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Finally time to say goodbye to Flux and jump ship to Cosy for the winter. Haven't paid a penny for energy whilst on Flux (including gas and both standing orders) and remaining credit should last to the end of the month so 7.5 months of free energy, can't ask for more really!

@Saul, is this to your liking, less than £6k (plus slab and wood treatment). https://www.quick-garden.co.uk/single-wooden-garage-with-flat-roof-silvia-f-34mm-cladding-4x6m-13x20-24m2.html

I think, sadly, we have passed the point where we can do things 'first'. We need to do everything we can do as quickly as we can. Had we been serious about climate change when the experts first told is it was serious, we might have had the luxury of 'fabric first'. But we ignored them and in many circles still ignore them. If the 'green' message is too nuanced, the carbon lobby will simply exploit it, claiming division and using it to sow confusion in a largely ignorant (or Ill intentioned) political class and public. So to my mind the message is simple. Insulate your home, get a heat pump, get an electric car and fit solar panels. If you can only do some of them, then do those. End.

Most tariffs require the provider to do ToD and within each quarter price levelling based on futures forecasting. This involves risk and this risk must be factored into any price-to-consumer calcs. I am happy to "self-insure" on such forecasting, as I have the cash floats to do so. I haven't done the sums yet either, but I have enough data now. Watch this space. 🙂

Interesting, though with all Octopus tariffs it depends... Cosy is ~16p/kWh in the cheap period though depends on a battery to stop that figure climbing outside the cheap period. You'd need to factor in the increased cost of times outside these figures due to your high base load. I've been interested in this tariff too but haven't done the sums yet.

I've done the 1st cut of two Perl scripts. (Sorry. I know Perl ain't too fashionable these days, but it's the first productivity scripting language that I learnt about 30 years ago, and I still prefer it for this sort of quick and dirty stuff than Python, JS, PHP, etc.) The first downloads the half hourly price data for the current Octopus Agile Tariff into a MySQL (actually MariaDB) table. I've written this so I can add extra days of price data from time to time. My meter is in GSP band B. The second does some analysis of the downloaded to do aggregated views. I can upload to my public files server if anyone is interested. Anyway, here are a couple of analysis cuts taken by importing the CSV data into Google Calc and exporting the charts to GIF: This shows how the average (ex VAT) pricing reflects the typical "Duck Curve". Incidentally my current Ovo E7 rates are 18.12p and 29.21p per kWh so a lot more overall. This second analysis is derived by sorting the half hourly price slots low to high, and this underlines the price advantage you can get if you can do load time-shifting across the day. For example at the moment I heat my slab during the E7 off-peak window, even though bunching the heating overnight gives a residual about a 1°C ripple on the room temp, but we live with this because doing so works at 40% cheaper than using peak rate. However I could just as easily use any N hours and also spread them through the day to flatten the ripple. We also need to schedule where practical cooking and use of cold file whitegoods outside that expensive 3-6PM high demand period and preferably use 10PM - 4AM in the winter or 11AM-2PM in the summer for peak use. Because I've got my actuals usage by half-hour for the last 5 years, I can do some "what-if"s to get an estimate of what switching to a flexible time-day-strategy will save us. PS. code: "AGILE-FLEX-22-11-25" brand: "OCTOPUS_ENERGY", direction: "IMPORT" display_name: "Agile Octopus", full_name: "Agile Octopus November 2022 v1" description: "With Agile Octopus, you get access to half-hourly energy prices, tied to wholesale prices \ : and updated daily. The unit rate is capped at 100p/kWh (including VAT)." available_from: "2022-11-25T00:00:00Z", available_to: N/A, term: N/A links: {"href: "https://api.octopus.energy/v1/products/AGILE-FLEX-22-11-25/", method: "GET", rel: "self"} code: "AGILE-FLEX-BB-23-02-08" brand: "BULB", direction: "IMPORT" display_name: "Agile Octopus", full_name: "Agile Octopus February 2023 v1" description: "With Agile Octopus, you get access to half-hourly energy prices, tied to wholesale prices \ and updated daily. The unit rate is capped at 100p/kWh (including VAT)." available_from: "2023-02-08T00:00:00Z", available_to: N/A, term: N/A links: {"href: "https://api.octopus.energy/v1/products/AGILE-FLEX-BB-23-02-08/", method: "GET", rel: "self"} It looks like I pulled down the wrong tariff. The AGILE-FLEX-BB-23-02-08 tariff is actually the flexible tariff for ex-Bulb customers; AGILE-FLEX-22-11-25 is the current Octopus one. Both are unrestricted, green, variable, monthly in-arrears, consumer tariffs. Hopefully their pricing is the same or very similar, but let me redo this analysis.

