How Hot Air Balloons Work
Duration : 0:0:26
Hot Air Balloons Time Lapse
Probably as Funny: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1763493/
Duration : 0:1:10
new song from Owl City….enjoy!Hot-air balloons in Helsinki
dameleahttp://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/users/dameleahelsinkiTravelhot-air balloon, Helsinki, FinlandHot-air balloons in Helsinki2009-11-08
Duration : 0:1:36
Cheaper Gas Bills through Deregulation of British Gas.
A lot has been said about the deregulation of many of our core Industries since Mrs Thatcher was Primeminster but UK consumers have saved approximately £78 a year each since the deregulation of the UK Gas market, according to the latest figures from the National Audit Office.
Energy Minister, John Battle, claimed the four million customers that changed supplier were saving money as competition was driving down prices and that cheaper gas bills were here to stay.
However, he said there was still room for improvement. In the past poor selling techniques, involuntary transfers and misleading sales pitches are still preventing customers from changing supplies. But he went on to say that this has massively improved in the last couple of years but many UK Gas customers have yet to change providers away from the main UK Supplier, British Gas.
There are now some great alternatives to British Gas offering a high level of professionalism with far better and more modern customer service backup. Every day hundreds of people are looking to save money moving to such providers. We aim to offer you a brief insight to the products and services on some of those companies
Cheaper Gas Bills
If coal is too dirty and wind farms ugly… If nuclear power plants are not green, it seems the world is left with a hard choice: keep on polluting or turn out the lights.
Unless, that is, someone comes up with a viable alternative option ….. Energy executive Rune Bjornson thinks he has the answer.
“Natural gas, more than any other fuel, is an option we have here and now,” he tells the BBC in an interview.
And, he adds, there is plenty of it around – unlike scarcer resources such as oil and coal.
Given that Mr Bjornson heads up the gas division at the Norwegian energy giant Statoil, it comes as no surprise that he should hail the virtues of gas….. But he is not alone in his predictions.
In June this year, the Potential Gas Committee, which is connected with the Colorado School of Mines, raised its estimate of gas reserves in the US by 35% to 2,074 trillion cubic feet (58.74 trillion cubic metres), the highest reserves since the group started tracking the information 44 years ago.
The upgrade came after new technology made it easier and cheaper to extract gas from shale rock, a prehistoric clay, which has hitherto been deemed too expensive and tricky to recover.
The implications for global power balances could be enormous, in both the energy and the geopolitical sense.
What next?
Upgraded shale gas reserves are particularly relevant ahead of the Copenhagen summit, as it could help the world meet the Kyoto targets for carbon emission cuts, Mr Bjornson insists.
Shale gas could be greener alternative
“Gas has very low carbon emissions when compared with many other energy sources,” he says.
Indeed, he insists, gas – whether offshore gas reserves or from shale rock – is “not competing with” tomorrow’s technologies.
The need to reduce emissions from energy production means nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, as well as wind and other renewable energy sources, will become leading power suppliers in the future as current energy production becomes unsustainable, Mr Bjornson predicts.
“It is no longer a question of whether climate change is real or not,” he says. “That was yesterday’s discussion. Now, it is a question of what we do next.”
But while the world waits for wind farms, nuclear power plants and carbon storage facilities to be built, gas could deliver vast reductions in emissions, Mr Bjornson says.
“If Europe was to convert all coal-fired power stations to gas they would reduce emissions by 40%,” he claims, pointing to how gas power stations emit about about a third less than modern coal-fired power stations and about two-thirds less than old ones.
Peter Dea, chief executive of Cirque Resources in Denver, Colorado, goes further. He believes gas could not only replace coal as the main source of electricity in the US, it could deliver fuel for America’s cars as well. His optimism is based on a the Potential Gas Committee’s estimate, which suggests the US has a 100-year supply of gas.
New techniques have been developed, where liquid, chemicals and sand is injected horizontally into shale rock to break open pathways for the gas to leak to the surface. The shale gas reserves are expected to boost economic growth, help reduce carbon emissions and reduce US dependence on energy imports, Mr Dea predicts.
“It is truly a win-win-win situation,” he says.
Eager to take part in this development, Statoil last autumn joined forces with Chesapeake Energy to extract shale gas from the North East, Marcellus foundation that stretches across Pennsylvania and New York State.
“It has come as a surprise to the industry that the reserves were so good and that it was competitive in terms of cost,” Mr Bjornson says.
“We look at shale gas as a potential game changer.”
And not only in the US. “We believe there are huge resources in others areas, including Europe,” Mr Bjornson says.
Shale reserves are believed to be vast in Poland, Germany, France and Sweden, and there could also be similarly enormous shale gas areas in India and China.
“But it hasn’t gotten much attention,” says Mr Bjornson. “It is an industry that is still young.”
This could help improve energy security across the world, leaving few countries reliant on gas imports from countries often governed by unstable regimes.
It could also hit current energy exporters where it hurts, namely in their wallets, as new gas sources send energy supplies soaring thus depressing prices across the world.
Falling prices
Already, there are signs of such developments in the US, where natural gas is priced at up to $4 per million British thermal units – equivalent to crude priced at about $23 a barrel. (A barrel of crude contains on average $5.80 MBTU).
