,000, and is 20% down in one year.

BUSINESS INSOLVENCIES Up 13.30% from 2010.
(1,684 companies failed in 2012 alone)

FUEL POVERTY, (the decision to Eat or Heat) estimated to affect 40% of citizens

FOOD POVERTY in 2010 was estimated to be at 10%

FOOD PRICES have risen by an average of 12% in the last two years.

HOMELESSNESS up by as much as 45% in Dublin.
(from 70 in 2010 to a current estimate of as much as 101)

RETAIL SALES are down by 5.50%

SUICIDES are up in 2011 from 2010 by 7%

TRUST in the Irish Government in a recent survey fell to a mere 20%

DISSATISFACTION WITH GOVERNMENT stands at 73%

POLITICIANS are the 2nd least trusted profession in Ireland.
(Only 14% of Irish people trust politicians - I wonder why? How about 26 TDs, members of the Irish Parliament, each claimed €5,000 expenses for August - when there are no sittings of the House)

DISPOSABLE INCOME SURVEY: 1.60 million Irish have €50 or less left each month after paying for essentials. In other words, roughly 36% of the Irish population have disposable income of €600 or less per year.

DISPOSABLE INCOME in lower income groups effectively down by nearly 19%


By contrast the imbalance in incomes:

INCOME FOR TOP IRISH EARNERS is up on average by over 4%

DUBLIN CITY MANAGER salary €190,000

COUNTY MANAGERS salary €153,260

Compare salaries:

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER'S salary €78,185

.

Ireland's Energy Future & National Security

.

Irish Energy Minister introduces 

"White Paper"

which outlines Energy Future

A moment of quiet reflection? Energy Minister Alex White

While introducing a Government paper outlining Ireland's energy future, Minister for Communications and Energy Alex White said:  

“Customers will have to pay more in their energy bills as Ireland moves away from fossil fuels in the coming years”.

According to the "White Paper" on Energy published today, Ireland will be using no fossil fuels by the end of the century. (I would imagine that plan might be helped by the fact that most of the fossil fuels will be used up by then).

The Irish "White Paper"outlines aspirations for long-term energy goals and proposed strategies for Ireland. Mr White also said in his statement that Ireland was still dependent on fossil fuels to the extent of 92 per cent.

The paper proposed over 90 lines of action. Among the big and bold proposals there are references to “improved domestic grant schemes and financing options for energy efficiency upgrades” and “a new support scheme for the development of renewable energy technologies”.

My focus and concern is with the impact these Clean - Green - and Carbon Reducing Policies will take on the less well off.

Simply adding taxes to dissuade the use of coal etc. is only going to add to fuel poverty in Ireland, and will ultimately fail as people will find ways to get cheap fuel.

What about 0% Disposable Income Families and Energy Costs?

I sincerely hope that the discussion and planning fully considers how carbon taxes and energy costs impinge on the less well off. "You cannot get blood from a turnip" and low income families cannot just go out and buy expensive heating systems - taking advantage of grants etc. There needs to be a LOW-TECH and LOW-COST strategy applied in addition to the high flying ones.

I hope also that any grant schemes would consider the real carbon value of the investment. The huge State grants schemes, of recent years, given for geothermal heating systems and wood-pellet systems, I am fairly sure, did not factor-in the carbon costs in terms of the heavy reliance on non-green electricity, or indeed failed to properly calculate the carbon costs of the machinery itself and its regular servicing and replacement.


Would the Minister consider the following?


1. A Scheme to eliminate all open fires and replace them with Stoves?

I hope that low-tech and low-cost green solutions might come into the focus for the planners. Solutions like encouraging the installation of simple and very inexpensive stoves to replace open fires would be one very important investment which would offer HUGE long-term pay back, and very low maintenance costs.

Advantages would include:

(a) A large reduction in fuel usage for home heating.

(b) A reduction in heat loss caused by the excessive airflow of an open chimney.

(c) An additional financial and social advantage of such a scheme is that it would substantially reduce fires and fire related accidents in the home, saving lives, suffering and money.



2. A Massive up-scaling of timber production in Ireland? 

Another long-term and perhaps initially costly investment would be in a massive up-scaling of forestry in fast growing timber to feed a wood-based solid fuel industry to replace coal in domestic heating. We are talking National Security here, so costs should reflect the importance.

Sally tree plantations would provide quality wood suitable for bio-mass use in a very short space of time and can be cropped repeatedly for several years before replanting is necessary.

In 2012 Ireland imported 2.4 Million Short Tonnes of coal. If we assume, (I do not have actual delivered price per tonne), a cost per tonne including shipping and transport of say just €100 - that would give us a figure of roughly €240 Million Euro leaving the country every year for coal.

