Home of the Future | Fully Charged

[@rob.dowson]

This just popped up on my feed - from 5 years ago! Amazing all of this 'new' technology which is now commonplace in such a short time!

[@fullychargedshow]

You can find them on the British Gas website! Thanks!

[@RobertWhittaker1]

When I lived in an old victorian terrace I was advised against caviety wall insulation because the house depends on air flow to prevent damp. The specailst said it's one of the biggest causes of damp in those kind of houses.So you need to be cautious. Love the other stuff though, always thought remote controlling heating would be good. Staying late at work, save some energy.

[@StuartWildman1]

Which house on the BRE Park were you in? I'd love more info on the gadgets and the wooden windows in the background (yes since starting my renovation I am turning in to a house geek) More info please :)

[@fullychargedshow]

We've had a couple of hail storms since we've had panels, they weren't damaged, but this is UK hailstorms. I've been in Australian hailstorms that dented the cars parked in the street, hail the size of golf balls so that might make a difference

[@ninjabob2456]

what's your angle on the heat pump then? Although I suppose it probably depends what you use as efficiency ratings and whether you assume coal power station or greener mix for supply, doesn't it. Got to admit it'll replace the condensing boiler eventually though.

[@ttjph]

I was also wondering about this. The largest energy consumers will be heating units such as kettle, washing machine, dishwasher, and for these the only effect will be for them to take longer to complete their function. After that I suspect lighting is the largest amount; how do CFLs respond to varying voltage?

[@DenWhitton]

Never seen a reverse cycle air conditioner / split system, Robert? Heating in winter, cooling in summer. It just shifts heat from one side of the wall to the other. They are pretty popular ere in Australia.

[@neilens]

The final part about remote control of appliances is a fantastic idea but I'd be worried about security with it being connected to a home router. Is the network an entirely seperate system that uses different protocols or would it be susceptible to hacks?

[@Smidge204]

If you got the money a ground source heat pump is better than air source. Regarding the hot water energy, they've made heat exchangers for decades now... use the warm water going out the drain to warm up the cold water going to the heater. Instantaneous water heaters (as opposed to storage tanks) can also be a good way to save energy if water usage is low and intermittent.

[@Smidge204]

Air source heat pump is better than burning gas if the electricity source is renewable, e.g. solar, wind, etc. The newer inverter-driven compressors work alarmingly well in cold climates, but while I've yet to see it happen (I live in the NE USA coastal area) I still have a small worry of the outdoor coils icing up. I guess you could heat-trace them...

[@joshuasmith7369]

I live in south Texas. We use a heater here about two weeks of the year. Air conditioner the other days, when the weather isn't perfect.

[@Smidge204]

Also, yes - insulation and weather-tightening are better investments to start with, but at some point adding more insulation becomes a waste. That point is somewhere around where you have to A/C your house all winter because the lighting/people/appliances generate enough heat to keep the place warm. In practice, though, achieving that level of tightness is very difficult with existing buildings (ie it's a major renovation project). Easier with new construction.

[@szczypka]

The point is that claiming that a heating element is 100% efficient is not true in all (most) circumstances. It's not even close for most applications. Even more so during hot weather where you'll have to re-cool the local environment after it absorbs the wasted heat. This is directly related to how you define the efficiency of an action. I agree that moderating the voltage supplied to heating equipment will have little effect on the performance in this specific case.

[@msyin9]

The simplest thing people can do to save energy in their home besides the obvious, insulation, windows, correctly sized updated heating and cooling unit ( heat pumps are great) solar panels is to never leave small appliances plugged in, they are energy vampires. Other appliances that have to be (fridge heater stove) can be unplugged until you need them. That costs you nothing and is not using energy to manage what you have. Fun show looking forward to what is next.

[@deepwoodmist]

V=IR. Assuming resistance of a device remains constant (or impedance for AC, but more or less effectively the same) then as the voltage drops, so too must the current to compensate. Multiply these two new values to get the power and it's dropped significantly since both factors are smaller.

