Bramco

I've also found -> https://www.industrialshields.com/ As far as I can tell systems like Loxone and Control4 etc. are pretty expensive but then they do cover all of the functionality a person might need, including audio and video etc. and they are very flexible. PLCs are much cheaper for the hardware, a 4 input, 4 output LOGO PLC is just over £100. So if all you want is the ability to manage blinds, rooflights etc then they would be much more cost effective. The tools for programming PLCs are much better these days. We want a relatively simple system without any special wiring, like the Loxone wiring, so I'm leaning towards a PLC based system. Simon

Thanks @BMcN Thinking things through, I guess it comes down to the price you'd need to pay for a PLC with enough inputs from the switches against any other system. I've got 20 inputs from switches for the rooflights (up, down for all, some switched together etc.) and then the outputs, in our case 12 (6 rooflights, up and down). Easy enough to program but does the cost start to build up. Simon

Not actually programmed any in anger but understand the principles and have programmed lots of other things. I may be able to make it simpler still with just some relays connected between the blind and rooflight controllers so that we can mainly do it with rocker switches. Need to really sit down and work out how we want things to work and what we might want to control automatically. Thanks for the link to plcs.net Simon

Just looking for alternatives to Loxone etc. for simple automation of blinds, rooflights, heating etc. and realised that PLCs may offer an easy and relatively cheap solution. For example the Siemens LOGO PLCs have analog and digital I/O, ethernet and a web interface. Simon

You can spend a lot of spondulies on this stuff and then have SWMBO ask, with a quizzical look if it was all worth it. And in most cases the more you've spent the harder that justification goes. Being able to turn on the heating when you are an hour or so away from home is one good and justifiable use case - unless you live in a well insulated almost passivHaus house in which case it's nonsense. In our current house it's a good thing to have, in the new build not so good. In an old house it's easy and relatively cheap to achieve with for example a Honeywell Evohome system - there are other suppliers. When you are away, having lights come on as if you are home is also useful. Again easy to achieve with some plug in wifi sockets and table or standard lamps - we have some sonos jobbies and use a 'scene' in Google home to turn them on at dusk and off at 10:30. Again simple and easy and cheap to do. In the new build though...... Actually, we're really struggling to find good solutions where we use normal wiring and can have both at the wall switch control as well as some programmed stuff. And we also will have to manage rooflights and outdoor blinds.... The main thing is it has to be usable from a simple wall panel or it gets too faffy. Hmmm need to turn the angle of the blinds a bit - 'shit, where's my phone...' 'can someone call me, I can't find my phone?' 5 minutes later and the cloud has moved on... Simon

Not sure why you would want to withdraw the application because of the construction method. Unless an aspect of the design would be prohibitively expensive in your chosen method. As your architect had advised timber frame, they must have considered the design as easily done in TF. I believe that you get your fees back if you withdraw an application, you also get a 'free' resubmit if if fails first time round. There's always a further option which is to put in a 'non material amendment' once planning is approved - although this can only be on non material aspects, e.g. position and size of windows etc. I think there's even the option to put in for material changes.

indeed - ours are filled with old bricks, set so they are interlaced as much as possible and therefore very stable - and a lot cheaper than filling the backs of the gambions (as they are known in our house) with expansive stone. Mind you, you need a source of cheap old bricks.... Simon

Yes, it will flash twice as fast.

Superficially they do behave differently but in terms of units registered for charging purposes they all seem to work the same - I think this must be in a statute somewhere but as I said I can't find this. Our previous meter used to go solid red when it had detected reverse energy - which happens when the immersion has heated up the tank to it's target temperature, i.e. it can't take any more surplus energy. The smart meter doesn't do this. The old meter flashed 1000 times per kWh. the smart meter 2000 times. But these are just the way the meters display info for us users - the key diverters all working with different meters is the regulatory charging unit of 1wH which allows diverters to work by avoiding repeatedly going over the next unit. Simon

No, they don't work like that. The isolation from the grid occurs when there if there is a power cut - the inverter handles that. There is an isolation switch in the circuit to the immersion heater (as normal), so we can isolate it if needs be. To turn off the diverter, we can simply unplug it and there's another isolation point in the feed to the diverter. But these are all manual. No. The immersion in normal operation is only connected to the diverter. So it sops up as much energy as the diverter can divert, even very small amounts. Essentially these things work by continuously monitoring the mains flow (samples at about 50 times per mains cycle, so 2500/s). If reverse flow is detected, then the diverter starts diverting, even if it is a small amount. The 'bucket' algorithm, make sure that the 1wH charging unit threshold of the meter isn't transgressed, so the meter doesn't register a unit used while the diverter is diverting. This is important whenever the amount of energy that can be diverted is lower than the rating of the immersion. If you didn't have the bucket algorithm, you would be importing the difference to make up the full 3kW of the immersion rating. Simon

He may have introduced the forum to the concept but I think it was described earlier on the openenergymonitor website where there are a couple of implementations of this that you can download if you build your own device. Obviously the OEM site may have half-inched the term from somewhere else.... Simon