Additional benefits from a 3x expansion of current managed forest acreage would include:

(1) an increase in wild life, pollinating insects etc.,
(2) additional oxygen creation,
(3) the re-building and stabilization of eroded soils,
(4) planned forests can add to amenity areas for the public, and
(5) provide many more jobs in that industry.



3. Investment in Super-Hard Fused Wood Briquette Production. 

The proposed type of wood briquette / log differs widely from the types generally available in Ireland at the present time. There are currently 3 types being sold. Non of which are good substitutes for coal products in stoves etc.

Below are 3 less satisfactory types of wood briquette.

The top two, of the above 3 photos, show briquettes, which are essentially compressed sawdust are the least desirable, as they expand up to twice their size in the fire.

Expansion of fuel in a stove etc. can present Carbon Monoxide poisoning danger by restricting the flue. The burn pattern is also quite poor. They tend to fall apart in the fire.

The bottom photo shows a slightly better type of wood briquette. This type is screw extrusion type and tends to hold its shape better. However, it burns much to quickly and is therefore not a good substitute for coal. While this type burns well, it is incapable of giving long duration burn and long duration of burn overnight is exactly what is needed when a stove is the primary source of heat in the home.


The proposal:

Along with massively developing timber production, the Minister might also consider investment in a wood-fuel production industry to produce primarily super-hard fused wood logs / briquettes, but also wood pellets. This type of briquette / log is not currently available in Ireland, as far as I am aware, let alone produced here.

Contrary to general belief, this type of fused wood briquette can 100% successfully be produced from most soft woods, and from waste wood or sawdust.

Fused wood briquettes are capable of fully replacing coal as a fuel for stoves and ranges.

Advantages in using this fuel include:
(1) It forms 'coals' in the burning process and therefore can burn for up to 10 hours,
(2) It releases heat in a pattern not too unlike coal,
(3) It does not expand in a stove or fireplace unlike most other forms of wood briquette and is therefore much safer in use.
(4) It is very easily stored and handled.
(5) It has a lower creosote deposit, and lower particulate release to the atmosphere.
(6) It is a 100% carbon neutral fuel.
(7) Replacing coal with this type of home produced briquette would save many millions of Euro leaving the country each and every year sustainably in perpetuity.
(8) An industry based on this type of fuel would create many long-term sustainable jobs in the country.

This would also represent a fairly large investment for Ireland to make, but if one was to think about it again, it could spell no less than an investment in the National Security, future economic stability, and help to ensure a sustainable energy future for the country.

.

Graphene Made Easy

 .

So Easy 

When You Know How

Graphene is nothing short of a magical material in terms of it's physical and electrical characteristics. 

It is the strongest material known - it is the best electrical conductor known etc. etc. It promises to totally change electronics design and manufacture, and the same for many other technologies.

Graphene was invented / discovered using ordinary sticky tape to separate out the layers of graphene in a piece of graphite - the same stuff in the middle of your pencil.

But there were difficulties in making it. Huge technical problems existed in trying to produce industrial quantities of Graphene - that is until NOW.

Graphene Recipe

Take some fine graphite powder, add some Fairy Liquid, and I presume some water, and stick it in your kitchen blender. Blend for one hour - and hope the blender doesn't burn out. You will have some graphene in your blender - WOW.

Sounds too easy to be true. It is true go and check the news items. The clever people who came on the method say it is fairly simple to scale it up to industrial size and produce large quantities of the magic material at very low cost.

Ireland the Leader in Graphene development 

I am very proud that Ireland is taking a major role in this amazing material science. Good on you guys at Trinity. I hope the development phase is rapid and highly successful.

http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.ie/2013/01/graphene-research-project-for-trinity.html

Roll on the graphene revolution.

.

Oxfam Report on Austerity, Poverty, Inequality

.

Hard Talk from Oxfam

Oxfam have issued a report on austerity in Ireland which states that the country will most probably experience a rise in inequality, poverty, and emigration.

The report stated that the austerity programmes; “bear a striking resemblance to the ruinous structural adjustment policies imposed on Latin America, South-East Asia, and sub-Sahara Africa in the 1980s and 1990s”.

It states in a dire warning that “left unchecked, these measures will undermine Europe’s social gains, creating divided countries and a divided continent, and entrenching poverty for a generation”.

Some Stated Statistics

• The report states that in 2011 there were some 120 million people in the EU were in the poverty trap and the figure could rise by a further 25 million.
• Women will be the hardest hit by austerity.
• The report projects an erosion of Trades Unions, collective bargaining, and workplace rights. This will further add to the already established trend in poverty among working people.
• Cuts to public services will result in people losing their jobs,
• At the same time voluntary institutions that support people in times of hardship will be weakened or even shut down through declining funding.
• It could take between 10 – 25 years for poverty to return to pre-2008 levels.

