Gone West

@Big Jimbo Glad to see you're back. We've sold up and moved West, and I've got a new moniker. Formerly known as PeterStarck.

I've never used Temu, but is this what you mean? https://www.temu.com/uk/1pc-aluminum-alloy-door-handle-with-keys-heavy-duty--lever-for-hotel-bedroom-bathroom-security--entry-door-knob-set-g-601099614670529.html

Done.

The specification for my insulated slab was 250mm compacted Type1, covered with 50mm granite fines (3 to 5mm). The 300mm Isoquick Peripor EPS was laid direct onto the fines. The DPM was laid on top of the EPS.

At our last house we had Indian sandstone which had a honed finish, so was smooth. It wasn't sealed and we found it was affected badly by salt, so if used on a path don't put salt on to get rid of frost.

I also glued our stud walls to concrete floor using PU gel adhesive.

A covered or enclosed space between garage and house.

My Victorian underground rainwater tank only had a two stage sand filter bed and the water was crystal clear in the tank. The pump drew the water from around 300mm off the bottom of the tank.

If you bought the unit from Modern UPVC Windows it would cost around £80 for the unit and around £80 for delivery, so to DIY it, it would be around £160. So in effect you're only paying £140 to have it fitted, so to me it's reasonable.

A dip into Google gives this:- The term ‘28 second oil’ is used as a term to distinguish kerosene’s viscosity, through a specific test of how long it takes 50ml of the oil to drip into a beaker. This also explains how red diesel gets its ‘35-second’ name.

HVO should only be purchased for commercial use. It is currently around 10 to 15% more expensive than heating oil.

It's not available to buy as a domestic heating fuel, hence the government consultation.

The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) aims to ban all palm oil in biofuels in stages by 2030.

I assumed so.

The previous government had arranged for a consultation on allowing the use of HVO as a heating fuel. As there had not been any progress on the matter I contacted my MP and the following is his reply. It would seem that HVO is not going to be considered as a heating fuel by the current government. Dear Peter, I have now had a response from the Minster for Energy Consumers, Dr Miatta Fahnbulleh MP and I have copied it here for your information: Thank you for our correspondence regarding the use of renewable liquid fuels in heating. I was pleased to read that your constituents are looking at ways to reduce their carbon emissions. Decarbonising the way we heat our buildings, including those off the gas grid, is essential for reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and combatting climate change. Our ambitious Warm Homes Plan will transform homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar and heat pumps. For most off-grid properties, transitioning to clean heat will involve installing a heat pump as these are cost-effective, proven technologies. With grants of £7,500 available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), and with a growing number of competitive heat pump offers being made available to consumers an increasing number of off-grid households are finding heat pumps to be an attractive and affordable heating solution. Evidence shows that heat pumps will work well in the majority of off-grid homes. Moreover, modern heat pumps, capable of running efficiently at similar temperatures to an existing boiler, can increasingly be used in homes previously considered unsuitable for electrification and without needing to upgrade their fabric or radiators, further simplifying the process and reducing the upfront cost of installing a heat pump. The Government has recently announced additional measures to support consumers with heat pumps installations. This included an extra £30 million for the BUS this financial year, and a near-doubling of budget to £295 million for the next financial year, so that more families can benefit from £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump. The Government is also reforming air source heat pump permitted development rights in England - including removing the “1-metre rule” - so that many more households can install a heat pump without needing to submit a planning application. However, the Government recognises that heat pumps may not be a feasible option for all properties. And we are committed to ensuring that there is the right solution for every household. We have therefore commissioned research to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes, including the use of renewable liquid fuels, and we expect to receive results from that research in 2025. We recognise that renewable liquid fuels, like hydrotreated vegetable oil and renewable liquefied petroleum gas, could play a limited role in decarbonising heat off the gas grid. As your constituents mentioned, the previous Government took powers in the Energy Act to bring in a Renewable Liquid Heating Fuel Obligation. However, Departmental analysis and other studies have demonstrated that sustainable biomass is a limited resource. We therefore expect to prioritise the use of renewable liquid fuels in sectors like aviation, and in the small number of homes that are not readily suitable for electrification, as these have fewest options to decarbonise through alternative low carbon technologies. Critically, we need to ensure that alternative solutions are cost effective for consumers. The cost of using renewable liquid fuels for heat is currently very high – especially compared to other heating solutions like kerosene or a heat pump. We are therefore keeping the evidence under review to ensure alternative heating solutions provide the best possible deal for consumers. Thank you again for writing and bringing this matter to my attention. Kind Regards, Ben Ben Maguire MP Member of Parliament, North Cornwall ES Livrel Weriniethor a-barth Kernow Gledh

At our last place we lived in an old bungalow and built a new Passivhaus in the garden so we were on site all the time and had services to site. Two things which made life a lot easier. At the end of the build we dismantled the old timber framed bungalow, after all the asbestos sheets which lined the whole inside of the bungalow, had been removed. We gave away all the timber on Freecycle and had the concrete crushed and we used it for the driveway.

Would it be possible to have a wireless camera looking at the post box which would notify you?

It was only used to water the garden.

I renovated a Victorian farm workers cottage back in the nineties which had the original rendered brick underground rainwater collection tank. The water was filtered through a double sand filter bed before entering the tank and then being pumped through a lead pipe to the scullery. The water in the tank, which hadn't seen the light of day for a very long time, was crystal clear. All I did was replace the lead piping with MDPE and replace the sand in the filter beds.

At our last place I also did my own testing using an Amazon test kit and then got lots of quotes to have it removed.

I used Bluclad board for my brick slip clad plinth.

Our frame was a 350mm timber I-beam portal frame which was fully clad with cedar with the exception of a brick slip plinth. The windows and doors were set halfway into the frame and were strapped onto OSB fillers fixed to the I-beam web.

+1

Yes it was.

Our windows were fitted with two rows of Compriband and foamed with Soudal Soudafoam Low Expansion foam. The windows were strapped to the reveals. I didn't use any type of airtightness tape or membrane and achieved an airtightness reading of 0.47ACH.