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For anyone who might pick up this thread... We've now been told by Western Power that the rules are changing from April 2023 and the customer will no longer be required to pay for infrastructure upgrades! So there will just be a set charge for a connection regardless of the infrastructure upgrade requirements. A fair a sensible move I would say.

You are clearly in the wrong place.

Looks like I have managed to find an option 2 based solution. My preferred sand and cement based screed layer has a delayed job so if I add some labour to the team we can get everything done in a couple of days. With any luck it will all be done (and I will need a chiropractor) by this time next week.

Solar, good electric production in summer, but much lower in winter. Don't bank on it doing much to lower heating bills, unless you have a huge amount of PV installed. In spring, summer and autumn most of your hot water production should come from solar. How well insulated and airtight is the house? Your house is just under twice the size of ours and we have a heat load of around 3kW at -5 degC. You need to get the sizing of the heat pump right, that is the first thing, they are not as forgiving as say a gas boiler for being oversized. UFH is better, but radiators can also be done, with oversized radiators. UFH needs a well insulated floor, otherwise you loose too much heat downwards, and have to run the UFH hotter to compensate... What stage is your build at? What is your current wall, floor and roof buildup with respect insulation?

It's different for different people. For example, some think the forum is about unpaid volunteers giving up their time to help people. For others, it's about snapping at people trying to help, just because they don't like the answers they're getting.

We aren't towpath side so they would struggle unless they were hanging off them and pulled them in when they get stuck in our garden. An idea worth considering though! All the boats should have poles so why they can't just push themselves off is beyond me rather than jumping off into our garden and then getting stuck when they can't get back on the boat! Some idiot ripped off our duck ramp a few weeks ago (hire boat). The marina from the hire boat company replaced it though and made us a much nicer one just in time for the ducklings.

Why not use the wire to the consumer unit as your resistor and measure the voltage drop across a length of that.

Don’t appeal - just resubmit with the new details of the site layout. You’ll be waiting 12 months for an appeal

Thanks everyone for all your comments ..it’s so stressful the whole planning system and after all your comments I called the tree officer up as suggested and had a chat… it was way easier than I thought… he said all I have to do is amend the build bringing it a further 2 metres from the boundary then he will pass it … this was NOT stated in the refusal … so now I will appeal and wait again ! I don’t get why they couldn’t have just asked us to do this before the decision was made it would have saved the council more work surely ? Anyway hopefully it it won’t take to long …thanks again everyone x

As said, depends where the windows are exactly . If they are fully within the cavity closer then run the strap fully from inside reveal to outside reveal. The window manufacturer should be able to advise as they may have a preference.

@yberllan do you work in the IMP trade yourself? Industry experience is always welcome. I watched Roger Bisby AKA Skillbuilder make a garden room last night from them and I was impressed with the kit of parts that turned into a building.

I see a different approach there to mine. If I am reading that correctly you always wait until the joule bucket is 3/4 full then turn on your bump load for long enough to drain the bucket to 1/4. If I am reading that correctly it means your dump load will always be on for a fixed interval, with the time between bursts varying? I took a different approach. I had worked out that a nominally 3kW dump load (immersion heater) would empty an assumed size joule bucket in a little under 1 second. So I chose to work on a fixed time interval of half a second. So in each half a second, the dump load can be on for anything between 0% of the time and 100% of the time. The half second means the joule bucket should never over fill or over empty and should comfortably fill a bit them empty a bit without overflowing either way. I have not attempted the detailed analysis of how accurate it is performing, but I do have a separate export meter, and the only time I get significant export is when generation exceeds what the dump load can export, and on a sunny day the import meter does not count up so it can't be far out.

No mate, we're on Go and our FiT payments come via Good Energy.

I did and I do not recommend them. Expensive and poor workmanship.