Some alternative strategies suggested by Oxfam;

• Invest in people and economic growth.
• Invest in public services.
• Strengthen institutional democracy.
• Tax fairly

The Oxfam report also suggested:

• That the EU needs to tackle unsustainable European public debt
• Address major flaws in the EU financial system
• That citizens of Europe ... need to increase their political engagement in order to influence government policy.
• We need to change course to avoid a lost European decade.

Regarding Ireland

Oxfam’s report on Ireland says that although the programme for recovery is ahead of target, the austerity measures “have had a devastating impact on people already struggling with rising unemployment and levels of indebtedness”.

The report said that the poorest are hit hardest by the recession, with a “shocking array of welfare cuts and tax increases” being introduced since 2008 “that have driven more and more people into debt and poverty”.

.

Crime and Punishment Ireland

.

Criminals should pay damages

And the cost of their imprisonment

The recent case of a young mother being kidnapped and raped over six days by three men in Limerick, has started me thinking about how such crimes should be redressed.

(1) When a crime involves damage to a person or property, the guilty party should be taken to task on behalf of the victim/s, by the states legal system, and full financial, and or other means of redress, be extracted as an integral part of their punishment and atonement.

(2) On the matter of imprisonment, those who are sent to jail place a huge financial burden on society. They therefore should be made liable for the entire cost of their imprisonment. 

In 2010 a year of imprisonment cost the overburdened taxpayer €77,000 per inmate. This burden on society accrues at the same time as the prisoner is housed, fed, has full medical care, and in many instances is educated, more security and comfort than many members of society enjoy.

.

Sustainability in Ireland and Trends

.

What are the General Trends in Ireland?

Is our Economy and our Society

Currently Sustainable?

I am not qualified to interpret figures and trends. I have collected a set of statistics and surveys over the last year and to my uneducated eye, they show a very bleak outlook indeed, both fiscally and for the stability of society in general. I truly hope my observations are incorrect. I would really like to hear from any of my readers who see these figures in a brighter light.

Here is my collection of statistics and reports:

STRESS and DEPRESSION IN IRISH CHILDREN up in 2 years by 30%

ALCOHOL and SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN IRELAND up by 42%

(increased 42% in 5 years 2005 to 2010)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE up from 2010 to 2011 by 15%
(11,000 women and children sought refuge in 2011 according to SAFE organisation).

UNEMPLOYMENT has increased by 352%

( from 4.2% in 2007 to 14.8% by October 2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT among 15 to 24y group nationally stands at 39%

UNEMPLOYMENT in the 15 to 25y group in some areas is at 74%
HOUSE BUILDING homes built 8,488 has dropped over 90% since 2006 at 93,000, and is 20% down in one year.
BUSINESS INSOLVENCIES Up 13.30% from 2010.
(1,684 companies failed in 2012 alone)

FUEL POVERTY, (the decision to Eat or Heat) estimated to affect 40% of citizens

FOOD POVERTY in 2010 was estimated to be at 10%
FOOD PRICES have risen by an average of 12% in the last two years.
HOMELESSNESS up by as much as 45% in Dublin.

(from 70 in 2010 to a current estimate of as much as 101)

RETAIL SALES are down by 5.50%

SUICIDES are up in 2011 from 2010 by 7%

TRUST in the Irish Government in a recent survey fell to a mere 20%

DISSATISFACTION WITH GOVERNMENT stands at 73%
POLITICIANS are the 2nd least trusted profession in Ireland.
(Only 14% of Irish people trust politicians - I wonder why?  How about 26 TDs, members of the Irish Parliament, each claimed €5,000 expenses for August - when there are no sittings of the House)

DISPOSABLE INCOME SURVEY: 1.60 million Irish have €50 or less left each month after paying for essentials. In other words, roughly 36% of the Irish population have disposable income of €600 or less per year.
DISPOSABLE INCOME in lower income groups effectively down by nearly 19%

By contrast the imbalance in incomes:

INCOME FOR TOP IRISH EARNERS is up on average by over 4%

DUBLIN CITY MANAGER salary €190,000

COUNTY MANAGERS salary €153,260

Compare salaries:

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER'S salary €78,185

Addendum:

Recently published figures from the Irish Central Statistics Office are frightening and sickening:

CONSISTENT POVERTY rate for Ireland up by 60.87% in 3 years 2008 - 2011
DEPRIVATION in Ireland is up by 56.35% in the 3 years 2008 to 2011

Actual figures from the CSO:

Deprivation rate for 2008 was 13.8%   - - for 2011 it had risen to to a shocking 24.50%
Consistent Poverty rate in 2008 was 4.20% - - it rose to 6.90% in 2011

This is happening at the same time as the well off are increasing their wealth by an average 4%.

Shame on Ireland, and shame on those who have caused it to happen by their greed and recklessness, and shame on those who are not doing enough to re-balance the situation.

