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This flat started as brand new as well. Everything ages. I'm not sure that I'd ever agree that it's worth buying a brand new oven because the timer stopped working. The replacement part was £250 (may as well buy a new oven). In the end I fixed it for <50p and some solder but I'm not most people. Specifically about the hob I don't see any immediate need, my point was you don't know what you don't know. Having the ability to isolate has been useful to me in ways I wouldn't have predicted. That's all I'm saying. I agree this is not an area for smart stuff though. (There are some clever uses of monitoring current draw of appliances in a smart house but switching on/off no).

I think it would be less relevant in a brand new house with brand new appliances, where these things are maintained / replaced accordingly. All hobs have standby buttons on them to switch them on / off tbh. That for me would be suffice.

Bidirectional Charger Availability in the UK Bidirectional chargers are expected to become available in the UK during 2026, with the first commercial launches expected in the second half of the year. However, availability will be gradual and limited initially. Nissan's 2026 Launch Nissan has announced it will launch affordable bidirectional charging on selected electric vehicles starting in 2026, with the UK as the first market. This is significant because Nissan has already achieved G99 Grid code certification with an AC-based solution, which is required to supply electricity to the UK national energy grid. The company aims to price its AC bidirectional charger comparably to a standard mono-directional charger available today, making it more accessible than previous estimates. Other Manufacturers Enphase Energy has announced its IQ Bidirectional EV Charger will be available globally in the second half of 2026. This DC-based charger delivers up to 11.5 kilowatts of bidirectional power and includes features like "black start" backup capability for powering homes during outages. Current Barriers in the UK Despite the promising timeline, the UK still faces regulatory and technical challenges. Current smart charging legislation doesn't fully accommodate bidirectional charging yet, and there are complications around: Standardisation of communication protocols between chargers and vehicles Tax and regulatory implications for selling electricity back to the grid Integration with existing electricity grid infrastructure The bottom line: While chargers are coming to market in 2026, widespread availability will likely take time. Early adopters may see options from Nissan and other manufacturers, but it will be a gradual rollout rather than an immediate, universal availability.

That didn't take long Explore More What are the minimum battery levels required for V2H operation? The minimum battery levels required for V2H operation vary by vehicle and charger, but most systems allow you to set a minimum state of charge to prevent draining the battery too low. Typically, you can set this between 20% and 30% to ensure you have enough power for driving. Check your specific EV and charger's manual for exact settings.

Sort of .... In case anyone was wondering, as I was, the following 5 vehicles support Vehicle to Home (V2H):- Hyundai Ioniq 5 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Kia EV9 Nissan Leaf Cupra Born You do need a bi-directional charger as well. With most car batteries seeming to have more capacity than your standard home solar batteries, and if you are considering one of the above cars anyway, then a bi-directional should be a no brainer decision IMHO. Except, they do not yet appear to be available in the UK 😞 - see later post. Further investigation required to see if there is an auto cut off feature for when the battery gets down to a preset level, say 20%.

My flat came with a multigrid style switch on the wall with isolators for everything in the kitchen. I'm really surprised at how much I've used it. This probably isn't typical but for me it's come in handy a lot, especially my kitchen is coming to end of life and things are breaking. (I'm avoiding replacing things piecemeal and would rather either do it all at once or sell the place with the kitchen as 'in need of refurbishment'). Lot's of things break in ways that don't stop them working but are annoying to leave switched on. Timer module in oven is best example. Oven worked fine except timer, but with oven powered the timer made a constant buzzing. In this case I ended up fixing it when I replaced the oven fan but in the meantime it was very convenient to have an easily accessible switch.

Assemble @AliG @Gary in New York @Torchia Currently contemplating a 350mm wall of 2 x 100mm concrete blocks, some type of insulation in the cavity and render to the outside. But. I’ve just come across these clay blocks which were used in a project that won awards down south. The interesting thing with these is you can do away with the cavity construction as I understand this can be problematic for builders to do right especially when having to fill with insulation at the same time. As I have the scope to build a wider wall, the monolithic single skin wall is most appealing. Plaster the inside. And render the outside, maybe with some EWI for added u-value busting. I want to achieve better than target u-value of 0.18W, but okay to land at this is costs determine. However I want to understand the costs of this method vs concrete block construction, and any other drawbacks if any. Or points of consideration. I can see some of these clay blocks would be able to meet the target value of 0.18W as just block alone. Whereas others would need a thin layer of EWI to meet this. My thinking is the use of a thin layer of EWI would give a total envelope of insulation externally, but that’s adding to costs. Would looking at a block that meets the target value with just a render externally be a better idea? Looking for advice and input to help determine if viable or not over traditional concrete blocks and cavity fill construction.

Why. how often do you need to isolate your induction hob ? the day you buy a new one, that’s the only time you will ever go near that switch. put a surface mounted box in the corner and get moved onto the next problem.

Anyone recommend a good flexible decorating sealant tha takes emulsion paints e.g. to use at junctions such as plaster and rooflight, skirting/architrave and wall etc etc

The advantage of this is being it fits within the wall better than others?

