IanR

It would be more helpful if you compared apples to apples, rather than oranges. 22 million is the total number of properties that have a gas boiler, where as the 67,000 figure I quoted is the heat pump installs for 2020. 67,000 installs can not be considered as "niche", no matter what dictionary you are using for your definition. Nibe F2040-12 Quoted SCOP is 4.2. It actually performs better in my own property, but to save the detail I quoted the standard SCOP. I pay 12.5p per kWh for my electricity, so by the standard SCOP I am paying 3p for every kWh of heat the ASHP produces. A 90% efficient Gas Boiler requires Gas at 2.7p per kWh to be competitive. I'm sure somewhere in the country there is a deal that achieves that price, but it was never available to me at my last property where the cheapest I ever got it was 3.67p per kWh. And that excludes the additional standing charge for gas that @ProDave points out.

*text colour changed to make it legible. The first step happens in the Regs for 2022, that's already in place. With regards to banning fossil fuel boilers in new builds for 2025, it's the one thing the Tory party is on message about, and the opposition are silent on. You're speaking to the wrong people "in the industry". Why would it not be possible? How does the UK Government pushing investment into building higher performing homes, and forcing spend & providing grants to improve existing homes, sacrifice the economy? The question is more like "where are we going to get all the trades from to do this extra work?". What Party is going to argue against the net-zero economy, including net-zero heating for homes? You're going to struggle to find someone to vote for if you want a Party that's going to allow you to keep a Gas Boiler. By who? there's no one arguing against it? Yes, there are the vested interests within the Natural Gas supply Network that want things slowed down to give a chance for a breakthrough in green hydrogen research, but they are not arguing against the need to go Net Zero. The next clear direction will come in the "Heat in Buildings" strategy statement, from the Dept. for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The statement has been delayed, it was due in Spring, then in July, now expected in Autumn I believe. The delays are due to the wish to speed up the transition, to bring forward the date on which the sale of fossil fuel boilers will be banned.

I know we've done all this before, but lets go through it again. 67,000 heat pump installs in the UK in 2020. Government to push with incentives and legislation to achieve 600,000 installs per year by 2028. Definitely not a niche. As pointed out to you previously it's a 40% increase in rad volume required, although wet UFH would be better. No you won't, as has been pointed out to you many times by people that actually have ASHPs No it won't. The SCOP of my heat pump is 4.2, so the per kWh cost is lower than it would be for a gas boiler. ASHPs have the same lifespan as gas combis. Please bring some data to reference that shows otherwise. Houses for first time buyers will continue to cost that max that first time buyers can afford, that's basic economics. The extra cost of better performing new homes, which has to happen, will come of the premium paid for plots with planning. Building Regs will be ensuring it happens in 2025. You'll have to tell us what you are basing this opinion on, as those with ASHPs constantly tell you that you are wrong. So what is the answer then Dave? By the way, the question is "how do you bring net zero heating to Housing in the UK?"

But we constantly hear your alternate facts on this forum Dave.

should read 0.6ACH Yes Des, I have no issue with you using that quote.

I can find plenty of references to the Class C2 (care homes) returning to its previous Use within PD. For instance: Ref. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/9/change_of_use/2 But I can't locate the SI that includes this amendment to the 2015 General PD Order, which doesn't include this line. The Statutory Instrument will include the full text which may give a hint to how extensions added after the original Change of Use would be treated. I would guess that only the original parts of the building that once had a C3 Residential Use could be converted back to Residential under PD, and the new areas would require a Change of Use planning application. I would expect the PD on part of the building would significantly assist the planning application. And, with a planning app, you could potentially make exterior changes that the PD would not allow.

I would, but please fact check them. If you wish to challenge any comments made, I'd like the opportunity to understand your argument and elaborate or correct my comments if required. Within this thread would be ideal.

Was it purpose built? and is it C2 Use Class? If so then I don't believe there is a way to Use C3 (or C4) Residential under PD. If it was originally C3 Residential, that was then converted to C2, it can be returned to its original lawful Use (C3 in this instance) under PD Class U.

