We have two wood burners in our house, they keep out house warm and comfortable, both for hot water and room heat. We purchase our wood 12 months before we burn it to season the wood for use in our " approved wood burners" there is almost zero smoke from the chimneys. We have no gas available, the electricity supply is semi unreliable. We have a UPS on the computer etc to keep the system stable and de-spiked and all our internal plugs have surge suppressors. Since September we have had 11 power cuts over 4 hrs, the last due to the latest "great" storm took us off power for almost 3 days, we have had 3 power cuts since in a week.. We also do not have reliable broadband internet, it comes via a microwave connection to a tower across the valley 5 miles away. Because the major suppliers will not run fibre to our local villages. We also barely have mobile phone coverage, 90% of the time no 4G coverage... Oil deliveries for heating oil is difficult due to the fact that the lanes have been left to fall to bits.. Now even the hedges are not cut by the council when they should be. This has stopped delivery drivers this year as it damages the sides of vans and lorries trying to get down the lanes.
We have to have ready a 5kw generator, hurricane lamps and gas cooking stoves, in case the power goes out.
So from these comments you may think we live in the middle of nowhere.. the fact is we live 1.5 miles off a main road, 1 mile in each direction from two villages and only 17 miles from the county town and 3 miles from a very small town...
We are not alone with heat and power issues... over 500 homes in our little area have suffered the power issues listed above.. The fact is the countryside has been devalued in the last 25 years to the point of exhaustion, some of the things that may not be seen as nice in a secure and well tendered location are critical to others in other areas of the countryside.. Yes, we choose to live here, but the poor old wood burner is a prime example of something that is actually needed in a lot of homes in the countryside just for basic heat.. Lastly, yes our MP's know the problems, its brought up in Parliment by MP after MP over the years, has anything changed.. zero...
I attended a local meeting of farmers and countryside folk last night.. 99% have had enough....
Last edited by Davetherave; 15/12/24 10:32 AM.
