The Plot Thickens

I’m now thinking about tea. What’s the point of a shed if you can’t make yourself a nice cup of tea? Actually I don’t really like tea, I’m more of a coffee person, but that’s rather missing the point.

So then, what are my options:

1. go without
2. bring tea in a flask
3. gas burner
4. paraffin burner
5. wood-burning stove
6. solar panel array
7. wind turbine
8. grid connection

1. Like I say, what’s the point in a shed if you don’t have a nice cup of tea and a sit down. You’ll either get this or you won’t, like being able to taste phenylthiocarbamide, or - Oh, I’m losing you. Well, trust me, this is a stupid idea for so very many reasons.

2. Sort of a trick answer this one. Of course, no one would seriously put tea in a flask, you’d just put the hot water in the flask, but all the same, it’s not going to be boiling in a couple of hours time so this just isn’t an option.

3. Actually this is really two quite separate possibilities: First is a camping gaz burner which is probably the most convenient option. It’s compact, light enough to sit on a makeshift shelf, cheap to buy with cheap refills and plenty powerful enough to boil a kettle of water. Second possibility is to use biogas. Biogas is a combustible (if somewhat smelly) product of anaerobic decomposition. Basically you bung a load of green stuff in a black polythene bag and if it’s kept warmish is knocks out methane. Problem is that you need to store the methane and doing this safely is neither cheap nor convenient. It’s big up-side is that it’s carbon-neutral.

4. A paraffin burner is almost as convenient as the gaz burner though it takes a bit of lighting as you have to mess around with meths. In common with the gaz burner this isn’t a green option because both the gaz and paraffin are fossil fuels.

5. Good green option this one being carbon neutral, especially if the fuel is grown on the allotment as a coppice as then it provides some extra biodiversity too. Installing the flue would be a pain but it’s a lovely comfy option, especially on those chilly days. Could run to well over £100 for the stove and flue though savings are possible on the flue with a bit of creative recycling.

6. Nice idea solar, but by the time you’ve bought the panel, batteries, inverter and controller it’s costing a couple of grand and taking up all the room in the shed.

7. All the disadvantages of solar power but more expensive and obtrusive. It stands a good chance of shredding any birds that nest in the eaves too, so not an option then.

8. Grid connection is possible and it’s even possible to sign-up for a green tariff, but it’ll cost an arm and a leg.

Have I missed any?

So what’s it to be? Simplest is the camping gaz burner. I could be up and running for twenty quid. And I might just go for that, but I’d like to be green if I can and I really like the wood-burner option, especially with a bit of coppice. Little pot-bellied stoves are £65 on ebay and I can make the flue for nothing if I make it with some bricks I have in the garden, and maybe even line it with tin cans insulated with ash. And the shed would look cool with a chimbly.