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I hate to say it, we don't have the standard of workmanship or mass builders capable of achieving it. Training the trades will take a long time and a lot of "we know better attitude". All of them do the builds on the cheap, cut corners where and when they can. As an example, I wouldn't trust Bellway to run a bath. Smaller more independent builders have come a long way but in my opinion, we are still miles behind achieving anything like this on a mass scale. The recent warm grant scheme should highlight the amount of charlatans that are around.

I meant to mention this. A lot of suppliers won't separate out their costs in an estimate. I think a lot of people would be very upset to see how much of their money goes on materials in something like a heat pump installation by a typical heat pump installer. Also, for a lot of trades, this would be an onerous proposition. Imagine the effort that would be required for an electrician or plumber to provide an accurate estimate or invoice including exactly how many metres of cable/pipe, switches, valves, backboxes, couplings, etc., etc., etc. It just isn't feasible to quote or invoice at that level. We tried this a couple of times. Some suppliers would only give trade discounts to tradespeople. From their perspective, if they put the invoice in the name of the self-builder, it becomes a consumer transaction with all the force of consumer law behind it. Many suppliers don't want that risk and would rather keep it business-to-business.

ASHP may not be the best for this, as there’s a lot of time taken to recover a cylinder fully, time where the heating isn’t serviced, as the heat pump will do one job at a time only. Are you completely averse to staying on gas for 10-15 years? A gas boiler install would save a chunk of change and still isn’t a ‘hideous’ idea / route to take. Depends on your priorities and aspirations I guess, and also if you have somewhere sympathetic to locate a heat pump?

Stop fiddling!!!!! Be PATIENT 😉😊 You are barely into this by a week. This is not enough time for the system to balance itself out. Get the information from the manufacturer technical support you need to input a baseline WC curve correctly. Calculate your heat co-efficient for your house in W/K and use those to calculate your flow temps at the controller inputs. Then leave the system alone. And if you're tempted for reach out and make adjustments, slap yourself on the wrist and go do something else. Yes, of course look at the data to make sure it's running OKish, but let it do it's thing over at least 24 hours or preferably a week - as long as the WC curve is nice and low. Use this period not as a fiddling period, but one of research - gather data to understand how the heat pump is working in context - then you'll understand when it starts to cycle (if at all), what it really modulates down to etc. etc. I know you want to play, but heat pumps, big specific heat capacities, new building and all that do not like this. They want to chill out and relax, take it easy and watch the world go by 😉

If you are going for heat pump grant, photograph and record every insulation and airtightness improvement you make. Many will ignore these improvements otherwise. Get an official air test at the end of works. If you are doing UFH add at least 150mm of insulation (PIR) under and screed above or don't bother with UFH. A retrofit I would just do radiators, heat pump or PDHW boiler setup running Weather Compensation and/or room compensation. The boiler set up in PDHW will give almost instantaneously and endlessly available hot water. Others on here, have similar age building and with upgrading some insulation aspects run radiators at 35, with boiler or heat pump.

Not cheeky, just daft, sorry. You’d need a second circulating loop into a low loss header, and a re-plumb, as you’re reliant on the HP for circulating the water. Note that the Willis are 15mm too, so cannot simply ‘go inline’ as it would choke the flow. Whenever I fit Willis I always fit 2 so the 22mm flow goes through “30mm” of Willis heater(s), which some goons just don’t understand or appreciate. Some say 1x will work, yes it will, but 2 is less than £100 more, can go inline, and will offer redundancy and fail safe. Jet is to plumb them hydraulically identically so they both see the same throughput; so one doesn’t bypass the other and so both share the duty. Mike……”No” 👎. Not needed, and your COP will be 1.

I have Jeremy's old Stiebel Eltron 10kW instant water heater. It is on the hot feed out from the UVC to the bathroom pipework. It was fitted as a comfort blanket when only heating hot water in the tank to a low temperature, so a given size tank would not deliver as much as most people would be used to as dilution with cold would be a lot less. The theory was if you used up all the hot water part way through a shower you could carry on using it just like a 10kW electric shower. It is still there but I suspect it never turns on.

