Alan Ambrose

I do buy the idea that the grid is a big fat fixed cost and it may well need enhancing to support peak usage. So, we'll end up paying for it regardless - whether that's in higher per kW prices or connection fees, even if we're individually using less grid energy. We might end up with something like internet ISP charging where it's the size of the pipe that's the costly thing rather than the amount of data. So, the idea that overall electricity supply costs are going to get cheaper is questionable even if the per kW cost becomes very cheap sometimes. Anyone know how the full cost of home PV compares to the full cost of grid PV? That is, how much more efficient is it to do it in bulk?

>>> I do wonder how many people who pay by direct debit have over paid. Oh yes, they take the .... mickey, have mine on pay-actual-usage-at-end-of-month to avoid the BS.

All the suppliers are fairly hopeless, I had one who took 4 visits to swap out a 3P meter. And another where I accidentally exchanged some digits in a meter reading … apparently ‘using’ 2 years of power in one month. Their system wouldn’t let me, or apparently any of their staff amend the reading or put in a lower reading the next month. Yes, that’s right, their system designers hadn’t allowed for anyone ever putting in a wrong reading. It took nine months and a letter to the CEO to sort that out. In the meantime, I was being pursued by collection agencies for a couple of £K.

Borrowing or renting a thermal camera (and turning the heating up for a few hours) may well tell you where the pipes are. And then maybe burying the cable in a bit of 20mm plastic conduit.

I should have said that it was our paddock so there was never going to be cows there. We didn't, but you could always fence it off I guess.

Hmmmm, interesting: ... lots of solar capacity brings higher electricity prices: https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2024/04/22/californias-exploding-rooftop-solar-cost-shift/

In a previous life, we had a PTP plant installed out of the curtilage in a bit of paddock. It wasn't my building project, so I didn't follow the detail - but this didn't seem to cause the planners / BC any problem.

You don't like it then?

You could present the sellers with the problem and your view of it and allow them to investigate whether they have any solutions.

Or stainless, lots of yacht parts made like that in stainless.

>>> this one is going to be the last house I build just wait until you get the bug . have a great view to share?

>>> But i dont have any real means to compare the output of the 2. Suggest light will be ~proportional to area, so 14" will let in roughly twice the light of the 10". Our eyes are a bit logarithmic though, so perceived extra brightness might well be < twice. Does that help any?

FYI Octopus Agile is 13-21p 'off-peak' today, 26-32p 'peak' and 'peak is 4-7pm.

Ah the old 'I made this but can't remember how I did it, where I sourced the parts from etc'. At least you remember what it's for . Been there, done that. If it's this bit (below): Some kind of 'rod end', 'threaded rod end', 'eye rod end' etc? e.g. https://midwestcontrol.com/shop/CRXL-12-1

I might get a new fitting, preferably Plasson,and try again. Btw there’s some special plastic spanners that work well on those fittings. I don’t think the tightening torque makes a difference though, it’s the o-ring that counts.

I nominate @SteamyTea as BuildHub treasure of the month.

Couple more possibilities - pipe wasn't deburred and/or o-ring is torn (look closely). Star washer thing is a bit snagged or on at an angle. Took me a while to figure out that the seal on these is only the o-ring. Any tape / gunge is just covering up a bodge and there'll be an underlying reason to look for.

Ah I just read your post again - the situation is a bit complicated. This is a matter of timing and/or of paying the CIL on what might be a self-build for someone else? Amount not high enough for legal work? No harm in arguing the point with them. I've actually found the East Suffolk CIL guys to be OKish, although they're clearly a revenue raising department.

Ah, that old trick. Which Suffolk borough are you out of interest - East I think? I think I might have seen that property for sale a while back - mill is very beautiful, with a mill pond, not so far from a train line? >>> Don’t know if we have any redress. Yes, I think you do and I assume the amounts are large. Suggest engage a CIL lawyer asap. There's some discussion on BH about finding and using one. CIL seems to be one of those things that unscrupulous councils take the piss out of. Put one foot out of wrong will ya - that's you nailed.

As a follow on (as is common here with the post-and-dash brigade, we have not heard again from the OP)... I'm finding this strategy is working with the PHPP calcs - so I can try out the variations of brise soleil, external blinds, low-G glass etc ensuring that I limber under the PHPP overheating limit. I'm aware though that this is a somewhat fragile strategy (the PHPP overheating calc itself is a bit fragile anyway) and, in practice, reducing the glazing a bit might make the chosen solution a bit less brittle. This does also force you to start selecting particular frames / glass / blinds for the modelling, which I guess is good.

One thing I found recently was that annual property taxes in the US can be 2-6% p.a. (!) based on market value. That means that people (e.g. retirees) can get priced out of their homes if market values move up sharply. Estate agent fees (Realtors) used to charge a standard 6% (!) and that has recently gone free market. It makes our council taxes (mine is ~0.5%) and our estate agent fees of ~1% seem seem puny by comparison.

Maybe it depends on how fast your LDC is and on the delivery time for your windows. Is one strategy to file for the LDC and get an order in the window queue at the same time subject to your final decision on colour?

I would like a double external door, PH level and modern security which I can cover on the outside with old oak planks similar to the barn-like building it's going to go in. Ideally I would like to buy ready-made double door blanks with good quality insulation and a multi point locking mechanism, so I can just cover the outside surface. I know this is not the way that particular industry generally works. Any leads or ideas?

You can buy a bunch of plastic packers in different thicknesses. This kind of thing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Assorted-Glazing-Plastic-Variations-Available/dp/B0B21KQJW3

Even with a highly insulated slab?