In nature, large imbalances ALWAYS cause a flash-over, an earthquake, a flood, a volcanic eruption, or a social revolution.

.

Irish Government Taxation Shameus O Conman

.

Taxation in Ireland

a painting by 

Shameus O Conman

.

Is Time Running Out for Ireland?

.  

Is Time running out for Ireland?

a painting by Shameus O Conman

.

Poll Tax Property Tax Imbalance and Inequity

.

0.2% Property Tax

Unfair - Unjust

Inequitable - Imbalanced

An annual Poll Tax or Property Tax of 0.2% of the rated value of the family home is to be imposed on the Irish population.

What worries and upsets me is that for instance the Prime Minister on a salary of €200,000 + Expenses will pay exactly the same rate of Property Tax as  his next door neighbor who is earning €30,000. That simple fact makes this a grossly inequitable tax and one which adds to the already serious imbalances affecting Ireland.

Social Stability Cliff

I am very worried that Ireland is seeing a further acceleration in the slide towards - not a Fiscal Cliff - so much as a Social Stability Cliff. The recession statistical indicators are already showing a deeply troubled situation and massive social problems are developing due to the hardships and difficulties being experienced. This imbalanced tax could be the tipping point.



The Imbalance Indicators:

STRESS and DEPRESSION IN IRISH CHILDREN up in 2 years by 30%

ALCOHOL and SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN IRELAND up by 42%

(increased 42% in 5 years 2005 to 2010)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE up from 2010 to 2011 by 15%
(11,000 women and children sought refuge in 2011 according to SAFE organisation).

UNEMPLOYMENT has increased by 352%

( from 4.2% in 2007 to 14.8% by October 2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT among 15 to 24y group nationally stands at 39%

UNEMPLOYMENT in the 15 to 25y group in some areas is at 74%

FUEL POVERTY, (the decision to Eat or Heat) estimated to affect 40% of citizens

FOOD POVERTY in 2010 was estimated to be at 10%
HOMELESSNESS up by 20% in Dublin

RETAIL SALES are down by 5.50%

SUICIDES are up in 2011 from 2010 by 7%

TRUST in the Irish Government in a recent survey fell to a mere 20%

DISSATISFACTION WITH GOVERNMENT stands at 73%
POLITICIANS are the 2nd least trusted profession in Ireland.
(Only 14% of Irish people trust politicians - I wonder why?  How about 26 TDs, members of the Irish Parliament, each claimed €5,000 expenses for August - when there are no sittings of the House)

DISPOSABLE INCOME in lower income groups effectively down by nearly 19%

By contrast:

INCOME FOR TOP IRISH EARNERS is up on average by over 4%

DUBLIN CITY MANAGER salary €190,000

COUNTY MANAGERS salary €153,260

Compare salaries:

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER'S salary €78,185

.

Recession Statistics in Ireland

.

Food Poverty 

in Ireland

The Irish Department of Social Protection recently commissioned a study on “Food Poverty”. This study has, for the first time, established clear and simple criteria whereby to measure this growing problem in Ireland.

The measurement uses "deprivation markers" to define food poverty:

1. Households that cannot afford a meal with meat, or vegetarian equivalent, every second day.

2. Households that cannot afford a weekly roast dinner.

3. Household that have missed a meal over a two-week period, due to a lack of money.

4. Inability to have family or friends for a meal or drink once a month

10% of people questioned for a CSO (Central Statistics Office) Survey in 2010 on Income and Living Conditions, experienced at least two of these conditions. Food poverty in Ireland will now be measured every year from here forward.

The study only looked at food poverty from 2004 to 2010. Figures have not yet been produced for 2011 and 2012.

Somehow, and it is just my wild guess that, the figure, like the Fuel Poverty figure, will have increased. And just to depress you some more, here is my collection of variously published indicators that clearly show the trend in Ireland:


The Imbalance Indicators (updated) :

STRESS and DEPRESSION IN IRISH CHILDREN up in 2 years by 30%

ALCOHOL and SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN IRELAND up by 42%

(increased 42% in 5 years 2005 to 2010)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE up from 2010 to 2011 by 15%
(11,000 women and children sought refuge in 2011 according to SAFE organisation).

UNEMPLOYMENT has increased by 352%

( from 4.2% in 2007 to 14.8% by October 2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT among 15 to 24y group nationally stands at 39%

UNEMPLOYMENT in the 15 to 25y group in some areas is at 74%
HOUSE BUILDING homes built 8,488 has dropped over 90% since 2006 at 93,000, and is 20% down in one year.
BUSINESS INSOLVENCIES Up 13.30% from 2010.
(1,684 companies failed in 2012 alone)

FUEL POVERTY, (the decision to Eat or Heat) estimated to affect 40% of citizens

FOOD POVERTY in 2010 was estimated to be at 10%
FOOD PRICES have risen by an average of 12% in the last two years.
HOMELESSNESS up by as much as 45% in Dublin.

