-rick-

They have API integration to inverters. On those with full integration I'd guess they have full reporting from the inverters. But they also support less integration and I think they can still support those because when signing up you give them permission to access the 30min readings from your smart meter. So they can see how much you export within those high reward periods (and this acts as verification for the API integrated case).

Yes this seems weak and prone to failure but it is an extremely common technique used by lots of providers. I think the calculation is that it's so vastly cheaper and quicker to install vs major street works that even with the inevitable repair costs they'll still come out ahead. Street works cut through normal fibre connections pretty frequently so even if you do it properly it doesn't mean there are no problems. This form of trenching is only used for the last short length of cable feeding a handful of properties. From there it will connect into a properly buried duct somewhere (usually rented from BT) to go back to the central station. This means any damage only affects a very small number of customers. All domestic Fibre to the Premises in the UK is using whats called GPON (or XGPON). GPON has I think 2.5Gbits down, 1.25 Gbits up shared between up to 64 customers, though I think the usual install is limited to 16 or 32 premises using passive splitters. The Telco will be able to add splitters as needed if they aren't preinstalled (though doing so likely interrupts service for the 16/32 premises on the connection so they will probably do the work overnight). XGPON is 10gbits down and 2.5gbits up IIRC. Newly laid networks may well be using XGPON and older ones GPON.

How wide is the plot? Just because your boundary fence height is limited doesn't mean you couldn't put something taller a bit away from your boundary. boundary fence, low planting, path, high planting/fence, sitting area, high planting, path, low planting, fence. Will fit in a 4m wide seating are if plot is 8m wide. Landscape designer will likely have lots of clever ideas for this that will be cheaper, easier to maintain and likely look better than a sunken area.

Might require a bit of DIY or employing a carpenter but if you put the medicine cabinet to the side but the mirror front on sliding rails you could slide the mirror out to a central position for shaving/makeup/whatever when needed. Edit: Or the inside of the door to have a mirror on it too and 180o hinges.

Not sure the details on how to evaluate existing stock has been published yet. All seems to be focussed on new homes for now with the intention to replace rdSAP in the future.

Have you tried putting the sink against that wall instead of the toilet? You might have to change the approach to the bricks (mirror where the nook is). Putting the toilet there means reducing insulation for the hidden cistern I think which could be something to avoid.

That's quite a dark and moody nighttime render. Worth doing one for the morning view as well. You look like you have plenty of space for a wide sink/table to put things on. As for space, suspect space around the toilet is more useful in case of aging/disability than around the sink but in a room that size everything is going to be a trade off.

Just looking at other peoples experience. It works until it doesn't and then randomly decides to delete a load of stuff. Don't give AI access to your main machine. Give it a VM with controlled access. Regular backups beyond the control of the AI.

Nice little benefit of moving the sink and mirror near the window will be that the mirror will much more reflect the light from the window and make the space feel a good bit brighter/larger I suspect.

I didn't get to the point of talking to them. Just reading the planning permission that had already been granted. Was a while ago so can't really remember more than I've said already. Edit to add: If you are subject to those restrictions be worth checking that your quotes haven't assumed you are (if the companies are used to working in Barnet they may have assumed).

Just been reading it now. With everyone forced to use the same calculation engine and the defaults being designed to be 'punative' the incentives for accurate data entry go up a lot. How that translates will be interesting. Definitely going to increase costs and I'm sure plenty of lazy accessors will try to find ways to be lazy but will probably lead to more accuracy overall. Going to be annoying from a scheduling point of view if you have to specify a lot of this detail early in the design. Pipe diameters, length, flow rates per outlet, make/model of mhvr/heatpump/hot water cylinder/etc.

I doubt cutting internet cables would be a big enough shock (there are too many). But a week without working internet would likely do most people some good. (Any more and logistics start to break in really bad ways)

I looked at a plot in Barnet. The council had all sorts of restrictions on using the street and co-ordination of works*, though it sounds like a more constrained plot than yours. Is this an issue for you? I'm sure it will add substantial cost if so. * They wanted an off-site mustering point for workers (no parking on the street), restricted access times, advanced co-ordination of movements, regular communication with local residents.