[@Ecoenergy]

A kettle is a large load mainly used in short bursts, the 10% average is worked out over all electrical equipment in a house. There are extremes in both directions of efficiency, some cases can be an over consumption of up to 25% with voltages going a lot higher than 240v. also when an immersion element is subjected to a higher voltage the fragile stat can burn out and the 2.5sq cable supplying power gets very warm which is a loss The list of issues are very long relating to over voltage

[@ABitePlayer]

Another point. What annoys me most about the uk at the moment. Is that many people that are struggling with their bills can't actually afford to save energy. Struggling with wages that just cover the bare minimum, and then increasing energy costs (utility/petrol/etc) are putting even more pressure on these households. I think something needs to come in to help these people out, like fitting them out with a Leaf, free for 2 or 3 years so they can save enough money to be able to pay for it.

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

Of the things shown in this video, Insulation and good windows/doors are the key element to all the rest. The solar panels, the heat pump (a reverse air conditioner really) and the voltage regulators are also both very neat items and will make a difference. Modern taps will also make a small difference. The rest is really just gadgets because you still have to turn it on/off yourself - they won't really make a big influence until cheap and stable house AI becomes commonplace.

[@AndY1ksi]

Can anyone explain, why would any appliance be less energy efficient at 240V instead at 220V? As far as I know, appliances require mostly constant power (Watts (Voltage * Amps)), not constant current(Amps). And at constant power and 240V, there's just less current (Amps) required to run the appliance. Or in case of electrical water heater, the water heats sooner. How's that a bad thing?

[@WindyJAMiller]

Say you have a COP of 3 from a good ASHP, which when its cold is not likely, and you power the ASHP from the current grid where we are 20%-25% conversion of potential energy into delivered electricity. A COP of 3 would be 75% conversion of the potential back to heat and as you have said gas is 95% eff. As a result, save spending out on a ASHP, if your on mains gas, and spend the savings on insulation. Further to this, the insulation will help manage your cooling load during the summer.

[@WindyJAMiller]

Your point in hand is true, 'if' the ASHP is powered from a renewable source, which it wont be for a long time. Also, there is nothing wrong with burning gas for heat. Electricity is a very high quality form of energy and is a waste to turn into heat! Re the inverter driven units, they are good put ASHP COP increase with air temperature which is when the house is warmer any way. Better to spend you money on insulation every time.

[@Ecoenergy]

The voltage optimiser has no effect on the efficiency of painting, it has no effect on the efficiency of a heating ellement. However any other piece of electrical equipment wastes approx 10% by running at 240V It is a simple piece of equipment which can save a customer money.

[@KuraIthys]

It's all relative. If you have 20-30 things to switch on and off, you're not going to do that on a regular basis. If you can do it remotely, you might do it more often. And depending what those devices are, it could either save a huge amount of energy, or cost more energy than it saves. That's down to the balance of these remote gadgets compared to what's being turned on & off.

[@WindyJAMiller]

If we look at GSHP at COP of 4, so 4 x 39% = 156% so looking better still but the capital cost is massive where as you could reduce your demand by insulating and sticking with the heat source, be it gas or other, until that capital outlay no longer works or becomes un economical to repair.

[@MaxwellsDaemon]

Agree. Really useful, promising & exciting technologies could be delayed or made unpopular if oversold. Need right balance of excitement and realism.

[@taztaz79]

Solar panels have very resistant glas. I think my panels have 6mm thick glass. 2 of my panels did fall onto some stones with glass first at my home and they did not break..

[@1862henry]

Went to something similar to that in Wisconsin, at Gateway Tech College's Kenosha campus, the Center for Sustainable living. A little 1000 something square foot house that shows off tech like that. Toured that and a coal plant in oak creek wisconsin for a science class field trip. It was pretty cool! Hopefully I can tour a nuclear plant one of these days and see how it works.

[@badskpr]

missed Urban Green Energy vertical axis wind turbine and their Sanya Light Pump

[@msyin9]

Lots of great info and some very cool gadgets but we also have to look at the fact that some of these very same gadgets use energy to do something we can do for ourselves already or shouldn't be doing because it is inefficient such as adjusting your thermostat while you are away at work, that should be set and then forget it and as for turning on or off your kettle remotely that would probably won't be needed most of the time unless you ran out of the house and left it plugged in.

