Two people have been killed in a house explosion reportedly caused when a heat pump borehole released methane gas at a nearby property. The BBC has the story.
A 100m (328ft) borehole close to the scene of a fatal explosion and house fire is being filled with cement to ensure it is “gas tight”, according to safety officers.
Eighty-five year-old Paul Swales died in the blast at Cleat Hill in Bedford on October 19th. Julia Harris, 84, died in hospital of her injuries 10 days later.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said a plug of 15m (49ft) had been placed in the borehole and it was “confident the cement is holding the gas back”.
A British Geological Survey team, which has been on site since October 21st, said it was continuing to monitor the area for gas and said that since filling work began gas levels had been reducing.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, which has maintained a 24-hour presence at the scene, said it had “yet to determine the exact cause” of the explosion but that investigations were continuing.
The explosion occurred in the same area where, on July 2nd, contractors struck a pocket of natural gas while drilling a borehole to install a heat pump, causing the evacuation of nearby properties.
A separate ongoing investigation is under way into the circumstances of the July leak. …
John Finley, from the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA), said: “This is the only occurrence of shallow gas known in over 25 years of GSHP operations in the U.K.”
He said it was a “tragic event” that was being taken seriously.
“Where necessary we will make changes, modify standards and procedures, already in use,” he said.
Worth reading in full.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
I know what ‘it’ is, and she’s full of it..
But, but….she’s got the quotes, in her email inbox.
She’s either not a full shilling or she’s an out and out grifter.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/utterly-undemocratic-supreme-court-blocks-oil-site/
Paul Homewood’s take on the Judicial overreach re drilling for oil.
“You can read a further examination of this landmark ruling with links to the decision documents by Dr John Constable on Netzero Watch. He writes ‘With this decision the UK fossil fuel industry has been pushed closer to the edge of extinction. We are therefore one step closer to our ultimate destination, namely a distressed and very painful policy correction and retreat from Net Zero. Keir Starmer should be terrified at the prospect’ and that it is ‘yet another argument for the dissolution of the Supreme Court’.”
We are on the same path as the Germans. —–Their Industrial base has been obliterated and they have astronomical energy prices due to reliance on wind. —–There are about 40,000 turbines in Germany and watch that cretin Miliband try to outdo them and turn us into a giant pin cushion with turbines coming out of every hill in the country.
In other news, senior Party members in the USSR had better lives than the plebs. Do as I say, not as I do.
This has got me thinking: a big roll of rockwool and some gaffer tape.
And a very long, steep hill to roll it all down.
Rope, boulder, lake. A bit like Rock, Paper Scissors really.
I’ve only come across a couple of houses fitted with heat pumps. One of which was brand new in an in-fill patch of land, and the other is under construction (sort of) as a major rebuild. Any inquires for like for like replacement just for a boiler heating system will probably come up with a big sum, or a dodgy project; take you pick.
Liar, liar, pants on “literally” fire.
She woke. Now she broke.
“in the process of getting quotes”
Anyone else remember that Jimmy Nail hit?
That shouldn’t be too hard to prove then by sharing the emails…
She’s like Rayner: honest, my brother was living with my husband and me and the kids were living on our own but never left the house which is why no neighbours ever saw us in 8 years.
There are rather a lot of holes in this Liars argument is there not?
‘include “low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps” in all new homes “where appropriate”’
Where is it not appropriate and why is it appropriate for her to order the majority of Sheeple to do it regardless? Surely, if it is a new build, and the joke tech works, all new builds will be appropriate?
Then Liar comes out with this gem:
‘“We would bring down bills by reducing the loss of heat from homes, because the cheapest bill is the one you don’t have to pay.”’
What does that even mean?
‘“We would bring down bills by reducing the loss of heat from homes, because the cheapest bill is the one you don’t have to pay.”’
What does that even mean?’
It means that if homes are well insulated, they don’t cost so much to heat because you don’t have to pay for electricity if you’re not using electricity. So regardless of the cost of electricity, if you’re not using it, you don’t pay for it – apart from, if you choose a heat pump, the small matter of the initial cost of installing it, of course.