My heating is still gas at the moment, and a full battery come first thing on a morning is more than enough to get me through even a busy day with appliances, so going to stick with flux for now, I should have done it sooner really but to be honest was just glad to get a fully operational smart meter 😂

We had similar issues in our last house, the diaphragm in the expansion had failed. The plumber should just replace like for like.

Said it many times, acetone is the wrong solvent for polyurethanes. Works well with polyester and vinyl ester, while in the liquid state, but not with polyurethanes at all really. Use dichloromethane, but no one ever listens to me, even though I worked with polyurethane, epoxy, polyester and vinyl ester resins for decades.

Gosh that’s chunky, longest I have come across is 76mm. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rennie-Tools-Cutting-Diameter-Straight/dp/B0BQCJ3MHB

Same with the export, I specifically applied for outgoing fixed which seemed to confuse things even more, maybe an email to them would have been better? Usually the UI is a mess for 48 hours then it all comes out the wash. Indeed, it tops up the battery like the solar used to and six hours a day of cheap heat pump should definitely help with winter costs! I've parked all the complicated battery management logic and just gone for 100% charge in the cheap periods as cheap Cosy is close enough to Fixed Outgoing export to not faff about.

Had a look at this early today and worked out I would need two very large radiators at dT5, and not enough space for that. If I go to dT10 I assume the UFH would be ok. Using reasonable heating kWh required and 3 days electric usage, the CoP looks to be averaging a little over 5.1, that's including all the electrical equipment used to heat the house (pumps, thermostats and valves) and all standby losses and the crankcase heater.

In my view the plan B scheme does not require freeholder consent. Without intrusive works it will be difficult for the surveyor to conclusively establish if the wall is load bearing, but is is very unlikely. I would just go ahead and get the work done.

I'm sure that even the 1m from the boundary "rule" is a guideline and not mandatory. Its to discourage building even closer giving a "terraced" look. To successfully argue with the planners you need to find written copies of local planning policies and check every letter of the wording. Even then if you find the proposal would breach the guidelines the wording might allow the planners discretion. Can you afford to hire a planning consultant? If so ask one to look at the plans and possibly quote to submit an objection for you (if the consultation is still open). I believe this argument is wrong. I don't believe you need Planning Permission to change it from gym to office so they should take into account its current use as an office which is considered a habitable room. Make sure they are aware it was "converted" from a gym to a home office x years ago and therefore should be considered a habitable room.

Government report from 2017 on the hybrid situation Hybrid_heat_pumps_Final_report-.pdf

Export tariffs always seem to lag behind import I’ve noticed.

Are you sure? The drawing shows a space taken out of a garage, or at least to thd said construction, so like a store. Whatever it was intended for, the architect has shown it as a thinner wall than the house, to the same construction as the garage. The use of the word gym in the planning application may even have been deliberate, to minimise construction and cost. Can you check the outer wall thickness and construction? Easiest done at the window.

Personally I would go for a 45 amp switch, I just like things but be operating at max all the time,but it’s under 32 amps so up to you!

Yes a structural floor, as the house is built on a sand hill.

If you'd have bought this and some black TPU you'd have had a happy wife by now: https://store.creality.com/uk/products/ender-3-v2-3d-printer?

Could you mirror your proposed new layout so you enter through what is currently the cloakroom door? Then the toilet and its plumbing just turns through 90 degrees in the same corner as now.

Could you not swap the wc and the basin so the new wc uses the existing wc waste (which I assume goes into the floor) and the basin uses the ex. basin waste route so no alteration at all to the external wall. If the cupboard wall is non-loadbearing then no need to involve the leaseholder.

So common and a shame some builders can’t move with the times, insist on your way if your happy, architect is happy and your BC is happy then crack on, perhaps your builder will learn something in the process. If not find someone else with an open mind.

So there you have it. Lots of advice, and people on here are not your average, cautious types. Do it right, do it legally. But talk to the water company, especially about what you can do yourself. Generally they have no desire to dig trenches, and their quotes include groundwork contractors, which you can easily beat. There's usually someone helpful to talk to.

Thanks exactly how I'm doing my next slab.

CCS is like hydrogen, it is not worth doing.

