Roger440

Emphasis on "may". Doubt it though. With the best will in the world, there isnt any "body" that can idependantly enforce standards. They would need many many thousands of inspectors. That would be decades in the making, even if you could find sufficently experienced people. Which you cant, because they simply dont exist.

This ^^^^^^^ As i may have mentioned before (!), if we could actually achieve current regs, consistently, across the board, that would be a start. More regs that no one abides by is going to have no practical effect. I dont see any moves to tackle that. Though if you did, the end result would be the same, the flow of new houses would reduce to a trickle.

As identified by JohnMo, i was talking about your own solar, not the grids. Ie, your own solar panels will be at peak production when you are at peak air con demand.

Following my no electronics principle means only conventioal hard wired. Exceptional reliability proven over many decades. You are are welcome to put a bunch of poorly designed and manufacted, soon to be obsolete electronics in your house.

In theory yes. In reality, almost zero possibility. My understanding is that you cannot take action against, for example a BCO signing something off that was non compliant, even knowingly. They are protected by law. If i can, i can get sueing!

We fitted UFH to a house that was otherwise radiators with an oil boiler. Ive found it to be very succesful. Better than i could have though. I installed it up to and including the manifold which has a stat and pump on it. Then i got someone competent to connect it to my existing system. The stat on the floor is set to 40c. The UFH is buried in the slab, 120mm thick from memory. Its been discussed on here before, but digging up and relaying will likely cost a good chunk. Whilst you will have heatloss if you dont, that few £k will buy an awful lot of energy. Worth running the numbers and looking at payback. Id guess at decades, rathen than single digits in years. Especially with an overlay system, which gives you a (small) thermal break from the concrete flloor.

Yes, it is fraud. But its an easy one to do with minimal risks or consequences. Even if you get caught. Human nature sadly. Which system were you using?

I know an actual test is supposed to be done. But out in the realworld. A friend of mine had direct experience of that. They guy had no intention of doing an air test, just had a look round and asked what number he wanted on the test sheet. He was, literally, forced, to conduct the actual test. Same with electrical stuff. Need a certificate. No problem, just pay up. Just need to ask the right people. Im guessing you could earn a ton of money just sitting at home writing certificates for jobs other people are doing. Well not guessing really, because thats exactly what goes on. The chances of any comeback are near enough zero. Bizzare on the sealing strips. Never seen that. All the ones ive seen, and used, required a butyl strip applying prior to assembly. Accepted thats no doubt a tiny fraction of those you have dealt with. I shall bear that in mind if/when i do something with my barn roof. If it was built to unheated standards, then surely they would never have used (expensive) composite panels?

The panels ive seen (and used), you have to apply the sealing strip. Ive never seen them prefitted. Its common knowledge you can get an air test for a house to say any number you like. No actual testing takes place. I guess the same occurs? As ive said before, once you have a licence to sign stuff off, you can do whatever you like, limited only by your personal ethics. No ones checking, and no one is enforcing. Its a complete free for all. Like the wild west! The buildings in question were brand new. Just finished. Had we taken them, we would have been the first tennants. Would have been nice to have a warmish warehouse. Sadly, it wasnt to be, and an unheated one was selected. Mainly because the cost difference was vast.

There is no space issue. I could add another 100 panels if needed. So, you are right, cheaper to add panels. They seem to go for circa £100 a go on ebay.

Yes, looking at that, id be lucky to gain 2 hours extra generation from tracking on solely the vertical axsis. Its a south facing site with no obstruction over about a 160 degree arc. Might still add up over time tough. The mechanical side is pretty easy. Just the control of it. I did consider a manual winding handle, but thats definitely to much faff!

Sorry, may not have been clear. My intention was as per JohnMo, vertical or close too. Depending what PVGIS tells me. That angle would be fixed, but they would rotate on the vertical axsis to track the sun.

