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Cost of living aboard


bluegreencanal

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58 minutes ago, bluegreencanal said:

Have boaters noticed the cost of fuel hitting their pockets more or as much as landlubbers? I've considered buying a third boat (sold my second in 2020) but feel nervous that boaters living aboard might be feeling it worse than households. 

 

 

Well diesel has barely doubled in price over the last year or so, and looks like falling in the future. 

 

Count yourself lucky compared to them living as on the bank, whose fuel costs look like tripling or worse. 

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I spend far more on heating and electricity in the house than I do on the boat, we are spending more time on the boat keeping the house bills lower.  Helps having solar on the boat so currently all electricity is coming from the sun.

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This also seems to be more poignant, so you're saying costs not such an issue? I've seen the low water reports. 

2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I spend far more on heating and electricity in the house than I do on the boat, we are spending more time on the boat keeping the house bills lower.  Helps having solar on the boat so currently all electricity is coming from the sun.

You are fortunate indeed to have the choice. Solar would be good, does it work on the heavy grey days when they've sprayed chemtrails abd the sun is obscured?

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2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I spend far more on heating and electricity in the house than I do on the boat, we are spending more time on the boat keeping the house bills lower.  Helps having solar on the boat so currently all electricity is coming from the sun.

Exactly the same with us. I'm rather dreading a cold winter in our Victorian house - much harder to stay cosy than in our boat with 3 radiators and a cracking little logburner. 

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Yes, I'm hoping to keep snug over winter, though I won't be using the diesel heating quite as much, rather substituting with more logs, coal is a sort of necessary evil as it is so dirty. but cheaper and stays in overnight.

Winter is almost certainly on the way :)

 

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2 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes, I'm hoping to keep snug over winter, though I won't be using the diesel heating quite as much, rather substituting with more logs, coal is a sort of necessary evil as it is so dirty. but cheaper and stays in overnight.

Winter is almost certainly on the way :)

 

I expect the carbon footprint of your boat, even using coal, will be so much lower than most houses. Wonder if anyone has done the sums? Horrid to think of winter already (using my first hot water bottle of the season). X

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6 minutes ago, DShK said:

Electricity price in the marina I am staying in (liveaboard) has just quadrupled from 16p/kWh to 64p/kWh

 

Marinas have to resell electricity at the price they pay (plus fixed charges for their distribution system). As commercial undertakings, marinas have to pay at the uncapped rate they have negotiated which is likely to be higher than for domestic users. 

Edited by alias
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12 minutes ago, alias said:

 

Marinas have to resell electricity at the price they pay (plus fixed charges for their distribution system). As commercial undertakings, marinas have to pay at the uncapped rate they have negotiated which is likely to be higher than for domestic users. 

That makes sense. Glad I just installed 1500W of solar! Winter will be tougher - but during the summer I have to use shorepower in the marina to heat my water, in the winter my backboiler will provide that, so maybe it'll balance out.

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5 hours ago, DShK said:

That makes sense. Glad I just installed 1500W of solar! Winter will be tougher - but during the summer I have to use shorepower in the marina to heat my water, in the winter my backboiler will provide that, so maybe it'll balance out.

With 1500w of solar you should be able to heat the water with that in the summer

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I must admit I'm not looking forward to buying coal this winter.

I think I use about 10 bags per month in Nov-Feb, which last winter cost about £12-13 per bag.

So the coal bill was maybe £130 per month, plus a litre of diesel most days for recharging and hot water.

I think its around £1.60 per litre, which will mean a bit over £40 per month for recharging and hot water during winter. 

But if the coal doubles, say, that's going to be £260 per month,  and take the overall total to maybe £300 per month.

As bad news as that is, its still much less than householders will be paying. 

If coal goes up much more than that, there will be many more boaters out scavenging wood this winter.  

One wonders whether there will be a possibility of coal being nicked from one's roof, if people get desperate enough.

 

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4 minutes ago, MtB said:

I never understand why there is so much resistance to installing a Morco or current equivalent. Fantastic hot water performance and cheap as chips to both buy and to run. 

 

 

One of the calculations I have been meaning to do is determine whether its cheaper to heat water with gas or electric (mains) .  I did it a few years back and the gas was marginally cheaper. 

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11 minutes ago, MtB said:

I never understand why there is so much resistance to installing a Morco or current equivalent. Fantastic hot water performance and cheap as chips to both buy and to run. 

 

 

 

I'd love one for the worst winter months tbh. It seems so much more efficient to heat only the water you need.

