Dreadnaught

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?

Fabulous! A few Unifi AC Lites (and perhaps a waterproof one outside too if you have a huge garden) and an (entirely optional) PoE switch and you're good to go. A glorious fast* uninterrupted WiFi signal will be yours! * at least as fast as your ISP will allow.

@lizzie that sounds like a real challenge. Hope you can get it sorted, at least for your new home. As a general point of advice, using wifi "boosters" within your house that themselves use wireless is far inferior to running ethernet cables between WiFi access points, even when using the latest "mesh" routers that in some cases use a dedicated radio frequency for the routing signal. It is always preferable to run ethernet cables if you can. Regarding WiFi access points, the better ones have protocols that handle seamless handover between access points. It makes all the difference. I have recent experience of two recent installs, one of which was in a house with very thick walls. The solution worked very well and exceeded my expectations. Of course, none of this can overcome a slow internet supply from your ISP but at least it removes one source of complaint. In your new house I do hope you have run some ethernet cable. Sounds like a Vodafone specific deficiency. There is no reason in principle why voice-over-wireless must exclude SMS.

Not so, at least in my case. My iPhone was not purchased from Three. Yes, its too much hassle in my opinion so I have rarely if ever used that app. Oh, that's a surprise. Have not had a problem with texts myself. Texts themselves use such tiny amounts of data that I am intrigued that they have caused you a problem. Oh dear! I am sure there are other threads on this, and at the risk of hijacking your thread, but installing a couple of Ubiquity Unifi AC Lites if you have an ethernet network will solve your problem. They are superb. https://unifi-sdn.ubnt.com

My Three mobile service also includes "Three WiFi calling". Phone calls are made over Wifi, both inbound and outbound, no special app required. Works fairly well in my experience and even in locations where there is no cellular reception at all. It is a service that is part of the mobile technological standard (IEEE 802.11). It is not a proprietary solution and just requires the telecoms provider to support it. Adoption seems to be widening but not yet universal. Might that help you? Although it might require a change of mobile telecoms supplier. And I believe it requires a smartphone such as an iPhone. But might mean you don't need a signal booster at all. Here's a list of which telcos support it today: https://www.4g.co.uk/news/ee-o2-three-and-vodafone-which-networks-offer-wi-fi-calling/ I think this is the relevant Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_WLAN

I like your idea better than mine. Could you have the extract not at the apex but as high and far towards what I assume is the kitchen and facing towards it, and the supply as you have marked it, facing downwards, so within your constraints maximising their separation. I wonder what an MVHR designer would recommend.

For the supply terminal, could you have the terminal not in the ceiling directing air from above and downwards but mounted in the internal gable and facing into the big air space to the left, located as close to the current location that you have shown in your diagram and as far as the internal gable structure would allow? Thus, could it be that the supply air could be directed into the big air space and so minimising the short circuit that Jeremy mentioned, perhaps using a special design of terminal that directs the air? I have no knowledge of MVHR ducting so disregard my idea if you wish.

Very good points. My word, these assessments are complicated!