LYING in bed hungover in the freezing morning I realise I've run out of kindling again and I've no newspapers left in the house. My options are either to stay in bed working, or set fire to some loo-roll to get some heat in the house. Either way, I'll have to do it without even a coffee or shower to get me going.
When I first envisaged my hippy dream of running my house solely on wood I hadn't factored in these bitter mornings, or that it would take me an hour to have a wash. In my original fantasy I was also engaged to a strapping woodsman, but sadly I failed to pull that bit off. Now with reports of a 40 per cent rise in wood-burner sales, I'm not the only one discovering the reality of living semi "off-grid".
It was summer when I started telling incredulous friends about my ambitious plans to run my whole house on wood. I'd been busily getting stuck into renovating the quaint cottage I'd just bought but was mindful that with this winter coming I needed a solution to the problem that was my ancient boiler (when it wasn't broken it was so inefficient that it barely heated rooms above tepid). I began exploring options.
A quote to fit a new oil boiler came back at around £6,000, made even less attractive by the spiralling cost of oil: when I first moved into the cottage, filling my oil tank cost £400, now it's closer to £1,000. The oil-fired Aga I'd dreamed about getting became even more fantastical.
Meanwhile, along with the rest of the UK, I've watched in a panic as my electricity bills have kept rising. Last winter I managed with electric blankets and plug-in radiators but now they, along with the dream I'd had of getting underfloor heating, are far too expensive. I started thinking outside the box for other ways to fuel the house.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 07, 2022 من Evening Standard.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 07, 2022 من Evening Standard.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Why are England wasting time waiting for Tuchel?
Winning the World Cup is the aim, so the new boss should start now
He's been shot, and punched by Mike Tyson, but British boxing's great survivor is back on top and aiming to rule the world
This is where the magic happens,\" reads a big neon sign scrawled across the entrance to the offices of arguably the most powerful man in British boxing today.
How Sketch went from 'obscene' to era-defining
After arocky start, the glamorous and infamous restaurant is now an institution
Money is worth less than time'
He's quit Fendi, but what will Kim Jones do next?
London's Roman Amphitheatre
Guildhall Yard, EC2V
Liberals didn't notice they'd lost relevance in the all-consuming digital sphere
There are many reasons why Donald Trump might have won the election last week.
Do we have to die?
One neuroscientist thinks the answer is no
How to have a magical Christmas in Edinburgh
From cosy cobblestone streets to abundant Yuletide goings-on, few cities rival the Scottish capital in creating Christmas whimsy.
London's best festive restaurants
The social season is upon us once more. These are the city’s most coveted Christmas venues, which need to be booked soon so as to not miss out on the tinsel and tipples.
Rag'n'Bone Man
I struggle with being recognised... I'll never really feel comfortable with it'
