The Irish Poll Tax Community Charge or Household Charge

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Paying the Household Charge

A question on the Poll Tax was recently published along with the official advice on how to go about complying. It goes something like:

My 80y old mother doesn't know how to deal with the Household Charge. What should she do?

Answer

If she owns a house in Ireland she is liable to pay the Household Charge on it.

This liability is not mitigated by any personal circumstances such as:
(a)    inability to pay,
(b)    the inequity of someone in severe debt having to pay the same as an individual with millions invested.
(c)    ill health or other circumstances preventing the person from taking action.
(d)    lack of means to complete payment, such as no Internet, inability to get to offices etc.
(e)    owning a property of little or no value.
(f)    being in serious debt to banks etc on the property.
(g)    or being on the verge of suicide due to insurmountable debts.

The Household Charge is a €100 annual charge, which is used to fund inefficient local services. Virtually all private residential properties, apart from a very few waivers and exemptions, such as mobile homes, are liable for the Charge.
(1)    She must register her house (thereby) declar(ing) her liability for the Charge and
(2)    She must pay the €100 by 31 March 2012.

She can do this online at householdcharge.ie or she can complete the New Account Registration form HC12N which can be downloaded from the FAQs section of householdcharge.ie.

If she had a computer and the Internet and knew how to go about it.

Copies of the form are available in most local authority offices, libraries and Citizens Information Centres.

If she was well enough to travel and had the means of transport - I guess she could not get the same travel expenses for doing this as TDs get? Whay can't people charge the same milage as TDs against their tax? If it is good for TDs it must be good for citizens right? One TD is attempting to justify his claiming over €140 per day for every one of the 365 days of the year.

She could also telephone the Household Charge bureau at 1890 357357 or 01 222 4000 and ask for the form to be sent to her.

If she had a phone.

She should fill in the HC12N form with her details and the details of her house. She can pay the €100 by cheque, postal order or credit card. The completed form should be sent to the Local Government Management Agency, PO Box 12168, Dublin 1. Up to 31 March 2012, she can also hand in the registration form and pay the charge directly at the office of her City or County Council.

If she does not pay the Household Charge by 31 March 2012 late payment interest and fees will apply.

Sickness, poverty, insanity or death, are not acceptable excuses.

The Household Charge is an interim measure. It is due to be replaced in 2013/2014 by an even more severe property tax based on the value of your property as stipulated by some well paid bureaucrat on €150,000+ pa. To answer the original question as to what your 80Y old mother should do - pray might be as good an answer as any.


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Household Charge Poll Tax History Lesson

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It All Ended in Tears

In 1987 Margaret Thatcher went about implementing a "community charge", a type of taxation involving every citizen. She proudly described the tax as the "flagship" of her administration. The community charge was quickly renamed the Poll Tax after the infamous medieval tax which sparked the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.

However, mass non-payment of the hated poll tax, with some 18 million refusing to pay, forced a complete turnabout, and ultimately resulted in Margaret Thatcher’s resignation.


Is the Irish Government attempting to ape Thatcher's Britain and earn itself a similar rebuke from the population?


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EU Treaty Referendum and the Household Charge

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What's the Betting?

In 1982 the then Irish Minister for Finance John Bruton failed to get his budget through the Dáil, which in turn led to the fall of the Fine Gael - Labour Coalition Government. A single item in a budget vote brought down a government.

That budget aimed to put 18% VAT on children’s shoes and was defeated. The people were incensed and that led to independent members of the Irish Parliament voting against the government, thus defeating the motion. The people's dissatisfaction and anger brought down the government!


Could it happen again?

Breaking news has the current Coalition Government planning to put an EU Treaty Referendum before the people this summer. They say they are confident of winning this vote.  I however would not be placing any large bets on there being a YES vote.