Yes it's true. The output drops with high temperatures. There's a characteristic in the panel spec called NOCT, typically about -05% per degree C increase. If the module is at 55C (quite likely in these conditions, the output will be reduced by about 15%. However it's not particularly important as a midsummer day with near constant sun is going to generate more energy than a cool cloudy day.

I haven't watched the whole video, but how long did they allow the house to cool before deciding it didn't work that well? I don't have temp sensing, but at a guess it's currently something like 20º C downstairs, with a 16º C outlet temp from the ASHP. Coming in from outside feels like walking into a deep, dark cave. It got to 37º C here earlier today, and it's got to be over 30º C upstairs. Perhaps the cooling effect won't be so pronounced in a bungalow, given you have a warm ceiling immediately above the cooled floor. That said, even if you only get a 5º – 6º reduction, that could easily be the difference between a tolerable 22º C and an uncomfortable 28º C. I know which temperature I'd prefer to be sleeping in!

================================================================================ Here is just one of many possible answers to your question. WITHOUT PREJUDICE ABSTRACTED FROM https://www.google.com/search?q=method+statement+for+excavation+of+trench&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB968GB968&oq=method+statement+excavation&aqs=chrome.6.69i57j0i512j0i22i30l8.13215j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Method Statement Contractor: The name and contact details of the contractor. Project name and site address: Insert relevant details. Site manager: Name, telephone number and email address. The site investigation will establish the engineering properties of the ground on which the structure will be founded and provide details on bearing capacity. This information will be communicated to the groundworks sub-contractor. • If the site investigation identifies any contamination of the ground from previous industrial uses, details of this will be given to the groundworks sub-contractor. • Provide utility services drawings showing the location of any buried services. • Where work has to be undertaken close by or beneath overhead lines, enquires will be made with the line operator to establish whether the line can be made dead or diverted. Where lines remain live ensure that plant is selected or modified so that it cannot reach the lines. Ground works sub-contractor to comply with guidance note GS 6 ‘Avoidance of danger from overhead power lines’. Prior to any work taking place on site the client / contractor shall: - • Use cable detection tools to accurately identify service locations on the ground and mark same. • Ensure that vehicle routes are carefully planned so that plant does not have to approach close to the edge of the excavation. These routes need to be clearly marked i.e. baulks of timber and/or fencing. • Consider site access from the public road onto and around the site before vehicles arrive on site, taking into account the site traffic management plan, the designated work area for delivery vehicles and the storage area for materials. Clearly identify and communicate this information to the groundworks sub-contractor. • Make welfare facilities available to the groundworks sub-contractor. Work activity Pre-start checks: The pre-start checks must cover the following areas: - availability of plant and equipment to be used; ground conditions; proximity hazards and welfare facilities. Ensure the excavation area has been checked for overhead and underground services prior to the commencement of work. Description of the contract: Excavation of the service trench with mini digger and by hand where appropriate (information taken from working drawings). Backfill will be by [...] ============================================================================= A search for the terms method statement for excavation of trench shows the following results (about 70,00 or so.) I am not an expert. The post above should not be seen as guidance or an example of good practice.

Forget rope between the posts. Hang wire between them and a "Danger, electric fence" sign canal side.

FWIW - going the main contractor route and paying the home counties tax (both of which will apply to @puntloos too I believe) the cost increase for submerged RWH tank (vs a standard soak away) was +5000 gbp on the quote, not 1000. That includes the additional much cart away, supply+install of tank, and the additional plumbing & electrics. Needless to say, we ditched the idea and got a couple water butts instead. (Our price was quoted 2019 so who knows where it stands today.)

