paulc313

Hello, My father in law has installed all the pipework for out MVHR system and all we need is the unit itself, either a Q350 or Q500. We've had it on order for around 6months but are now being told it's not going to be here till September 2022! Does anyone know of places that might have them or alternatives? He is of the opinion that other makes can't be used. Thanks Paul

@ProDave So we have too many panels and too much electricity being generated?? Even with a south west direction and ASHP?

Sorry I know this has been done to death and the same questions have appeared in this forum but I thought I would ask anyway. I like the idea of PV panels, however after reading through this it appears that many people have said that if quotes are high - 4k - 6k PV it is not worth it financially. I'm about to do my loan application for renewables, getting an ASHP and potentially PV panels. We were thinking of putting them on our workshop roof which is much bigger than our new build. This is the quote I got: The workshop is in Aberdeenshire and faces directly south west. There are four of us in total and due to our circumstances it's likely that there will be one of us working from home every day during the week, most probably 2days both of us working from home. So could potentially get dishwasher/washing machine on etc mid day. Plus we will be using laptops/monitors/tv's on during the day as well. So I was wondering if you could tell me if it is financially worth it? How long will it take roughly to pay the sum back from savings? Thanks Paul

Evening, I have a small 'shelf' area in blue in the picture which sits above our front door and between the front door and the two veluxes in red. The void in black is where our staircase is going. Does anyone have any ideas for this space in blue? We can't box it up because of the velux's and can't actually access it as a space you could walk in. So our only idea was to turn it into a shelf and put something on it. Thanks Paul

@vfrdave Where did you get your stone panel cladding? - Assuming it is cladding!

Can anyone recommend any good businesses that deal in stone panel cladding that will send samples out? Thanks Paul

I've checked out DIY kitchens and they don't have the handle-less shaker style I require.

Has anyone looked into this supplier or bought a kitchen from Masterclass? They appear online and are marketed as 'affordable' high end kitchens.

Hi, My wife and I are at a point in our build that we need to start thinking about lighting design. To be honest we both don't have a clue. Would anyone have any good websites or guidance on where to start? What's new in the lighting world? Any recommendations based on experience of your own builds? Thanks Paul

Hello, I personally don't know anything about underfloor heating. It's my father in law installing the system. However, he's asked if we want the all singing all dancing system where you have an app on your phone rather than thermostats throughout the house to control it. It costs a bit more so not sure at all whether it's worth the extra cost. We will have a ASHP so I assumed I would just be running the heating throughout the new build house at 21 degrees all the time so no need for an app. Can anyone give some advice on if it's worth it? Thanks Paul

@ProDave Not overthinking this, it is a real and genuine problem. The airbnb my mum and dad have just lived in was built in 2016 with the ASHP sitting around 2 metres away from the ground floor windows and around 3-5metres from the 1st floor bedroom windows. You could hear it ticking over during the night with the windows closed. It wasn't loud but just an annoying noise when your trying to get to sleep. Re your point about the noise from oil fired boiler, I wouldn't put up with that either or even a gas boiler's pump.

Afternoon Everyone, We are going to purchase a ASHP for our self build. I have reservations about the noise from the pumps ( I work in Environmental Health and deal with noise complaint from them). Also my mum and dad just visited, staying in an Airbnb which had one and the you could hear it ticking over during the night which would really annoy me. I think I've found an alternative position that would make it inaudible but it is 25 metres away next to my father in laws workshop. We will be running a cable anyway from the workshop as were putting PV on the workshops roof to top up the hot water. I just wondered what the heat loss will be like with a 25 metre pipe that's well insulated, could anyone calculate this or know what it would be? Thanks Paul

@joe90 @ProDave Thanks. I've had a quote from a contractor who said the following for our house (it's a 5 bed 250m2 detached house): We would suggest this system is spilt into 2 smaller air source heat pumps. Downstairs designed with a flow of 35degree and the upstairs radiators with a flow design of 45degree connected to a 500litre thermal store to give the highest efficiency use of the hot water. Are they trying to get more money out of me by recommending two ASHP system or would this be a good way of doing it?

@ProDave Ok thanks, I'm just looking at all the options just now. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to these things. What happens when you may have guests round and multiple people taking showers one after the other? I take all the water in the tank gets used up and you'll have to wait a couple of hours for it to heat up again?

@ProDave It's for a new build. I suppose it's anxiety about using a new technology that we've never used before so want peace of mind that if something goes wrong at least the oil will be a back up.

Afternoon, I just wondered if anyone had any experience of an ASHP/Oil Boiler hybrid? An example can be found here: https://www.grantuk.com/products/hybrids/grant-vortexair-range/ Thanks Paul

Afternoon, I wasn't sure if this should go in the renewable section or Scotland section. I was just wondering if there was anyone on here from Aberdeenshire or the surrounding area who has had an ASHP installed. Can you tell me who you used and your experience of the company/installer? Thanks Paul

@Stones Can you tell me how you done your cost comparison? @the_r_sole Were thinking about PV panels to get it through the regs plus high levels of insulation (to be honest I don't know what the insulation levels will be, my father in law builds houses for a living so he is basically the project manager for that)

Hi, I'm thinking about using K-rend in a new build. Does anyone have any scare stories or positive experiences with the material after it's been applied? Thanks in advance. Paul

@JSHarris I've just been to a home building roadshow and spoke with some of the ASHP sellers. They advise that the ASHP needs a yearly maintenance check. They didn't elaborate on the price of this but I assume that it will be similar to the service of the oil boiler. Interesting that the ASHP has different settings. I'm personally looking to build in Aberdeenshire so would I get away with running it on Eco mode if I live in a colder climate than Wiltshire? The house will meet what the current build regs are in Scotland. I don't think there is going to be any more energy efficiency in the new build.

Hi, I've been reading that in the lifespan of an ASHP vs a super energy efficient oil boiler that the oil boiler is in fact the least costly option. Obviously there is going to be fluctuations in oil price etc But even with the tariffs available for the ASHP the Oil Boiler comes out on top financially. Does anyone have any experience of this? Or compared both? Thanks Paul

Hi, The situation for us may change where we have 85k for a deposit and can remortgage our current home to get another 85k so 170k in total. Our build cost is likely to be 210k so 40k short. I've phoned mortgage brokers who advise that it is 50k loan value minimum for a self build mortgage and even if I get a 50k one the fees are between 5 - 10k so it won't be worth my while and I should think about two personal loans for my wife and I. Does anyone know of any other type of financial product that may be viable in this circumstances except for a personal loan? Thanks Paul

Aberdeenshire

Hi Everyone, Our current situation is as follows: We currently live in a property worth around 200k and have 110k left to pay on the mortgage so have 80 - 90k to play with if sell We are looking at a plot that costs 95k but think we can get for 85k and my father in law who is a joiner advises that he will build it at cost so he estimates the cost to be £220k for the build We have 35k in savings We have spoken to a self build broker and they advise that taking into account our personal outgoings we would need an extra 20k from somewhere for a self build mortgage to work. My father in law has offered to take this out of his pension and we will then pay him back. He has also spoke about remortgaging his house to help us out. Obviously we are very grateful for these offers. He's only got a year left on his mortgage and his property is worth 500k. I was wondering if he could potentially remortgage his house rather than us getting a self build mortgage? If we can go down this road once the build is complete our house would probably be worth around 500k as well with no mortgage. I was thinking we could then get a mortgage on our new build property to pay off his mortgage? Obviously there may be penalties for paying off his mortgage early but I would try to avoid these and potentially get him to go for a remortgage provider than doesn't have these to avoid them. Any advice or experience of doing something like this? Thanks Paul