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Sorry I don't understand a word of this post (apart from credit to Rick bit). £700??? I pay £70. Selling the house? This is my first house, bought for a steal, which Ive renovated -with fantastic help- that fits me like a glove. A fluke gem which I'll never find another place like it. Besides, 9-years being bullied by sometimes viscous hatred by of a pack of locals, living all around me, which Ive mostly quelled with police help.. I refuse to be defeated, which IS to sell up; the very goal of the coward haters. Making me MORE intent, to stay. Despite the cold, & dreadful damp climate. I'll be watching a YouTube channel as to whether to dig out the floor: a similar sized stone cottage, with a HP, new owners with a similar skillset as me. That will give me the best guage of whether it is a good idea, or not. Despite the owner not being anywhere near as experienced as those on here. Yiu don't need experience, to tell if something is warm. To twll why something is. To determine why something isn't warm, too. It's intuitive. It's a case of living in the area, hearing of others with similar stone properties they find impossible to heat. The first 2 months here, I had a physical pain in my lungs, I knew 1000% was due to the climate. The heavy, damp, welsh hills/ valleys something or other local oddness. It wasn't something I made up, because it was a pronounced physical pain/ ache, which was the nearest Ive come to selling up. This pain abated when I visited few days in England, & returned when I arrived back in the local vicinity. It was extremely strange. Never had any lung probs, never known anything like it, anywhere in the world that Ive been to, including NZ/ Malaysia/ Thailand humid countries etc. This huge delbilitating chest ache did fully abate in time. In 2 months as I said. Now, I don't need a doctor to tell me this wasn't likely true, or that this area doesn't have some climate-related factor that was the cause of it. I just knew, 1000%, it to be true. It was true. You guys...... would dispute it till the cows come home. In fact, you did exactly this. Not you specifically s2d2. Sometimes, an area does just proove to be ----especially cold---- &/ or ----especially damp/ humid/ whatever that aspect is----- without some humidity reading froma gadget, dismissing it as nonsense. The same with warming this cottage. You can't. I swear to god that to be true.. that you just can't. Zoot

Meant to post these as well a few days ago. If you do choose a 8M UPS2 Pump then you can see from the attached that it should satisfy a flowrate of up to 30LPM based on your present flowrate of 20.89LPM at a Rad head of 3.98M.

Your monthly bill would have to be circa £700 to test this theory. It would be useful to know what your next bill actually is. I'm glad your noise issues are sorted and you've found some balance in the heated hut. If you think selling the house would improve matters then that seems very pragmatic. Do not dig out the floor and install ufh. It's a complete waste of money in your situation. All credit to @-rick- for thoughtful suggestions, unfortunately you're not going to get the answers you need to progress the train of thought, it's just not what zoot is looking for from this forum.

Firstly, not blaming you at all. You've relied on others to set them up (both times) and I'm not convinced either was done in a way that will fully work for you. There is plenty of evidence from other people with similar houses that these houses can be heated, physics says they can be heated. The only question is whether it's economical, which is why I'm trying to help you have another run at addressing this long standing issue. I know you've been around and around this issue and I know you are getting frustrated but the goal of being warm is worth some persistence. From what you've said it wasn't running as I propose at all. If the room is below the desired temperature then the rads should be on pretty much continuously (except when the hot water is being heated). The fact you noticed them regularly going on and off suggests things weren't working correctly. I've asked a couple of times where the thermostat is. I suspect the most likely reason for them going on / off is that the thermostat is located in the warmest part of the house so the system is stopping because it thinks things are warm enough. If not that, then there are other possibiilties. I doubt as it's currently set up (4 hours a day) it will be costing you more than the other system on 24 hours a day. If you set the current system to run 24 hours a day then it will likely cost more than the previous system because the water temperature is set higher but this is all adjustable and can be looked at so no need to panic. I do think you are not getting value for money out of the system as you are still cold and do think it's possible to do better. Earlier, I did a quick calc based on some Scottish government research for buildings with thick solid walls like yours. That calc suggests your heatpump is likely just enough to keep things warm in your place except during the coldest few days of the year. It was only very approximate because I don't know that much about your place, but the house is not huge and has a modern extension which helps limit energy needs. I don't share your confidence in this, there is some evidence supporting your view but it's not conclusive. There is also evidence that maybe you've never had a system that was set up to maximise the chances of success and there is also evidence that there are some relatively easy to fix issues that could be limiting things (walls upstairs causing the loft insulation to be bypassed). One of the big issues in your house is that the really thick walls means that once it is cold (and damp) it's really really difficult to then warm things back up again. As in it might take many days (even weeks) of continously hot radiators. The heatpump really isn't big enough to do that, but it is likely big enough to stop things getting cold in the first place, so long as it's given a fighting chance to do so. This is why I've been pushing for you to be ready for end of summer. How to be ready: 1. Get the engineer on Monday to show you how to: a. turn heating to - "always on" - "always off" - "timer" b. adjust the set temperature c. adjust the timer 2. Deal with the bedroom external walls as discussed. 3. If needed, arrange for the thermostat/heatpump controller to be moved to a cold part of the house 4. Possibly, get TRVs installed on the radiators in the warm part of the house (this is something that could be done if needed at a later date).

