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Isn't one of the advantages of the new generation of mega turbines that the windspeed becomes stronger and more consistent as you move up out of the boundary layer above the land/sea

I don't thing the air pressure/density makes much difference over 200m. May r if we were sticking our wind turbines at 4,000m we'd have to account for that but the difference over 200m is about 1%

No. But windspeed surveys are done at potential sites over a few years. Weather satellites use lasers/radar to measure windspeed to a fine granularity at varying heights and air pressures. Air pressure is a key component in working out windspeed and the lower the pressure, the less energy extracted.

Think some of it is to do with earthing/bonding.

Agreed. Batteries are expensive. It's not an easy answer as you could spend thousands easily. I've been borrowing deWalt recently. And it is generally the high spec, so hundreds each. When I can't borrow I use my own Einhell stable.* The difference is apparent but both have their place. That drill you mention isn't top end so more diy than professional. But maybe that's what suits. You also have to consider weight. If you have a big drill with heavy battery it becomes a burden in a long day. Some tools need big batteries or always 2 more on charge. So yes try that. I'd also consider one with SDS. It depends what you want to do. The own brands are not such a great bet. I have 3 I really should throw out because they are broken down, out of alignment or just a pain to use. But I bought a Titan circular saw and a heavy breaker. The latter cost the same a 2 weeks hire: but is nowhere near as good as a hired one. There you are: not an answer. Tell us what jobs and how intensely used and it would become clearer. Btw joiner has switched from deWalt battery nail gun back to Paslode. But he's nailing hundreds a day. * currently with free battery from Wickes, so very good value for my work intensity. I've got 7 or 8 things and never a problem.

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/land-drain-and-ducting/wavincoil-land-drain-pipe-coil-100mm-x-25m/p/711879 or

OK fingers crossed. Spouse and I did our ceiling together, half each working from the bifolds back inwards, so were able to keep a wet edge going between us.

Rhetorical, or do we expect our man in the field to check this by drone or trained eagle? Perhaps the more advanced met maps tell us? A good point anyway.

We've got a 3m high gabion wall going up behind the house. Gabion designer has specified: "Wavin or similar perforated coil drain 100 Ø mm" Struggling to find Wavin products anywhere (rebranded as Osma?) Any brand recommendations from here? Unconvinced by stock at the local builders merchants. Naylor / Brett Martin have come up online... any thoughts appreciated.

Not sure about that but I do know that PoE cabling has been added to the 4th amendment of the 18th edition (current) electrical regs. Which strikes me as an overreach, are data installers going to need to become qualified electricians now?

Is it dead still 200m high?

I sold my soul to DeWalt some years ago and I haven't regretted it. The batteries last forever and stay charged even if you don't use them for a couple of years. The tools are very robust and well made and purr along like a sewing machine. You can pick up second hand tools and they will still work fine, even if the outside shows them to have had a hard life. They hold their value well for selling on later if you find you no longer need them. Some of the more simple tools like torches and sanders you can get aftermarket versions of that will work fine with the DeWalt batteries. As others have said - pick a good brand and stick with them.

The So are we! The issue is flashing, such a big room that however hard he tries the edge doesn't stay wet right across the room. Plastering is excellent.....no issues there.....all other ceilings and walls (new build) perfect, same decorator. Last roll of dice, move to estate emulsion/2 people/12 inch rollers.....have invested so much in this ceiling materials and labour wise😱 next step after that a disco ball and/or dark glasses!

Yes the connections have some movement as the seals are not on the end. Laser, water level or site level to check pipe height at both ends to check you have correct fall.

Yes but offshore wind is pretty reliable, seems to generate power most the time. It's dead still here currently - no wind, but the current energy mix is wind and solar, in NE Scotland

Who do you think pays for nuclear? Then managed for the next 1000 years post decommissioning - the tax payer

If you do battery powered stick with one brand so batteries can be swapped tools. Brands mentioned above are all good. But get a drill for drilling and a proper impact driver for screws and bolts, makes life so much better. Impact driver doing screws is a world of difference from a drill doing screws.