I'm surprised how much better that looks. I thought it would be an improvement but it's better than I imagined. Not sure if the mirror now ends up too high but it looks nice on the render. Probably not worth too much further work until you are a bit further along. Still, do bear in mind trying to keep a single line going from the windowsill, through the second shelf on the nook*, through to the level of the nook in the shower and, bonus for points, to the level of the handle on the shower door * You could adjust the lowest point of the nook to maintain spacing or switch to 3 shelves rather than 4. Maybe. Not an area I feel knowledgable enough with to answer. Sure someone else can say more though.

I know this topic is mostly talking about waste but you did mention design as well. I have a some thoughts with the above if you don't mind: 1. Overall I like it. The window cill/shelf aligning is great. Maybe could carry that line through the nooks as well? 2. Medicine cabinet seems wrong. Maybe a thinner one mounted a bit higher to allow the wood to extend along to the edge of the bump out would be better? 3. Have you considered that the nooks (especially the one with exposed brick) may be a condensation issue? (depends how well insulated those bricks are). Condensation there + wood won't go well. 4. If you are having a bump out to cover the plumbing, consider a wall mounted tap for the sink. Looks great and easier to clean. More expensive though and need to consider how to access the connections. 5. Maybe a different sink? Seems like a horrible dirt trap between the back of sink and the wall.

Very good question. I've always been put off by ebay for tools, expecting that a large chunk of them are either completely knackered or stolen from the back of a van.

You can still download* the standalone, local install and free version of Sketchup. Sketchup Make 2017. * They've taken it off the main sketchup site I think but it's available elsewhere

Two points: 1. The basis of this thread was that if you ignore emissions, it is still a national security priority to get off fossil fuels as we don't have enough and we can easily generate enough power using renewables if we just built them.* I tend to agree that the way that we have implemented the drive to renewables has done some damage which could have been avoided if the programs had been structured differently, but that's a different argument. 2. Emissions are cumulative, so even if our emissions are low now, we are one of the highest emissions countries in history because the industrial revolution came to us first and for a lot of that time we were responsible for a very large percent of the worlds emissions. You may say it's woke to consider history when considering energy. I think of it as taking responsibility for our actions and trying to lead by example. * The argument that China controls a lot of the supply chains for renewables has weight. But so long as we are installing solutions that work without a live connection to China then if anything happened with the supply chain the installed base keeps going for at least a decade. Compared to fossil fuels which if the imports stop of those we are utterly screwed within a matter of weeks renewables wins.

Now we know where all the 256GB m3s went: https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2026/05/15/aws-racks-m3-ultra-macs-that-boast-specs-you-cant-currently-buy/5240901

Saw this on making portland cement using basalt resulting in zero CO2 emissions during manufacurer (assuming green energy input): https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/running-the-numbers-on-a-zero-emission-way-to-make-cement/ Obviously it's a long way away from being put into practice and lots of roadblocks but it's an interesting concept. Even at 2x the energy input as the initial concept is seems like a big win, guessing the plant involved would be very expensive though so likely not a cheap produce for a while. I'm pretty sure Basalt is widely available but maybe that's an issue.

Why not just get these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shelly-Pro-Dimmer-2PM-Consumption/dp/B0CV843RRW?crid=2TWY1PEEZZV5N&sprefix=shelly%2Bpro%2Bdimmer%2B2pm%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-6&th=1 Amazon price much lower than elsewhere. £25 per channel is not much more than the aliexpress impulse relay, but this does dimming, has local control (can direct wire switches) and in build wifi/ethernet/logic so you can program it to do what you want.

True you need a voltage or current sensor on each circuit for feedback, vs having 2x the number of coil drivers/retractive switches. Suspect the european market might have 'smarter' versions that do some of this for you (not looked).

Oh. Looking at that datasheet makes me think I misunderstood something about how they do it there. Traditional latching relays have one coil for on and one coil for off. But this seems to be an 'impulse' driven latching relay which I think means it will flip between on and off each time a connection is made on the switch line. This is much simpler for the rest of the circuit and I'd guess cheaper once you have the relay module. Nice.

Sure. I started replying because it sounded like you were against using concrete because it wasn't renewable which is true but the decision is much more nuanced. 👍