Yes it is massive. The induction hob has mutiple boost zones on it = max 11 kw. Unfortunately it is looking like the cables come out of the wall at the bottom of the cupboard position, so the switches will have to be behind whatever we put in the cupboard. Don't suppose you can get smart home grid switch modules that you can turn off remotely ? Switch Bot maybe ?

You could fasten the supporting ally structure to the verticals (house and garage walls) to carry the panels. You may need a support in the centre of the garage but this could be a non-fastened foot that justs rests on your flat roof with no penetration My solar panels are only at about 12° . The visual aesthetic was more important to me that the 5% increase in efficiency. Regards Tet

Magnet + reed switch is by far the most reliable method. Anything involving an IR beam requires an IR emitter, which will fail in time. PIR (ie, passive) is more reliable but won't tell you a window is open, only that someone is near a window. I don't know how manufacturers fit the reed switches if you order that option but it would seem feasible for them to install them in such a way that they can sense not whether the window is open or closed, but rather whether the window is closed and secure (ie the latch is engaged) or not.

When the cavity is fairly wide the risk of voids is almost eliminated with blown eps beads. Probably the safest choice. Also if they miss, say an entire elevation it can be filled later.

I hear you Gus but I'm not sure a SE is necessary here, shouldn't really be any point loads in an insulated raft - obv the external walls & load bearing internal walls will have the most loading but by design that should be spread throughout the raft.

Yes, the architect has specified ICs on the regs drawings but he has one that is right in our paving under the portico which isn't ideal aesthetically. I cant understand why your bc wouldn't allow greater than 8m, isn't it far greater in part H, 22m or 45m?

What if they don’t? Like you’ve built the walls, and then the beads don’t go all over. Then you’ve got uninsulated pockets of walls. I don’t like the idea.

'Groundworkers' are me and OH! We also have a 'digger man' with plenty of experience but obv need to set out the runs etc for him. We've not got a sand blinding just peagravel for the insulation to sit on so may just fill with that above the pipe runs in the slab area. Good thinking re the IC positioning, as you say far better to get them centrally in the paving. Yes, have considered services, ours is actually quite straightforward, both water & electric coming into the utility just inside the outside wall and will be perpendicular to the drains so a simple cross over. I need to calculate the falls so I know what levels the drains are at to accommodate the water/electric incoming but nothing too complex.

What was the cost difference between using PIR and the wool batts? Are there any alternatives to this specific brand? I want to ideally beat the new wall construction u-value of 0.18w. I did some calculations online using that German website I seen linked on here. Keeping a cavity at 150mm, the PIR on paper appears better. But that’s the topic being discussed here, theoretically it does. If construction doesn’t meet proper standards, how much of the supposed r value is lost? PIR achieves 0.15W Mineral wool batts gives 0.18W I can build a wider wall of course and throw in more mineral wool? Then for the lintels use split lintels and avoid the catnic thingies?

Anyone know if a solis S5 EH1P 5K-L hybrid inverter needs to have active PV connected to start up? I want to test the comms to its export meter and don't have any PV or battery connected but the unit is dead with just the grid AC connected and the on/off switch in the On position. Anyone know if these units will power up with only the grid AC connected??

It’s at the 10° pitch that you can declare the panels to be “self cleaning”; you can lay them flat and they’ll produce power, but they’ll be very dirty and efficiency will suffer on both counts. Anything above lower and you need to mechanically clean them annually, possibly biannually if there’s a lot of ‘nature’. Anything above 15° and they’ll perform well, but the higher you get, to the point they’re staring at the sun down the barrel of a gun, the better.

10 degrees is sub-optimal isn't it though? I thought 30 degrees was ideal.

This published Thursday and surprisingly the only mention I've seen of it. Not surprising. Maybe old news regurgitated.

In the rear of the boiler casing is the EV (expansion vessel), usually painted red or silver, and round. On this you will find a Schrader valve (same as on a car tyre) where pressure is input. Use a matchstick or similar to depress the pin in that valve to see if any air comes out (or worst case the diaphragm has ruptured and water will then be ejected). If water comes out the EV is RIP. If air (or nothing) comes out, then proceed as follows. Blow off the pressure of the heating system off to relax the diaphragm inside the EV, you can use a drain off on the heating loop or use the PRV, and then put a digital tyre pressure gauge (or connect a pump with a gauge) on it and take the reading. It should have minimum 1bar pressure but the boiler manual will tell you what it should be (I’d set this up to be the same as your cold fill pressure so about 1.5bar). If it’s at any less than 1bar you need to top it up. If you find no pressure then you need to top it up and see if it’s retaining the input pressure. It’ll top up PDQ so expect to see a result within 30 seconds or so, eg the pressure gauge on the pump starting to rise. If this is successful then you replace the cap on the valve and wipe your brow. If it is taking much longer to get pressure on the gauge then it is possible the diaphragm has ruptured and you’re now back pressurising the entire heating circuit with air, which will eventually give you a reading on the gauge on the boiler as well as the gauge on the pump. This is the final test and indicator that the EV is RIP. Then you need a new EV and PRV. Or, if you want to stick a band aid on this vs strip the boiler down, just buy a 3rd party EV and tee it anywhere into the heating pipework, preferably on the return side, and that’ll give you 6 months or more (until the boiler EV rusts out and eventually starts leaking).

You'd need to ask the manufacturer