SteamyTea

Most foams are polyurethane based, but can have other polymers added during manufacture, or diffused post manufacture. There are a number of different polymers added 'to the mix'. Acrylics are the most common, but polyolefin and ethylene propylene diene monomer are often used. Those two can control expansion times, water and weather resistance. Generally these slow expanding foams are open cell as it is hard to compress the air reliably in close cell, but also it makes them more dimensionally stable over a greater range of temperatures and air pressure differences. So best to create a secondary seal with a water and UV resistant sealant both sides, and tape if you can. I don't know the cost of a good product, but suspect it is a tiny part of the overall fitting cost.

Really just a case of looking at the overall U-Value you end up with. While I only have standard 4-16-4 glazing in wooden frames, adding airtight secondary glazing has made a huge difference to comfort, especially noise reduction. Overall energy usage has dropped significantly as well.

More botany than Physics, but I think it is to do with polar forces i.e. repulsion between surfaces, and cell membrane rupturing, which is caused by polar forces, but attraction to the cell nuclei, which breaks the cell wall. Quite simply, and as with most things, if it worked reliably, it would be common practice. https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_Kentucky/CHE_103%3A_Chemistry_for_Allied_Health_(Soult)/05%3A_Properties_of_Compounds/5.03%3A_Polarity_and_Intermolecular_Forces

Self cleaning glass has a tiny crisscross pattern etched into the surface. The ideas is that water droplets form easier (because of water's high surface tension and less glass area to act on). Not very good long-term though. We used to use RainX on the Steamroom ceilings, that worked well, as did a weak detergent solution.

Think it is a myth. If it worked, all rendered walls would have it.

Not heard of them having a protective coating. Usually slightly dimpled, low reflective and transmittance, toughened glass. Probably caused by sappy leaves off the nearby tree.

Roof integrated them, would hardly be noticeable to a passerby. Maybe a few pictures of solar slates as an example, put point out that there may be a difference. I drove past this place a lot and never realised it had PV, and on closer inspection, it could have been a much better installation.

What orientation are those panels at. Not really seen moss on south facing ones. But then we get a lot of rain and high winds here. Regular cleaning is probably the easy way. I have a floor cleaner that washes windows brilliantly.

Worked in the health and leisure industry and we called them bacterial breeders.

Not really that much difference.

Just ended up stuck there when I first finished university.

Having grown up in the Far East and the West Indies (very close to Caracas), I would have my home at 24°C and above all the time.

Found that old spreadsheet about ground temperatures. Quick, simple chart from it.

Mainly the challenge and CO2. The grid intensity CO2 is outside of my control, but then I started it was around 0.7kg.kWh-1. Initially I saved 30% by just managing my usage better. That was a no cost option. Changed to LED lighting (less than £30). I then started by spending some money, mainly £60 on some digital timers to limit my E7 window better (heat up in the last 4 hours rather than the first 4 hour). Then extra loft insulation (still got some more to add). Then I started the miserable job of draughtproofing, cheap to do, but time consuming. Then the secondary glazing (less than £200 for all but 2 windows, so 12 windows in all. Left 2 windows for escape routes). I also reduced parasite loads. This really involved making sure any standby loads were very low. Getting rid of a desktop PC and using laptops has made the biggest difference. There were setbacks, mainly my lodger who, until I beat her with a pointy stick, would stand under the shower till the water went cold. Eventually she learnt her lesson. If it was not more the orientation and the small roof, and having to spend my spare cash on bi-monthly visits to see my Mother, I would put some PV on the roof. As my DHW usage is about 4 kWh.day-1, I could probably get 80% of my DHW for nothing (I could also reduce usage, but I love my morning baths). To celebrate, I heated up the room I am in to 24°C this morning. Hansom it was.

Take me 20 years, but very little cash to to reduce my household energy use to below 3MWh.year-1. When I first moved in, it was around 11 MWh. This last year, I used 2,780 kWh. That is 335 kg of CO2. Feeling pretty chuffed about that as I have been warm, but never too hot, fed and bathed. If you are wondering why there was a big drop from 2022, that is because I fitted my home made secondary glazing (making my windows triple glazed).

I am just impressed that you used a noisy ICE powered tool on New Years Day. Glad you are not my neighbour, but it has inspired me to do more noisy things on a Sunday morning, I feel like upsetting my neighbours who have got into the habit of parking on the white, demarcation lines in the parking area. On a good day, I cannot open my car doors. (expletive deleted)ing wankers.

It is, by definition, not what it was.

A bubble. I think it is proven, but may have to ponder it a bit more. Then do a bit of modelling. Thermal losses can be quite accurately modelled using the cube root of the sum of 3 dimensions, 4 dimensions if you want to add in time. Or use a Fourier multiple sine wave calculation, but I never intuitely understood that.

Regarding the perimeter losses, a fairly accurate way to compensate for it is to work out the periphery distance, multiply by the square of the slab/insulation thickness. This will give you a volume i.e. 20m3. Spread that volume over the floor area i.e. 0.2m extra thickness over 100m2. That will compensate for the finickity losses. Alternatively add extra insulation outside the thermal envelope around the perimeter. The Kore slab system, if I remember correctly, has that built in as part of the design.

By the new mean yearly temperature. Ground at a metre depth is generally about the mean yearly air temperature. But as I mentioned earlier, it is more complicated than that.

No, just a dT of 20K. Somewhere I have a spreadsheet of ground temperatures, they are not as warm as people think and not very stable sub 1m deep.

At those prices (shows it is worth hunting around), and if my spreadsheet is correct, EPS comes out at £30 (0.35m thick) and PIR at £26 (0.25m thick per meter squared. Those are for a U-Value of 0.1, which in reality, is pretty good. If there was a 20°C temp difference (quite possible with UFH) and you have 100m2 floor area, then: 20°C x 100m2 x 24h = 4.8 kWh/day. That would be for a very cold day.

Excess can also be easily and cheaply stored as domestic hot water

Have you run the system though PVGIS, I think they have a storage calculator now as well, but not sure on that.

I must be bored. Here is a chart showing price comparison between insulation types. I have only got the prices from 1 site, and have used median k-Values. To get better results, do your own research. There is little difference between XPS and Phenolic at the 0.1 W.m-2.K-1 level, about £10.m-2. There is a 0.1m thickness difference though, which may or may not be important depending on how you excavate and dispose of the dirt. (as usual, there may be errors as I am tired)