Moving to Orkney

Over the last twelve months we spent just shy of £2000 on oil alone to feed our Rayburn. So even without any other costs this is 10% of £20k. We don't earn anything like that.

Now the Rayburn does supply central heating and hot water as well as being a cooker. But one couldn't help but think: Hang on the Rayburn is on nigh and day. It's great, if you want to cook something the oven is already hot. But if one had a gas or electric cooker it wouldn't be on all day, just in case one fancied baking something.

Even with the Rayburn, in the winter we would still used the multi-fuel stove in the lounge. Yet more cost.

So. The Rayburn has to go.

Back to the Fuel Poverty initiative...

To kick start the process and provide examples of what could be achieved, Westray Development Trust and Energy Action Westray put together a plan to upgrade the insulation and heating system in the worst nine properties on Westray.

We were. "lucky" enough to be one.

So sometime between now and next Aprile (strange timing I know) we are going to have a ground source heat pump installed, extra insulation installed in the attic and a special insulating paint called nansulate applied to the outside of the property.

All in all quite a lot of very expensive work that we could never have afforded ourselves, thank you Westray Development Trust and Scottish Government.

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