(from 70 in 2010 to a current estimate of as much as 101)

RETAIL SALES are down by 5.50%

SUICIDES are up in 2011 from 2010 by 7%

TRUST in the Irish Government in a recent survey fell to a mere 20%

DISSATISFACTION WITH GOVERNMENT stands at 73%
POLITICIANS are the 2nd least trusted profession in Ireland.
(Only 14% of Irish people trust politicians - I wonder why?  How about 26 TDs, members of the Irish Parliament, each claimed €5,000 expenses for August - when there are no sittings of the House)

DISPOSABLE INCOME SURVEY: 1.60 million Irish have €50 or less left each month after paying for essentials. In other words, roughly 36% of the Irish population have disposable income of €600 or less per year.
DISPOSABLE INCOME in lower income groups effectively down by nearly 19%

By contrast the imbalance in incomes:

INCOME FOR TOP IRISH EARNERS is up on average by over 4%

DUBLIN CITY MANAGER salary €190,000

COUNTY MANAGERS salary €153,260

Compare salaries:

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER'S salary €78,185

Ireland

is

Seriously

Imbalanced

Ireland is a seriously imbalanced society, fiscally, socially, politically, morally, ethically, and psychologically. Traditional religious and spiritual values have all but vanished, and there is a major lack of ethical balance and moral leadership.

Harping-on while Ireland Burns - - A Painting by ShameUs O'ConMan

We, Ireland a country beggared and in hock to the IMF, pay our county managers twice the salary of the Spanish Prime Minister, even as the population at large suffers some shocking imbalances and deprivations. Rome, like an apple, rotted from the core because of it's moral degeneration. From the perspective of many Irish citizens, there are many parallels to be found between the fall of Rome and present day Ireland.

.

A Review of OIL WOOD COAL ELECTRICITY Heating Costs

.

How Will You Heat

This Winter? 

Winter is already making it's presence felt in Ireland,  it is therefore an appropriate time to re-assess the means of heating for the next seven months or so. To that end, I have already been taking a look at some multi-fuel stoves and central heating boilers, most of which can burn Various Woods, Coals, and Briquettes. These stoves and boilers are appearing in increasing numbers on the Irish market.

The dizzying rise in the price of heating oil, helped substantially in Ireland by heavy taxation, two doses of carbon tax and VAT on top for icing, has sent many of us looking in other directions for some form of affordable heat.

FUEL POVERTY FOCUS

Fuel poverty is a very real, very large, and a still growing social problem in Ireland. Unfortunately, as far as the casual observer like myself can see, the Irish Government's published policy seems short on practical clear lines of action, nor is there too much visible by way of any noticeable remedial effects.

This line of thinking, regarding Ireland being a beggared nation with a massive fuel poverty problem, has taken me to again look at the alternatives to oil fired central heating.

Below is my stab at a basic comparative analysis of the relative costs of the more common forms of heating, with special emphasis on the forms being explored by those on or close to the fuel poverty line.

 ************

OIL HEATING - for the better off only
BALLPARK cost 12 cent per Kw/h

At the time of writing the cost of heating oil is hovering around €950 to €970 per 1000 litres. Most households require between 1500 and 2000 litres in a year. That works out at between €1455 and €1940 to heat the house for one year. Carbon taxes and 13.5% VAT adds a fair bit to the cost, and indeed puts oil out of reach of many users.

One litre of Kerosene heating oil costing 97cent, will give an total output 9.821 Kilowatts of heat for one hours duration. Or 1 Kw of heat for 9.821 hours if you like to put it the other way around. That gives you a GROSS heat output cost of 9.88 cent per Kw/h.

However, when calculating the actual heat that is delivered into a house, you have to allow for boiler efficiency losses, i.e. how much heat goes out the flue, and also allow for heat lost in the piping etc. A fair average efficiency for a modern boiler is 90% depending on the turning, cleaning. etc.. That 10% loss alone brings the cost figure up to 11 cent per Kw/h. Then additionally you have to add in the losses in the water and pipe system

At a rough guess, I would put the actual figure at around 11.75cent per Kw/h in a fairly efficient system,  and perhaps more like 13.00 cent per Kw/h in older or less well maintained systems. Let us take a ballpark figure of 12 Cent per Kw/h

 ************

ELECTRICITY
COST is between 16 and 17.92 cent per Kw/h

Electricity is 100% efficient as a heating fuel. It can also be very exactly controlled and directed to where and when you need the heat without heating half the house and all the piping and the boiler itself.

Currently the standard electricity charge is 0.1792 per Kw/h but most suppliers offer discounts so you should not be paying much more than about 16.00cent per Kilowatt hour if you are savvy.

Even though electricity is a VERY expensive fuel for heating, it's ability to be precisely controlled and timed makes it a useful adjunct to other basic heat sources.