Some creative thinking will be required. For some it will be wall hung ASHP's, in the same way A/C units are installed on flats in warmer countries. For others, where freehold ownership allows and the roof structure is capable, a district heating solution piping the hot water down the outside of the building and into each unit. Where there isn't a solution, then perhaps locally supplied net-zero hydrogen or direct electric heating, but these would require some long term cost support if the Government are true to their word that the transition will be cost neutral for day-to-day costs. Are there many homes that the financial cost of upgrading to an EPC C is equal to a significant proportion of the property value? By the Government's calculation the upgrade from the average EPC G to an EPC C will save £700 per year (on average) in heating costs. Since the Government have only promised a cost-neutral transition, I would assume that if a grant has been used to achieve it, that saving will, by some mechanism, be used to contribute to the upgrade, for the next "many" years. I feel that is one of the easier issues to resolve. It's certainly recognised that the electricity production will need to more than double by 2050, so I'd assume there's been a cost associated to it. From the "Powering our Net Zero Future" white paper: The plan appears to be sufficient RE (when the wind is blowing and sun is shining) for 100% of required electricity, and a mix of Nuclear, Gas with CCUS and storage for when it's not. When there is a surplus of Nuclear then it will be used for green or blue hydrogen, it's not clear which. And the Building Regs changes for 2022 almost get there, but I fear the version of a "Low Temp" heating system being dictated isn't quite low temp enough to force UFH, but at least it forces Water Cylinders to be included.

I don't personally see a route to the use of hydrogen for domestic heating, in the "net-zero by 2050" time frame, for anything other than a very small percentage of homes for which electric heating won't be achievable. There isn't a process identified today that can produce net zero hydrogen at anything close to the per kWh cost of either Natural Gas or Electricity. Since the plans to achieve Net-zero by 2050 are taking shape now and legislation is being put in place now, it can't be based on the hope of a scientific break through that opens the door to cheap and plentiful net-zero hydrogen. If and when that break-through does come, then at the point it can be scaled up, maybe it will become a competing option to electric heating. Unfortunately there is no date for when that may happen, but there are significant vested interests in the owners of the natural gas infrastructure that have motivation to talk up the possibility. For new build homes the government needs to make only relatively minor changes to building regulation legislation, for heat pumps to be cost competitive with Natural Gas. It looks like that will be in place for 2025, at which point fossil fuel boilers will be banned for new builds. With the promise from the government that the transition to net-zero domestic heating will be cost neutral in regards day-to-day costs, there will undoubtedly be grants required to improve the energy losses and ready the heating systems of some houses to facilitate the use of a net-zero heating source. For much of the existing housing stock, that will be achieved in the main by legislation, rather than grants. Minimum EPC C certificates will be required for all social and privately owned rental homes by 2028, and by 2035 any home sold will be required to be EPC C or better. I assume by then fossil fuel boilers will not be allowed to be sold. I'd imagine some level of grant will be required for the switch over to a low temp heating system ie. to contribute to the costs of water cylinders and larger radiators and their plumbing. This will devalue the homes that are difficult to improve to the required levels and shift them into the ownership of those least able to afford their improvement. I assume that is when the government has to step in with larger grants to improve the fabric as well as the heating system. My personal experience is that I came to installing an ASHP for my space heating and hot water for reasons other than saving the planet. Quite simply there isn't a gas main with a mile of my entrance, so an ASHP with RHI contribution was significantly better value than the Oil or LPG options I had. I was surprised at how generous the RHI grant was, but it has been tightened since. I shared the common view on this Forum of 4 or 5 years ago, that if Gas was available then it was the cost effective choice. However the mood-music has changed now, or perhaps it's just got louder. My view now is that ASHPs are the right choice for new builds (and significant renovations) even when Gas is available, otherwise within 10-15 years the property will be requiring a significant update or be facing a devaluation. Anyhow, having chosen to go with an ASHP I felt it best to combine it with a low energy loss fabric achieved with U values of 0.10W/m²K to 0.11W/m²K for floor, walls and roof; 0.6W/m²K to 0.8W/m²K for windows and doors and an air tightness targeted at 0.6AH, but to my surprise substantially improved on. I don't know that my experience can really be carried across to owners of existing houses considering moving to an ASHP, but with a heating system designed for the property's energy losses and hot water requirements, it does exactly what it's supposed to, without any fuss and day-to-day running costs that are slightly below an equivalent Natural Gas system.

Hi Des, welcome to the forum. Tell us what your background is in relation to the subject matter. Have you previously been involved in the house building, architectural, renewables industries or similar? What's the insulation, airtightness and heating technology in your own home. I'm happy to give my experience, but am keen to understand the audience to pitch it at.

I'd check the wording on the Title. Downloadable from Land Registry for £3, or £6 with the Title Plan included. I expect the wording will be pretty tight if the intention is to leave those areas, bounded by a dotted line, to be open for others to have access over it.

