JohnMo

So if we breakdown the major reasons for house fires cooking - someone is in the home, so a message on your phone is pretty pointless electrical malfunctions, most likely will trip the electrics, so no power, no internet, no message smoking - your in the house fallen asleep so message isn't going to help you. So you are in the house or away. In house you will here the alarm, away from house it's a bit late anyway. Message pretty much pointless. Unlikely to hear a ping on the phone then or you ringing them up? I would be keeping them at arms length, essential home stuff, like heating, safety and ventilation should not be involved in so called smart home stuff. All affected by a single point failure, either obsolescence or even the internet in your home falling over.

I got mine from eBay.

For me less holes in the parge coat. Maybe less noise transfer, I inserted same insulation as between the studs. My electrical services all ran around the top of wall, so nice easy runs for electrician.

Is that so you can get a chippy on the way home? Another difference with Scotland smoke alarm not allowed in kitchen has to be heat alarm. So unless she burns the house down while she's at, you still get a burnt tea!

Not sure I got lucky, several different batches of timber used. All walls are solid, none attached to ICF.

Sorry both that option and the MCS route are bonkers expensive. UFH less than £1k materials, two days to install. Manifold, pipes, isolation valves, not much else needed. Shop around heat pump and cylinder around£4k all in. Should only take an electrician 1 day and plumper 3 days to install on a new build. So why so expensive?

Sounds like hosepipe bans in spring instead of summer!

Replaceable battery are not allowed in Scotland. So are all 9 year life battery or mains and long life battery. Ours are all interlinked but not by wires. If it's an electrical fire would the mains trip and therefore no relay or smart notifications?

Doubt that, there were still plenty of inconsiderate people about - people don't really change. I can remember when I was 16, lots of years ago, a number of people that would block our drive by parking across it, my dad and his mate just waited for other cars to move and blocked the cars in, back and front. People would complain and dad told them F off, he would be moving his car at 7pm and not before, if they didn't like it they were free to call the police, one did. Police weren't interested and had a good laugh, told them not to block people's driveways, the other cars are legally parked you are not, you will have what until they move. He only had to do a few times and people stopped doing it. British and shared anything doesn't work well.

Do what ever you feel, your water. Getting there water from hot tap to pool may need thinking about. No issues filling with cylinder water, just need a 50/50 mix with cold or there about.

I went direct to local college and they asked questions, said I was building own house had done the plumbing design and install, paid the money, did course. From what I remember seemed cheaper than you were quoted. Did G3 and water hygiene.

Just a matter of shopping around, some local merchants just take the p*ss on prices. They have online and shop prices and they can be very different, I would normally have the online price to hand and ask for the prices in the merchant pushed for the best price or better. Usually the face to face price was best. If you have space to store stuff you get some amazing bargains, summer buy heating products, most my stuff was 30 to 50% off.

Didn't pay anything. Maybe Scotland is different.

We have had zero corner cracks in any wall and they were built in 2021 - not a single crack ever. Just dry lined. Not a single wall (structural and non - structural) is attached to ICF. All internal walls are stud walls. Tallest is 3.5m. walls are just attached to other internal walls and top and bottom plates, as photo above.

Why does anything need to attach to ICF?

Something like this, one for electric one for communication stuff. https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/1780889-cable-protector?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqv2_BhC0ARIsAFb5Ac_6-bzUFpYK21uSTbBJR4U86zgem9tobeOrSzNNYVNyIP7yWsCWQx4aAt7dEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds If you have normal strip foundations a lintel above the hole in foundation stub walls. Take the long bit vertical inside, trim as needed

I would assume you will bring your existing cable in via a hockey stick or other duct, so worst case you just pull a different cable. This time he didn't answer the question (but why would he), but he could have said no, then what. You would have read up on the requirements, then argued over it. You have now backed yourself in to a corner, where you have to prove it, because he is likely to ask later. Plenty of thread on here to read up and building regs

There will be an expansion tank in the boiler casing, if the bladder in it has started to leak (has a hole in it) than can cause the pressure to drop. You will need to look at the manual to see what the black elbow is, but it could be a safety valve discharge or condensate (water deposits, that are acidic, form combustion and will occur any time the boiler is firing).

They are not there to answer questions - will it, won't it. They are required to tick boxes and you prove it does or doesn't comply. Why ask a question like that? It just raises issues not thought about. Just assume what you are doing is ok, unless someone asks a specific question (on all matters). Then sort out an answer.onlybif you need too. I doubt anyone would ask you to prove internet speed. I just have a 5G capable router, gigabit capable yes, no-one asked to see spec or even looked at it.

Another good reason not to put all your eggs in one basket with integrated packages from one manufacturer. 3rd party cylinder this kind of issue doesn't exist. You can also remove any control of immersion from the heat pump - so many people also have issues with immersion taking over due to settings not being optimal for heat system or DHW.

The size, having to heat 660L of water. Heating an UVC via excess PV is way more bang for your excess kWh. Mostly due to the volume of water having to be heated. 210L compared to 660L, a 210L will add 3x the heat per kWh of energy. If I add 10 degs you would add 3.3 degs, less the approach temperature of the heat exchanger to transfer heat to DHW. So in real terms 1 or 2 degs instead of 10 degs. As said previously UVC are way better (having had both).

I would never make that money as we are in an area that smart meters don't work, so best export price offered is about 4.5p, so all PV generated in March would have given me £18 in total, plus paying for what I import. So better use is to heat/cool house and heat DHW and other household uses. So in March our average per kWh was 9p based on import, PV and battery. So I am happy with that. Based on a normal 25p per kWh, saved me £135. Plus we are about 600 miles north of yourself, so PV yield is way lower, heating season longer etc.

This is best photo I could find on how I did it. Top and bottom plate joined with studs. Nothing interfering with ICF.

Isn't that just introducing a thermal bridge? Or is the majority of the insulation on the outside?

We did ICF and the internal walls are all stud - is this an option? Ours do not touch the the ICF walls.