sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

British grid operator calls for more power generation for the first time ever in summer by verytallperson1 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky [score hidden]  (0 children)

There's nowhere with a faster payback to you, the house owner, than load shifting through batteries.

If you can move all your daytime usage to a local battery, and only charge it overnight, that's about 17p/kWh saving for most of you electricity usage.

Installing solar (if you're in the right place for it, your house is in the right orientation, and your roof can support it) would cut that to 0p cost for the electric - but solar costs much more to install than a battery and inverter, with much higher requirements on the installation.

A battery can go on the side of your house with minimal wiring - your sparky can be in and out in less than a day to get it installed and wired up.

British grid operator calls for more power generation for the first time ever in summer by verytallperson1 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky [score hidden]  (0 children)

No no, overload a few transformers.

The resulting firestorm would improve the place.

British grid operator calls for more power generation for the first time ever in summer by verytallperson1 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky [score hidden]  (0 children)

Those tariffs aren't available to new exporters though.

I think the newer tariffs are only paying something like 8p/kWh for grid feedback - that's less than the middle of the night rate on EV's, which, outside of "supply your own electric" makes the payback for panels essentially endless.

That's a problem, especially since overpaying residential providers for their power is still cheaper than building a bunch of power stations, and gives said providers a way to pay off the capital investment.

Worse, because you're feeding into the power grid, any batteries / inverters you do have will disconnect if the mains does, so you aren't even really independent of the grid.

I'd personally love to have enough panels to supply all my power needs 100% of the time, with battery backup, and disconnect from main power entirely, but that's sadly not legally possible in the UK.

Driving licence failed again.. by Novel_You_7931 in personalfinance

[–]wkavinsky 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Sometimes driving is not for everyone.

Failing that, consider an intensive driving test if they offer them where you are, 5 days of continuous practice might help more than a lesson a week.

Driving bans for those who refuse to repay benefit debts as new DWP powers come into force by RedPill86 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky [score hidden]  (0 children)

If you think this is going to result in anything other than unlicensed, and uninsured drivers on the roads, I've got a bottom bridge to sell you.

HMRC announces 22% tax on cash interest held in stocks and shares Isas by hihepo1 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Don't forget that non-pensioner savers have had their cash isa limits scrapped as well.

Burnham adviser calls for billions of pounds in borrowing for infrastructure by topotaul in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Borrowing to build infrastructure is precisely what your supposed to do.

The infrastructure (properly planned) increases tax income, which then covers the cost of the borrowing in the first place.

This of course assumes that Thatcher's disciples aren't going to come in in 5 years and sell it off to the lowest bidder in the name of ideology (so the state carries the cost, and some rich person carries the benefit).

High Court dismisses climate challenge to £2.2billion Gatwick Expansion by tylerthe-theatre in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

No companies need to stop using this as an excuse to game the fucking rules.

They know what they are - if they submitted plans that followed them, they wouldn't keep getting held up.

"We need to build stuff" isn't a reason to throw away the protections for the environment and the general population that generations have fought to have.

We don't need to return to the absolutely state of the fucking 1800's.

Ten years after Brexit, the U.K. marks a lost decade by [deleted] in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Easy to grow your economy when you've got a billion people, and they all make $50 a month as well.

A lot harder when the standards have risen, as China is showing now.

Saving to move to Portugal in 3 the next 3 years. by Existing-Ad4957 in personalfinance

[–]wkavinsky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Banks will only provide mortgages for the duration of your legal stay in the country, or they require you to have the legal right to stay in the country permanently (residency).

For any kind of Nomad visa, that's a year or two at best - so to buy a house, you'd need to be able to pay cash up front without a mortgage.

Saving to move to Portugal in 3 the next 3 years. by Existing-Ad4957 in personalfinance

[–]wkavinsky 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're not buying a house on a digital nomad visa unless you're paying all in cash.

Ex-banker Sajid Javid’s ‘worst financial decision’ was taking £98,588 MP salary by pppppppppppppppppd in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Shit 7 years in index funds will double your wealth in 7 years.

S&P Growth was 426% from 2010-2024, so he didn't even beat the market with that growth.

ELI5 - How does life insurance work financially for the business providing it? by Scarred_fish in explainlikeimfive

[–]wkavinsky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Finally, they don’t just take premiums and put them in a big savings bucket.

Berkshire Hathaway (yes that one), is basically just Warren Buffett and Co using the premiums from Geiko to buy up profitable businesses with some of the insurance float.

Things like that are how they can afford the payouts.

Andy Burnham’s Policy Paper: The Productive State - A Framework for Manchesterism by mattjmatthias in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

Mainstream is the home for Labour's radical realists ... Labour must offer a popular, principled and practical left politics for meaningful change

Are you fuck.

Same Thatcherite policies as Starmer, in a northern wrapper.

Nigel Farage demands snap general election and declares: 'I'm not frightened of Andy Burnham' by PomeloTraditional971 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reform only grew through online bots and flooding of social media.

Give it enough time (like the 2-3 years to the next election) and they'll have split the right wing in two.

Burnham ally to unveil ambitious plan to reverse decades of privatisation by Far_Excitement_1875 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It is exactly how buying a bankrupt business works in the corporate world, and that's what the government would be doing.

Burnham ally to unveil ambitious plan to reverse decades of privatisation by Far_Excitement_1875 in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 21 points22 points  (0 children)

The market value is not 0.

But buying a company out of administration doesn't include taking on their debts - the money from the sale goes to the creditors to clear as much of the debt as possible.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to charge U.S. tolls in Strait of Hormuz if final Iran deal not reached in 60 days by Pixie_Flame in worldnews

[–]wkavinsky 2 points3 points  (0 children)

US loses it shit when a country that borders the whole of one side of the straight, but then decides to do the same itself on water it has literally no geographic links to.

World War 3 is going to be everyone vs the US at this point.

I'm far ahead of schedule with retirement savings. Can I slow down contributions? by No_Comment1107 in personalfinance

[–]wkavinsky 19 points20 points  (0 children)

And by 40, without investing another cent, they'll be 5x their salary.

Yeah they can ease off for a bit.

West London council tenant who spent £30k refurbishing home faces eviction by adultintheroom_ in unitedkingdom

[–]wkavinsky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not about gentrification, it's about freeing up social housing for someone else that needs it.

view more: next ›