Dreadnaught

Welcome. I shall be following your posts with much interest.

Tado has a control dongle the plugs into your router via ethernet. The remote radiator valves (if any) and the thermostat talk to it via Zigbee not WiFi. It was an easy setup in our case as I recall.

I suspect you are right but I did not set up our system so I am not sure it needs motorised valves. We have them. They are not fully silent — you hear a distant whirr — but its impressive at fine tuning room temperatures. The biggest advantage by far is the ability to remotely monitor and change the heat state. Even changes to the on/off timer programmes can be made remotely, which might suit you well.

We use this: https://www.tado.com/gb/. AFAIK it doesn't have advanced programming options to mimic your pattern. But using a smartphone you can activate the heating remotely to your heart's content. Not cheap when combined with motorised radiator valves but quite impressed by how it works. Edit to add: it can also be set up to turn on the heating when your smartphone comes within range and the range can be set to a number of tolerances.

For those with Apple AirPods, try ear defenders over AirPods. Tip: put the AirPods in upside down and in the opposite ear so they fit well under the defenders.

On this theme, I’m looking forward to reading Steven Pinker’s latest opus. Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0241004314/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ueMNAbGKDW05H

@Ralph I just went a read your "Hello" thread. Really interesting! Interested in starting a blog I wonder? I could learn a lot from following your journey.

Thanks. Blimey! I am contemplating my own build. Why do cost exceed £2000 per sq.m? Like Ben, I was assuming an estimate of £2k per sq.m would be generous and assuming it would come out at less!

Has anyone else listened to House Planning Help podcast HPH207 where Ben Adam Smith opens his tender returns? Punchline: Ben's tender returns all come back at least 50% over budget. I found it quite petrifying. What does everyone think? (For those wondering what I am referring to look here: https://www.houseplanninghelp.com/hph207-opening-our-tender-returns-with-ben-and-kay-adam-smith/) p.s. not a TV show but a podcast.

Sorry to ressurect an old thread. This thread has been an interesting read for a beginner like me. One note to add. When I met Janet Cotterell (she of the Passive House Handbook) she mentioned that external fly screens can also be useful in providing a degree ofwindow shading in the summer. She usually recommends them for this reason and for the reason already mentioned, that it more easily allows the opening of windows in the summer at night to allow hot-air purging. As we all know, summer overheating is perhaps the greatest risk with a passive house. I think she implied that the extent of shading is not enormous but better than nothing. I think she also mentioned that she had developed a way to model it in PHPP.

"Cochrane is a non-profit, non-governmental organization formed to organize medical research findings so as to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions faced by health professionals, patients, and policy makers." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochrane_(organisation) Its HQ is in London and was founded in 1993. It is largely staffed by volunteers. "Cochrane has approximately 30,000 volunteer experts from around the world."

An interesting and age-old idea. Bravo to you!

Just imagine what Drax needs therefore. The mad distortion of incentives! Sorry, off topic.

Did what?

Perhaps the last heating oil you will have cause to buy? Congratulations! With my limited knowledge, those results look impressive.

I would like them, if available.

Thanks @Onoff I love the contrast between authors. Your splendidly succinct answer compared to the equation-laden paragraphs I expected from @JSHarris Wonderful!

Interesting. Does PV silicon perform better when cold? Is there some sort of temperature induced drop in its performance? (Just general interest.) (Sorry to be off topic). Edit: look here for more info if you're interested: https://www.thegreenage.co.uk/article/the-impact-of-temperature-on-solar-panels/

Well said. I'm amidst that now! Welcome @Jamie998 (a reference to a Porsche in that user name?)

That makes eminent sense. Thanks Jeremy.

@JSHarris, @TerryE describes how he uses the concrete slab as his buffer. Is that not a better solution for you? Just transfer the heat for space heating straight into the slab? (I am sure that you will have a good explanation why not )

For clarity, on the subject of maximum output temperature: if a SunAmp unit only has PCM34 cells then it can output any temperature up to about 34ºC (good for under-floor heating but inadequate for central heating with normally sized radiators or for domestic hot water) if a SunAmp unit has both PCM34 and PCM58 cells then it can output any temperature up to about 58ºC (good for domestic hot water) In each case, within the device the output can be blended down with cold water to any target output temperature below the limit. In a unit with both types of cell in series, PCM34 cells can be used to preheat water for PCM58 ones. (It is worthy of note that I have not heard of a SunAmp unit in the wild that has PCM34 cells alone). if you would like even more splendid @JSHarris-style detail, I found this re-post by @Alphonsox from another forum of an entry by Andrew Bissell (SunAmp CEO) from September 2015 instructive — look to the seventh comment:

As I learnt from this site myself, they are two different phase-change material compositions. And it relates to them being tuned to different input temperatures not output temperatures. For example input from an ASHP will be lower than that generated from PV electricity.

Ah, oh well! Looking forward to their next product announcements.

Sneaky-peak photo?