BotusBuild

Open the window for the niche. Measure and cut four pieces of stud timber (same width & depth as already used in that wall) Pop each short stud through the window and screw hold with screws through the backer board. TIP: put a screw in each short stud to hold onto while putting the final screws in. Ask the other half for help on this seeing as they changed their mind!! 🙂 Put backer board in to create final niche size. HTH

Exhaust air heat pumps are designed for flats. Also helps with humidity reduction -> mold reduction -> health improvement. A Win, Win, Win

They are skewing the market and need to go too. Do it over a 5 year period starting now. I do like this idea if MCS is overhauled instead of being scrapped. Regarding the fuel poverty aspect of this, owners of property must be "carrot and sticked" towards properly improving the insulation of those properties. We need to get all homes upto a minimum C EPC rating - I would suggest 75C to start with, but with a road map outlined for steady improvement over a 10 year plan, so those who want to can move faster if necessary. How about linking stamp duty not only to value of house but EPC rating as one of a package of incentives?

Scrap MCS - period. Scrap BUS and do not introduce any other form of market skewing grant or subsidy system. Maybe the only concession I would have is that OFGEM force all suppliers to offer a ToU tarrif to incentivize adoption. Make @Jeremy Harris's heat loss calculator freely and widely available (assuming he is happy for it to open sourced). Let market economics take over. I predict that more properly sized heat pump installations will take place and prices will fall as uptake rise due to the reduction of the negative stories about cost of installation, cost of running and poor CoP. It may take a few/several years but this is the way to do it.

To answer some of the other feedback and questions My plumber and electrician are fitting the kit, that is being supplied by Unitherm, who themselves are the MCS umbrella company, like Cool Energy. They are charging £1000 for the MCS side of things - this was all part and parcel of the quote from my plumber. My preliminary SAP report gave a 79C (laughable) and used MVHR and a Mitsi 8.5kW as the ASHP, and a flow temperature of "Normal (>45C)" 🙂 Now, I have had an interesting couple of conversations over the last 24 hours, and it turns out that what I have been saying to the plumber, who agrees with me (and the forum heat loss calculator) has obviously been taken on board by Unitherm and they have specified a 7kW ASHP, (not the 9kW that I was originally told), and a 250 ltr HWC has not been agreed. It's being shipped tomorrow, ready for installation next week. All told, this is going to cost us about £4,000 after the grant comes back to us.

Tried this, but they all have to use the MCS calculation guide

Thanks for reading and all your replies. I just needed to offload my frustration. I had delved into the numbers, and I know what they have come up with is cr4p, but this is the only way you can get the BUS, unless you can find someone to "bend the rules" in your favour, and I have spent far too long trying to find a reasonably priced ASHP/HWC solution. I am going with what has been spec'd and then I will tweak it all myself once they have (expletive deleted) off my land. If we end up spending any more that £1000 on heating/HW I will be p1553d off. Heads up for anyone reading this in the distant future. I hope things have changed (but I doubt it). If you can DIY, then JFDI (just ** do it), it'll be cheaper and you'll get a reasonable sized system.

I just had a document from the people processing my BUS grant, which of course means I have to have the design done under MCS guidelines . Their summary of running costs has come out at £2677 per year !!!! WTAF? FYI - House is Jackon insulation slab foundation, Nudura walls, triple glazed windows, warm roof, good air tightness with MVHR, and about 270 sq m. Oh, and the MCS calcs want to put in a 9kW ASHP when even the installer says 6kW would be more than enough. This MCS sh1t has got to stop!!

It's all about the ballast you use to hold them down. I know of someone who followed the "breeze block" method but used the lightweight versions instead of the heavy concrete ones. Fortunately someone heard what they'd done and they got changed PDQ. My preference would be the plastic bucket kind as this reduces chance of wind getting under the panels and lifting them up. Heavy ballast still required obviously

Probably down to a lack of ventilation in the roof space. You may need to draw back some of that rockwool from the edges. Also make a visual check that there is ventilation through the soffits outside. We had this in our last home, and got some clever plastic thing to "open" the felt to allow airflow across the the roof space. Something like these: https://www.diy.com/departments/10-x-felt-lap-vents-prevents-loft-roof-condensation-attic-space-ventilation/0700425346027_BQ.prd?=&=&=&=&msclkid=d0a4d322cabd1b66400fb45872788afd&gclsrc=ds

In a new build? Not following regs then?🙂 We're putting in two double floor sockets towards the edge of our floor for a variety of items (mainly lamps). We intend having a movable partition on wheels, so at various times the sockets will not be used. Likelihood is we will "sink" these below floor level with a tasteful cover (not open plan office style)

It was cold, but I knew the house was well insulated (no heating yet) when I walked into this morning to start work and my glasses steamed up

The best the lLlocal wholesaler could was a Fusebox 20 way. Hope its not a housing association cheapo nightmare

Have you got ducts in place to handle all of this or will you need to do major works to get the cables in and around? Ducts already in 😀

I was Des last night

Mist coating and plastering was on our list today

Cables already run to kitchen. Will have a sub board in the garage.

It's time for the final consumer unit for the house. Electrician said get the largest available, but even I think a 29 way unit is overkill 🙂 So, on the basis of future proofing (PV and battery, external feed to garage, and other unforeseen SWMBO requirements), my thoughts are that a 20 way would be enough. I have seen recommendations on here for Hager (expensive end of the price range?) and to stay away from MK. Our local electrical wholesaler stocks Hager Lewden Fusebox CGD Elucian Schneider Electric Crabtree BG (none with enough ways at this wholesaler) Luceco Scolmore Eaton Which of these should I consider (and which should be avoided)? Thanks

So, in effect you have to cook at arms length. Therefore, no leaning over to see what's happening inside the pots at the back or cooking anything you can't lift off easily. All seems a bit risky to me. Maybe the pacemaker is being affected??

FYI - can't be used by someone with a pacemaker

Get a pallet 🙂

+1

So, in all the quoted examples above, there is a possibility, however low that might be. Ergo, these things should be tested for. And that testing can be carried out without specialist equipment. Regarding the last point, I bought a 1980's built property in 1997 and had to have about 25% of the wiring replaced as the cable had hardened and cracked. Sometimes, you get shit materials and knowing the quality of the rest of the property I can believe this builder was get stuff from wherever they could as cheap as they could. 🫳🎤

Well done

I can't see why not. I think it's been suggested already.