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I think you're right Brew.  It would probably be very difficult to keep track of the cost differences, if any.  We just like to keep it stable I guess.  Energy costs here are  not too bad.  Heating method is hot air. All electric, heat pump.  Air conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter, all the same equipment.

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Just got back from QMC again........the last eight days have been a bit Traumatic to say the least,,...blood tests,,X-rays,,and today a visit to a Consultant........cut a long story short......problem

Result........CT Scans all clear......just got letter..been sweating for a fortnight......

Two years ago today..........my life changed forever,,,about this time i was on my way down to the operating theatre for what turned out to be a ten hour operation...........its been life changing in

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Pellet stoves are popular here .We put 1 x 15 kg every day costing 4.50€ . Its on from 6 am to 9am then 4 pm til 9pm . We sometimes have to switch it off as its too warm. 

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Electricity is unreliable in rural areas, idiot texting running off the road and a power pole jumps in front of him, means loss of power for a couple of hours or more. We are also prone to ice storms, though have never seen the likes of the one we had ten years ago this month, was without mains power for nearly a week.

We were lucky, some people in states east of us were without power for three months, the damage that storm created was unbelievable. Hard to imagine 3 to four inches of ice on everything, from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and several other states too. Millions were without power, roads impassible, even to 4 x 4 vehicles.

Out heat is via wood, cooking by propane, the wood stove saves us propane too, I keep the kettle on it while its lit.

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Do you keep a generator handy, John?  Mine doesn't have enough ouput to run the heating, but I can keep the'frig and freezer running along with a few lights... We have a propane fireplace insert so the dogs keep warm

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We bought a large PTO generator for the tractor that will run everything should the need arise. It can be run at 60Hz, which is a plus as those gas generators have dubious frequency characteristics. Complete with full instrumentation.

It was bought after the ice storm and has only been used once to test it.

Still, I can take it anywhere to provide power outdoors if I need it to carry out work anywhere on our land.

 

Errr for Ben, I know we confuse him with these abbreviations, PTO= Power Take Off...LOL

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I Visited the health centre today for a full bloods check ready for my annual review next week. I asked as normal, if it would be ok to take in a sharps box at the review and was advised this is no longer allowed, although it was a simple two-stage process the system has been changed. It now involves  Notts County Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, my health service practice, and my GP. Quite clearly this has been designed to reduce costs and improve efficiency for council tax payers and the NHS.

How do I obtain the service?

To arrange this service please contact Customer Services details are given below. A customer services advisor will take your name, address and the name and address of your healthcare professional

  • This information is passed to the County Council in their position as the Waste Disposal Authority who operate a screening process in accordance with current national guidelines

  • They will send a form to your stated healthcare professional to determine the category of waste you produce

  • The completed form is then returned to the County Council who will inform Broxtowe Borough Council on how the waste needs to be managed. Broxtowe Borough Council will then inform you of the collection method allocated for the waste you produced

  • Records of a customer's collection remain confidential and remain with the County Council

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What a long winded procedure Dave!  We’ve only needed to self-inject after we had surgery but I was given needles and a sharps box at QMC on discharge and when I had an appointment at our GP surgery a few weeks later, when injections had finished, I took the yellow box full of needles in with me and they said it had to go to QMC, where it came from.  Such a palaver when just getting over surgery and time consuming too. But now they’re making it even more complicated!   

 

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, nonnaB said:

Pellet stoves are popular here .We put 1 x 15 kg every day costing 4.50€ . Its on from 6 am to 9am then 4 pm til 9pm . We sometimes have to switch it off as its too warm. 

 

Forgot to mention too that the stove gives us hot water.

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Was wondering what a sharps box was as I've never heard of it, but reading on I guess it might be a box for used needles. As you say what a bother. Ours go back to the chemist like all unused medication. Ignore if I'm wrong.

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12 hours ago, Ayupmeducks said:

Out heat is via wood, cooking by propane, the wood stove saves us propane too

 

Crikey ................ I didn't know it was that bad youth? Think we best get Sir Bob on the job, raise a few bob, try & bring you home, sounds horrific in this day & age.  

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1 hour ago, nonnaB said:

Was wondering what a sharps box was as I've never heard of it, but reading on I guess it might be a box for used needles. As you say what a bother. Ours go back to the chemist like all unused medication. Ignore if I'm wrong.

It is. Got one here. 

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I doubt many UK rural area has piped natural gas, and most farmers have a propane tank, we have a 500 gallon propane tank. Vast majority of rural dwellers have wood heating in the states, around here outdoor furnaces burning wood are common, they provide the hot water and hot air heating, but depend on electricity for the main air blower.

I thought about installing one years back, but the cost of ducting and the cost of the furnace was out of our budget, then there's the problem we had ten years ago, no power for a week.

Nothing wrong with a wood stove, throws a lot of heat out, ours is supposed to heat an area of 2500 sq ft, the house is 2400 sq ft, so it does it's job.

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10 hours ago, davep5491 said:

Lizzie it is an absolute waste of resources and if it is made too difficult it will result in sharps being dumped. I would love to have been present when the Council was formulating that farce.

