Marvin

Hi @SteamyTea https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/slowest-road-cornwall-average-speed-2601431

NO! Er... we have 970 metres of dual carriageway in Newport! It's just we enjoy the scenery

Hi @DougMLancs Yes I forgot about the fact that we give away our excess... @Smallholder please note. However the whole system we have - 5.12kW - except for my labour, cost about 4k and assuming it all lasts for 7 years that's about £1.60 a day.

Hi @SteamyTea Slightly off topic but probably of interest to @Smallholder Our car does about 5000 miles a year we're getting about 4.5 miles a kWh and travelling at an average of about 23miles an hour (so the car tells me) So 5000 divided by 23 so that's about 217 hours a year being driven. We mostly drive during daylight so say 200 hours of daylight driving. Our typical amount of time away from home on each journey I have no data for, however thinking about it I would say an additional 1.5 hours of away time for 1.5 hour travel In summary the car is away from home about 400 hours a year (with a few exceptions) My point is that the car spends about 90% of daylight hours attached to the charger and this, along with low milage and short times away, means it works for us.

This is the aim of every energy producer. Electricity is difficult (ok, easy but expensive) to store and usually requires converting into something else waiting and then converting back again. When you think of use, low and slow is easier to supply. We produce too little in the winter and too much in the summer. We produced too much for some of October last year and then started again in April this year.

We charge our EV 95% from the PV, however the car is at home most of the time during the day. Plus 1 on @SteamyTea comments. The devil is in the detail.

3. The application is not that bad. For ours there was a charge and we had to wait a few months for a reply.

In my experience no and yes. I would recommend trying to obtain as much PV as possible. However, 8.5kW of panels will not produce 8.5kW at peak performance on a 15 degree roof in Somerset, and there is always a loss converting energy from DC to AC. Have you used the PGIS Web site to understand what you would typically produce over each month? https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html We produce about 1/4 of the output in the winter compared to the summer.

As I understand it: No and yes. If the work is done to the correct standard following planning and building regulations and signed of by an electrician and approved by the DNO then yes.

Hi @Tonio sputnik Tricky one this. In my limited experience I would expect that the additional pipe below the stove would interfere with the flue fumes, espically as it is outside and more so during cold weather. I would want to see the Ash cap accessible from within the building. If you spilt ash or dropped the cap whilst hanging out the penthouse window where would it land? In England we have to have this type of installation signed off by a qualified installer and install carbon monoxide alarms in each room which has a wood and or pellet stove and ensure an adequate air supply for the stoves. Good luck M

Hi @Reeci I think that the requirements are so the doors still give a good fire resistance, i.e. look you want a fancy door so fine as long as it resists fire. Here's what it needs to be: ......... You want glass in it? Fine, here's what it needs to be......

Yes let's see what the experts think.

Personally after the first 90° elbow I always use 90° swept bends. Usually the kitchen sink starts with a 40mm waste pipe. A basin usually a 32mm waste pipe. Oh and a bath and a shower usually a 40mm waste. Showers some times bigger.

Years ago I read in the BG white book that the way the board was made meant that there was more rigidity one way then the other, and also to ensure each edge of a board is supported you will need all the noggin centers at about 1210mm from the floor. Doing it this way you will have ends of boards butting together which again I think if your skimming would make no difference as long as you stagger the joints. Howerver someone else may be more updated. M

Think this depends if you are skimming or drylining...

It sounds to me as if you are doing all the right things. I doubt the timberframe company will have messed up the design. I think that your looking for a watertight building after founds and timber frame. Make sure you understand whose responsibility it is to coordinate the various opperations throughout the build. Before starting the slab someone should check the dimensions on the foundations drawings against the timber frame requirement. Do they fit together? Secondly someone should check the foundations as they're being built. It's one cost sorting out something whilst the labour and plant are there, it's a much bigger cost when the crane and frame turns up and the groundworkers are working elsewhere with all their plant.... Make sure you plan all the service routes in advance as much as possible, espically any in the foundations like foul water pipes and service cables pipes. Do you have to install the fibre optic connection and or electric vehicle charger? I assume you have checked with building control... I wish you fair weather M

Having been a QS and a cost engineer, in my humble opinion usually the reasons for a guesstimate are lack of detail for the item meaning there's not enough information to price it or someone not bothering to put the effort into pricing it or the concern that material/ labour costs will change substantially by the time the works start OR the dark art! (Works below existing ground which if you have watched a lot of granddesigns you will know is one of the big unknowns/risk items) If its one of these problems you can find ways to limit the risk. What is the ball park figure item?

Hi @Achu Yes mostly the complaints are about what people do, or don't, want you to do with your property but nothing to do with conflicting with planning permission rules. Let them whine! It sounds like no one can come up with a planning rule reason why you shouldn't have what you want. Even the planning officer and highways feel it's OK. Ignore it all. Move on. Sort out the garden. Paint the house red. and stay polite. M

Hi @RussH and welcome. After 2 years of finishing your build, you will think, ah it was not that bad. Until then it can be a challange. Just remember, the only stupid question is the one you never asked. Good luck M

Our ASHP is set at 45°C. The PV diverter is set at 75°C at the moment. I ensure that the temp goes up to 60 every few weeks in the winter by overriding the diverter.

Hi @Rob99 You may wish to consider balancing your storage and your PV supply and your home demand. We have a small amount of batteries for night use because we charge the car and heat the water and have ASHP. So in the summer we have more than we can use when the sun is out, and not enough in the winter. We achieve about 4 to 1 summer to winter average daily output. You could have a huge battery bank, but what are you going to use it on and remember that you loose about 18% converting from DC to AC.. During the summer nights we use about 2 to 3kWh and in the winter the PV is almost all used up on the ASHP, and car.. Good luck M

Only if the converted DC power goes through the same inverter as the panel DC. If you have another inverter for the battery power which connects directly to the mains, then you need to add the maximum kWs output of that device and the PV inverter max kWs together and speak to the DNO. M

Our 6kW inverter can have almost 8kW of panels connected and the DNO don't care because the inverter will only allow a 6kW output. I would check with the DNO. . M

Was informed by the DNO that they didn't care what I could limit the inverter to. If it was a 6kW inverter, that is what I had to have permission for! Best check assumption with you DNO. M.

Well, having previously completed a review of the areas of the most yearly rainfall in England I note that Dartmoor was high on the list! Pity the water companies haven't found a way to store that lot!