Mine works fine. I was also concerned when we had the smart meter installed - I built a diverter as described on the openenergymonitor site. My initial concern was that the smart meter states on the outside that the led flashes at a rate of 2000 impulses per kWh which is twice as fast as a normal meter. However, this is just the flashing led, not what is being reported as usage. Usage is still measured in 1Wh chunks or 3600 joules. Although I can't find a spec anywhere, it seems that this is the standard charging unit for electricity in the UK - and it would make sense that all meters report the same charging info, regardless of what they might show on displays. There was a long discussion of this on the openenergymonitor forum a few months ago. You may ask how I'm so sure the smart meter isn't working to a more accurate standard since I can't find a spec for the charging units. Well, once the smart meter was installed, I waited until we had a really sunny day where all of our excess PV would be diverted to the immersion heater. On the Octopus web site you can see the usage per hour and sure enough for several hours when we didn't use any big appliances we were charged 0.0p and I could see from my monitoring of the heat bank that it was being heated as normal. So I'm not absolutely certain but I do know that the diverter is working as designed and it's not drawing any power from the grid when it's working full tilt. I should add, we only have 1.75kWp on the roof, so all of the maximum generation can be diverted to the 3kW immersion heater. Simon

It is a great feeling, having investment coming out of the ground rather than the earth being a massive money pit! I'd show our insulated slab which has just bee finished but I can't seem to get a picture in here. Will try later. Simon

When we finally get our new build finished, it will probably be an EV to soak up our PV and any cheap night time electricity. Apparently there'll be a shortage of wine at Xmas, so I'm buying in just in case (wonder how much will be left). But with the fire the French caused on the cable that we use to import lekky from France, I'm also going to be buying wood (still have an open hearth - maybe I should have specced one for the new house - mind, it's timber frame, so we'll be OK......) Simon

That's gotta be the wild west to get any generation at 7:30pm.... Isles of Scilly sunset time today is 19:38 - only 8 minutes after here in delightful Notts... Are you sailing across the pond? ? Simon

You'd need a big torch to get decent generation at 7:30 at night!! Simon

Triple glazed, MVHR and massive open spaces - it's not like steel framed single glazed windows in a 50's council house with the washing on a clothes horse in front of the fire....

No - it's to prevent any future fall out. The percentage split was agreed before we took over our half of the plot and we 'paid' the other 3 members of the family our share. One of them now owns the existing house and half the land. All 4 came out of the transaction with the same amount based on valuations of the land and the existing house. The overage is to protect the families of the 2 who weren't interested in the land or the existing house. On both halves of the land there's the potential for further subdivisions, all the families should be able to benefit if either of the current land owners decide to subdivide. Fairly straightforward. Simon

Sometimes they are there for a good reason. We split the land my father in law bought years ago when he died. So there are overages on both plots in favour of the remainder of the family were either of the new owners (us and my brother in law) to sell a parcel off for development. Different scenario but they can be useful. Simon

Yep, new house will be ASHP, Solar PV with divert to 2 immersions. Much simpler. Simon

I wish PV had been cheaper before we installed solar thermal (our PV came a few years after the s thermal) - I'd have done the whole roof in solar PV rather than half solar thermal and half PV. With PV divert and more than one immersion you can get a tankful of hot water with a much simpler installation. It's also a bit of a nightmare when it comes to selling. Our current house will go on the market next month as we hope to be in the new build early next year. You should see the looks our heat bank gets from some of the locals who know we'll be selling who have asked for a preview. I can see most prospective buyers thinking - you know what I'll save the space, put in a combi and I'll be fine. Of course they'll lose the mains pressure how water, the fact that we get as much in FiT payments as we are charged for gas and electricity.... Simon

they don't, they won't until they either like or dislike the new plan. Good luck! Although given the size of the plot, you should have gone for a mini estate with at least 3 dwellings - you'd have got that no trouble.... Simon

In some situations, ISPs will have a fair share policy, so if everyone on that bit of the network is trying to do lots at the same time, your connection may be throttled back. And I think some email systems have time outs built in, so if your connection has a hiccup for whatever reason, the server or your local email may time out. I have more trouble with large emails not working than with downloads etc. and we're on the original Virgin Media cable at 60Mb download and about 5Mb upload speeds. And in your case, it could just be a few crows resting on the wire making it sag ? Simon PS Have you tried using a 4G connection on your phone - or are you that far away from civilisation that the phone signal is also weak.

Yes but they won't deliver and install until the beginning of October, so can't say anything about what they are like in use. The sales process went smoothly but then it did with the other companies we talked to. We chose Express because they were a similar price to others that could do the sliding doors we were looking for and the fact that they are a UK manufacturer - probably get the profiles from abroad of course... The showroom in Leeds has all of their window and doors styles installed, so you can get a good idea of what things would look like and how they operate. Simon

They kept directing us to a local agent who was just someone who once upon a time had ordered a door from them and thought he could start a business - we insisted that they dealt with us through the head office in Truro. Worked, once they realised we wouldn't deal with the chap they said was their dealer. And yes - it's called the 'day release' option... Simon