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The RCBO is there to protect the circuit cable and the commando socket or 13A socket. The fuse protects the appliance and the appliance cable. They are different things for different purposes. Let me try the question again. Why a 32A socket?

Can you expand on this? You clearly have access to the regs and I don't, but why is this different from using a 13A rated plug with a 3A fuse? In this case the 'fuse' being the 20A RCBO.

No, it is not. Even if there isn't a specific regulation that prohibits the exact circumstance, it no doubt breaks a number of key design regulations, not least protection against overload current. What do you need the 32A socket for? If, as you note, you won't use 32A, why the insistance on having the 32A socket? I admit it is a confusing area. I mean, people sell 32A sockets to 16A plug conversion leads, so I can see why it might seem acceptable to use a 32a socket in the first place.

Yes

You'll already have consent for 3.68kw of export for the Fronius FIT system. If youre going to route the Fronius output into the Solis then the minimum export limit you likely want set on the Solis is 3.68kw?? If you set the solis to zero export then you effectively block any FIT export. If you're on deemed export payments then there's no obligation to export anything as you may use it all yourself but actively blocking all export is a touch different as there's an expectation that you can export any surplus, but dont have to. I'd have a read of the FIT guidance just to check that setting a FIT system to zero export is within the rules??

we have Unilux, although they were included as part of our build via our main contractor. I did get prices from Norskken and IdealCombi, but our guys do some volume with Unilux so they were comfortably the best price. Quality seems very good, and the reps are responsive.

Does he have a recomendation for a decent shaving foam? I've used up my dad's supply of original recipe Erasmic (Tallow based - I inherited 6 tubs) and their new stuff is beyond useless...

8 x 50m rolls, do you mean?

No, but I found 75mm was fine for what I used it for. Does that account for all butt joints and small off cuts you may have to add to certain sections to fill the area. +10% - is 311m - I would buy 7 maybe 8 rolls.

Thank you. I assume a 32a socket is also acceptable. I can't see why not.

Is 100mm width excessive, or am I better off looking at 75mm? Ultratape Rhino Aluminium Foil Tape seems to get decent feedback? Using Redbeard's suggested rule of thumb, 59 x 4.8 plus 10% gets me around 300m of foil or airtightness tape; does that sound about right?

I think the average energy consumption of a UK house would NOT have fallen by 20% between 2010 and 2024, as happened (if I recall the published figures correctly).

Yeah, I was wondering if Perimeter x number of boards + X% on top was the way to do it? At least it's a decent starting point, although with the roof, there will be more lengths of 2.400 to add into the mix, I guess, as each board will get cut down to size?

Every day’s a school day, which is why this is such a useful forum :) So is this the Airtightness tape that’s been mentioned? Would this get the nod over decent sticky foil tape, assuming a decent/conistant brand is found?

I went down the same rabbit hole 20 years ago and still have the Merkur razor I bought back then. I tried various blades at the time (although never got around to trying the famously too sharp "Feather" blades), eventually settling on the cost/sharpness compromise offered by Derby. I buy in bulk, but I have adult children who get through them at a prolific rate when they're home. Several years ago I decided to get a paper towel dispenser for the garage. I thought it'd be really useful, so bought a large box of 12x refills, because it was cheaper to buy in bulk. I'm about halfway through the first refill - at this rate, my unborn grandchildren will still be using them long after I've gone. Did the same with special Italian flour when we got a pizza oven. And pH test strips when I got curious about the pH of my compost and soil. It's a sickness.

With the G100 Zero-export scheme the Solis inverter with a smart clamp should stop itself sending power back to the grid which does mean we cannot buy cheap electricity overnight and dump it back into the grid for cash. I am fine with that as we have FIT.

Thanks, yes I forget to write down it was an AC-coupled battery storage system. Yes it is the stupidly high tariff, now at 76.90p.

Think mostly for external use and allows insulation to stay dry and not be UV damaged. But also rodents don't like chewing through aluminium that much, they will buy a simple first line of defense. Also use bait stations, which are the best method.

Is that why pipe lagging has foil outter and foul tape? Does that thin piece of foil mean a rodent won't try to chew?

My biggest LED challenge remains extracting bulbs from the couple of spotlight fittings that have them recessed, especially when balanced on steps. The usual technique is rubber gloves, but I also have about 6 of those rubber sucker things mislaid in different unknown places. These are what Mr Rumsfeld used to call "known unknowns". I don't do dimming, other than in my bonce ! I was emailing an "obsessed" gent yesterday from another forum. Like me he has shifted to wet shaving with a traditional safety razor with blades at 10-20p each, rather than pay £££ for 3, 4 or 6 blade slivers set in plastic. When Gillette moved their Russian Razor Blade factory to China, he went down the rabbit hole because of quality, and bought enough razor blades to last him for this life and the next. He sent me some "spares", and this turns out to be enough to last me about a decade at dozens per annum. I am sure that when build-hubbers pop our clogs, our sheds or store cupboards will be found to contain 3-lifetime supplies of something, bought in packs of 10x or 20x because the unit price was 1/2 or 1/3 or 1/4 of the single item.

I bought loads, by the box full, ended way cheaper overall. Ended up with about 8 rolls left, now have none. It's also great for overwrapping insulation on pipes and will keep rodents off.

Yes, the pipe does hold it's shape. It's not been too hard to work with, but definitely needs two people at least when working over the lengths we are and passing through walls. I guess it would be suitable for running your island feeds. I bought a simple mechanical pipe bender, which can put 90° bends in it once the insulation is pulled back. The bender cost me about £60.

Just double check the solis inverter will form a grid that the Fronius will recognise. Youre going to have to put in a G99 with your G100 so why not apply for as much export as they'll allow....the worst they can do is say no and leave you with the 16amp you already have. You don't have to use it but once you have consent it's there for ever.

AFAIK you can change a FIT system inverter to a hybrid with battery and that's within the FIT rules. If the battery is capable of charging from the grid then you have to change the FIT generation meter to a bi directional meter that can give a net reading of exported energy less anything imported. That then gives an accurate reading of what the PV has generated and the FIT payments are based on that reading. This is my understanding but it's not advice:) Our 5kw solis S5 does up to 5kw on its back up output without a separate gateway/change over switch which is enough to power the "whole house" less the high loads the OP mentions...cooker, ASHP, kitchen ring etc. The CU that the high loads are on has a manual changeover switch so we can connect it to the battery if we want but we have to manage all the loads so as not to trip the inverters 5kw limit!!

I used screwfix foil tape and it was terrible, very thin and not very sticky. Then i tried SuperFoil which I found in Selco, more expensive but very robust and sticky. You get what you pay for and would use superfoil again. It’s hard to estimate a quantity as I found I used more in certain areas.