 

 

Not something I have direct experience of, but I suspect that this may be yet another case of the Local Council having something dropped on it from above (I.E. Central Govt or poss NHS/NICE) and then getting all the blame for something outside its control.  Exactly the same happening with areas such as highways, general waste disposal, social care and many other things.  All a result of the combination of cuts in funding and Govt. dumping more responsibility onto Local Councils, forcing them to try to do more with less.

 

Quote

 

Disposing of your full sharps bin

Arrangements for disposing of full sharps bins vary from area to area.

If you have a medical condition, such as diabetes, and use needles to self-medicate at home, your local council is responsible for collecting your full sharps bin.

You can find out more from your local council's website. Local councils can charge for this service, but most don't.

 

 

Got the above from here:  https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/accidents-first-aid-and-treatments/how-should-i-dispose-of-used-needles-or-sharps/

 

So it appears that the NHS is responsible for your healthcare and your supply of needles and drugs, (There even seems to be a prescription form for getting a Sharps Box), but once again the Local Council is expected to clear up the mess.  I can only see a financial motive for this.

 

Reading around it seems that any waste produced during treatment by a 'Medical Professional' whilst they are treating you.. is considered their waste and their responsibility.

However, if you are 'self treating' as in say managing your own diabetes etc., then any waste is considered to be your own, but its disposal is the responsibility of the Local Authority.

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On a more (or less?) cheery note..  Good covering of snow here.  I'll clear the paths later.. fancy a bit of egg and bacon for lunch...  mmmm

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6 hours ago, Ayupmeducks said:

I doubt many UK rural area has piped natural gas, and most farmers have a propane tank, we have a 500 gallon propane tank. Vast majority of rural dwellers have wood heating in the states, around here outdoor furnaces burning wood are common, they provide the hot water and hot air heating, but depend on electricity for the main air blower.

I thought about installing one years back, but the cost of ducting and the cost of the furnace was out of our budget, then there's the problem we had ten years ago, no power for a week.

Nothing wrong with a wood stove, throws a lot of heat out, ours is supposed to heat an area of 2500 sq ft, the house is 2400 sq ft, so it does it's job.

 

Had a woodstove up in Canada.  A local farmer used allow me to go and cut wood on his land. He was glad to get rid of the deadfall.  The stove was in the basement but it kept the whole house nice and warm.  The furnace hardly ran.  It would stay on overnight if you put a log or two in before bed.  Open the air intake first thing in the morning and off she went again.  Best house heater I ever had.

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We are in the middle of vineyards and therefore no city gas. Most of us in this area have stoves in various systems. Our next door neighbour has one that burns hazlenut shells. Hazlenuts are in abundance here. A lot of the older folks still burn wood in the " puttege" ( not sure of the spelling) they heat the house and cook on it too. 

I wouldnt like to go back to ordinary CH whether its gas or electric. Wood is very comforting. 

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7 hours ago, catfan said:

It is. Got one here. 

 

Where it should go too instead of patients having to search around where to dispose of them.

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I know this might sound crazy because heat is heat.  There seems to be  something about the heat from a woodstove that makes it very pleasant to be in.  Can't explain and Maybe I'm just imagining it but that's how I feel.

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13 hours ago, DJ360 said:

Not something I have direct experience of, but I suspect that this may be yet another case of the Local Council having something dropped on it from above (I.E. Central Govt or poss NHS/NICE) and then getting all the blame for something outside its control.  Exactly the same happening with areas such as highways, general waste disposal, social care and many other things.  All a result of the combination of cuts in funding and Govt. dumping more responsibility onto Local Councils, forcing them to try to do more with less.

 

The above is pure guesswork and incorrect. It has for many years, been the duty of the local authorities as waste collection authorities to arrange for the collection of household waste including clinical waste. They have now changed a simple drop off service at my local health centre to a system which involves many layers of council, NHS and even GPs. It is not something I consider unusual for a council organisation.

 

13 hours ago, DJ360 said:

So it appears that the NHS is responsible for your healthcare and your supply of needles and drugs, (There even seems to be a prescription form for getting a Sharps Box), but once again the Local Council is expected to clear up the mess.  I can only see a financial motive for this.

 

Yes the NHS is responsible for my healthcare. I am required to provide blood samples to manage my condition (not diabetes) I could visit my GP or a hospital but I was told this results in a cost to the NHS of around £90 each time but I would of course be able to leave my sharps there.  So I purchased a machine (£300) and am able to self monitor. An email detailing the results is sent to the Queens Medical Centre and they inform me of any changes I need to make. I retired 15 years ago and still pay a sizable tax bill, I don't care who collects my waste but I do object to wasting my money.

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8 hours ago, loppylugs said:

I know this might sound crazy because heat is heat.  There seems to be  something about the heat from a woodstove that makes it very pleasant to be in.  Can't explain and Maybe I'm just imagining it but that's how I feel.

Yes, Loppy. I agree. Mine is a multi fuel stove but the heat is much longer lasting than central heating, gas fires, etc. This morning is freezing cold, ice everywhere but just tipped a couple of logs and a bit of smokeless fuel onto Clara the Clearview, as she's known, and off we go from last night's slumbering warmth. Moggies love it. We'll soon be told we can't have em any more though. Bad for the environment or some such tripe!

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Blimey, can't even see the traffic out of my front window as the fog is so thick. 

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