Best Foot Forward

Yesterday, BFF Director Craig Simmons was literally bathing in the warm glow of the sun whilst outside temperature plummeted to below zero. How? The solar hot water (SHW) system on his house was producing water at a steady 34 degrees centigrade warmed only by the winter sun. These wintry conditions have also led to some discussion within the office today on the carbon balance of the heavy snowfall; our hunch is there’ll be reductions from less travel, less economic activity, and more outdoor fun displacing TV/computer use. On the downside, more people staying home requiring energy, more gas for home heating, higher coal use in power stations…and perhaps a reference point for climate change sceptics?