The Irish people might be generally in favour of the EU Treaty. However, they are greatly angered by the essentially inequitable poll tax AKA  "household charge", the increase in VAT, the reduction in earnings, and the major cutbacks in education, health, everything except TDs wages and expenses, and they may well give vent to their anger by returning a NO vote.

Could history repeat itself? Interesting times ahead!




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Stove Quality Chromium in Grates & Baffles

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A Quick Note to Clarify a Point

on Stove Quality

Chromium Content

A very important point of quality in any solid fuel stove, is the chromium content of the fire grates, firebox liners, and baffles. A high chromium content means that grates, liners and baffles can withstand the greater heat from smokeless coals etc. and thus will last a much longer time before they buckle or burn out.

To date, I have confirmation of tested quality from only one company - Blacksmith. Blacksmith has quoted laboratory testing in the Materials Institute in Bremen Germany that shows that Blacksmith tested materials at the time had a 17% chromium content. Blacksmith also clearly state that all of their fire contact metals have a high chromium content and they have stated that they guarantee this fact.

I also asked a major retailer roughly how many grates and baffles they have ordered over the last three years for the various Irish brands. The one with the least replacement grates and baffles was Blacksmith. This would seem to bear out Blacksmith's own assertion regarding the chromium in their grates and baffles.

I do not have any clear indication or direct statement regarding chromium content in grates etc. from the other Irish stove distributors. I have asked directly for this information in a couple of instances and still await confirmation.

Addendum

Waterford Stanley clearly state in their literature that their castings for grates etc. have a 14% to 17% Chromium content, they do not however support this assertion by way of testing or certification, and only offer a 12 month guarantee at any rate.

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Wood Pellet Boilers and Stoves

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Why I Still Believe

That Wood Pellet Stoves 

are a Bad Investment

Price and Payback

An average price to pay for a wood pellet central heating boiler is €5,000 to €7,000. A multi-fuel stove with a back boiler would cost around €1,500. The saving would be between €3,500 and  €5,500. The wood pellet unit could cost up to €1,000 to install in an existing heating system. A stove would cost half or less to plumb in. The lower saving figure of €4,000 would essentially give you FREE Heating for over 3 years!!

Add to that saving the maintenance of the wood pellet boiler, conservatively at €400 for the 3 year period. Now add in the fact that over a longer period the spares for the wood pellet boiler could cost up to several thousands, augers, control units, igniters, hearths, or a new burner at €2,700 perhaps. An equivalent oil burner costs about €350 max,  a Reillo burner I checked the price of recently,  is selling for €249.

A multi-fuel stove needs virtually no maintenance in the first 5 years or so.  After that time you may need to replace a grate or baffle if the metal in those pieces is not 16% chromium, or if you have been burning the stove too hot in an uncontrolled way.


Doing your bit for the Planet

If you burn wood briquettes in a stove, the good ones - REMEMBER -  with the hole through the middle, you would be fully doing your bit for the environment just the same as the guy with the wood pellet system.

Fuel Independence

You would not be tied to a single fuel type, in fact you could, if you had to, burn just about any available fuel.

If you had a good gravity feed on your multi-fuel stove's boiler, your system would be independent of electricity supply. This would only work properly in a two story house, or with radiators placed high on the walls in a bungalow.

Stove Disadvantages

Operating a stove has a few disadvantages.

(1) It needs to be manually tended regularly - get it right and it will burn for up to 8 - 9 hours at a fill. It is easily possible to keep a stove burning 24 -7 on a slow burn. This is the best way to maintain an even temperature in the home.
(2) Stoves need some cleaning regularly.

Overall, I feel the advantages and saving on a simple multi-fuel stove system FAR FAR outweigh the advantages that wood pellet stoves offer, especially when you take into account the complications and huge costs associated. Grants or no grants I consider wood pellet a bad investment.


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Huge Growth in Solid Fuel Stoves

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Tens of 1000's of Irish Turn

to Solid Fuel

Old Fashioned Reliable Stoves

In my last posting I discussed that I had been given a figure of 40,000 stoves sold in Ireland in a 12 month period, and how I had tried to get some official verification of this figure.

