Dan F

Use 2 for each room and 4 for TV/media locations. 3 for an office. Instead of using wifi extenders, run cable in the ceilings for dedicated PoE access points. But yes, if you don't do this.. or need additional coverage for some reason you can plug in an additional access point to any network socket. The cost of 1-2 CAT6 runs to bedrooms isn't much, so I'd put it in any way. You might use the room for something else if/when kids leave home, or they might want to hard-wire for lower-latency gaming or something. You might not ever use coaxial, but put some in just in case between TV locations and plant room (or loft) and then from there to potential aerial/satellite locations. Think about where your internet service comes in or might come in in the future. Aside from bring BT in, think about how fibre will come in, or if you want to allow for a 4g or Starlink antenna. Also, think about where you'll put the internet modem and router. Planning any in-ceiling audio, even if you don't plan it now.. might be worth pre-wiring if there is a chance you might in the future.

There is a lot on the forum about this approach, but at a high level instead of running 28/22mm around the house which i) loses a lot of heat and ii) requires recirculation if you don't want to wait 5 minutes for hot water, you have a very short run from UVC to a manifold and then from a manifold you pipe to each fitting. Basins can use 10mm, which means a minimal volume of water and often no need for recirculation. The same for showers which can often use 15mm. Exact sizing depends on design flow rates, pipe lengths etc. but that's the principal.

Continuously operated re-circulating systems are a bad idea anyway. Put the recirculation pump on a timer, or get an intelligent one (Grundfos Comfort Autoadapt) and it won't be on continuously anyway. Also, before you put recirculation in, consider the radial approach with right-sized pipe per fitting to avoid recirculation if possible.

They don't need to be round, rather European back boxes are round so that is what Loxone use in most videos and supply. We used round and found them easier (once you buy a 68mm hole saw).

Need my sunglasses to read that!!

Our architect proposed that we continue the render board into the ground, but the rendering company (Dryvit) recommended against this and wouldn't guarantee it. So we had two option: 1) Have a break in the render board, with a drip bead and then another board going into the ground (rendered with a more waterproof product). 2) Stop the ender system at roughly FFL and then clad the EPS below this in something. We went for option 2, and after considering trying to paint it, uPVC, as well as brick slips, we finally used GRP fake bricks from https://www.grpbuildingproducts.co.uk/. They look exactly like engineering bricks, but much easier to install than brick slips.

I've got mostly the old P-series ones (from Loxone as it was all they sold at the time). I got the A-series ones for DALI terminations as I wanted do to 230v/DALI/230v/DALI etc. and with the A-series, you can use 4 cross connectors (knocking out every other pin) to achieve this. I also like the fact they have the orange "buttons" to release. I don't have any of the new AMC blocks, but you can see online that they don't line up. Also, the two series use slightly different cross connectors, which is another reason to try to stick to one of the two series, apart from the fact that PMAK is no longer manufactured so you couldn't easily extend later.

I've done the same but instead used a terminal block per CAT cable, rather than two terminal blocks per twisted pair. I then used jumpers to supply 24v and tree to each block. I think both approaches have their merits but in my case, I went with the "horizontal" approach because: - I have >16 incoming CAT cables. - It makes it slightly easier to understand (before labelling) - I needed to be able to split the incoming tree connections between two tree buses (and adjust this based on the cumulative number of devices). If you have <12 incoming CAT cables then the horizontal approach may also make sense as it would take up less space and use fewer terminal blocks. EDIT: Actually, now I remember I used: - 1 CAT cable per terminal block where DIs (blue/brown) are being used or may be used. - 2 CAT cables per terminal block where I know it is only tree/24v.

The a-series blocks a newer/nicer than the p-series. Loxone used only to sell the older ones, but I see they have the new ones now. So I'd personally get: https://shop.loxone.com/enuk/push-in-terminal-block-8x4-interconnected-20pcs.html (buy one box of these and take out the interconnects where you don't need it, rather than buying both varieties) https://shop.loxone.com/enuk/installation-terminal-block-aitb.html (dimmed, switched lighting circuits) https://shop.loxone.com/enuk/motor-terminal-block-amc.html. (motors, blinds, curtains) You also need some of the end-caps and might want to think about labelling. If you don't want full boxes of terminal blocks have a look at Rexel/BPX/TLAUK who sell a lot of things in smaller quantities. Then, most people don't use power distribution (instead daisy-chaining live between relays), but I used the Weidmuller AAP11 range power distribution blocks to go from 1 RCBO-> n dimmers or n relays.

