pulhamdown

I have since discovered that it IS possible to have a 10 year old house tested to SAP standard, rather than rdSAP provided that all the relevant information is available. See link. EPC Case Study 6 - Passivhaus RDSAP EPC - 105A

That is exactly what my issue with the system is. My EPC assessor refused to look at any of the large amount of documents that I had laid out for him, icluding a three page specification report.. He specifically said that the rdSAP did not allow for him to look at documents, only assess the house on what he could see. And a SAP as I understand it, can only be issued once, when the house is being built. Hence my comment about the system being rubbish.

That will work fine for the original SAP, but the rdSAP precludes them from looking at documents etc, just what they can see. No wonder it's rubbish.

The problem is there is very limited scope to use initiative. It's a tick box system on a tablet. The "computer says no" was never more accurate, sadly

That's probably about the best advise right now!

Yes. That's exactly the position that I'm in. Fortunately, not selling. I can't see anything in the new proposed EPCs that will change that.

Hi. We built our house in Scotland in 2012, just before the EPC system became compulsory. So we are not on the Scottish register, but we had an EPC done and it came out as A100. We just scraped into passiv haus territory, with an airflow reading of just under 0.6 ach, but didn't get it certified. When we replaced our oil fired boiler with a heat pump, we needed a new EPC for the grant. So the original EPC was based on the SAP, but the new one was based on the rdSAP for existing homes. We ended up with a C74. Clearly something not right. The system is not fit for purpose, but how on earth can it be changed to make it useful for purchasers? Perhaps keeping the original EPC based on the SAP, and renewing that every 10 years with appropriate changes taken into account? The assessor who came to do our second EPC had never seen a "passiv haus" and clearly didn't really get it. When he saw our EPC of A100, he said there must have been a mistake, and that he'd never given a higher score than C75! I do realise that the current system faults are mainly down to the methodology of the rdSAP, and I believe there is a plan to change the system sometime next year, but I'm not holding my breath.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks

We built a near passiv house in 2012. At the time, we received a SAP report giving us A100. May have been slightly optimistic, but that's what we got. Fast forward 12 years, and we applied for a grant to fit an air source heat pump, to replace an old oil fired boiler, in Scotland. Heat pump installed, although a bit complicated as I wanted to retain our thermal store with thermal PV and a log back boiler, and working extremely well. We needed a new EPC for the grant requirements. The EPC was done, and we received a rating of C74. I knew when the guy arrived that things were not going well. He was not interested in the house specification documents I offered him for inspection. After showing him the current, albeit out of date EPC, he said he'd never given a rating higher than 80, and this house wouldn't be that high. He also asked if he could access the underfloor, in a house built on a 12 inch insulated concrete slab with underfloor heating! So after a bit of research, I realised why. When a house is newly built, the house is assessed by a SAP report. Once the house has been built, a RdSAP is used. Reduced data SAP report! So the date of the build is entered, and minimum building standards from that year are assumed! So my near passiv house has the same rating as the Barrett jerry built houses down the road! Also, mains gas is still the preferred fuel, as the data is at least 10 years out of date, so electricity is still provided by coal! I believe that heat pumps are still not on the system, so are considered direct electricity! Thus proving comprehensively that the current RdSAP is totally worthless, even in a standard housing estate house. So my £180.00 for the survey was a complete and utter waste of money. I will now find an assessor who can carry out a SAP survey, based on the specification of the house as built. No wonder the government is struggling to persuade people to build better housing! Who knew there was a two tier SAP system? Not me! Post Script. When I asked him how to improve our score, he said convert to mains gas, and install a wind turbine! You couldn't make it up!!

This meter was installed in 1969 when my parents built a Colt Cedarwood house. It rotted, so we built a new house on the site in 2012. Scottish Hydro took out the meter when we demolished the house, then put it in as a temporary supply, then put it into our new house in 2012! So they are aware of the situation.

The inverter and solar panels are both in the shed. It's a Sunny Boy string inverter, and connected to the house via AC cable. We are lucky enough to still have the old disc electricity meter in the house which runs backwards when we are generating, but not using the electricity.

Thanks for your replies. There are indeed other installers who I can approach, but I just wanted a second opinion on whether it was feasible or not. I suspect the original quote was from a company just wanting the easy jobs, rather than someone who fully understands the issues involved.

I am currently in the process of having a heat pump installed, and asked the installer for a quote for Givenergy battery storage. The house is 10 years old, and near passive. They came back saying they couldn't provide a quote, since my solar panels are on an agricultural shed some 50 metres from the house, although connected to the house. So my question is - can a battery storage system be devised to operate with the solar panels and inverter being situated away from the house? I assume the battery has to be located next to the solar panels. The electrical system in the house is up to date, and I have a Zappi car charger in the integral garage. Any help appreciated.

So, are you saying that Grant heat pumps use Carrier units?

I used Burton roofing supplies in Brechin. They have a depot in Livingston, but that's still a long way from Kintyre. Mind you, everywhere is a long way from Kintyre! They were very reliable, and good price for Cupa 3 heavy.

There's a lot of competition out there.

That's exactly what I plan to do when our oil boiler expires. We built a well insulated low energy house six years ago, but retained the one year old oil boiler from our old house. We have a thermal store, supplied by the oil boiler, solar thermal, a log burner burning our own wood, and three immersion rods. We also have a 3.7kw PV system. Apart from the expense, I can't see too many problems, except perhaps finding someone enlightened enough to fit the new kit!

How long would that distance need to be, to be considered too long for a monobloc ASHP?

Surely there's no "smart meter" bright enough to detect the difference between a car charging, and a dishwasher on a midnight mission.?

Apologies if this is in the wrong section. I couldn't access the one I wanted. Anyway, I see SSE has introduced a "1 year fix and drive tariff", allowing up to 2000 kW hours of free charging between 12.00 midnight, and 7.00am. A "smart meter" is compulsory. This looks like a no brainer when we get an EV, as we already have a fully paid off solar PV system. It looks like an off peak set up, but without a separate meter. Has their "smart meter" actually become smart? What's the catch?

Common misconception. A 32 tonne gross truck will not carry 32 tonnes, but will carry around 17 tonnes.

I think mortgage and insurance companies are happy with timber frame construction, but it is the outer skin which may cause issues. They like brick or block outer skin, but more risqué materials - such as cement board rendered over, or timber cladding, as our house is - are just too much for them. However, specialist insurers can often provide cover at less than "conventional " houses.

Crikey! The sun must be hot down in Notts today!

Firstly, thanks for your replies. It's always reassuring when others have noticed something similar. I'll try and get a closer look, as I have a Velux window close by. So, it sounds as if this is an external issue, and nothing to worry about, other than being a bit unsightly. Needs cleaning off, though, so I need to get my thinking cap on as to how to access the roof safely. Thanks

I have a 1.5 storey T/F house built to near passivhaus standard, built in 2013. I have a Vent Axia Sentinel Kinetic MVHR unit, which vents out onto the south east facing sloping roof. All around this vent, there is a sooty deposit on the slates. I clean / replace the filters every six months, and wash the main filter body in the bath every 12 months. All are scrupulously dried before reinserting. There are never any signs of soot on the filters, or on the filter body. Does anyone have any idea of what's causing this, and if so, what to do to remedy?