The Self-Sufficiency Handbook. Alan Bridgewater
Coal was king back in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; every house had a couple of open coal fires and perhaps even a coal cooking range. When I was a kid in the 1950s, family life was centered around the open fire: lighting it in the morning, filling up the coal scuttle, making tea and toast, polishing the brass. Every house puffed out black smoke. But that all came to an end with the various Clean Air Acts. Now, with oil and gas costs rising, coal is once again being thought of as a viable and practical energy source.
Coal has several disadvantages for use inside the home.
ADVANTAGES
• All dangers associated with burning coal are understood; we know all about carbon monoxide emissions.
• There are no intangibles as there are with nuclear fuel.
• It is possible to turn coal into easy-to-handle fuels.
• It is now possible to burn coal cleanly.
DISADVANTAGES
• Coal is bulky, making transport and storage problems.
• Coal mining is both dirty and dangerous.
• The setup to burn coal on a domestic scale would be costly and require major efforts on the parts of governments.
• Using coal in the house, even if it is in a “smokeless” form, is both dusty and dirty.
Wood
Wood is a good traditional option both for space heating and cooking, especially if you live in the country and are attracted to the back-to-the-land methods. But what if you live in the suburbs? Wood is a viable option for some part of the population because they live near forests, but it is not an option for the majority, if for no other reason than that it would be impossible to turn that amount of land over to sustainable forestry.
ADVANTAGES
• Wood-burning stoves and boilers are intrinsically attractive and appeal to our back-to-basics traditions.
• Using wood involves a lot of physical effort, and some people like the hands-on activity.
• In some areas, wood burning is a very good option because wood is available, low in cost, and sustainable.
DISADVANTAGES
• Even at its best—if you live in the country and wood is readily available—it is still messy and dusty.
• You must have plenty of storage space, such as sheds and covered areas.
• Wood involves a lot of physical effort, including moving it from the shed, cutting it to a usable size, taking it into the house, lighting the fire, removing the ash, and so on.
• Wood is anything but instant; its use involves a lot of advance planning.
A vintage wood-burning range for cooking.
Fuel and Energy Recap
In the 1970s, in the midst of the oil crisis, there was a huge amount of interest in alternative energy. People wrote books and articles, governments set up committees, energy grants were available, and individuals went off and did their own thing. There was a feeling of urgency. The general consensus was that something had to be done fast before the nonrenewables ran out. Some said that gas and oil supplies would run out in fifty years.
The only thing that all parties agreed on was that something had to be done, and that was where it became difficult. Although everyone agreed that we had to search out sustainable and renewable energy sources, and we had to do it fast, governments were hesitant to take responsibility. What actually happened in the end was that new oil reserves were found, oil prices fell, and we forgot about the whole situation (or at least pushed it to the back of our minds).
The strange thing is, while there is no denying that oil and gas are running out, consumption is increasing. The situation is getting even more complicated as the rich and powerful countries rush to get their hands on the remaining oil and gas reserves. That is not the worst of it, either. Not only have we squandered our energy sources, but, in doing so, we have also damaged our environment—some say irreversibly.
Making Small Changes
Our reliance on nonrenewable fossil fuel—coal, gas, and oil—is dangerous. We know that it has got to stop. We know that we cannot go on spending our energy capital. That said, it is also plain to see that we cannot easily go back to the way it was. Most people are hooked on using their cars, buying food out of season, buying cheap clothing from abroad, and all the other activities that are eating away at our global energy reserves. So what can we do?
The answer is for each of us to try, as individuals, to cut back on our use of fossil fuels in favor of renewable natural energy sources: sun, wind, earth, and water. We cannot make the change in one fell swoop, but we can at least try to achieve a balance by generating as much energy as we can from these renewable sources. And it is possible.
Let us say, for example, that at this moment you are running your home on gas from the grid by using a gas-fired boiler for heating and cooking. You could start by super-insulating the inside walls and attic of your home. If the recommended thickness in the attic space is 6 inches (15 cm), increase it to 12 inches (30 cm). Use thicker curtains. Install a log-fired stove for heating the house, and install solar panels on your roof.
These measures might seem a bit tame, but the end result would be that the greater part of your energy needs would come from renewable sources. Of course, if we all made lots of little changes, such as those in the following list, then we would be three parts there.
• Wear suitable clothes according to the season. For example, if you are cold, put on another layer of clothes rather than turning up the heat.
• Wear more energy-efficient natural fibers, such as wool to keep you warm and cotton and linen to keep you cool.
• Improve the insulation in the attic, in the walls, and under the floor.
• Install double- or triple-pane windows.
• Hang thick, insulated curtains in the winter.
• Draft-proof around all doors and windows.
• In the winter, improve solar gain by fully opening the curtains during the daytime and closing them tightly at night.
• In the summer, open windows or draw blinds to keep cool rather than turning on electrical cooling systems.
• Cut back on your use of electrical appliances and gadgets.
• Settle for lower lighting levels. Only light the room or even the small space you are using.
• Shelter the house on the windward side with trees, hedges, and wooden panels.
• Install porches or conservatories on the exterior doors.
• Walk to local shops, school, church, or friends’ houses.
Warm layers and blankets are a green solution to keeping warm.
Wood-Burning