For brands, Dewalt and Makita are good but cheaper brands like Erbauer and Titan can perform well. You will need more than one decent capacity battery and make sure it will fit any other tools you are considering. Go for 18V and batteries at least 3.0Ah. If you get stuff from Screwfix or Toolstation it is easy to return them if they fail.

Those fixings would be ideal in this scenario for you.

First things first - what jobs are you looking for the drill to do?

When people say renewables are cheap, they are saying they are cheap compared to other types of generation - CCGT and nuclear. But the way renewables CfDs work, it's not a fair comparison for two reasons. Renewables are intermittent, CCGT and nuclear are firm power. A MWh of intermittent energy is worth less than a firm one. If the renewables generators had to provide the facilities to deliver electricity when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine (batteries, back-up CCGT etc), they wouldn't be so cheap. And they are in far flung corners of the country, distant from consumers, with a grid which does not have the necessary capacity. This results in curtailment where we pay them for electricity we do not consume, or incur capital costs to increase the grid capacity to connect the far flung places. The costs are there, it's just that the renewables generators don't have to pay them. Consumers and tax payers pay them. Renewables are a good thing but we need an honest discussion about what they cost.

Hello I'm building a house and it is a bit embarrassing having to borrow the carpenter's tools all the time. I'm was looking at the Dewalt DCD805 because it seems compact and has a hammer action for the occasions when I need it. I know this is a ridiculous "how long is a piece of string" question but I thought I would try. I'm not looking for something that can drill a hole through the stonework but I don't want to buy a cheap thing off Amazon and throw it away in a years time. I was thinking the DCD805 with two smaller batteries might be easier to hold than a single bigger battery. But that exclude Makita and all other makes. Anybody got a pointers or know of any super deals I can find?

@G and J Yesterday evening we got some reflected evening sun coming through across the ceiling again. So here are the photos. Definitely an improvement over the one coat cross rollered I think. I am surprised you have issues with F&B Dead Flat - is it the paint ''flashing'' or the visibility of flaws in the plastering showing up that is the issue ? Do you have any photos ? Here are some youtube videos I came across... https://youtube.com/shorts/CbXHbD7wM8o?si=OL-PgLa60o51VVwB https://youtu.be/u-LBkui6m7Q?si=k_exMHjPOKB7H_AF https://youtu.be/-jT9Iv1axFE?si=v8XDJR6DwHdMqYWB In our utility after the first coat of F&B Modern Emulsion I found I had spots where the paint was rejected/didn't take because there were some splashes of PVA on the wall. So I had to sand these off, then spot prime with Zinser primer, then fill and sand to level with the first coat. After a second coat you could still make out the repaired areas, so had to give a third coat to that wall. Annoying and time consuming. My plasterer recommended Toupret Renovation Skimcoat for remediating uneven areas. It does seem to sand down well and not really sag when covering indentations, so I do like it. Dries off-white though and seems to need two paint coats to cover. Yes we probably get over obsessed with getting finishes just right, and in 2 years time won't be thinking about it anymore. In my family I seem to be the only person that does the preparation work, everyone volunteers to roller paint on, but no-one else wants to fill, sand, fill, sand, prime etc. Shades of 'the little red hen'' https://youtu.be/JTCsL26vob4?si=4Gxs3MWoZgLH1wF4

Are they? They are obviously cheap enough that the strike prices of £91/Mwh (offshore wind) £72/Mwh (onshore wind) £65/Mwh (solar) Attracted over 14Gw of bids. CfDs are sort of a subsidy but only in the sense that any fixed price deal can be a subsidy if your costs are low enough. Unlike a guarenteed price, the CfD also allows payback when the price rises above the strike price, so it's a two way bet. The supplier know they will never get less than the strike and the buyer knows they will never pay more than the strike price. This massively derisks the investment.

Not sure I get the use cases of all the xELVs (elves ?) described in the link but still - seems reasonably certain that 48V PoE, 24/48V LED lighting, low voltage sensors, 24V Loxone etc etc etc don’t fall under Part P. And, of course, ethernet, RS485 etc. No reason though not to use sensible fusing, smoke sensors etc, particularly in high-current situations. I’m planning to use a bunch of ELV with fewer than usual 230V circuits.