The last time I bought an electric heater – a Dimplex 3KW Electric Fan Heater, which heats up a room quickly but expensively – it cost £44. Whereas:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66359093
“Typically, it costs £10,000 to buy and install an air source heat pump – the type best suited to most UK homes.
And there is another issue.
Unit for unit, electricity typically costs three times as much as gas.
That means even though your new heat pump is three times as efficient as your gas boiler it costs about the same to run.”
On my present deal with OVO, its 10.41 p for gas, 23.44 p at night, & 39.3 p day for electric, all per kWh. Hardly any day rate electric is used for heating here now.
At present you are paying £13 per week standing charges for gas and electricity plus 5% VAT, whether you have a one bed flat or a 6 bed house before you even flick a switch.
It is the greatest transfer of money from the poor to the rich and only Reform UK are calling it out.
“Lord, make me chaste – but not yet!” Saint Augustine
Lol but I think in general it’s a case of “Lord, make the others chaste” – ’twas ever thus. Even if she gets a heat pump eventually, she’s OK because she can afford it. Others will either have to go without and have cold homes, or she will tax everyone else to subsidise them.
I prefer:
“Lord give me patience! And hurry!” – My Dad (most certainly not original).
It’s appropriate because whenever I read about the Green loons I feel my patience really wearing thin.
I wonder if she’ll publish her break-even calculations? If she does I expect it will include:
+£10,000 for saving the planet.
multiplied by 8bn people = £80tn. Bargain!
“Our energy bills are far too high because we have the worst insulated homes in Europe”. ————-NOPE TOTALLY FALSE. We have the same homes that we always had and we never had the highest energy bills in Europe like we do now. ——–The reason we have high energy bills is because of this save the planet absurdity that is getting rid of affordable reliable energy (coal and gas) and replacing it with unaffordable unreliable energy in wind and sun. ——This is being done under the false pretences of a climate crisis but is actually part of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda that thinks that western lifestyles are too high, and we have used up more than our fair share of the coal and gas in the ground in gaining our current living standards.
The GREEN party are therefore really the RED party and their bleating about the climate is just the excuse they use for their eco socialism. ——-But it isn’t just them in on this scam. The Political class waved Net Zero through parliament without even a vote. It is a Climate Coup
Who remembers when Grant Schapps was Net Zero and Energy Security Miniter him being asked if heat pumps are any good.? —-His reply was “I don’t know but I am having one fitted so I will find out soon”. ——-How totally absurd is that? The Government Miniter wants to coerce us all into a technology at great expense, but he doesn’t know if it is any good. ——You could not make this up. What a total buffoon that guy is. But he is not alone. The entire Political Class are forcing this green absurdity on us, and we are letting them away with it.
Has he reported back? Has he still got a heat pump? Has he added some other heating such as a wood burner or gas fire? Details.
Also: which house? The one he uses in Summer?
Well someone in the media (preferably GB News, who asked the question) should do a follow up. ——–I think we get more investigative journalism done on this site than we do on TV news though.
Well you need good insulation if you have rolling blackouts!
Bloody hell, you’ve got to keep the place really hot to be able to see in the glow!
I wrote to my MP asking if he had an EV car and a heat pump, the short answer was no and no. It’s for us plebs, not the elite. It’s not just the greens, all the main parties, except Reform, are promoting nut zero.
Just another socialist “green” hypocrite.
Not a word today about Julian Assange let out of Belmarsh, a free man! Daily Sceptic, I am beginning to be sceptical about you. This should have been front page HEADLINE this morning!
Oh I see… she is waiting for Labour to get in and fleece the taxpayer to give people like her bigger grants to install heat pumps.
To be honest, the Green party is such a way out fringe loony party, that they hardly deserve any publicity.
This morning 38% of electricity is coming from gas so her overpriced electric heating would be substantial coming from gas anyway and without all the inefficient losses along the way.
Wind is currently providing 8% of our needs. Good job it’s not winter!
That’s the trouble with being sanctimonious. You often get caught out and leaving yourself open to being labelled a hypocrite.