Temp

Definitely, I should have said.

The issue with ASHP is that electricity has historically been three times the cost of mains gas per kWh. So an ASHP needs to be operated with a COP of 3 to be comparable to gas. This is possible if the ASHP is sized and installed correctly. In fact it's possible to get higher than 3 resulting in cost savings. However if the installer gets it wrong and the COP averages only say 2 then the bills could be 50 % more or worse. In some bad cases they could double. To maximise the COP the ASHP must be large enough and coupled to a low temperature system (eg UFH under tiles or over sized rads). If its under sized or connected to rads designed for the much higher flow temperatures produced by gas boilers then COP can suffer. This proplem is reducing as new designs of ASHP are getting better at producing high flow temperatures. Others know more about the state of the art than me.

The massive tilt wasn't on the approved plans 🙂

@Jimbo37 Sorry I missed the reply in January. Its hard to remember all the threads Ive been active in. I didn't spot you are in NI until just now. Looks like the rules are different there to England. I managed to find this which is bad news but I have another suggestion below.. https://www.judiciaryni.uk/sites/judiciary/files/decisions/COOPER FINAL JULY 19 (003).pdf One possibility might be to challenge the valuation on which the rates are calculated. That wasn't an issue in the case quoted above, they all agreed its value. Presumably if it is/was uninhabitable its value would be a lot lower so the rates calculated should be lower? This might take the matter out of the hands of the local council to whatever tribunal values properties for ratable value in NI?

@osprey The vents are also used to support the first row of tiles at the correct angle - needed because they are the only ones without a tile below to rest on.

If they are UCF 205 the shaft diameter is 25mm diameter. That's plenty big enough. The one you linked to is pretty expensive for this application. I'd use two cheaper bearings one either side as per @markc drawing. To prevent the drum sliding along the shaft I'd use a pair of these collars fixed to the shaft using the grub screw. https://www.bearingboys.co.uk/Solid--Unsplit/CABU25Z--25mm-Shaft-Collar-SolidUnsplit-40282-p

Would only be something like one of these in series with the manifold loop pump. Pretty simply wiring unless I've missed something. https://underfloorheatingsupply.co.uk/product/pipe-thermostat/

If its a vapour permeable membrane and tiles I dont think it needs ventilating below the membrane and not much above it due to gaps between tiles providing some.

Could you ask them to mirror their proposal so the gardens are next to your house rather than the new bungalows. Would be low cost to the builder.

The boiler flow (48) is mixed with the UFH return (26) to produce the UFH flow (36). We can even work out what fraction of each the mixing is using to make the UFH flow.. 48X + 26Y = 36(X + Y) X + Y = 100% Solving these simultaneous equations gives.. X = 45.5% Y = 54.5% So the 36C UFH flow is made up of 45.5% Boiler flow at 48C and 54.5% UFH return at 26C.

Be careful because although pure Aerogel is the best insulation material the blanket stuff sold for house insulation isn't always massively better than cheaper insulation. In terms of the thermal conductivity lower values are is better... Aerogel blanket GORE Aerogel Blanket - about 0.020 W/mK Thermablok Aerogel - about 0.015W/mK Proctor Spacetherm - approx 0.015W/mk Phenolic board Kooltherm K5 - approx 0.021 W/mk Polyisocyanurate (PIR) board Celotex GA4000) - approx 0.022 W/mK. So i would expect. 150mm of an Aerogel blanket to be equivalent of 210-220mm of Phenolic or PIR. 75mm of Aerogel blanket to be equivalent of 100-110mm Phenolic or PIR.

https://legalbeagles.info/forums/forum/legal-forums/housing-property-and-neighbours/1402955-fencing-adjacent-to-a-highway-rules It continues with a case where a fence more than 2m away from the Highway was considered adjacent to it.

When energy prices spiked Ofgem raised the cap but not as high as they should. They kept it artificially low to protect people. It was explained at the time that this would mean it was kept higher for longer when energy prices fall.

Presumably the rated power of a coil in a tank only applies at a particular flow rate and temperature delta? Eg 15kW when the flow temperature is 10C hotter than the water in the tank? Something like that anyway. So I would expect the coil would not perform as well at a lower delta temperature. Can well believe tanks for use with heat pumps need bigger coils to achieve the same power throughput.

Dealing with climate change is going to cost a lot of money. Delaying starting is only going to increase the rate of spend we eventually need.

If the pipe goes up in the wall you normally need a 90 degree bend in the wall to bring it out under the basin. If you run it exposed up the wall you might get away with a large radius bend hidden in the floor. But the exposed pipe is ugly. If you use copper then you need a joint hidden in the floor. So either way you need a hidden joint. Buy the plinth base for the basin to hide the pipe?

+1 on seeking advice because I think there are special/different tax rules and relief on agricultural land in family ownership. I don't think you will pay second home stamp duty as you aren't "buying" a second residential property only agricultural land/buildings. Note that for class Q the building has to be in agricultural use. I wonder if the council might try arguing that once transferred to you the land its too small to be a farm therefore the building cannot be in agricultural use? It might be worth getting class Q approved before transfer to you but that might increase CGT for the person gifting you the land. Might be worth speaking to a planning consultant to see if theses concerns are valid. Certainly don't go removing any evidence of agricultural use. Note that storing cars or household items is also not agricultural use so some tidying up might be in order. Some councils go to great lengths checking old satellite photos etc for evidence of use if they don't want it converted. Other councils are much more relaxed. If you inherit or buy a plot and build a house or convert a building there is no stamp duty payable. That woukd only be payable on any future buyer if/when you sell it. Note that the Self Build VAT reclaim scheme is only available to people building/converting houses for themselves or family to live in not when building houses to sell for profit. Watch out for the CIL. You might be exempt but only if you formally apply for the exemption in advance and meet the rules.

Fresh cut/cleaned oak can look a bit white. If you just use Danish Oil it will darken to a honey colour but may continue to darken. Osmo Hardwax oil is probably a better bet. We have that on oak floors and looks great. On the outside of our house I've opted for one coat of Danish and then several coats of Satin/Clear Osmo UV protection oil (different product to the Hardwax oil). This seems to have halted the darkening process so it remains a nice honey colour. Osmo UV protection Oil on its own keeps the oak a bit too white for my taste. They do make different colours but I've not tried them. You can sometimes get small sample samples of Osmo products. Worth trying before you paint everything.

Youtube recommended this vid about the quality of LBC bricks..

You can always just use a pipe stat to turn off the UFH loop pump (or the whole system) if the flow/manifold is too hot.

Cant be too hard to arrange the tracks and doors to meet at 90 though? Just need to decide which one overlaps the other?

Sure looks like one of those "halogen bulbs inside a regular bulb" but with the regular glass bulb missing. Might have been like that for ages as it will work without the outer glass.

Either will normally work but do run it past your SE.

I usually persuade my wife to get out and open the gate.

We have a 25mm meter connected to 32mm pipe to the house. Seems to work very well. Haven't felt the need to upgrade to a bigger meter. Currently feeds two quite high flow rate showers.