Robert Clark

Hi Guys Saw Mixergy on Fully Charged a little while ago. Looks like an innovative piece of kit at first glances Our hot water requirements vary from low, under normal use, to high when family visits. https://mixergy.co.uk/ Would appreciate any comments or feedback Thanks

Hi Guys Any idea how much I should budget for demolishing a 230m, two storey detached, brick built house and garage in Sussex? No hazardous material on site. The roof tiles will need to be removed by hand due to bats. Thanks for any suggestions

Did you ever hear back from Eco Partners? Im wondering if they might be a competent and reliable supplier and installer of solar Pv and a Sunamp

Have been looking online at Composite Cladding as an environmentally friendly alternative to Oak, as it’s made from recycled materials and is maintenance free. Woukd appreciate any comments or opinions on this product. Thanks

So in simple terms the Sunamp can run off solar Pv or economy 7 to heat hot water and radiators?

We were planning on re using some solar thermal panels that we already own, and also installing new solar PV.

We have planned to have solar thermal panels which would connect to a thermal store. Now wondering if this would be sufficient for heating a few radiators and towel rails, with an immersion heater in the heat store for emergencies?

Do you ever use any heating at all?

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions so far. If we scrapped the log burner, what would be a good heat source where natural gas is not available?

Looks like the minimum output to the room is 1kw https://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burning_stoves/Woodfire-Passiv-Boiler-Stoves.html#entity_10213

Thanks for your suggestions Our Architect is Certified Passivhaus Designer and is using the PHPP modelling software. Like the idea of the external motorised shutters !

Thanks for your feedback - some great ideas! We has the same thoughts about the larder and have incorporated this into the kitchen, behind the sofa. We have also removed the wall between the kitchen and the dining hall to make one larger space. We are using charred timber cladding in some areas, hopefully this will show up better on the next set of drawings. Like you we think that the lounge is too big, so have moved the WC and Plant Room into the rear of the lounge, giving us a bigger boot room and allowing us to move the fireplace to a more central position.

Thanks for your feedback The Architect is Passivhaus certified and as such the building will be modelled using the passive planning software not to overheat. The log burner is a passive type with a very low output to the room. It puts almost all its output into water and will supply a thermal store for heating and hot water.

Hi Guys Have just received preliminary plans for our new build Passivhaus Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated Thanks

Thanks for your reply We did consider splitting the plot a few years ago but were advised that we’d never get permission as we live in a SSE area. Even if we did get permission, the existing house is in the best part of the plot, so we’re now committed to keeping the plot as a whole and having our choice of the best orientation and views.

Thanks for your reply. Min we’re nig planning to do any work ourselves. We’re thinking about timer frame (maybe MBC or Touchwood) , thought the external finish hasn’t been decided yet. The architect has worked with MBC and is also familiar with PH15, though we’re not tied to using them. The architect is a Certified European Passivhaus Designer and a Jury Member of the International Passivhaus Awards. So I’m hoping for a positive outcome, though only time will tell. Will post some of his designs when we get them.

Hi Guys The story so far.... Have wanted to build and live in an eco house for years. So was quick to try and snap up a 2.5 acre local building plot when it came on the market in the summer. The plot already had planning permission, so we thought we were good to go! We agreed to pay the asking price and the legal wheels were set in motion. After a number of months of tooing and frowing we were told that the vendor still hadn’t got access rights agreed by the owners of the access road. The next blow was when the vendor told us that he’d received a higher offer (than our asking price offer) and that we needed to pay an extra £10k or risk loosing the plot. Finally a few days later we heard from our solicitor that the vendor had pulled out of the sale, 4 months after accepting our offer, giving no reason for his decision. So undeterred we went back to the drawing board and decided to demolish our existing house and re build on our 1 acre plot. We’ve appointed a local Passivhaus architect and are now awaiting their initial concepts. We've got a pre application meeting booked with the planning department on 5th Feb, so now feel that we’re finally making some progress. The BIG question in my mind now is which is the most cost effective route for getting the build done? Architect and Main contractor? Project manager and sub contractors? Just a Main Contractor? Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Robert