It just says it has to be robust. so you could put in a 3x2 at the correct position rather than 18mm plywood(ing) a large area. inspector isn’t going to be pulling at them

My daughters smart meter shows export and they are on a standard price capped varable tariff with no SEG

A method statement is usually a document with all the contracting parties business details on it then project details and project location, responsible person etc. then a job description then usually a tabulated list of how they will do it all safely. They are odd documents to read and write because they usually spell out the bloomin obvious, mean really boring stuff - they have a place, but day to day they are a bit over the top for basic tasks. I have done a couple over the years but not for civils work. I usually take the P a bit when I write them and make them totally ridiculous because I think they are generally ridiculous for many tasks. If you are taking a nuclear reactor offline, fair enough, if you are transferring chlorine gas from a lorry to a ship, fair enough, but when you hear someone wants one written to inspect a light fitting you really are left wondering what to write. They are really about safety too, so not sure why your neighbour wants one. I once saw once which simply said, "Use common sense".

Insulation is far more important, as is properly designed glazing. Heat pumps do not solve energy issues in winter as they essentially become resistance heating when CoPs are considered.

I picked the perfect weather to be using an electric heater as a dummy load 🙄

Yes correct. Sadly can not find an edit option.

You do not want to be using a house supply for sheep trough ! You need to apply for a field supply as you only pay for the water element and not the assumed sewage processing charge which is based on water consumed. Bit of a gross generalisation given farming is quite tightly controlled. Bigger issues are raw sewage overflows from treatment works when it rains..

Your so fussy! Is this better? Quite Baroque...

I don't think You have to account for the water consumed by sheep in part G 🙂 I think outside taps are assumed to contribute a fixed 5L per person per day.

Not deep enough then. Many boreholes around me are only a few meters deep. Full if those careless farmers' pollutants. Farmers claim to be the stewards of the countryside. They are really criminal polluters who play in people's emotions because 'they feed people'.

Borehole.

I'm using the French term - there's most likely a different technical term in English. Fans are located so that air is sucked into the building, filtered, and, depending on the season, possibly heated or (as we are discussing now) cooled.

Part G of the building regs. Just do what they recommend, you can change things later.

So was this for a Party Wall Agreement ..?? and was it done using the correct letters etc ..?? Did he come back within 14 days and specifically dispute in writing or did he just try and tell you that you’re doing it wrong ..?? https://www.gov.uk/party-walls-building-works/reaching-agreement-with-neighbours You probably need to read all that first - and if you get solicitors involved then you need to get the right ones who know what they are talking about. You are wrong … Utilities need wayleaves, and you need an easement yourself as your rights are to your existing property, not the new one ! When you split off a plot you need to extend the rights, plus get the land owner permission to grant right of access over the private road. Do you plan to live in this new property or sell it ..??

You need to ask whether they wilt in the heat at 40C. One of the reviews calls them surprisingly flexible.

We looked into this too for our new build. We have a borehole so the thought was to reduce the water abstraction from the borehole rather than flashing it down the loo. Setting aside the ROI as that wasn’t a significant consideration, what point me off was: 1. over complicated plumbing for the house 2. failure of RWH pumping which seems to be a given 3. the mess it can make of cisterns etc. I went to see a few installed systems and had a sneaky peak in their cisterns and all were fully of black mould. My assumption was this was just bad design and poor ongoing maintenance 4. The size of the tank for it to make sense In the end we diverted the cash to PV/batteries. If you want to remove your lawn watering guilt completely then don’t water it at all. The lawn doesn’t really need watering and if you do water it, it needs a huge amount of water as too little water can encourage poor root growth.

Yes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity

Google found a calculator here but I've not used it... https://wrcpartgcalculator.co.uk/Calculator.aspx

I havent done anything that many others on here hadn't already done. The only slight difference in my setup is that I advocate for FF UFH in order to increase the ability to cool the house. Other than exposed pipes in the plant room (nothing is insulated yet), I cant see condensation/mould being an issue. If you were to use radiators then that would pose a problem. UFH pipes in a slab, nah.