************

LOGS - WOOD BRIQUETTES or ECO LOGS 
BULK PRICE Cost from 8.60 cent to 9.56 cent per Kw/h

Most of this stuff is un-seasoned and worthless

Don't even bother buying those wood blocks on the door step. Most of it is not seasoned and therefore gives so little heat output that it is not worth burning. The un-seasoned high-moisture wood generally sold in fertilizer bags gives no more than 2Kw/h per Kg. heat output, and in some cases as low as 1Kw/h per Kg.. That is between only 19% and 35% at best of the heat you can expect from the best quality wood briquettes. If you do the maths, it is really poor value for money.

Not only is green or damp wood useless for heating, the green wood of ash trees contains 35% moisture and green poplar timber contains 65% moisture, but it creates creosote which can cause many problem for you.  [I will be writing further, in a couple of weeks, on creosote and other matters pertaining to wood burning in stoves and boilers]

Unless wood has been properly seasoned for two years or is kiln dried, it is worthless as a serious fuel. That is why I am concentrating on manufactured wood fuels.

The heat output of the average eco-logs or wood briquettes is generally seen to be somewhere between 4.77 Kw/h per Kg and 5.72Kw/h per Kg. Bought by the metric tonne or 1000Kg lots, and the price delivered is only about 38 cent per Kg. or perhaps less.

.........................................................

ECO LOGS

ADDENDUM:   I am just looking at screw extruded non-expanding EcoBlaze Wood Briquettes, and the price including delivery anywhere in the Republic of Ireland is €325 for a pallet of 950Kgs. That gives us a price per Kilogram of 34.2 cent. If we take the mid figure of 5.30Kw/h per Kg gross heat output, and average stove efficiency of 75%,  that gives us an actual heat delivered price of only 8.60 cent per Kw/h. And if the Government did some "Joined-up-Thinking" and removed the 13.50% VAT you could be using quality wood briquettes at only 7.58 cent per Kw/h. That would challenge coal usage!!!!

............................................................

Heat-logs, Eco-logs, or wood briquettes as they are variously known, vary a great deal in both quality and type. Some types, those made in a hammer mill, will have a rough texture - lokk a bit like chipboard and tend to break into sections. This type will expand in the fire bu up to 50% opening out like an accordion. This can present a VERY REAL DANGER.

This expanding effect has several possible negative outcomes, (1) Fuel expanding poses potential dangers, in an open fire it can spill out of the grate and possibly lead to an accident or fire. (2) In a stove filled up to burn over night, it can expand and partially block the flue outlet, which in turn could lead to the production of DEADLY carbon monoxide. (3) The expanded material can also come into contact with the glass and damage it. (4) Equally in a stove or fire expanded eco-logs will burn too quickly because of the open structure of the expanded material.

I have previously written a series of articles here on this type of fuel explaining in more depth.

There is very variable quality in these wood briquettes and it is worth your while to make an assessment before ordering bulk.

Extrusion type of heat logs are much better generally and tend not to expand by very much in a stove or fire. The types of briquette / heatlog with a hole in the middle burn much to quickly due to the hole.

There is only one type of heat log that can claim to compete with coal for long burning and in heat to size ratio. This type I have written about several times here. This type of formed wood log or briquette is so highly compressed with properly fused wood particles. It so hard that it is difficult to hammer a nail into it. I forms coals and is cappable of burning overnight.

However, this type is not available in Ireland as far as I know - please correct me if I am wrong - I would love to see this type of wood briquette on sale in these parts.

************

COAL
Cost 6.2 Cent to 7.5 Cent per Kw/h.

Dirty old coal for two hundred years was - and still is the poor mans fuel. Coal, because of taxes driving the daft price of oil totally insane, has now become the major viable option for an ever increasing number of households.

There is a massive trend towards solid fuel heating and a lot of it is coal fired. Manufactured wood fuels could, if the quality and price were right, take over a large chunk of the market. However, both the quality and the price is not optimum, and therefore wood briquettes are remaining only at a novelty level in the market place.

New high efficiency multi-fuel stoves and boilers can offer up to 90% efficiency or in other words, as good as most oil heating systems. Stoves can be bought for as little as €300 upwards, and can often be fitted DIY. The extra costs are for flue and bends. Good quality inset stoves like the Hi-Flam can be bought for €560 and need no extra flue or bends.

Smokeless coal can be bought for as cheaply as 35 cent per Kg, or €14 for a 40Kg bag, and maybe slightly cheaper in quantity. Petroleum coke smokeless mixes, such as Calco, are very efficient coals, and you could expect to get an average 7.50 kilowatts gross for an hour per kilogram. Allow for an average overall efficiency of say 75% much higher in really good stoves, and the cost is only 6.2 cents per kilowatt hour. That is less than half the current cost of oil heating. Other type of smokeless coals cost a little more.

