Gone West

We recently bought an AEG 600mm induction hob from Currys with one week delivery. We have ordered an AEG oven, combi oven and fridge freezer from our local Euronics store. The ovens are 3 to 4 weeks delivery and the fridge freezer 18 weeks delivery.

Was there much deflection on the original joists before sistering them?

We used an Isoquick insulated raft foundation and the insulation is called Peripor which is a type of EPS300. IIRC we were told it had been used in Canada for commercial buildings. The Structural Engineer will ensure it's suitable for your use.

Yes that was what I used on a previous house. I cut the clay pipe with a chain cutter I hired.

PHPP defaults to an internal temperature of 20C but that is an input variable so you can run it at any temperature you like.

@Smallholder I designed and built our 120m2 PH using PHPP and the calculations were done at 20C and came out at 13kWh/(m2a). We actually ran the house at 23C 24/7 and the calculations for that were 21kWh/(m2a) which turned out to be pretty accurate after living in it for three years. We heated our house with a towel rail in each of the three bathrooms and supplimented that with an EASHP providing warm air when very cold. We also had a solar gain area which helped in the spring and summer. Our U factors and air tightness were much better than the minimum PHPP requirements. We were near the coast in Kent. You have to be very careful comparing PH energy values as climate and interior/exterior temperatures make a big difference to energy requirements.

Oh to be young again .

I think we really are PH type people because we've just taken out a woodburning stove from this place and sold it to our neighbours. I remember from decades ago when I had a woodburner about the work involved in cutting and storing the logs, the dust and having a toasted face. It's the last thing I would want these days, lucky we are all different.

We used Schock composite granite sinks in our last place. They were black underhung on black granite.

We've done the opposite and although this place is warm and dry the energy consumption compared to our PH is amazing. I much prefer living in a PH but you can't have everything, perhaps I'll win the premium bonds.

We recently moved into an old bungalow created from a pair of 650mm thick sandstone walled cottages which has later additions. We are going to live with it for a year, burning oil, to see how it performs before making any changes. It has gypsum plaster inside and concrete render outside and has been like that since 1970. I've read over the years about how terrible that is but I have decided to wait and see. It's quite small, 120m2 and I've calculated the current heat loss is 17.4kW. If I do all the relatively easy improvements I should be able to get it down to 11.2kW. I don't know how that compares to yours but I've decided to stick with oil even though the latest R290 ASHPs are better at producing hot water, around 70C. When ASHPs definitely improve maybe a straight swap would be possible.

We have used Sennocke in the past for this type of insurance. https://www.sennocke.co.uk/

There was a frost here at the bottom of the valley this morning, first this season. The garden and car are clear.

Up until the last few weeks the weather has been much drier here that I was expecting. Over the summer there's been less rain here than in SE London. At least I don't have to water the garden as much as I used to. I much prefer the weather down here and no cold east wind.

IIRC it's 1.4kW and it helps to heat the 140l vented DHW tank.

It's a 3.84kWp system. When we get sorted we will probably have a 250l or 300l thermal store which will be heated with the ST and PV so we can have mains pressure hot water. Something we miss from our last house. We may at some point get an EV which should soak up some as well.

We are lucky having bought a place with PVs and ST and we didn't realise initially that it existed. It'll be good when we get our first FiT payment.

Thanks, yes I understand that, it was the wording that I found confusing. The 'Dedicated 20A supply from main consumer unit' wording, as it said from CU not to CU.

Thanks John, it's good to have recommended local trades. We're ok at the moment, I was just interested in why there was supposedly a dedicated PV circuit in the CU and apparently it isn't dedicated.

Yes, but I've owned it for less than six months, so would like to understand how it's been wired and to use it most efficiently. Trying to get SSE to move at anything faster than a snails pace is impossible. They have had all the paperwork for ages but we're yet to see any payment. To be fair it isn't that straightforward as there was a double probate and the property had been empty for a year before we moved in.

I'm not understanding, but is that because it's not really a dedicated PV circuit as stated on the drawing. I get what you're saying about the two supplies being lumped together but the drawing says it's a dedicated circuit which to me means a separate circuit isolated from the mains. I hope it's not really a dedicated PV circuit.

So how is the PV MCB circuit wired, is it only supplied by the PVs and therefore when they aren't producing there wouldn't be any power on that circuit?

So I have to find what is at the other end of the PV MCB circuit, if anything, and then that will be solely using PV output I guess. If there is nothing connected to the PV MCB circuit how does the PV ouput get used by other stuff on other circuits. How is your solar diverter wired up.

I've got a PV array on the roof, installed in 2012, and there is a 16A MCB in the CU labelled PV. Is it normal to have this arrangement and does it mean that only what is connected to that MCB can use power from the PVs and that if nothing is connected all the PV output goes to the grid. The PV diagram shows a dedicated PV circuit.

Thanks, I've not seen one of those before, excellent value for money.