Most of the higher end Solarlux have a 0.8 U value, but wasn't aware any of their Bi-Folds went to Class 4 air permeability.

As per the caveats I've included on each of my comments, I'm assuming that the Title Deed refers to (and explains) these different boundary types. And, I'm assuming that the dotted line denotes something different to the solid line. For Instance, a dotted boundary line is used in the space in front of the garage. I would assume that is so the owner has the area protected from anyone else parking there, so that they have access to the garage, but others have a right of access over that area in order to access their own garages and turn their vehicles around. ie. the owner would not be permitted to enclose that area and deny others their right of access over it. There isn't a standard for what these different line formats mean across all Titles held at the Land Registry, but it is quite normal that they are used on a Title Plan and then referred to by the Title to describe what they infer in each case.

The red lines define the areas included on the Title document, and therefore what would be "Owned" by your mother if she went forward with the purchase. The red line is correctly drawn in that the outside edge of its thickness aligns to the boundary line. In the area in question the boundary line is shown dotted. It looks to me that the fence is on the solid line marked by the blue arrow: The fence shouldn't cross the solid boundary line, so the outer face needs to sit on, or just in side this boundary. The green hatched area, bounded by the dotted line, while it would be owned by your mother, would need to be kept clear, assuming the dotted line denotes others having access rights over it.

It does depend on what is stated in the Title document regarding these areas bounded by the dotted line. More likely is that you can fence what is within the solid line (which is where the fence line currently is) but the area bounded by the dotted line may have to be left open to allow others access over it.

I've done a mixture of each, depending on how visible they are.

I believe most people would recommend to do this. Not only TV's "get networked", but sound bars, home theatre amps, Android/Apple TV boxes, Chromecast, Streamers, the next "big thing" etc etc. Hardwired is more robust than Wi-Fi, and Cat 6 is relatively cheap so may as well stick extra in. Flexibility. You only need to make a connection live, when you intend to use it. ie. patch it from the patch panel to the switch. You can also change whether or not that connection has PoE, if you run a PoE switch and a normal switch (PoE ports are a premium so you may not wish to have capacity for all connections to be PoE)

It's a commonly made point, but there are plenty that are PH Certified. I have Solarlux Bi-folds and gave them special attention during the blower test where I couldn't detect any air leakage around them, (but did around my bowed front door, which had to be replaced and a couple of windows that needed adjustment). After fixes we achieved a 0.089 ACH, so can't be too bad.

I haven't read this story, but previous reports said they were introducing 2% blue hydrogen into the natural gas supply, and would increase that to 20% over a period of time, depending on what leaks occurred ?. 20% hydrogen would lead to a 7% reduction in CO2 (if it were green hydrogen), due to the lower energy density of hydrogen. Not really sure what the point of this trial is. Surely they could simulate whether 20% hydrogen would lead to the calculated 4 times as many leaks (which seems to be the only knowledge that will be confirmed by the trial) without taking a risk with homes in this village.

Are there parking bays marked out by the Council? or are they informal? On both deeds there is a different type of boundary shown by a solid line and a dotted line. Is it possible that while you own the area shown by the dotted line on your deeds, others have access over it. This would be included in the text within your Deeds/Title document. If so then you wouldn't be able to enclose within your garden. It looks clear you own it, but others may have rights over it.

I reckon around £8.5K incl. £3.5K for a replacement 100kVA 3 phase transformer, with you digging the trench and laying in a duct ready for them to pull the cable through.

We were with Direct Line, who didn't seem to have an issue with our Aluminium (standing seam) roof and were very reasonable, but they've just pushed "high rebuild value" insurance on to another one of their brands which wasn't so competitive. We're now with Frontier Home Insurance: https://www.frontierinsurance.co.uk/ Again, our metal roof and timber structure doesn't appear to have effected premiums, and barns and outbuildings including tools and equipment etc. very, very reasonable. Their quoting tool allows you to "play" with values and gauge directly what effects the premium.

Up to 2017 ASHP were not permitted to cool on RHI, but that changed at the end of 2017. From the Ofgem website:

For this type of hinge, I always turn the lower hinge 180° so that it opposes the upper hinge. New gates don't last long if they can be easily lifted out. It means assembling the gate on to the hinges - you'd have to bolt the top band on to the gate, with the gate already in position and the lower eye bolt assembled on to the hinge pivot. There are anti-lift brackets you can use, but this saves purchasing anything else. If you swap the nuts on the top band to ant-theft nuts, it makes it even more secure.