Petro-coke mixes need special care with burning, as they are capable of overheating the stove and causing damage. Careful attention to the burn rate I have found results in no damage to grates or baffles

I personally have 100% heated my house the last season with smokeless coal and saved hundreds of Euro. I intend to do the same this coming winter.

SHOCKED READERS

Some of my eco-friendly readers are shocked at my decision, I make no apology for it. If the Irish Government only removed the 13.5% VAT on wood fuels, and did something to assess and standardise wood fuel quality, they would greatly help to promote an environmentally friendly - carbon neutral home heating alternative to coal. They won't most likely make that move - so people like myself, who have to very carefully balance our household accounts, are inclined to say - "let those that have the money worry about the planet, we're too darn busy just surviving" Shame it has to be that way don't you think?

You do pay a bit of a price for using coal though, coal takes a certain amount of tending and work, and it is dirty. It also creates a fair bit of ash that has to be got rid of.


BOTTOM LINE


If you need heat and you also need to save a lot of money, and you are willing to put some effort into it, solid-fuel is the way to go at the moment.  No doubt the Irish Minister for Hardship will be looking for ways to tax us some more and will probably hit coal. But then we will find some other ways around it. We are Irish after all.




.

Recession Statistics Ireland

.

30% Increase in 

Stress and Depression

in Children

 As if we needed any further proof of the severe damage to society being caused by the recession / depression - coupled with the perceived gross imbalances in our society, and further aggravated by the almost complete lack of moral leadership in the country, we now have presented to us a shocking new statistic regarding our children.

Mental Health Problems in Children up 30%

According to reports, mental health problems in children are up by 30% over the last two years. The recession is pointed to as being the prime factor driving this tragedy.

The problems presenting to clinics include social dysfunction, withdrawal symptoms, and depression.

An increase in the stress experienced in households affecting parental relationships and spilling over onto their children, is seen as the major factor.

Just to remind you of a few of the other depressing and truly shocking indicators of a deeply imbalanced and dysfunctional society.

An up-dated listing of various statistics:

STRESS and DEPRESSION IN IRISH CHILDREN up in 2 years by 30%

ALCOHOL and SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN IRELAND up by 42%

(increased 42% in 5 years 2005 to 2010)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE up from 2010 to 2011 by 15%
(11,000 women and children sought refuge in 2011 according to SAFE organisation).

UNEMPLOYMENT has increased by 352%

( from 4.2% in 2007 to 14.8% by October 2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT among 15 to 24y group nationally stands at 39%

UNEMPLOYMENT in the 15 to 25y group in some areas is at 74%
HOUSE BUILDING homes built 8,488 has dropped over 90% since 2006 at 93,000, and is 20% down in one year.
BUSINESS INSOLVENCIES Up 13.30% from 2010.
(1,684 companies failed in 2012 alone)

FUEL POVERTY, (the decision to Eat or Heat) estimated to affect 40% of citizens

FOOD POVERTY in 2010 was estimated to be at 10%
FOOD PRICES have risen by an average of 12% in the last two years.
HOMELESSNESS up by as much as 45% in Dublin.

(from 70 in 2010 to a current estimate of as much as 101)

RETAIL SALES are down by 5.50%

SUICIDES are up in 2011 from 2010 by 7%

TRUST in the Irish Government in a recent survey fell to a mere 20%

DISSATISFACTION WITH GOVERNMENT stands at 73%
POLITICIANS are the 2nd least trusted profession in Ireland.
(Only 14% of Irish people trust politicians - I wonder why?  How about 26 TDs, members of the Irish Parliament, each claimed €5,000 expenses for August - when there are no sittings of the House)

DISPOSABLE INCOME SURVEY: 1.60 million Irish have €50 or less left each month after paying for essentials. In other words, roughly 36% of the Irish population have disposable income of €600 or less per year.
DISPOSABLE INCOME in lower income groups effectively down by nearly 19%

By contrast the imbalance in incomes:

INCOME FOR TOP IRISH EARNERS is up on average by over 4%

DUBLIN CITY MANAGER salary €190,000

COUNTY MANAGERS salary €153,260

Compare salaries:

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER'S salary €78,185

 .

HSE Robbery Wasting Millions

.

HSE

Huge State Enema

a 

Better Title for this Monster
As They Flush Our Money 
Down the Toilet

The Irish Health Service HSE are costing the Irish taxpayer some 12 times more for drugs than the generic equivalents purchased by the British Health Service are costing UK tax payers.

One example given in reports says the HSE pays 37 Euro for generic Plavix, a blood thinning medicine, while the British NHS is paying only 3 Euro for exactly the same medicine.