[@scottcompany4040]

This just popped up on my feed - 12 years after it was first published. It's now October 2024 and my house has Solar, home battery, Air Source Heat Pump and EV charger. Obviously on a smart meter too. over a 12 month period 85% of my power comes from the solar (free!) or the off-peak rate I get from Octopus (7p/kWh). I think we're a bit further ahead than this video envisaged. It also proves all the doubters wrong. Several mention coal fired power and now the UK has ZERO coal powered electricity. Interestingly I was a sales engineer for an HVAC company in the mid-seventires and I was installing air source heat pumps in commercial buildings even then

[@StuartWildman1]

Hi Robert, love the videos, especially as my 1930's semi is stripped to the bare bricks and ready for a full renovation, new boiler, wiring, insulation.... Trying to be eco friendly, so this is a timely video Is there website that goes with these videos with links to the products mentioned? I'm doing some googling but just wondering if you've done the hard work (who knows you might get a kick back on products and services sold :)

[@Ecoenergy]

Hi Matty There has been extensive research by large companies including Schneider and they are happy to stand over their claims based on the normal mix of appliances in a house. Items in your house can be divided into three groups in this instance. First group would have no impact on performance or consumption. Modern electronic devices are usually powered by switch mode power supplies which usually self optimise between 90v & 250v PC, laptop, CFL's, LED's, Chargers.

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

True, some houses are suceptible to damp if you add insulation, but most are not. And if you can get away with it, it does make quite a difference. :)

[@AnsisX]

@WindyJAMiller Source of that Pump costing more than Gas?

[@zapfanzapfan]

Well, this was a bit of nostalgia :-)

[@Ecoenergy]

Second group has an impact on speed (approx 9%) but no decrease in consumption. Kettle, Immersion, electric heater, electric cooker, Old type tumble dryer. Small motor in tumble dryer will run more efficient. Third group has no impact on performance but has a lower consumption. Fridge, Microwave, Food processor, ventilation, Kitchen extractor, air conditioner, heating circulating pump, Heat pump, (not inverter type) Modern tumble dryer, oil and gas boiler, Washing machine, Dishwasher.

[@martinwinlow]

Robert, Love the vids but PLEASE give us ideally links to all the items discussed in the video in the text bit below it but AT LEAST tell us what it is you are all talking about! Eg, at 03:19 you introduce us the the oblong box-thing on the wall that... Wow! It extracts HEAT from the AIR!? I want one!!! But.... you don't... actually... tell us what the heck it is (an air source heat pump of course). Text overlays at relevant points? Something..! Please? MW

[@RobertWhittaker1]

By the way, where do I get these "toys" from?

[@Slider2732]

Thinking about the amount of appliances and gadgets around an average house...i wonder if the comparable energy rating of that Victorian would have been an 'A' when it was first built !

[@stedavid13]

Considering before Robert was just doing this in his spare time and out of pocket it's much nicer to have weekly updates with a specific focus. Instead of just telling you what's coming, he's able to take us all to those who will be bringing these changes. If you're willing to sponsor him so he's more free to do as he wishes, then by all means step forward. Otherwise, what else do you expect?

[@chris75sf]

Great show as usual; Where can I find these smart plugs (WiFi)

[@Ecoenergy]

A heating element is probably the only thing that has no advantage by lowering the voltage as it is 100% efficient no matter what the voltage is, Most appliances are designed to run optimaly at 230v and are quite happy to run at 220v, however putting 240v into them gets no additional work but does create a lot wasted energy. The voltage conditioner switches to standby when the incoming voltage drops to 230v or less as it's own consumption would negate any saving unless the load was very big.

[@toyotaprius79]

I think there's an intro that has been cut out. Bit awkward to start with, 'and...'

[@WindyJAMiller]

Lets run with 39%, COP from an Air Source, not Ground Source, heat pump is typically 3 for most of the UK heating season. 39% x 3 = 117% so we are up by 17% but my point here is you have spent a large amount of capital to get that 17% when this could have been spent on reducing heating demand in the first hand. Electricity is a high quality form of energy, using it just for heating seems a waste to me. Im not against ASHP or GSHP but its application is important, better to reduce demand first

[@Ecoenergy]

I have no fancy gadgets in the house to switch things on and off. When I leave the house in the morning everything is turned off at the consumer unit except the alarm. This means the wireless router dies as its power supply would use a lot of energy through the day to do nothing.

[@lycan12345]

they are extremely tough. A grown person can jump all around it, you can hit it with a hammer etc. Seen it with my own eyes :)

[@mustsilm]

Fascinating stuff Robert, would be interesting to see more videos on "green world" live of outside motor world.