Welcome! We're fairly local to you in Finchampstead and recently completed a "passive house plus" new build. What state of the process are you at, do you already have a builder? Our guy specializes in passive houses and also does EnerPHit projects.

@Temp @Radian I never resolved this and both tape and driver manufacturers point at each other 😞 I still haven't installed all of this tape as I was hoping to find a solution, but I think I might have to just use it and configure the driver to start at 2-3% (44-50% perceived), rather than 0.1%. I did find out a few things regarding the ICs though: The BCR420 IC (used in the LED tape that works) explicitly says that it supports up to 25kHz PWM frequency and 0.5% duty cycle (0.2uS pulse width). The BCR430 IC (used in the tape with the issue) has a switching time of around 10us (rise) and 2uS (fall). With a 2.4kHz PWM frequency, 12uS represents the pulse width at 3% (50% perceived) which is where I start to see dimming become ineffective/inconsistent (so maybe this is the cause?) Also interestingly the Infineon versions of these ICs state >20kHZ for BCR42x but only 400Hz for BCR43x with dimming via Vs. See: https://www.infineon.com/cms/media/eLearning/PSS/PSS_eLearning_BCR43xU-family-with-low-power-WBT_english/ So looks like the IC chosen by the tape manufacturer, while it may have a lower voltage drop and power consumption, simply doesn't support a decent level of dimming in combination with a good driver which uses a fairly high PWM frequency.

Agree! My social media following is non-existent, but be good for someone to call them out on it. Mine came as part of my initial insulation, and the part list wasn't itemized in the quote. So, I'm pretty sure I would have paid full price for it 😞

With boilers they are used to select the type of gas e.g. propane/butane etc., but the same thing. It's what they call a "coding plug" or "coding resistor" I think. You'll find more details if you go back up through this thread.

Works really well here with UFH. Do you also have UFH or other emitters? The only issue with Vaillant and cooling UFH is controls. I just posted about this a couple of days ago and the thread has other people's experiences too:

No, I think they still sell it for that, or more. You need to get the boiler one and not the ASHP one 🙂

Thanks! Any idea how to match the second instance of "temp:", jump to the second object in the "days" array, or use an argument (tomorrow's date) to jump to the relevant section? JQL would be a bit easier! I set this up (don't have a weather station), but something is not quite working as no data in Loxone. I need to diagnose. Of course. I'm sure you mentioned this somewhere else already, but: - Are you now only using FCUs for cooling, or combined with UFH cooling too? Did you install FCU on the ground floor too in the end? - If you are using UFH cooling, do you have a strategy for controlling this? - What actuators are you using for per-room FCU's do they each take 1-10v input or something?

Potentially a good idea if you want to: - Implement access (e.g. via NFC) to enable charging. - Control charging current from Loxone. - Want to incorporate energy monitoring within the charger. I purchased a Tesla charger before these were released and while there is some data you can pull from Loxone (with some work), you can't control access, charging or charge current. That said: - With battery storage, my view is that there is no/minimal value in controlling current when you have a battery as a buffer. instead, you can use on/off control based on tariff and battery SoC. - I don't currently have a need to control charging, as the 2-5 a.m. schedule @ 11.5kW is enough to dump up to 35kWh (45%) overnight into the car, and charging using PV doesn't make sense on the current Octopus Flux tariff. - I can pull the total consumption from the Telsa charger API very easily for monitoring, so this solves this requirement for me, without needing to install a costly Modbus energy meter. - Access isn't that important for us given the charger is on a private drive, but the Tesla charge does actually let you limit to specific VINs. This isn't a flexible as a Loxone-based solution though. If I was buying one now would I get the Loxone one? I'm not sure, but I would seriously consider it, just from an ecosystem and simplicity perspective.