Sorry I was talking Uw, so frame and glazing (Ug and Uf).

Again, blaming me for the operation of the HP, rather than accepting some houses... are just impossibly cold. I said before Rick, I ran the old HP at a continuous setting way. I remember it going on & off, the rads dipping on & off, all day. Was this situation cause for my bathroom, kitchen, main room to notice an iota of warmth? No. Never. Not even for 5 minutes, in these 3 main useage rooms, in 5 years of running that HP, the way you keep saying it's best to run it. Why was it set like this? I've no idea: I presume the installer did so innitially. I never changed it. Freezing damn cold. YOUR chosen way of operation. The ONLY time Ive felt a bit of warmth, is with the new HP running at a non-optimal way. Why was it set like so (did I choose this? No). Because the recent installer set it the new HP to run like so. I never changed it to this setting. If it's running at an alarmingly high cost way, currently, then I will have to change it. Beacause I cannot afford to run it so. But it is NOT my choice, the way both systems, were set. They are too complicated for me to set them. I say as much at the time of install, & ask the guy to do what he thinks best. [[I never expected to feel any warmth either. I knew a HP is totally incorrect for here. Hence I only got it for the cylinder. I've been proven entirely correct that at whatever setting, optimally or not, a 9kW HP hasn't a hope in HELL of providing heat, in this cottage. Proven correct. I mean it's like knowing your own body isn't it.. YOU are the one who best knows it, NOT NOT NOT neccessarily, the doctor with the pHD!!]] Thanks, Zoot

Double glazing should be 1.1Ug or 1.2Ug argon filled 26/28mm, there is no excuse for it being higher. If it is, I’d be looking elsewhere.

Sorry but this is sanctamonius ST. My bathroom is tiny. It could only accommodate a small chrome towel rail. It has zero insulation, bar some loft fluff/ doubling up this too, made no noticeable difference. I've run the old HP at a continuous setting, with medium warm rads. And I've run this new HP at 2x blocks of heating periods, with higher rads. The bathroom was freezing cold before, most often seeing your breath & never one iota of warmth felt. The bathroom is also similarly freezing cold, wit( the new HP. This prooves, your/ anyone else's theory that "He's not running the HP correct, if he did so, the bathroom would have some warmth felt" absolute BS. Utter twaddle. The bathroom, is freezing cold, because SO much cold is winning against little heat. It is that simple. It is that blindingly obvious. Whether you have knowledge, & that I don't have as much as you, or not. It is BLINDINGLY that obvious, why it's freezing. THE STRUCTURE --NOT-- FKN ME OK!! If a bathroom is built like mine is, with zero insulation under the floor, zero insulation in the walls, built onto one old original freezing cold thick stone wall, north-facing, & doesn't have the wall area for anything bigger than a fancy towel rail.. it WILL be freezing cold. It hasn't a hope of being warm. It has never, ever, once ever been warm. Not even with a fan heater on almost continuously. I cannot stand this ganging up. With others all chiming in with the likes. It's mild bullying. And no help whatsoever either. You can't offer help?? then why post at all-? to glean a few likes to massage an ego is that the reason? Enough. Zoot

I'd be surprised if you could get 2G to outperform 3G without it ending up costing more. When I was recently shopping for new windows, I was offered a Krypton option and it pushed up the price much more than simply going to 3G.