I would a - leak is immediately visible (by watching pressure gauge). If water, do it with water and anti freeze or just air. I filled mine with water and Screwfix antifreeze and left as it was, pressurised until I commissioned the UFH. I installed the manifold on some marine ply and made a foot so it was self supporting and cast it into the concrete. Run standard 16mm pipe. I'm on 300mm centres 200mm will be fine. Depth depends on how you want to operate. 100mm deep allows batch charging overnight on cheap rate, 40mm maybe not. Not sure I would bother paying for pre pressurised pipes. Pert-al-Pert pipe is nice to use as it has no memory unlike PEX.

No problem at all. It’s never been against the regulations and is found in almost every property.

You are over thinking it. Light switches mounted on or in tongue and groove panelling are to be found in thousands of houses, not a problem at all.

Thanks Joe. Yes, I could approach the freeholder to prove that that interior coat room wall (change 3) is not bearing. But if I confirm (e.g. with a surveyor) that it isn't bearing, then I guess that according to the lease I have no need to get consent/license from the freeholder to alter it. (Note that the "plan" of the maisonette in the lease is not an internal floor plan, it only shows the plan of the exterior walls.) FYI I am the leaseholder, and the "lessor" who grants the license is the freeholder.

I just built a 7mx8m double garage with 2x roller doors and a door at the back. It cost me £3750 in materials plus my summer building myself. It did pole barn design with a tarmac floor (tarmac already there) . It looks great and works great.

Yes, it was a package contract from laying the type1 to power floating the concrete. We knew we were the first Isoquick installation in the country and so were guinea pigs to a degree, although we did have company technicians on site. We paid a fixed price, and all the extra costs due to the cock ups were covered by the company, who didn't quibble. There was a couple of weeks delay. Yes, and the fact the concrete was coming from too far away in warm weather. It came down to a good system, being let down by poor UK concrete laying.

Anybody looking for the JSHarris spreadsheet can find it HERE: https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=18333

As it's not saying % it's the unit prior to conversion to a percentage efficiency, so would read 97.4%. As the temperature get a wider difference apart the efficiency will likely drop. Not really being asked to do much looking at your figures.

It will be a new meter at the road side by side with the existing meter for our house. The pipe runs parallel to existing pipe for 25m then turns away for next 125m to the barn which is a knockdown and new build. The existing cow shed had water fed from the home which is now disconnected. we own both and are still on same land registry until we come to sell. In the long run it’s better it has its own supply but it’s two standing charges.

New build connections require a water meter. Farmers use mole ploughing for water connections all the time, yes my connection trench was inspected but it was dug by hand, as long as you can show it starts at the right depth I don’t think they would argue.

Got the drone up yesterday. First time the flat roof has been clear of stuff since April. Also did another tidy up so the whole site is now clear with the spare materials organised by type in one corner out of the way. We should have been getting the drainage finished this week but the flooding in the local area has held the team up on another site. I suspect there will be another delay due to the coming storm. Interesting comment from someone yesterday. I had the magic mastic man have a look round to get an idea of the size of the job. I can apply mastic well enough but he’s a bit of an artist with the stuff and his work is impeccable. He asked me where the heating was. I told him there is nothing in the house yet. He couldn’t believe how warm it was.

I am a more practical sort of chap. I didn't do any pressure drop calculations, I just connected it all, then spend a few hours with the borrowed anemometer measuring flow rates at each room terminal, and adjusting the terminals and adjusting fan speeds until I got flow rates that met the BR required rates. In practice after that, I reduced the fan speeds as it was slightly audible. Several years on no ill effects from running at slightly lower than BR required rates. I gather passive house required rates are lower.

Rant posting after digging online for figures to use in a friend's thermal model. When someone quotes their air changes as "1.5ACH" do they mean "at 50Pa" or "at normal atmospheric pressure"? The web is awash with figures from people who don't specify. Some are helpful and use "ACH @ 50Pa" or "ACH (50)" and similar. Others use "ACH (nat). I made the assumption because no pressure was quoted then it was normal atmospheric pressure... but from the range of figures I found it could be either. Is there an accepted meaning for "ACH" on its own?

It wouldn't be dark, the fridge lights would be on! 😁

I’d worry more about lifting it

You subbed the job out then?

As Alan says, and don't forget that as hand waving generates heat you should adjust for that in your calculations NOT

Let us not forget up until the 80;s the UK was a world leader in the design and construction of our own reactors. Some very short sighted thinking shut down the UKAE as not necessary. Now you know why we have to buy in any new reactors, designed and largely built outside the UK. Of course I don;t have a chip on my shoulder.