VIPMan

PHPP allows you to model this - in my case with a 44% level of residual moisture (from the washing machine specifications) drying indoors as opposed to outside on a washing line uses an extra 400kWh/annum. Haven't put up an outside line yet.

Be careful with the glazing specification. I note the g value above is 0.37 which may work in some designs but wouldn't have been in mine. 0.37 would be a good choice when trying to mitigate summer overheating with lots of glazing on a Southern aspect but will be very poor for solar gain in winter. Ug of 0.5 and g = 0.5 is more common which is what we went for on N, E and W aspects. We found Ug of 0.6 and g= 0.61 worked out better (in terms of PHPP) for the Southern aspect. (There was difference in window cost from Internorm) The software shown in the Rehau posting is free on the Saint Gobain website and you can play around with different coatings, gasses and glass.

Whilst I think Gimp has a valid point - apply your own ideas - this relies on having ideas. Talking to most people they, like us, are fairly clueless about design. They make progress by seeing programmes like Grand Designs and similar shows. We can't be the only ones saying "Like that", "that's horrible", "That might work", "look at those terrible Thermal Bridges". Sensible folk also visit as many houses as they can and talk to house owners about what works and what doesn't. As it happens we don't have "exposed ply board, large screen windows, exposed copper plumbing fittings, light bulbs dangling down, concrete kitchen worktops, grinded smooth concrete floors" but we did consider them all - if only briefly. I suggest visiting new showhouses of the mass builders for really generic solutions.

A Tumble Drier would seem surplus to requirements if you have MVHR and Passive House standards. We plan to dry our clothes outside but haven't got around to fixing up the clothes line yet. From moving in three weeks ago we discovered that clothes dry very fast simply hung out in the utility room. Still plan to put up the cloths line though.

Just enabled E7 timed input into my twin Sunamp PV setup - the surplus PV generation on cloudy days at this time of year is now problematic. My installation took place in January and I can confirm the very low standing heat loss I suspect we get more 'waste' heat from the adjacent Solaredge inverter. Capacity per unit is 'over' 4kWh (they claim 4-5kWh) . We required a capacity to supply 240 litres into the bath at 40 degrees and the system has always managed to achieve this.

Just to add that we also we went the IKEA Pax route - but only 3.5 linear metres. We just left the space for the units in the two bedrooms and they look very good for the £1200 or so they cost. We had the ceiling height for the 2.42metre high variant and they do have lots of useful volume that you can configure as you choose. We were sold on this solution after seeing them used effectively on one of our London Open House visits in a very expensive Architect's house

Used 10mm for the hot water supplies to all our taps apart from the bath where we used 15mm. We used a radial system which caused some initial consternation to our plumber but he likes the system. Longest runs were around 17m. No problems with flow rates or pressure.

We have a house with similar floor area and there are just two of us with a 5.5kWp PV array - so very similar. We went for a MVHR with post heater for heating and ventilation. Sunamp PV Heat batteries for the DHW charged by economy7 surplus PV. We haven't moved in yet but everything seems to be working fine so far.

Sunamp PVs are probably most appropriate where you have space constraints then you can take advantage of their energy density ( - using gross volumes about 3 to 4 times better than a hot water system) With the size of thermal store you propose, 750litres - this will lose a lot less energy per litre than a small 200 - 300litre system (surface area/volume effect). As long as the total heat generated can be accomodated into your design without causing overheating issues then the other main benefit of the Sunamp PVs - their very loss standing losses will not be than important to you. We only use our two Sumanp PV units for hot water and use a cheap 1.2 kW electric post heater in the MVHR supply for space heating. Our twin system gives the rough equivalent of a conventional 300litre system. We don't have gas by choice and use surplus solar PV and economy 7 to power the two 3kW elements in the Sunamp PVs.

Must have walked past B+Q when you were inside! (I was on the way to Wilko's to get Glenys more disposable gloves - the rate she gets through gloves applying the Osmo to the wood floors!) Today I said that I would pay a visit to recoveringacademic when we finish our project 'cos I'm sure I will get bored without a major project on my hands. Not sure what I could help with at your stage of 'the build' but I suppose I could hunt for newts. Ian, please feel free to pop around and check progress etc etc.

Since I've been asked for my experience re tented (sheeted scaffold) I thought it would be polite to respond. The architect specified this and we didn't quibble since our site on the edge of Lancaster is very exposed on the SW and NE sides with nothing much in the way from the Sea a couple of miles away. The wrapping seemed much the same as used on Centre Point in London for their fairly recent refurbishment work. Lancaster at roof level is clearly much worse than the top of Centre Point! We found the side wrapping lasted about three weeks before we needed the scaffolders back to re fix. Surprisingly the roof was fine throughout. I don't know what the extra cost was but the main contractor and I (I was on site every day) thought that it made the site much drier and kept work going when the site would otherwise have been too wet/icy and simply too hazardous to work. (This was the stage with no roof and windows.) Later in the build the sheeted scaffold was required for the external insulation to be applied and rendered in November 2015) If you can build quickly and avoid winter or build in a very sheltered site I think it is not required and the additional expense avoided.

I had a ATAG combi fiited in the house we are living in whilst having our house refurbished. They were recommended strongly in a gas boiler thread on another forum. Had no trouble with it in the last 2 years and the 10 year guarantee is promising - it seems to be built like a tank. I am not a fan of combi boilers and find the Sunamp PVs in the other house much faster in delivering a consistent hot water supply to the taps.