Dreadnaught

Certainly striking! Looking at the profile, I would assume it can contain a standard LED light strip. The strips come with a sticky backing. There are loads available on Amazon, and even "smart" ones from providers such as Philips Hue. Yes, a small controller would be needed but one controller can run multiple LED strips so you'd not necessarily need one per section. Strips can be connected together using various connectors which you can buy separately.

For ceiling APs, such as the Unifi ones, you can paint them (with not metallic paint). The cover comes off easily. You can even buy sticker skins for them. Ubiquiti's getting in on the game too. The new Unfi Nano has skins available made by Ubiquiti.

To me that article looks like it has been written by a marketing person. For example the flexible ducting I have seen being installed is indeed ridged on the outside but smooth on the inside.

As I recall your (lovely) site, @Russell griffiths, you have little or no shading from any trees to your roof? Plus, given the area of your land, might you even consider a ground array some distance from the house? My vote is: yes PV.

Good point. I might well revisit this subject with them before I sign on the dotted line.

@Red Kite, I have been discussing the various wall systems with MBC for my forthcoming build. You may be interested to hear that I have been offered a guaranteed 1.0 ACH/hr at 50 Pa for the 0.11 W/m².k, 140 mm open-panel wall. I asked if they would guarantee 0.6 ACH and they said no, that's only with their 300 mm passive-standard frame. Which roof make-up are you thinking of choosing? I am going for the pumped-cellulose filled roof option, 0.10 W/m.²k, which given that mine is a bungalow should go a long way of giving me much of the benefit of low decrement delay.

Except presumably in the case with the following sequence: one person away (so usage less than 50% of capacity on a given day), person returns and two shows the following day. Cold water on head at end of second shower?

@JSHarris to achieve your target 9 kWh capacity in this new de-rated world, you'd presumably have needed to buy an 18 kWh model (if such a thing exists). How about getting that up your stairs? How much would that weigh?

Ah I see. Good point.

Wouldn't it be better to have a PCM 34 Sunamp and the Steibel Eltron in line water heater between the Sunamp and the shower head?

@lizzie, found your original post:

Ah, its glass-fibre material, "textile glass". Intriguing. I wonder, does anyone know of anyone who has used in the UK? https://www.systexx.com/en/products/systexx-premium.html

Interesting. Not heard of that. Anyone got a link to a product?

Would you be using the PCM 34 of 58? 58 I assume. But, I wonder, is there a role for a PCM 34 cell too, @le-cerveau-style? Presumably not. Which makes me wonder why @le-cerveau went for both types of cell, especially when PCM 34 has had some issues, although I think those issues are now resolved. The mantra I thought I had learnt early on in my research about PCMs was that the input (not output) temperature defines the PCM to be chosen.

Here's a Wikipedia article on LEED's parent non-profit US company: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Green_Building_Council And on LEED itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design

Do you mean this https://www.livehome3d.com ? It does look good. Tempting. Shame you can't import a house plan directly from Sketchup or AutoCad (but you can trace it).

Thank you. That's nice and simple. Yes, I suspect the council will want evidence of permanence. I was mentioned, unprompted, on the phone when I called. Interesting question. Here's a picture of the device. It connects to the outlet. The hose is suspended vertically in the water to terminate just below the surface by the floating ball. This ensures a constant head of water so constant pressure so constant flow rate. The top of the hose connected to the ball, with the brass connector, has a mesh filter. Clever! To adjust outlet flow rate, if desired, I assume you can adjust the length of the link to the ball. A longer linkage would increase the flow rate, shorter would reduce, as this defines the pressure from the head of water above.

Benchmarks database…

Thanks @epsilonGreedy. And then Gault Clay underneath all the way to the centre of the Earth (or at least that's what the borehole that went 10m down suggests)

I admire the cut of your jib, @Russell griffiths

Fortunately that I do. I am a bit concerned about what such a tank should stand on. It will be 1.5 tonnes when full of water on a base that is 120 by 78 cm.

Good question. I think it is suitable. But I will double check with the supplier. Unfortunately, I can't have a crate-based soak away because none of my site is 5-metres from a building (a building regs restriction I think). Therefore the rain water will go into said tank and then drain slowly (at 2 l/s) into storm water drain in the road immediately in front of my plot and thence into the river just 40m away. Anyhow that's what I hope planning will agree to.

Thanks @PeterW. That's very helpful information. Am reading it all now!

After I posted this above, one of the online suppliers of tanks offered to do the necessary calculations for me for £200 + VAT, which would be reimbursable against the cost of a tank. Sounds tempting. Is that a good deal?

With your collective help, I have progressed a little further my drainage but now would welcome a bit more help. My roof area is 168 m2. The rainfall intensity is 0.014 litres/second/m2 from Building Regs. This gives a surface water drainage rate of 2.35 litres/second. I need to get this down to 2.0 litres/second for planning so am thinking to use an attenuation tank like the one below. This one happens to be 1,500 litres. How do I calculate the size of tank I need in a way that would convince my local council's drains person? Or is this the point where I need to involve an drains engineer? Any help appreciated.