@JohnMo We have external shading on most windows, so while solar gain will still play a part in cooling demand, it's primarily outdoor temperature that impacts cooling demand. That said, I could tune the calculation to include solar radiation if required. @joth It's easier to use thermostatic control when there is a reasonable reaction time, but this approach doesn't work with slab. I was just planning on doing some work to get the forecast daily average temperature into Loxone so if you have a template file (or can export one) for Visual Crossing that will likely be very helpful. Couldn't get Weather4Lox to work for some reason, but the Loxone weather service attributes only have a limited set of data points anyway

That's all great if you are happy with manual control. What I wanted to do with this post though, was discuss an approach to automating cooling. Initially, the basic approach, but then the plan would be to add electricity tariff/pv into the mix as well.

Right, thats roughly the same approach I've been taking, but flow temps more around the 17C mark. If the house is getting warm and/or "heat wave" appears in headlines, then I turn it on for a number of hours while the sun is up and PV is generating. When you say "put it on" is this manual? In the winter, do you manually turn the heating on/off based on the weather? My view is that if heating can be 'set and forget' (using a heat curve), then it should be possible to do the same thing for cooling.

Given we have UFH embedded in a passive slab with a huge mass, standard thermostatic control is not a feasible control approach given the large lag. A correctly configured weather compensation approach would be suitable (and this is what I use in the winter), but the Vaillant controller AFAIK doesn't use weather compensation for cooling. Given Vaillant doesn't support external "call for cooling" to date I've simply been manually controlling cooling in an attempt to keep a decent temperature in the summer. The issue with this approach is that slab temperature creeps up without you noticing and then it can take quite a while to get it back down. Now that I finally got my hands on an eBus adapter ( https://adapter.ebusd.eu/v5/) I can now think about putting in place a control strategy that will hopefully (once tuned) look after itself all summer! Keeping the slab temperature constant isn't enough, as depending on the outside temperature if it's a cool week the slab may need to be at 21.5C, but if it's a very hot week the slab may need to be at 20C to provide the necessary cooling power to cool the house. What I think I need to do is implement my own external weather compensation using the forecast average 24-hour exterior temperature in order to determine the necessary target slab temperature and then switch ASHP cooling externally. I don't know how accurate the PHPP data is and maybe this is a bit too theoretical, but it seems a good place to start. I can then tune this over time. Using the PHPP data I get that the cooling power required, based on exterior temperature is: required cooling power = (outdoorAvg24hrTemp-16.8C) * 270W Given 120m2 UFH and 10W/m2/K UFH cooling power, I then get: slab target temp = (outdoorAvg24hrTemp-16.8C) * 270W / 1200W With an average 24-hour external temperature of 25C, this would give a target slab temperature of 20.2C for example. Of course, for an internal target temperature of 21C (instead of 22C) the constant would need to change, or be enhanced to include an additional parameter. Any thoughts anyone? I remember @TerryE has some kind of similar algorithm working well for him, but not read much about how others do this.

What size monoblock are they proposing? Vaillant specify minumum buffer sizes for de-icing and even if you system is open-loop and doesn't require a buffer, I understand why they would want to stick to manufacturer guidelines. Can't you accept a buffer but ensue they use the smallest possible buffer size? Our buffer (for 7kW AHSP) is 25L and wall-hung and doesn't take up a lot of room, but you may get away with a smaller one if they are installing 5kW unit. See here for an idea of sizes: https://youraccount.71.ekm.net/ekmps/shops/seconsolar/resources/Other/volano-termico-pdc-pensile.pdf

Agree 100%. In hindsight, I should have used all 1.5mm2 and not mixed sizes. You'll only need to go a size up if there is anything > around 15A. For me, it was UFH mats that had the highest current, but because I used power distribution, rather than daisy-chaining all of the lives on the relays, amps were less of a concern. I splurged on a Weidmuller Crimp Set with a crimp tool, stripper etc, been invaluable. All connections into terminal blocks need ferrules. For all lighting, UFH, blinds, towel rails etc. you want different terminal blocks. I know exactly what's needed from the Weidmuller range for installation and power distribution terminals (after days of working it out) but don't know the Phoenix Contact or Wago ranges. Weidmuller (and the other manufacturers I think) actually have software which allows you to model the whole cabinet and all terminal blocks which is very useful and you can create placeholders for the Loxone kit too, to plan where these will go. Give me a shout if you want any of the Weidmuller details.

Get all interconnected and take out the metal bridges inside them where you don't want them interconnected. This way you can buy fewer boxes and end up with fewer leftovers when you are done!

Do you need AC-coupled PV to continue to run in a power cut?