The nearest I have come towards a verification is taken from a press release from Stanley Stoves. The statement says that demand in Ireland has grown by three to four times in the last few years. And specifically states that Waterford Stanley has a record increase of 40% in sales in 2011.

The statement goes on to speculate on the reasons for this large growth figure. My feelings on the matter are that the factors driving this growth are:

1. The HUGE Government taxes on heating oil making it 25% dearer than in Northern Ireland.
2. The realisation that open fires are both wasteful and dangerous.
3. The unreliability of Electricity supply in extreme weather making most modern heating systems useless without the electrical power.
4. The perceived public need for a fuel-type independent, flexible, inexpensive, and efficient heating method, that additionally offers some basic cooking facilities, if needed, in extreme weather.

Government Need to Promote Wood Fuels for Stoves

It is high time for the Government and SEAI to set about promoting wood based fuels for use in those hundreds of thousands of stoves already installed in Ireland. A good start would be to remove the 13.50% VAT on wood fuels. Another move would be to streamline the importation and distribution of these fuels so as to minimise all the added costs involved in a system with  1. Importer, 2. Distributor, 3 Wholesaler, 4. Retailer.

An Alternative System to Distribute Wood Based Fuels.

(a) A central purchase scheme to buy in vast bulk -
(b) a single step distribution and semi-direct sale to the public at a small fixed profit.
(c) VAT free.

These simple to execute steps could knock 30% to 40% off the current price of wood fuels making them really competitive with coal. The carbon credits savings to be made alone would justify the effort.


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Huge Growth in Solid Fuel Stoves in Ireland

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Huge Growth in the Numbers

of Solid Fuel Stoves

in Ireland

Chinese Stove Foundry - Most Cast Iron Stoves sold in Ireland are Chinese

A Shift to Coal and other Solid Fuels?

It has been suggested to me that some 40,000 stoves were sold in Ireland in a 12 month period. I have tried to verify this figure by contacting the ESRI and SEAI statistical people, who were very helpful, but were unable to help, I also contacted the solid fuel association, and they could not help either to verify the figure suggested. In fact they suggested that the brand names and importers keep their cards very close to their chest on the matter of sales numbers.

I am not doubting the figure that was quoted to me, in fact from simply observing the stock on display in one of our local hardware stores, McElligotts of Castleisland, Co. Kerry, I have noticed that in a two year period, the number of stoves on display has easily doubled, if not trebled. The same is true of several other outlets I have recently visited. What I can conclusively say therefore is; that the number of solid fuel stoves being sold in Ireland has most probably trebled if not quadrupled in the last two years.

Most made in China

No matter what the sales men may say,  if the stove is cast iron, most are cast in Chinese foundries. What distinguishes the various brands are essentially THREE things:

1.  Design. Good or bad design features will depend on the various importers submitted designs to the Chinese foundries.

2. Quality of construction, thickness of castings, good doors, good seals, etc. etc.

3. Quality of the grates and baffles, and all other metal directly in contact with the fire. These should have approximately 16% chromium content in order to be resistant to high temperatures, and in order to last a fair number of years. Anything from 12 to 17% chromium is acceptable. Too much is a problem and too little is a problem.

More later on stove quality, and why the Irish are turning to old and reliable basics for heat.


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Stoves Doors Air Adjustments and Efficiency

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Letters say:

"Can I leave my Stove Door Open"

I have recently had a couple of letters about the basics of how to handle a stove. One asked, can I leave the door open? Another said they leave the door open so to let the heat out and so the glass does not get dirty.

Sure you can leave the stove door open - just the same as you can let your car door open when driving at 70 miles and hour. Some people are addicted to direct radiant heat, sure you will get that by opening the door, but you will get the rest of the room and house draughtier and colder, and waste two thirds of your fuel.

