Storms, winter chills plus threats from war and sanctions to fuel supplies and costs are challenging individuals and businesses right now. The lessons we’ve learned may help everyone.
For us living in our 50ft home/office/workshop staying comfortably warm is something people feel we struggle with. If I had £1 for every time someone says “Is it cold on the boat?” or “Stay warm” – I might be able to fund much of our energy bills!
One area of our energy usage is actually nudging not into deficit but into profit! It’s exactly 11 months ago that we invested in 2 x 175 watt (peak) solar panels. Steve installed them himself, and the cost of the panels plus cables, controller, and ancillary parts like drill bits, screws etc was £530.01.
The panels support our electric needs – powering this computer that I use for work (and writing our weekly blogs), running our lighting, charging phones, as well as operating pumps for bilges and water. Without solar input we would have to run the engine (using diesel).
In 11 months what we’ve saved in engine running hours resulting on reduced spending on diesel, servicing, replacement oil and oil filters etc. has come to £559.26 to date, so the solar panels have paid for themselves in less than a year, and generated even during Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin.
We are hugely lucky on the canal network. Because we are constantly on the move, if we moor sensibly (not under overhanging walls or high buildings) and angle our panels most effectively, we can maximise every possible ray of sun to reduce our costs. We forage wood for kindling and sometimes also find bigger logs for burning. Gas for cooking, coal for heating and diesel to move, provide power and water heating, float their way to our door thanks to the hugely efficient and reliable coal boats that operate the length and breadth of the inland waterways network. We are grateful to many of them!
These boats – manned by men, women, and often boatdogs – operate whatever the weather, whatever the season, getting through despite storms and closures. They offer a range of services, and wherever we are on the network we can harness their services. It’s not just fuel from diesel, gas, and various smokeless coals to kindling and logs but they often offer pump out services for those that have toilet tanks, and sell other essentials like fenders. For boaters who are continuous cruisers, those in marinas, and those on permanent moorings – these boats are literal, essential lifesavers.
We are always grateful to see them – coming through rain, through gales, through the dark, in the sunshine – they always tie up with a smile and efficient service. They are fascinating people – former engineers, university students, music production experts, mechanics etc. and many are additionally very talented photographers whose enjoyment and knowledge of the waterways comes from unique perspectives. Many coal boats provide the community around them not only essential fuels but a shared passion for the canals, countryside, walking and local pubs through social media, resulting in some seriously excellent recommendations.
We are fortunate – we are heating a 50ft by 6ft 10inch boat, and whilst we’ve come across a 65ft holiday boat this half term with gas central heating which took on four 13kg gas canisters in a week – we are just heated by the multifuel stove burning coal and wood. We are toasty warm – in fact often down to t-shirts inside! Our space heating runs 24/7 in the cold months and in winter we expect to use about 50kg a week. We’ve just loaded another 240 kgs today – all transferred to us by Jayson from Bargus and put in the containers we placed ready on our roof.
Kat filled our tank with diesel as they moored alongside us, Jayson chatted and together they kept track of which customer wanted what, who was next, what the ever changing load was on their boat, with diesel off, coal off and in some cases but not ours, poo on! It’s essential for them to know the weight and distribution of that weight to keep their Bargus safe. Their job isn’t just about steering a boat, lock wheeling, and serious cardio workouts with gas bottles and sacks of coal – it’s a mental workout too!
Together this fleet of hard working individuals keep us and the other boats out there moving, warm and fed. Our costs for heating, cooking, lighting and transport amounted to £1489.00 last year for home and office. This year we expect them to drop thanks to the solar, even with the rising costs of gas and threat to oil prices.
The lessons we’ve learned are clear – investing in solar has paid off; delivering essential services with committed customer service never fails; and neither does the beauty of living afloat.
We all need a fresh, positive perspective to our lives right now. If you want to share the highs and occasional lows of coal boat life you don’t even need a boat – just follow @fuelboatBargus and Brian McGuigan @coalboat_alton and Andrew_Haysom on Instagram. They’ll transport you into a whole new world, wherever you are – and that’s always a good thing.
Pickingupducks 