My homemade axe chopped logs.
We go through a bag of discount supermarket logs in a net bag every night. They charge the kings ransom of 5.99 for them.
So to save a few bob or Euros I have been chopping some old timber up with my grandfathers axe.
It's had 7 new handles and five new heads. But it is still my grandfathers axe! "I'm here all week".
It only takes me about ten minutes to retrieve the wood and attack it with my axe and make pieces that will fit in my big weeding bucket and fit in the stove.
Anyone else making their own firewood?
A 20 kg bag of solid fuel costs 18.50. This lasts us 2 nights.
Cost of Carbon Tax in Ireland from May 2024:
6 Euros on a 40kg bag of coal.
One Euros on a bale of briquettes.
15 cents on a litre of diesel/petrol.
127 Euros on the average gas bill.
141 Euros on 900 litres of heating oil.
Are carbon taxes a good idea? Do they have carbon taxes in other countries?
You must save a lot of money if you live in a hot country in winter?
We used to go out in my estate car, Pirate armed with his chainsaw, me with a pruning saw and pick up what we called "roadkill" after storms...legal here from the road and the verges.
ReplyDeleteI miss having a real fire stove in the house
In hot countries, air-conditioning is absolutely vital in the hottest months and air-conditioning units burn up electricity like mad. Not a problem we have to endure in South Yorkshire or The Land of the Leprechaun. Dubai should not exist, nor should the football stadia of Saudi Arabia, nor Miami, Florida. They are only there because of air-conditioning.
ReplyDeleteHi GZ. We have beach combed River and sea beaches for driftwood and dried it and used it for firewood. Builders have often given me sawn off pieces of wood from cut roofs instead of paying for skips. A real fire/stove is one of the benefits of living in the countryside but government fuel taxes over here does mean buying solid fuel and logs very expensive these days.
ReplyDeleteFair point YP. How ever in Britain and Ireland. Damp and cold would not exist in houses and apartments were people could afford to heat and ventilate every room properly. A lot of people live in fuel poverty and their health suffers accordingly. Yet governments add fuel tax levies to home heating fuel.
ReplyDeleteWe never needed to buy wood for our open fire as we had plenty nearby to scavenge. We did buy a bag of coal from time to time to make the heat last longer on the coldest nights.
ReplyDeleteNow we have oil heating. Not cheap.
We can't even get coal anymore JayCee. Unless we buy a pallet from the north. We haven't ordered any heating oil yet. We can't afford to pay the 141 Euros carbon tax on 900 litres of oil. Who can? I often go to bed with my jumper on. I hope we don't get the snow that's forecast for us and Blighty.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of carbon tax to reduce carbon footprint is that carbon tax is totally and utterly hypocritical, madness and beyond comprehension. It is like money can make bad into good and the only result that is clear is that is punishes ordinary people. The taxes are unfair, ludicrous and harm people who need heat and fuel and to live their lives and they cannot be forced to stop this basic need to protect themselves and their families. I buy kiln dried logs which are delivered to me from a coalyard in the next village. I buy them by the cubic meter. Thanks for the post Dave.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right.Even organic farmers drive diesel tractors and jeeps Rachel. Icthink carbon taxes are just another way of collecting taxes. When I have enough money I buy a trailer load of logs or blocks like they call them here in West Cork. Fuel is like food. It's very important to us all. Thanks for your thoughts Rachel.
ReplyDeleteCarbon taxes are all part of the Net Zero scam, and in the UK both of the main parties iare signed up to the rip off, so no chance of escaping irrespective of who is currently calling the shots. Mad Millibrain needs to be seriously re-educated as to the absolute necessity of carbon dioxide to all plant life on earth, and we need more, not less, in the atmosphere. That's why a lot of commercial growers up the carbon dioxide levels in their polytunnels to more than double the atmospheric level of 425ppm.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously have done your research Will. I did not agree with Labour clobbering the pensioners. All I say is give them a chance.
ReplyDeleteVery sensible, Dave.I guess I never thought how lucky we are to live near the woods. We had a tree down today when we went to the new build. You could have all the firewood your Irish heart desires. At those prices, I'd be looking for pallets and furniture being discarded. What about the famous 'tips'? Do they have them in Ireland too? Can you collect wood from there? There was also a popular thing, some time back, a machine that you could use to tightly roll newspaper into 'logs'. Are such things available there? Could you or one of those clever boys rig something up?
ReplyDeleteGood suggestions Debby. Ireland imports its fossil fuels and its diesel (kerosene) is the third most expensive in the EU. Carbon taxes only work if there are alternatives. For most people there are not any. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe are just going out to check if last nights high winds have brought down another couple of years firewood onto our track. But its not free ,it costs hard work. Wonder if the barn roof is still on, we have only just repaired it (partially)
ReplyDeleteBut it keeps us warm.
Kathy
I hope everything is ok this morning Kathy? You get warm sawing and chopping the firewood and then you get warm again burning it. Keep warm.
ReplyDeleteBarns still standing ,thanks Dave. 2 trees down ,but not on track. Still 2 tunnels to repair. The heavy duty end frames and storm bars were bent not sure what else yet. Oh well, worse things happen at sea .
ReplyDeleteKathy
Glad to read your barn is still standing Kathy. My polytunnel cover is less than 2 years old and ripped in places. I don't have much hope for it when we get the next gale.
DeleteThose net bags of wood cost a king's ransom. And they only last one night... OMG. Sharpen up grandpa's axe and get busy. Most of all, keep warm. Whatever way you can!
ReplyDeleteWe burn wood because it's cheaper. Not so cheap for you
Thanks Linda. Wood doesn't give much heat off either. I wonder how much we spend on fuel in a year?
ReplyDelete