newhome

ST = solar thermal

Exciting though! Be great to get the bifolds in.

Lol, I thought you meant @Onoff‘s ceiling!

It can be a such a nightmare with builders can’t it!! Things are starting to take shape though which is nice to see. Assume that’s the old cottage next door? Don’t quote me but I think you need to start a new blog post when you do a new entry. These comments are just for the entry contained above, ie your 3rd Time Lucky post. Is that right @PeterW?

= even less than you

Because you have to pay to have one installed and some of the costs are still based on Council tax band anyway. They seem to discourage people from having one up here. Plus as it’s part and parcel of the council tax bill I get a 25% single occupancy discount just now.

Wear your work clothes and park the Porsche out of sight My neighbours struggled to get someone to redo 3 walls that enclosed a decking area. She waited 4 months or so to actually get someone who could fit it in their schedule and paid accordingly as it was a name your price affair in the end pretty much.

Not sure re the 8p. It was 6p up until Feb! And 10p for standard as they ‘forgot’ to move me from a 2014 tariff. Damn them for catching up with me . The best way of cutting heating bills is to clearly to have your energy company forget about you! Water meters are the exception here. Water charges are wrapped up with Council tax so I’ll pay quite a bit for my band G house with relatively low water use compared to a family in a 3 bed semi for example.

Good to see you start a blog. Looking forward to seeing your progress. I think no matter how experienced you are ‘tales of the unexpected’ could be the title of pretty much everyone’s blog on here . That was a monster house you moved from! I thought mine was relatively large at 350m2 and like you, with just me here I have to heat it despite pretty much living in the kitchen / family room. The comment that you couldn’t live in a house a quarter of the size was interesting. That’s my concern when I come to downsize, and downsize I must at some point. When I’ve stayed in a holiday cottage I’ve found it too small to live in comfortably. What size house have you gone for this time?

don’t think my 50 year old house would have coped with that! I spent more time worry that water might pool on the roof rather than thinking of ways to encourage it to do so.

My heating rate is 8p so pretty cheap. Standard rate is 15p but there is a 27p standing charge. Ha ha, that made me laugh! I might move to Cornwall mind and bring my dogs with me ???

This may be irrelevant but a couple of houses ago I had a house with an almost flat roof. I think yours is too? Mine was 2 storey and the upstairs was unbearable in very hot weather. Downstairs was fine (same size glass installed up and down pretty much). It was an old house so won’t have been built to the insulation standard of yours clearly but I’m just throwing it out there in case some of your issue might be caused by your roof.

Agreed. I’m on the coast and generally there is a more than healthy breeze. It’s been so still here recently it’s been impossibly hot - in Scotland - unheard of!

Alongside the 5 year plan was a desire to see whether an ASHP might help sell the house when the time comes as it can be challenging to sell in this area and with the house on all electric I have @Nickfromwales’ snickers bar comment as an image I can’t unsee . Hence the reason for this thread to question not just the pound for pound return on costs vs energy savings but also to explore whether the installation might make the house ‘less scary’ to potential buyers from a running costs perspective . I’m already in Council tax band G that’s not cheap. If it ever works again I have ST so PV might not be feasible in possibly the best orientation.

Thanks. I’m led to believe that an MCS install would cost a crazy amount more than a cheap eBay purchase plus non MCS install, and that the RHI wouldn’t pay for the difference? Haven’t costed that yet however.

And it switches off / sleeps during down time a la the electric boiler, or does it continually check if the temp has dropped to see whether it needs to crank back into life again? Or is it called to start up via the heatmiser like the electric boiler is? Is it master or slave? Apologies for all numpty questions ?

Yeah cos you cowering in the corner comes across every day

How long does your HW tank take to heat using the 5kw heat pump? Temperature from and to and volume please?

@PeterW could Christine’s be converted to a blog and the heading changed please?

You need to start a proper blog @Christine Walker otherwise everyone will think your build is defined by extortionate prices .

The lengths you went to in order to conceal the matt were a waste of effort then The only thing to be afraid of now is the bathroom colour choice I guess . Just another day in Bidonville . See, those of down the hill had you guys right all along .

We’ve all been there I’m sure. Crisis averted, lesson learned, ask ask ask! No shame, just support here, in spades, from people who have walked your walk and sometimes been terrified.

I’m t’other side to @recoveringacademic about 20 miles north of Berwick upon Tweed. I’m pretty much finished (as much as you are ever finished) but happy to discuss what not to do lol.

Really coming on now and looking great. £300 is nothing in the great scheme of things and certainly doesn’t compare to the stress it caused you I’m sure. PS I don’t know what a Tony Tray is either ?

Have to admit I’ve been resorting to opening the bedroom windows on tilt when I get in from work that helps to cool things down a bit as that side of the house is shaded then, closing them when I go to bed, and then running a fan at night. The bedroom is about 22c which is ok in the living space but way too hot in a bedroom for me. 16-18 is my preference in a bedroom and I’d much prefer cooler upstairs than too hot.