[@ttjph]

Arguably, reducing the power of (e.g.) a kettle will make it /less/ efficient - because more energy will escape to the environment while heating the water up, because it takes longer!

[@jamessmith99731]

There's going to be a server sitting somewhere in the equation. Game over if it gets compromised.

[@jwsolarusa]

Very nice video Mate.

[@munteruk]

10-15 kwhrs from a 1.4 kw solar array? I'd like to see that. The interviewee also understates the impact of rain and cloud on solar generation. Cloudy days can see output reduced to a tiny fraction of full sun output. I have solar and am a strong advocate but I worry that overoptimistic claims will leave newcomers disappointed when they are not realized. Solar is great though. Our house produces more than enough electricity for itself.

[@Vanuatoo]

I wonder if solar panels are hailstorm proof.

[@rydhwan]

love your beard Rob-lew !!! looking very proffessor-like mate!!!

[@DSDMovies]

Control heating when not in the property. I do that already. When I'm about to go outside, I turn off all the heating. Middle class people have more money and time than they honestly know what to do with.

[@heatleynoble]

would be good to get a pay back time of all these products, real benefit analysis. maybe the same video again but with captions. should be easy to compile? maybe not with the 'techno toys' but other stuff.

[@chris75sf]

Thanks Robert

[@rydra8132]

My concern, is cost of payback. A solar panel system would typically payback after 15 years at current rates and costs, and this is not cost effective for most home owners, as most would not stay in a house for this length of time. When you add up all the other items recommended, I cannot see how it would be cost effective for an existing house; you're looking at an outlay of tens of thousands for equipment and building work, with a payback time measured in decades.

[@AnsisX]

@richij Hmm? I Found this Quite interesting, just Not using an Electric Heat Pump Makes no Sense if You're presenting an eco-home

[@Smidge204]

@WindyJAMillerr "which it wont be for a long time" - Um... depends on who you are and where you are. Regardless, a gas burning appliance is at best ~96% efficient which is damn good - 96 BTU out for every 100 BTU put in. A good ASHP will have a COP of at *least* 2.0 on the coldest days, so you get 200 BTU heat out for every 100 BTU (of electricity) put in. Plus an ASHP becomes an air conditioner in the summer... can you set your gas furnace to "cold" ? :)

[@mattyschofield]

increase V to a heating element will increase heat output so by reducing V to 220 you kettle will take longer to boil no power reduction at all sorry

[@annesdatamine]

All solar panels are tested with hailstones to about an inch in size

[@pinkelephants1421]

I'm re-watching this for the 2nd time. The first time I thought great, smart metering. Since then I've had both a dumb smart meter (pay as you go) & the smart, smart meter variety that had more functionality. In neither case was I ever motivated to monitor the energy usage for gas or electricity & in fact, I had so much trouble with the smart, smart meter refusing to work properly that I insisted that the utility company return to swap out the 'new' meters for analogue ones. I honestly don't see the vast majority of consumers ever bothering to monitor their own energy usage either. People just want to get on with their day. But in terms of suppliers points of view and grid management, long term, legislation will be needed to force smart metering across the board in order for the energy system to function as a whole due to changes in generating sources, storage, the decentralisation of the grids & of course, the electrification of transportation around the world.

[@Smidge204]

Things like cable TV boxes and DVRs are the worst offenders here! Use a power strip surge protector and shut those things off! Unless, of course, your DVR is set to record something... maybe a timer on the outlet? :) Even flat screen TVs can use almost as much power "off" as when they are on. Dropping $20 on a Kill-A-Watt will probably pay for itself quite quickly.

[@Rockfeel]

Is your show just on KZbin? It is on such a professional level and I don't think KZbin Adsense pays enough with the views you get. Looks like $25-30 for this video during 4 years of being up here. I know you have a Patreon aswell, but I'm just curious how you fund this and especially how you funded this back when you made the video. Did British Gas make it worth your while?

[@richij]

Shark jumped. Robert, PLEASE don't let your series be turned into an infomercial by your sponsor. Do step back from the precipice.

[@ABitePlayer]

True, suppose if you've got a family it would make sense

[@charlieczw]

Did he say 1.4Kw Array will give 10 - 15 Kilowatt Hours a day???