Stoves are just not designed to have the door left open. They are likely to smoke for one thing. The fuel efficiency is reduced WAY down when the door is open - you might as well have an open fire, as two thirds or more of the heat is going up the chimney, and additionally, you are creating draughts in the room.

A stove properly run will put 80% of the potential heat of the fuel into the room. Open the door, and you are allowing the chimney to suck up gallons of air every few seconds, and along with that air goes most of the heat.

When the door is wide open, especially on a windy day, the chimney is like a humongous vacuum cleaner sucking air from the room.

When you suck air from a room, air has to get in to re-fill the room - so where is that air going to come from? It is going to come from every possible crack, and cranny, every door and window - and along with that sucked in air is going to come the sucked-in cold from the outside.

When the metal of a stove heats up properly, you get great radiant heat directly from it, additionally you get convection heat that spreads throughout the room.

Let me put it very simply, running a stove with the door open, is like taking each bag of coal or whatever fuel you use, and tossing two thirds of it into the bin.

I will talk about the most efficient way of using a stove in a future post on this subject.



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Mulberry Insert Stove and Fireplace door

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I had an opportunity to closely examine the Mulberry insert stove recently. Additionally I had a look at the new Mulberry fire-front made with a back-boiler in mind.

The Mulberry is distinguished by the "bay window" effect of having the firebox protrude from the front, this gives two effects, (1) It allows a much wider angle of view of the fire, but more importantly, (2) It exposes a larger area of stove to the room thus give more radiant and convected heat from this larger area.
One negative that comes to mind is the cost of replacing the glass. My guess it would cost perhaps as much as a fifth to a  quarter of  the cost of the stove.

The convection "box" of the Mulberry is in mild steel. This, in my opinion, offers three possible advantages, (1) It will not crack or damage easily on installation or handling, (2) The mild steel metal inner wall is thinner than a cast wall and therefore allows a larger area for better air flow within the chamber. (3) Mild steel is much smoother in finish and that surface on the inside the convection chamber will give better airflow with less drag.

 

Other features I noticed on the Mulberry insert are (1) The much longer slots, and (2) the additional side outlet outlet of the convection chamber. This would assist a better airflow from the convection channel.

In the above photo you can clearly see the air wash intake which is taken from the front of the door, and not from the convection channel as is the case in some stoves I have seen. Taking the air-wash air from the convection channel essentially robs some of the hot air and sends it up the chimney. 

Another detail you can see is that the door handle latching point is quite a smallish cut into the convection channel wall, and therefore less likely to cause any disturbance to the air flow pattern.

All of the above said, I have not as yet observed the Mulberry insert in operation, nor have I spoken to users and got their views. Speaking to one retailer, the feedback seems to be positive with a much more satisfactory heat output than some other inserts.

A Look at the Mulberry "Fireplace Door"

I had a quick look at the Mulberry fire front or fireplace door. It is constructed from the same castings as the insert stove, with just the firebox and the convection box removed.

It also has a drop-down fire grate and a large square-shaped baffle. The price though is VERY expensive for what is essentially a cut-down stove.

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Smoking Stoves Downdraught and Cowls

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I have written, fairly extensively, about down draughts, pressure zones, smoking fires and stoves, and some of the means of fixing those problems.

One item that helps, in a lot of cases, is the "Anti-Downdraught Cowl". This type of cowl utilises the Venturi effect. (If you want to find out more look up my previous posts on the subject).

The problem is the cost of anti-downdraught cowls. Up to fairly recently this type of cowl was brought in from the UK and the average retail price was well over €100. The price put a fair few people off trying one of these cowls.

An Irish company now make a tidy stainless steel version of the anti-downdraught cowl and the recommended retail price - including VAT is just €55.

The cowl is made by EuroCowls Cork and the designation of this particular cowl is the "Static". At €55 RRP inc. of VAT it represents great value and additionally supports Irish business.

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