This is starting to remind me of a 'zoot' thread🥷

It may have been my post about the borrow pit. The ideal rock for an access is called rotten rock. The rock can be removed by a bucket rather than a pecker. You can actually break the rock into pieces by hand and eventually it becomes a dust which is rock solid and water permeable. Our road has been in seven years and it has never had a single pot hole. I'm going to spread a thin layer of chips, later this year. On our croft, we extracted the rock from a raised area. We took a thousand tonnes out for our 120 meter access and for the site. The borrow pit was then infilled with clay and tree stumps. It's quickly regrew to the original condition. I asked our planning officer on the borrow pit and it was fine if it was returned to the original condition. If you don't have access to rock maybe a neighbour might let you take some for a price. Do consider utilities and foundation design as earlier as possible. More stuff at the first entry of my blog.

Yeah, don't use solvent weld, we know how that ends.

The minute you ( @Maria ) start doing the contractor's work, you lose the protection that DOMESTIC CLIENTS are afforded by CDM 2015. My ( I have a feeling -our- ) collective inexpert advice is to get your contractor to make the operational arrangements. Here is our extended discussion on CDM 2015 Please read it.

Does he own the drive ..? If not, he can take a hike as it’s nothing to do with him. MS (or RAMS to give it the correct title) is only required for HSE purposes, or where you are operating on a property where 3rd parties have significant safety requirements. For example we have to use them in a nursing home environment as it details how access for emergency services will be maintained. I would basically be having a chat saying “we want to get on and build what we have permission for, and this is slowing down progress and protracting the period he will be disturbed for, so please let us get on” Also… make sure your contractor get the signs and barriers correct when they close the road, and insist it is a full PPE site - that means you too. Boots, helmets, hi viz, no exceptions. That will stop him entering site as I can see him trying to interfere here when they do start and you need to make it very clear what the boundaries are from the outset.

Your contractor should do all this It will be Something he will do on a regular basis Methods statements are really generic

Agree with the above, boarded walls make fitting kitchens and wall hung appliances a dream

Different systems, different requirements. Roma system, is 20mm narrower than the width of the window. It allows a check reveal but it does mean everything has to be spot on.

Seems reasonable. I plead guilty for my early contribution to the apparently high power draw. My house was using around 7kWh per day back in April while I was away with no heating or DHW left on. One reason was a very inefficient 30 year old fridge/freezer which has been replaced saving around 2kWh a day. The other reason is the 1.4kWh per day of power consumed by all the "idling" devices in my house - TV/box standby, internet router, land line phones, power line adaptors etc, some of which will be culled as a result. All in all a useful learning curve! "Idling" Appliances W hrs/day kWh/day Router 12 24 0.288 Power line adaptor 3 24 0.072 Phone/base station 2 24 0.048 Night light 9 8 0.072 TV standby 11 24 0.264 BT box 7 24 0.168 Power line adaptor 3 24 0.072 Kitchen phone 2 24 0.048 Study phone/printer 2 24 0.048 Bedroom phone 2 14 0.028 Landing night light 12 8 0.096 Spare PLA (now disconnected) 3 24 0.072 Aerial amplifier (loft) 5 24 0.12 1.396 Fridge/Freezer (saved 2kWh/day) 35 24 0.85 2.246 Heat Pump Idle max 45 24 1.08 (PDF data guess) min 37 24 0.888 TOTAL IDLE max 3.326 min 3.134

Thanks for the reply, very useful points. Can I assume you don't find noise a big issue with them in bedrooms?

Each to their own of course, but I don't really get what the principle is? Is it a perceived environmental benefit? Don't forget that when you buy your water from your local water supplier, your money is also financing water recycling on a massively more efficient scale, investment in wildlife habitat and biodiversity enhancement, leisure facilities, investment in renewable energy, community support initiatives...

At a Victorian cottage I renovated back in the nineties we discovered a large underground brick and render tank that originally stored rainwater. The rainwater was filtered through a two stage sand filter bed and the water in the tank was crystal clear and had obviously sat there for decades unused. We found the original lead pipe that took the water to the old copper. I cleaned the filter bed and installed a pump and used the water for the garden for many years.