[@cnypilot]

Finally never have to return home to a cold kettle!

[@WindyJAMiller]

a 1.4kWp PV system will not save you £400 a year and also pay you FIT on top! more like £100 and £330 FIT + assumed Export and only if you install before August 1st when the FIT will be dropped from £0.21/kWh to £0.16kWh. An air source heat pump is less enviromental friendly then burning gas and will cost you more!!!

[@szczypka]

I fear you're missing the point - you need to define your desired outcome to establish your efficiency: painting your wall is 0% efficient if you want to do anything but paint that specific wall. Above you stated that a heating element is 100% efficient and as a side point, stated that this is true irrespective of the voltage used. This is not true: not all the heat energy goes into the food/water/air and indeed some will end up where you don't want it.

[@GeoffdeRuiter]

I hope you will be out this Wednesday with the rest of us looking for 13 Hero Conservatives to vote against the "budget" bill. Best of luck to you.

[@Ecoenergy]

There is no broad definition of efficiency, that is why the unit saves money.

[@aussie405]

Appeared in my feed in 2024. So much is still relevant. Stop wasting energy.

[@mattyjackson7581]

This is now home of the present

[@szczypka]

This is only true if you're using a seriously broad definition of efficiency: think about cooking during the summer, is that 100% efficient? No!

[@hamfish225]

i cant believe you hadn't heard of a heat pump before :P everyone has one here

[@HungryGreeny]

More cars! At least bring in-car camera views back.

[@jamessmith99731]

Electricity controlled over the Internet. Scary.

[@ABitePlayer]

haha, I never would have thought of that!

[@mattyschofield]

vphase voltage optimisation, modern day snake oil this device only saves you money on digital loads i.e your pc modern lighting with a digital ballast etc, large devices like a washing machine or immersion heater will only take longer to warm up and not work as hard only a good investment for a business with a high electronic load. British gas fail

[@roidroid]

0:11 Robert, when you enter the house it sounds like you are biting into toast. Is this toast house? i have heard of toast house. Is terrible problem in my home country, contractor making house from cheap imported wheat and yeast. Do not let bakers construct house!

[@jmin09]

interesting episode, but the branding from this gas-company is quite obvious...

[@myozone]

GR8

[@blxtothis]

BG - the biggest rip off merchants out there! Anyway my Nest installations do all that stuff.

[@mmmsssy998]

Once again, as yet, no reply from Robert or FCS. Time and again seemingly dubious claims are made without reference in the FCS series. I agree, 10-15 kWh from a 1.4 array?? Possibly 10 kWh in the middle of June on a pure cloudless non hazy day, but otherwise??? However, he did say CAN generate, so I suppose if it produced it one day in the whole year he is factually right, but IMHO somewhat misleading. Same for farmer with windturbine in an earlier show. He makes various incompatible claims.

[@mmmsssy998]

Come on Robert, stop it. Check the facts and figures. I too have solar, it's great, but please don't overstate and leave the whole thing open to attack.

[@ABitePlayer]

So you can now switch on your kettle while your sitting in front of the tv.... definition of lazy? What i'd like to know is how much power all those wireless, live, on demand things actually cost you in terms on energy usage. They must be constantly drawing something out the socket to stay on itself. Okay, maybe now much, but its still some. Its just being lazy in my opinion, stand up and use your finger to turn it off!

[@dgnash]

Even Robert Llewellyn now starts with "So". So I've stopped listening.

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

It's a pandemic. I don't know what to do, either. Call the CDC. I don't know the UK equivalent.

[@colincampbell3679]

Oh look, a huge enegy company called british gas who live to sell as much electricity & gas as possible to us silly souls, trying to save us enegy with smart home tech!!! And the extra sting in the butt, is they charge you huge amounts of money to buy this smart tech.. very clever.. so the tech is expensive to buy and install and the amount of saved enegy is not worth having after you factor in the huge cost of the tech? And if these new smart meters of british gas are so fab, why is it now in the uk british gas are doing an advert on tv saying if you take up the smart meter you can choose to have free electric for 5 hours on a saturday or sunday? Safe to say no one wishes to have those smart meters or else BG would not need to try to bribe us to have the meter? I will not have one myself, as I don't trust them! I had their 1st version for the electric, it was total crap as it never showed the right amount of electric used even though BG installed it themself on a trail.