You need a really good frame, or a good one and Krypton gas filled.

It’s the definition of ‘complete’ - As my planning consultant explained In law permitted development rights are granted when the building is ‘Completed and capable of occupation as a dwelling house’ meaning that the building has reached a stage of physical construction where, as a matter of fact and degree, it is ready and capable of being beneficially used as a home for its intended purpose. Relevant case law here is well trodden and is actually the reason why councils often rate a building for council tax as capable of habitation prior to a completion certificate being issued. The single line my consultant explained was whether it was ‘capable of occupation’. Building regs or completion certificate is irrelevant, it’s the state of the building on the ground that matters.

I don't know about the English rules but AFAIK they should just specify a u value. Good 2G can be better than poor 3G. Not necessarily cheaper, though.

Yeh i dont think I would consider triple if I could get sensible 2g at 1.1 u value. Can you still pass new b.regs sap with 2g in England though?

Cavity has its benefits. Very mainstream when it comes to finance, insurance and local skills. It's not always the best solution, up your way TF is more common.

Or don't do a cavity at all, and do externally or internally insulated.

Ok that's much better. If your walls are already at 0.18 then improving the glazing will see a more substantial return because they are now the weak point, by far. People don't always realise that even the best windows money can buy will lose three times as much heat as a BRegs minimum wall. And cheap 2G will be up to uW 2.0 which is appalling. Everybody will find their own happy place on the cost/benefit curve, but personally I wouldn't ever aim for less than 1.4 as you should be able to find that for about the same price as the 1.6/1.8/2.0 crap. 1.1 is widely available at sensible prices. In my experience the prices only tend to rise markedly once you go below that.

Have you done the sums whether its worth doing the pir?

We have a 200mm cavity brick and block build in progress. Before you committ, work out how you are going to source 200mm batt insulation, wall ties, insulated lintels, cavity closures, and so on. Although there are more products for 200mm cavities now than ever, several items are still special order leading to delays and costs you might not be prepared to wait or pay for. We have had lots of issues with these issues and would have built quicker had we gone for 150mm cavity.

Well you're not in England so can't comment on your regs but here if you add a further storey then you have to upgrade fire precautions etc. the regs do not clarify what use that storey is to be put to. In more general terms that's going to be a lot of work and expense to get from the upper picture to the lower, would it be worth it for less than 5 years..... and those slates look old.....

So no mechanical fans in kitchen / utility / bathrooms etc?

Try your local Freegle or FreeCycle?

Came across this Eco-ess Auto Transfer Switch -> https://www.eco-ess.co.uk/eps-auto-transfer-switch-bridging-the-gap-between-grid-dependence-and-energy-self-sufficiency/ while looking for auto transfer switches. UK company, manufactured in Stoke on Trent. Apparently it will automatically switch the whole house load from the grid/normal connection of a hybrid inverter to the EPS connection of the inverter. It sits between the main fuse and the CU. In our case with a Sunsynk inverter, 6.5kWp of solar and 15kWh of battery, we'd switch from grid to the EPS connection on the inverter on a power cut, so running from battery or whatever solar there was at the time. Might be an option for anyone with equipment already installed.

I've done both, woodcrete ICF is a good hydrophilic material I believe, but good airtightness and MVHR to capture any ventilation heat losses.

Restricting moisture sorbing and release to the surface materials (Gypsum plaster boards) limits the positive benefits of stable indoor moisture levels that natural insulations can provide. Not an issue with MVHR of course (unless there is a sustained power cut in winter with high occupancy) as this is artificially removed. Personally, I'd rather not rely on a mechanical system to stay healthy indoors. Horses for courses. And I prefer my straw hat to tin foil 🙂

fine in a warehouse. Punkah Fan is perhaps not a permissible term now. Also an option was a fan in a flexible tube down to ground level. I've been up at the ridge of a warehouse in a cherry picker in mid summer and it must have been in the 40s. C