week 12 Covid Strikes
Week 12
Janny lowered her guard and went to a family birthday party - and ended up with Covid, along with all but two of the attendees.
She wasn't at all sick, just a little sniffly, so she went for a proper test. Positive, even though her self-testing was showing negative.
So we had to close the business on Tuesday and Wednesday. As much a show of responsibilty to our clients as anything else. The Protocol still says 5 days isolation if no symptoms.
Janny's brother seems to have had the worst of it (it was his party!!).
Ben also managed to get Covid in South Africa. He was out hiking/running with his normal group but found that he had to stop a few times to catch his breath. Normally, he would just keep up. Then he ran out of self-tests...apparently they are not available there. So he got some from some German travellers - and tested positive!
He slept for 10 hours on Friday night and now seems to be OK.
I went for a proper test on the Tuesday - negative (I didn't go to the party). I was also able to arrange for my 2nd Booster vaccination (over 70's) on the Wednesday. It seemed to knock me around a bit...but the firewood collection continued...
Solar panels
Our solar panels have been going since 2019 - 40 for us and the rest for people in our village or surrounding postcodes.
In the first accounting period we had a noticeable cost benefit - reduction of the tax payable -.
It's complicated.
In the following (Covid) years, I couldn't see any benefit and my queries to Janny were cut short with a terse "it will be OK, just be patient". It's a dazzling array of numbers, to say the least - little wonder that nobody else picked it up.
We had been talking to a woman associated with the Wijnjewoude Energy Neutral Project - mostly about other things we could do - insulation, heat pumps, etc. I threw in my query about the electricity calculations and she promised to get back to me...
So, during the week we had a meeting with a representaive of the Energy company...and to cut a long story short, I was right!
Maybe because we have 40 panels and the normal households only "own" 2 or 3, it was more noticeable to me. Everyone will now be paid back the missing amounts...it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the system. I don't think it would have been picked up if I hadn't asked the question.
Also of note. The government has reduced the tax rate on electricty...all well and good but that was where the benefit was to come for people "investing" in the Village Solar Panels...so that "benefit" is now less than expected.
Heat Pumps et al
We stopped yesterday to have a look at an installation in our village. The chap (Tjoerd, a good Frisian name) was digging a trench in his front yard, so we asked if we could interrupt his work...
The heat pump is the thing in the middle...the two tanks are hot water - one for the floor heating, the other for normal use, showers.
The heat pump is connected to 1200 metres of pvc piping laid about 1.8 metres deep in the ground - in 6 trenches - laid in loops which come back to a manifold and then to the pump.
He has 5 of these heat pipe arrays - also supplying hot water to the water tanks...(the hot water got to 90 degrees during the summer).
...and the reason he was digging a new trench is for a cable from a new solar panel (40) array that he is installing at ground level in the back yard.
He said that he is doing this because he found that the heat pump was using more electricity than he had expected - so he needed to make his own! (I asked him about this because it is quite often said that "the electricity grid in the Netherlands doesn't have the capacity" to carry much more, but the solar panel arrays are just everywhere with no signs of stopping - in Friesland, at least. He said he just arranged it with his supplier and it was no problem. (our 203 panels needed a new cable to be laid).
A Tesla Power Wall costs about €9000 at the moment. I would much rather go this route if it becomes possible here - apparently it is being done quite a lot in Germany.
Tjoerd is totally off gas but found that he needed an open wood-fire during the winter because the system wasn't quite up to it, even though it was only a mild winter.
So, the learning continues, but it will be of no help at all if the pumps are simply not available. When the time comes, I think it will just be a matter of selecting an installer and let them do it all. Working out the subsidies might be as much as we can manage ourselves.
Just in this morning...
This is our household gas use - for us and Janny's Mum - down in february compared with 12 months ago.
The electricity use is for EVERYONE - house, 4 apartments, business and Daniel's bungalow
and is up this year compared with last year.
The price has gone up for both - but at least we are trying to use less gas.
Personally, I'm inclined to agree with cutting off the gas connection with Russia - it would be difficult, but better than funding his war effort! Too hard for Germany, apparently...
This is the link that Paul sent me regarding Biden invoking the Defence Protection Act to build heat pumps for Europe...it's a thought...
Janny's Screen Printing Project
One of the clients has been welding together a trolley (out of old bed frames) to be used for rinsing off the used printing frames. It is good to see him so enthusiastic - he likes to have a goal to keep him busy.
I'm making an "exposure unit"...out of an old serving trolley
We bought an old coffee table with a glass top, just to get the hardened glass. A building lamp will be placed under the glass and the frame placed on top...
Janny is getting most of her information from...
Bad luck about Janny (and Ben) getting COVID. I hope she has recovered well. You were lucky not going! Stay well.
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