To add insult to injury, a completely half-arsed excuse for this immoral situation is offered by the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Ireland. They say the reason for the 34 Euro difference is because generic drugs have a low market share in Ireland and that the Irish Medicines Board have ruled that manufacturers have to package their wares in a unique way for Ireland. Oh you don't say?

OMG I am bursting a gut here with the anger I feel for these useless, immoral shysters, complete wasters, rip-off merchants - that run the Irish public services – a line from an old movie comes to mind - - "Try 'em and hang 'em high".

TREASON: A violation of allegiance to one's country. The betrayal of a trust, a breach of faith, or an act of treachery.

 

This disgraceful and immoral behaviour IMHO amounts to nothing less than TREASON in the current climate.



.

Spanish Parliamentarians Shame the Irish

.

Well Done Spain

If only Ireland could show

The Same Moral Backbone

I have just been reading the news that 64 out of 85 of Spain's previous government members have not taken their end of term hand-outs or pension sums, thus saving Spain about €5,000.000.

Five million is no more than a spit in the wind - but that is not the point here. It is NOT the money that counts - it is the honour, decency, ethics, morals, and backbone that has been demonstrated that gains my respect.

Wonder if the Spanish action could possibly embarrass the Irish crowd of greedy shysters into making a similar gesture?

I suggest that the Irish Dáil vote to take a 50% cut in their excessive salaries and to cap their immoral expenses - they just might then gain some respect and backing from the people.

.

A Lesson in Wood Briquettes & Eco Logs

.

Wood Briquettes

Good Briquettes
This post has been updated 1st January 2016 

"Know your Briquettes", so let us begin with the basics.  Extruded Wood Briquettes or Eco Logs as they are sometimes called come in THREE distinct types:

1.  Those which are solid but break easily into sections and look a bit like compressed sawdust,
2.  Those which are solid and so hard you could hardly drive a nail into them, and
3.  Those with holes through the middle.

All types are classified as briquettes but are made using fundamentally different techniques. Each type looks and feels quite different. Each type stores and handles differently. Each type displays very different burning characteristics. 

Solid Briquettes and Easily Breakable types:

The solid log types are made using a ram or piston type press which simply hammers or squashes layers of sawdust together under great pressure. These briquettes are much lighter in colour because the temperature is not as great in the process. They also break more easily and have a much looser looking texture. When they burn they expand up to twice or more their length in the fire and become spongy in texture. They are not a very good type of briquette. See previous several blog posts for specifics.

Above is a piston or ram type of briquette press. This type usually has a big flywheel to drive the ram. It uses uses less energy and takes a lot less maintenance. The put through of piston press machines is also much greater than screw presses, in fact about 6 times more output per hour on average.

Personally I do not like the hammer mill solid type of wood briquette because of the way it burned. As I have said and show in previous posts, they expand to over twice their length in a fire. They soften out as they expand and therefore burn more like wood shavings. Solid briquettes give the same heat output but the burn characteristics are what I find unsatisfactory.

Briquettes with a Hole.

The briquettes with a hole through the centre are extruded from a screw press using huge pressure. The enormous pressure generates a great deal of heat and further heat is added by electric heaters to closely fuse the particles together. It also makes the briquette have a dark and partially carbonised burned look to it. This glossy carbonised exterior helps protect the briquette from moisture.

The hole is nothing more than the byproduct of the screw thread passing through the middle. This type is usually compressed to just 10% or less of the original mass. The resultant briquette is very dense.

Above is a screw type press. Note the extrusion tube in which is the compression screw, and around which are the electrical heaters in yellow.

 
Screw presses wear out the compression screws quite often and they use a good deal more electrical energy. They also are slower and produce much less per hour than the piston or ram types. However, the screw type press produced a much superior type of briquette. These briquettes are naturally going to be a bit more expensive to produce.

The screw pressed and heat treated type of briquette is very dense. it has a carbonised outside which makes it easy to ignite and also helps it to resist moisture while in storage. It does not expand at all in the fire. It burns for up to twice as long as the ram pressed type, and can be burned along with other fuels including coal. I find that it is possible to get a much longer burn time overall with these briquettes. It still has negative aspects, the main one is IT BURNS TOO QUICKLY. It is therefore not great for long time burning - such as over night.


SOLID FUSED WOOD BRIQUETTES

There is another type of solid wood briquette which is not easily available in Ireland, although I have seen it advertised in the UK. This type is a fused wood briquette. It looks a bit like the solid hammer mill type BUT try breaking one and you will find just how hard it is. The very high pressure at which this type is manufactured causes it to heat and the wood to FUSE into a solid mass.

Because this type is so solid and hard it burns like limps of coal and can burn right through the night. I have received information from Hermanson's in the USA who manufacture this type. Hermanson's have developed their own process and machinery.

This is a very desirable type of wood briquette and the only one that I would have any real interest in using. I have tried the other types and am not impressed.

.

.