SteamyTea

The U-Value is of little consequence when looking at energy storage, it is, in effect, just the speed at which the losses happen (why it is measured in watts, not joules). Realistically, the U-Value will be similar i.e. your 1.5 W/m2.K, just that you have a larger amount to loose when you have a larger store. Better off spending your cash to get the U-Value down, you only spend that money once and it is a marginal increase in cost for the extra material, the fitting is about the same cost.

Those of you that are switching/have switched to a ToD tariff, can you keep a good record of your usage as well as the price (I assume the 'app' does that). Will be interesting to see what the overall savings are, once meter rental and VAT is added on. My power is coming it at 15p/kWh, but the last week, now that the heating is off, it is 18.6p/kWh, but my daily mean has gone from 23.8 kWh (87% night rate) down to 10.55 kWh (65% night rate), but that will almost halve in the net months. While it hurts to pay the high day rate to EDF, generally (this winter was a bit of an exception) my usage is very low.

Yes, or No, depends on the 'something else'. Energy cannot be created, it can only change its form. So, stored energy has to be created first, and this is where the confusion comes in. If, for instance, you need to raise the temperature of the building by 2° C, and you have 10 tonnes to heat, assuming brick/concrete, with a specific heat capacity of 0.8 kJ/kg.K, then you need 16,000 kJ (4.44 kWh), while at the same time as heating say 100 kg of air, that has a SHC of 1 kJ/kg.K, so an extra 200 kJ (0.056 kWh). But if you have a timber/insulation combination, you may be reducing the 10 tonnes to 2 tonnes, but the SHC may be higher, say 1.3 kJ/kg.K, then that initial heating load is reduced to 5,200 kJ (1.44 kWh), while the air heating load is the same. Now people argue that you get that difference (3 kWh) back when you turn the heating off, except some of it has leaked out to the atmosphere/ground. So by having a larger store of energy, you have a larger amount to loose, and as heat loss is non proportional, the larger the temperature differences, the larger the losses, and the faster those losses happen. Controlling losses, and gains, is the key to temperature stability, this is why people put blinds on oversized windows and have MVHR fitted. In the UK it is a rare day that the weather conditions are idea of stable passive heating, or cooling for that matter. Spend your time and money on insulation and airtightness, not on large windows, tonnes of concrete and aftermarket fixes.

First thing to do is an indepth heat analysis of your next build. Then you can start looking at what will service it. It is juts like buying a car. work out what it needs to do, then go looking at different models.

If he is a reasonable sized concern, and 50 employees says he is, then he will be doing a deal with the main importers and not fiddling about with local agents. He really needs to do his own research regarding the 'best' units as it is a combination of performance, reliability, easy of installation, commissioning, repairs. As a general rule, Japanese manufacturers are pretty good, but they do all work the same. Getting 50 plumbers to learn that it does now work or operate like a gas combi is going to be a struggle, he is probably best setting up his own training course. Has to be better than practicing on customers systems.

Time I am at work.

EDF have a habit of increasing prices, then dropping them again. Mine go up quite a bit next week, but I suspect by June they will be dropping again. EDF are in a bit of a corner as they cannot easily increase their nuclear capacity (and god knows they are trying to), and I am not sure they have spare cash to invest in OSW and PV.

They are probably trying to even out the usage so that you pay the same every month, regardless of usage. This is what monthly billing is all about, the energy companies cash flow, not accurate monthly billing for the user. This is why you get a discount compared to the standard variable rate. I have always stuck with variable rate and at the end of the year, it is within a tenner of the best deal I can get. Too many people have been suckered by the energy companies, and the mortgage companies with their long term fixed rates. Neither of them are doing the consumer a favour, and don't think they are.

Yes, date and meter readings. I assume you do not have an Economy 7 meter now, so just the unit number, but just in case you have not changed from E7, you will have 3 numbers to write down, usually denoted as T, 1 and . Write them all down, with the date.

is that because you are on estimated monthly billing? If so, they won't match your physical readings, why would they.

Your account will almost certainly be transferred to one of the Big 5 suppliers. Once that is done you can change supplier again. Takes a few weeks to sort it all out. In the mean time, start taking weekly meter readings just in case you have problems. Looks like EDF are dealing with it. https://www.edfenergy.com/content/welcoming-green-network-energy-customers If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

How has your usage changed?

That will be 4 kWh/day if it looses, on average 168W. That is £45/year at 3p/kWh. (168W/day is 168J/s/day. A day is 86400s, so that would be 0.00194J)

You not read Zoots tales of woe and incompetence then. Though personally I think his system is fine, just needs turning on for more than a few minutes.

Because I fitted it.

He may be able to get a system fitted for free, like Zoot did.

Generally LPG is more expensive than oil. And you can be locked into a single supplier. But has he considered an ASHP?

Russell Hobbs RH60IH401B

It is a bathroom, not a £20million commissioned painting. A bathroom, where ones shits, showers and shaves.

Assuming you have calculated it correctly, then yes.

My old IH used to pulse noticeably, the new one does not, even though it is pulsing. All I can put it down to is the old one had a temperature sensor. This is going to be affected by the thermal properties of the ceramic hob and the pots and pans. Have a look in the manual and see if it can be set to a predetermined temperature, rather than just power. Makes no difference to the quality of my cooking.

Is it David Blunkett complaining.

Life is like a shit sandwich. The more bread you have, the less shit you seem to eat.

Why stop at IR heating, why not Far Infra Red heating. It warms your bones up.

I added insulation around my cylinder, saved a couple of kWh a day. Though if you spread the showering out over that day, the HP can recharge it. If you take the showers at about the same time, there is no need to recharge until a bit before it is needed again i.e. early morning. Teach everyone to take shorter showers and the problems go away. I got my lodger to go from 25 minute to 4 minutes, or 275 litres to 44 litres. She smelt the same.