Scottish Energy Scene http://scottishpower.posterous.com News and Views on Tartan Power posterous.com Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:03:00 -0800 Central Heating and Weight Control http://scottishpower.posterous.com/central-heating-and-weight-control http://scottishpower.posterous.com/central-heating-and-weight-control

Oh dear, I have just finished reading some articles in some less than reputable daily newspapers, and on reading them I thought that their claims were so far fetched that I had to dig a little deeper. Both the Telegraph and the Mail [both from the same publishing house ...] last month carried stories with large BLACK HEADLINES proclaiming that the reason for the obesity epidemic which is allegedly sweeping the 'developed world' (Europe, the USA & Canada...) is down to ...... wait for it Central Heating Installation! ..... I know.

But as I said these reports were carried in those two papers, and those two are quite renowned for causing a lot of hype out of nothing. As I said earlier there I simply just did not believe what they were printing so I went to google and explored. Right enough almost the top page on the net was a rebuttal on the NHS website stating the facts very clearly, there was a study in a Medical Journal 'Obesity Review' and the journal did propose that ambient temperature had an effect on the metabolic rate, and that more calories may be lost in the cold ..

 

Trends in indoor winter temperatures
The authors cite evidence to show:

 

  • a trend in affluent populations to heat their homes to temperatures closer to the lower limit of the “human thermoneutral zone” (TNZ). The TNZ is defined as the range of temperatures at which the metabolic rate (and therefore energy expenditure) is minimal (25C-27C for a naked adult human).
  • that widespread uptake in central heating and air conditioning have led to expectations of “thermal monotony” and rises in living-room temperatures have been accompanied by rises  in bedroom and hallway temperatures, which were previously maintained at cooler temperatures
  • that workplace temperatures are also thought to be increasing
  • that reduced seasonal cold exposure is exacerbated by reductions in walking and cycling in favour of temperature-controlled cars

Human responses to cold

  • Humans exposed to cold maintain body temperature and conserve heat through different modes of thermogenesis (heat production).
  • There is “indirect evidence” to show that thermogenesis plays a significant role in energy balance. A small number of studies have indicated that effects of mild cold can increase human energy expenditure, with one study suggesting that the energy expenditure of being exposed to mild cold for 10% of the time could be equivalent to an 8kg difference in body weight over 10 years.
  • Studies indicate that this reduced exposure to seasonal cold may minimise the need for thermogenesis, thereby reducing energy expenditure.

There, to cut it down into simple language, when you are cold your bodies produces more heat to remain at body temperature, when you are warm you don't. That isn't quite the same thing as Central Heating has made us overweight. This somewhat short-sighted take on serious science is why newspapers are being taken less and less seriously, by right thinking people. Don't believe what you read in the papers: your sebtral heating is fine.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/301112/flags.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qPlo4ubPbz Andy scottishpower Andy
Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:56:00 -0800 Winter Wonderland http://scottishpower.posterous.com/winter-wonderland http://scottishpower.posterous.com/winter-wonderland

Well we might as well just accept it, we live in Scotland, it is currently December, soon it will be January & February, it was always going to snow at some point, so why the panic. In my humble opinion when it snows and you can't do anything about getting anywhere then you just have to get on with whatever you can do.

And above all you might as well enjoy yourself, if you don't might end up taking things too seriously, after all it isn't too bad and there is never any other time when you can go out sledging is there? And when you get back from your winter activities you should be returning to a snug house as long as you have good central heating.

But beware any sudden snap in the weather because these are the things that can just suddenly tip you central heating installation over the edge, especially if it has not been in use recently. So before you do go out and enjoy your winter wonderland. Have a quick check of your boiler.

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Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:29:00 -0800 Here comes the Winter http://scottishpower.posterous.com/here-comes-the-winter http://scottishpower.posterous.com/here-comes-the-winter

It's getting to that boint in the year when we start to feel like Scandinavians: it is dark when we get up and toddle off to work, it is dark when we get back home later that evening. It only seems to be light whilst we are cooped up inside the office with deadlines and all other types of pressures involved with working with people. Hardly seems fair, does it?

So what better than to get back home and snuggle up on the sofa in front of the telly with a glass of wine for the evening, but what if you live in a really old house. Is your current central heating up to the pressure of a really long bad winter, I think you had better make sure before it starts getting seriously cold at about the turn of the year [as it always does].

So go and give your old boiler a quick check and see if it will be up to the amount of work that it will have to do over the coming months, rememver that if you leave it until the last minute then there may not be a technician available, or if he is he might charge ridiculous rates to be called out in the middle of the bleak midwinter.

Central Heating Intallation, because forewarned is forearmed!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/301112/flags.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qPlo4ubPbz Andy scottishpower Andy