That is a seasonal rise from an average spot price of $2.50 during summer 2009, sharply down from 2008 when rising shale gas supplies pushed the average gas spot price down from almost $14 to about £10 per MBTU.
“Longer-term, the cost of producing shale gas is estimated at about $6 per MBTU, equivalent to crude priced at $34.80 per barrel,” observes Paul Sterne, managing partner of mergers and acquisitions advisers Sterne & Co, in an article published by Ground Report.
“Unconventional gas will exert downward pressure on energy prices for years to come,” predicts Mr Sterne – in the US, as well as elsewhere.
“As shale gas fields come on line in the next five years, it is likely that European prices will drop in half.”
Winners and losers
Consumers might find that an appealing prospect, particularly in some of the world’s poorest countries. Such sharp price falls should go a long way to relieve fuel poverty and indeed hunger.
But elsewhere, notably in Russia, many ordinary people could also see their lives transformed in less-than-desirable ways as it could lead to a painful reversal of the country’s recent economic prosperity, which was based largely on highly-priced gas and oil exports.
The geopolitical implications are both obvious and enormous, so it is far from certain that a sharp and sudden rise in global gas supplies will be a blessing rather than a curse.
But if the gas is there, do not expect such concerns to prevent it from being extracted.
FESTO HOT AIR BALLON`S OSLO NORWAYCutting your Gas Bills with loft insulation
With risung fuel bills and global warming t’s never been more important to think about insulating your loft. Without proper insulation a lot of the valuable, expensive energy you use to heat your home will be lost through the loft. The recommended depth for mineral wool insulation is 270mm however there are other materials which require different depths.
- Why insulate your loft?
- What could you save?
- Could loft insulation work for your home?
- How do you insulate a loft?
- Where can you go for more advice?
Why insulate your loft?
Loft insulation is an effective way to save energy and money at home. A well insulated house keeps warmth exactly where you need it – indoors.
So, insulating your loft – or topping up any insulation you have already – will help to heat your home more efficiently. Using less energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions (CO2): one of the biggest causes of climate change. You will also save money on your bills too.
How does loft insulation work?
What could you save?
| Loft insulation (0 – 270mm) |
Loft insulation (50 – 270mm) |
|
| Annual saving per year (£) | Around £150 | Around £45 |
| Installed cost (£) | Around £250 | Around £250 |
| Installed payback | Around 2 year | Around 6 years |
| DIY cost | £250 – £350 | £200 – £300 |
| DIY payback | 2 – 3 years | 5 – 7 years |
| CO 2 saving per year | Around 800kg | Around 230kg |
These are estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with three bedrooms.
Loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years, and it will pay for itself over and over again in that time. The better insulated your home, the less energy you need to keep it warm – the more money you’ll save in the long run.
By saving energy, your household will produce less CO2. So, adding or topping up your loft insulation is a great way to do your bit – and reduce your impact on the environment. Plus, to save money on a professional installation, you can even do it yourself.
There are grants and offers available to help pay for loft insulation – you can search our grants and offers database to see what’s available or call your local advice centre free on 0800 512 012, they’ll be happy to help.
Could loft insulation work for your home?
Generally speaking, your home will be a perfect candidate for loft insulation if it has an accessible loft with no damp or condensation problems.
For lofts with difficult access, blown insulation can be used however this must be installed by an installer.
Find out what to do if you have a damp loft or a flat roof
Did you know?
If everyone in the UK installed 270mm loft insulation, we could save around £520 million and nearly three million tonnes of CO2 every year. That’s enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly 380 times.
How do you insulate a loft?
The good news is that insulating your loft with loft insulation blankets, often referred to as `quilts’ can be a pretty straightforward job for either an installer or a competent `DIY-er’. It needs to be done to a high standard to avoid unnecessary wastage so if you don’t feel sufficiently confident that you can do it yourself you should call an installer.
Another type of loft insulation, blown insulation, must be installed by a professional. An installer will typically take just a few hours and may use specialist equipment which blows loose, fire-retardant insulation material into the loft.
For DIY jobs, quilts should be used which can be laid over the loft’s area.
If you’d like to use your loft for living space, then you could look at insulating the roof of the loft instead. This is usually done by insulating between the roof rafters using rigid insulation boards.
Find out all about installation: what to install, how it is installed it – and how a grant or offer could help with the costs.
Where can you go for more advice?
Call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 for free, impartial, one-to-one advice on saving energy at home.
If you are interested to know more about insulating your loft our advisors will be able to recommend the most appropriate options for you. They can also explain any technical issues and can put you in touch with local, an installer.
They can even tell you about any grants and offers available for loft insulation. So, it pays to call freephone 0800 512 012 or check out www.noteservice2010.com .
Hot Air Balloons At Bath Balloon Fiesta May 2007
Various balloons being launched from the Royal Crescent in the city of Bath, England, 5th May 2007. This version has an audio track.
Duration : 0:5:59
Phuket hot air balloons
Outside Lotus restaurant, the hawkers sell hot air balloons to the restaurant goers. Pretty cool seeing multitudes of these things taking off into the night sky.
Duration : 0:0:41