If you’re cutting limbs off trees and are super-pruning, then defo go for a baby chainsaw. Milwaukee do a nice one, but if you’ve already got makita batteries etc then Link

Get the family to safety, immediately!!!!!

Slates. Very expensive ones iirc!!

I am currently contemplating whether to go for a sabre or a small chain saw or a single hand chainsaw. I've never had a sabre saw. But have a dead chainsaw for lack of use. Why haven't I used it much? I found sharpening to be difficult, and it isn't any good for small works. Plus some fear... certainly not for use up a ladder. So continue this discussion please. Tell me which. I'm confused by how many options there are for battery chainsaws. It would get most use in gardening (heavy pruning) plus chopping pallets. And generally in joinery. @Nickfromwalessays sabre. @G and Jsays handheld chainsaw. any more votes?

Thank you all - this is helpful. It's all new to me because I haven't embarked on build - still looking for suitable plot, but I have a very god builder/project manager who will use all his trusted people i.e. roofer, electrician, brickies, plumber so they are a known quantity I'll use an example. Spirit Energy are a recommended renewables supplier. I want to purchase Sigenergy Battery and Viridian in roof panels. Last YouTube video I saw they had their warehouse stocked with Sigenergy as they recommend it and probably Viridian panels too. I can obviously look to but the components myself and get best discount but truth be told they probably got a much better deal buying in bulk. Would they divulge those material costs to me on a final invoice or would they just roll ito all up into the final supply and fit invoice, which as discussed for a new build wouldn't have VAT on top? I guess my thoughts are if the project manager wants to use his tradesman - let's say brickies as an example, I say to them ok - purchase the materials you need for this job using your best trade outlet and discount but ask them to put the invoice in my name and address and I pay for it at that time so I can see exactly the units cost - yes I appreciate there a wait to reclaim at vat at the end. Then their second invoice if so the supply/labour bill so I can see the cost for each tradesman Perhaps I'm overthinking it - as Jack rightly says you'll have an idea of the costs and of course I don't want to upset the tradesmen - important to keep them sweet

Is it heat pump specific? You need a particle filter as well as a magnetic filter to catch all types of debris.

If it's all new nothing much, enough to get air out. Circulation pump on for an hour, cleaner filter and strainer

Again check your install instructions - mine explicitly stated a strainer must be installed and you’ve provided one. It also says if you have magnetic filter they also had to be installed

Let the battles of SCOP begin, eah. And it's not even pure open loop, but actually has some room influence in the way of TRVs due to large solar gains! Shock horror 😁

Out of interest, are they NuLok tiles?

I have the filter on the outflow, an Intaklean unit. Nothing anywhere else.

Just lay a strip of hardboard and use duct tape to go up the outside of the profile and wrap it over the hardboard (or a good stiff cardboard) and lap the two ties over each other on top. Pour the SLC and leave to cure, then cut the tape with a sharp Stanley knife where the SLC stops and remove.

I'm just going to take my Stihl blower, a stiff brush a clay spade and spare bit of OSB - blow>shovel>sweep>mix>pour>level>cover> wait >polish my halo> uncover> tea, medals. I might scratch the date into the surface - or maybe play a game of noughts and crosses on the semi-dry surface.

Double check that Of there’s definitely not one, then yes it’ll need an auto air vent. Do as the good book says, because if you deviate you’ll be without warranty. Don’t ring their tech support to ask verbally, if you decide you’d like to explore this intensively, and ask them by email; if they say to use glycol in the book but say you can omit it, you’ll need that in writing.

Q3: How much"flushing" of the system is required? I've put it together and been very careful along the way. Happy to flush, presume that's what the fill flush valve is for, so I can have the dirty water exit before the HP. Just want to know how critical this step is.

Thanks guys. I shall check the manufacturers booklet again. Perhaps the actual flow temp anti freeze valve is best... I certainly don't want to compromise on CoP!

There is just 1 currently, as nick pointed out, on the UFH manifold. The pipes running upstairs are for a FCU and there is no bleed on them. Shall I add one up there?

We had a pressure drop similar to that, and it was a failed expansion vessel. Some damage had allowed it to rust through.