Could it be there is a perception that the BSS people are making it more tricky?

They seem to have made gas fridges less popular by stating that a new gas fridge has to be marked as being 'suitable for marine use' (or something similar)?

 

I would guess the other thing that makes people pause is the install cost- with a flue, cutting a hole in the roof (or a vent), and the gas piping, which I would imagine has to be done by someone who is qualified gas safe specifically for boats?

 

Edited by Tony1
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1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

With 1500w of solar you should be able to heat the water with that in the summer

I would require one of those hot water energy dump systems right? I assume just running the immersion would knacker my batteries? I heard those are best fit by an actual electrician (I fit the panels myself) is this true? They aren't expensive if its perfectly doable to fit myself.

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On 18/08/2022 at 18:58, Tony1 said:

 

I must admit I'm not looking forward to buying coal this winter.

I think I use about 10 bags per month in Nov-Feb, which last winter cost about £12-13 per bag.

So the coal bill was maybe £130 per month, plus a litre of diesel most days for recharging and hot water.

I think its around £1.60 per litre, which will mean a bit over £40 per month for recharging and hot water during winter. 

But if the coal doubles, say, that's going to be £260 per month,  and take the overall total to maybe £300 per month.

As bad news as that is, its still much less than householders will be paying. 

If coal goes up much more than that, there will be many more boaters out scavenging wood this winter.  

One wonders whether there will be a possibility of coal being nicked from one's roof, if people get desperate enough.

 

I have been reading the average household gas/electric bill will rise to £5k or more per year in 2023 and 2024.

That's not sustainable for many households. 

I would suggest stocking up on solid fuels if you can. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 18/08/2022 at 18:58, Tony1 said:

I must admit I'm not looking forward to buying coal this winter.

I think I use about 10 bags per month in Nov-Feb, which last winter cost about £12-13 per bag.

So the coal bill was maybe £130 per month, plus a litre of diesel most days for recharging and hot water.

I think its around £1.60 per litre, which will mean a bit over £40 per month for recharging and hot water during winter. 

But if the coal doubles, say, that's going to be £260 per month,  and take the overall total to maybe £300 per month.

As bad news as that is, its still much less than householders will be paying. 

 

That depends on the household... I've just put my direct debit up to £200 pcm. A couple of weeks ago my energy supplier was suggesting I reduce it to £123. On Monday that was £169. We have a logburner at home which usually costs about £2 per day to run so probably should say our winter heating cost is nearer £300. 

 

£10 per day! Words fail me.

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On 17/08/2022 at 22:51, MrsM said:

Exactly the same with us. I'm rather dreading a cold winter in our Victorian house - much harder to stay cosy than in our boat with 3 radiators and a cracking little logburner. 

Stay on the boat. Thats what we always did when we owned both, we kept the house for days away and holidays but always lived  the superior boat lifestyle. Houses are fine for hols but not as nice as a boat to live in full time, I always wonder why most people do it the other way round.

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3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Stay on the boat. Thats what we always did when we owned both, we kept the house for days away and holidays but always lived  the superior boat lifestyle. Houses are fine for hols but not as nice as a boat to live in full time, I always wonder why most people do it the other way round.

We have been thinking about this. In the last 10 years we have spent about half our time on the boat and about half in the house. While we have cruised in winter, mostly it has been in the rest of the year.

 

Now we are considering reversing this and spending the cooler months on the boat. It might reduce energy costs and would allow us (the wife) to do more with our garden at home.

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Just now, frahkn said:

We have been thinking about this. In the last 10 years we have spent about half our time on the boat and about half in the house. While we have cruised in winter, mostly it has been in the rest of the year.

 

Now we are considering reversing this and spending the cooler months on the boat. It might reduce energy costs and would allow us (the wife) to do more with our garden at home.

For years we owned a house in Cornwall, we bought there as we wanted days off and holidays somewhere nice. We had one house for several years right on the harbour in Looe. This enabled us a great location for hols and a day or sometimes two during the week, we worked the south west of England usualy within a three hour drive of the house whilst being able to live our much preferred lifestyle of full time on the boat. Most on here own boat and house and could do the same, its their choice to live in the house. We found after several years we didnt use the house enough so disposed of the last one in 2007. Due to my health we downgraded back to a house last year and sold the boat. The house will never be as good a life as the boat was. Finances didnt come into it for us it was a lifestyle choice enabled by working very long days therefore able to pay our way. 

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