I was interested to see in your 17 July issue letters on global warming, carbon emissions and biofuels, a news story about generating energy in our communities from locally-grown crops while Viewpoint talked about heating our pools with 'sunbather' tiles.
Why then is The Engineer giving away flights as the incentive for me to write in? Call me a killjoy, but this is surely a terrible contradiction when air travel is a prime offender.
I realise the tickets are 'courtesy' of bmi, in return for a piece of high-impact advertising but if I win I think I'll decline the tickets and maybe you could send me a solar tile or two instead - or maybe the accommodation for a weekend's cycling holiday near to home. I look forward to seeing you lead by example.
Dawn Moreton
Carrs Billington Agriculture
Justin Gudgeon is right to put energy use research into a broader perspective (Letters, 17 July).
As the recent heatwave cools down, the great British public, having rediscovered the outdoors, will light up its stock of gas patio heaters, and at a stroke will cancel out most of the last few years of effort towards energy saving and reduction of greenhouse emission.
In one hour this stupid appliance, which cannot cook, generate or propel, pumps 15kWh of heat into the atmosphere - as much as an average house uses effectively over a mild winter's day. In doing so it produces 3,000gm of CO2, equivalent to at least 10 miles of motoring.
If governments wish to signal how serious they are about global warming, they should outlaw or at least very heavily tax the sales of gas patio heaters as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, engineers with a conscience should take every opportunity to curtail further development and use of these wasteful and destructive devices and recommend an extra layer of clothing if necessary.
Richard Osborne
Alcester, Warwks
Make your point to The Engineer and take off with bmi
How to enter
Write a letter to The Engineer magazine and you could win a pair of tickets to one of bmi’s European destinations, courtesy of our friends at the airline.
Flexible and competitive
bmi asked 10,000 customers ‘what would make a great airline?’
The answer was clear: competitive fares, more choice and less time wasted at airports. So bmi acted, introducing a unique fare structure on domestic and European short-haul flights to and from London Heathrow. Thanks to three fare options — including premium economy, with benefits including lounge access and flexibility — you choose the services you want, depending on your business trip.
What’s more, bmi has streamlined the passenger process from the moment of buying the ticket, to your passage through the airport, to boarding the aircraft. You can book e-tickets online and then check in online at home, in your office, or even on the move.
Alternatively, there are self-check-in machines and priority check-in desks at the airport. You can even use bmi ‘web points’ to check in online at the airport, if that’s more convenient. All this means you can save valuable time from booking, right until your plane takes off.
The prize
Try the smart approach for yourself, courtesy of bmi. The winner of The Engineer’s Letter of the Month prize for April, as selected by the editor, will win a pair of tickets from London Heathrow to any destination on bmi’s European mainline network.
Click here for terms and conditions.
The Engineer
April 1886: the Brunkebergs tunnel
First ever example of a ground source heat pump?