How did i miss this thread? Anyway, whilst my 4.5kw array sits on a pallet, its somewhat acedemic, but my intention was always to optimise winter performance. Which leads to the obvious question, in order to improve further, could the panels rotate to track the sun. I see you can buy such a device commercially, but it seems bonkers money, though it adjusts in both planes. I was thinking more simple like a rod between each panel with a ball joint each end with a motor to drive all the panels in one go. Thats all easy enough. Its how you control the motor to move the panels to the appropiate angle thats the difficult part? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Or is the improvement in production simply not worth the complication?

Im very aware change isnt going to happen. Apart from when a new minister has another whim, and knocks the subsidy on the head to funnel it to some other wheeze. Then the inevitable happens and all the installers disappear. Because, despite what you hope for, we all know thats what will actually happen.

Will be interesting to see if reality matchres the hype?

But helpfully excluded from any of the schemes.

Well of course they do. Its free money from government. Many of said companies are set up with that sole purpose, and will disappear the minute grants are switched off. Its not like there isnt any previous history with this sort of thing.................................................................. My facebook feed is flooded with such stuff, especially being in wales where the grants are up to £45k for rural properties. I checked a few of the companies at companies house. None were more than 2 years old. Doesnt take a degree in rocket science to work out whats going on.

This ^^^^^ The things people on this forum do to manage and optimize their ASHP are far far beyond what any normal people will do. Indeed, well beyond what a lot of installers will do. If, when people turn on the heating, heat doesnt occur, then as far as they are concerned its not working. Iceverges point about intermittently occupied houses is a very good point as well. If you have a pooly insulated house, and you only turn on your heating for a couple of hours in the morning, and again in the evening, then i could well see why a ASHP, even well specced and installed will either cost way more to get house comfortable during hours of occupation, or, operated like the gas system, then it will be rather cold as the heat wont arrive when its required.

Why would they? I know way more than most people about my house. The majority of the population dont know anything about wall construction. Its just a wall. And why should they know. They emply a professional in the belief that they will know. But how can they know the make up and efficency of a house in a 1 hour vist. Not realistic. Ive been here over a year and i keep finding things, mostly leak paths, that i didnt know about. Even now, if got cold outside air circulating under the back bedroom floor. How would an assesor know that? It has a BIG impact on the heating in that room.

I think you are completely over thinking this. Its a house. Unless the surveyor believes theres a structural defect, what you are proposing is just a paperwork excercise, with some exposing of work thrown in. All completely pointless. The house will remain the same regardless of the outcome. Nor is any buyer likely to agree. I certainly wouldnt. Normally, id suggest an indemnity policy. Buy it yourself if need be. Likely to be £2-300. Sadly, by contacting the coubcil about it, so you have now voided that option as the policy will specifically exclude you doing that. Sadly, you have also now removed the option to offer a future buyer said indemnity policy. As i said, if the survey says its OK, frankly, everything else is just noise. I doubt there are many houses around that have the ful suite of paperwork in place. Unless you acceot that, ill doubt you will ever buy a house. Sadly, solicitors have a job to do, but as Alan said, what it should be, is to advise you of the things you should ask for, but it is YOU that should decide. Sadly, they usually just frighten everyone with nonsensical requests. It was more than 20 years ago. Who cares!

Id agree with Dave. You need to wait and see what happens. On the basis of what you have shown, id expect to dry up pretty quick. But always a possibility its something else.

Doesnt matter how good you or i or anyone else thinks the idea is. We all know its not going to happen. So perhaps we should not go down thast rabbit hole and leave it to your other thread?

How wuill this make the installation better?

We are talking about retrofit, not new build. So how do you do that, on lets say, my house. Half is an 1850's stone built cottage (with, currently wet walls due to cement pointing) And a 1970's cavity wall extension. With some but not all insulated plasterboard tent with hurricane behind. And a flat roofed bit on the side which i dont even know the construction of. That had a EPC bordering on D with an actual performance of about L. I guarantee, even a really good assesor, isnt going to get this right in a short visit. Thats not realistic. But everything about the installation hinges on this assesment being correct.

So my point stands. No guarantee, all on the owner. Lets be realistic, on an old house of dubious or unknown construction, without very extensive work and some airflow testing, how can it ever be accurate. Id go as far as to suggest that majority of those heat loss calculations simply cannot be correct.