Ferdinand

I think this one will go away rapidly, since the cause is covering the costs of companies going bust etc, and that is a one-off, and Standing Charges should go back down. The system may be changed, but the current issue is a short-term crisis.

like VED? VED is also a tax - it goes into the general tax pool. The difference between a standing charge and a tax is that the standing charge goes to a company providing an electricity or gas supply, not to the Government into the tax pool. The 'charge on the general industry for industry wide temporary problems' does not make it a tax imo. Which is why I think it is a category error to compare it to a tax.

You could put it on Google Storage, and allow access whilst talking about it, and then remove the access at the end of the chat - just leaving some reflections to keep the thread useful.

I think this will be OK, and @Russell griffiths is being a bit of a Jeremiah 🙂 . Importantly, don't forget your ventilation. and to do things in the right order if you are doing EWI or something sealing the walls. I think you might find that the top end of 2G might do it these days. Worth a look. If IWI-ing, I'm guessing around 75-100mm of celotex is the ballpark, perhaps plus cavity wall insulation. For the suspended floors, one way some people have done it is to seal the void from water and completely fill with polystrene beads. Another is to attach your insulation to the joists, where you need either ventilation to keep them dry, or to guarantee ansence of moisture. When I did a suspended floor, I did rockwool with a staple gun, and celotex on top (new or trimmed doors), then a click-fit laminate on top of that. With services all running in a void in the new subfloor along the inside walls. UFH is possible in a thickness of 18mm using systems such as Wunda. Or oversize rads or use air. https://www.wundagroup.com/underfloor-heating/ As to where you could be getting to, I suggest aiming for current new house building standard as a reasonable target. Detail is everything. ATB.

OK. Playing. Installed the app on the mobile phone. It managed to switch the aircon on with nearly all the settings I wanted (something funny with setting target temp and time duration, which did not make it to the device) at the time I wanted. I'll see if it switches it off in 3 hours. I need to understand how much intelligence is in the app, and how much is in the device, and whether in fact I need a resident iPad or similar to be in the house all the time to control it. Hopeful. Ish.

The gadget I didn't know I needed !!! Thanks! A couple of cautions. 1 - The examples there show things like hanging plants not gates. Are they man enough to support your gates? This one is the biggie imo. 2 - There are other similar things: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Postfix-Slotted-Concrete-Fence-Brackets/dp/B00AD8EVEU https://www.rivelinglenproducts.com/wire-anchor-size-1-132-p.asp 3 - Are your posts actually in already? One other option could be to get your local fencer to make you a couple of posts with holes in (they just put a bit of pipe in the mould). F

You may find that the previous report-writers may update for a lower fee than a whole new one, due to it being a re-edit rather than a new report. Maybe 1/3 less?

I'm partly with you on that one, but the source is always important to know as it affects the content of the case being made. In this piece, for example, they claim that my SC is about 10% higher than is actually the case - 46p vs 42p per day. A problem with tabloid journalism in all of the papers. SC are regulated, and have gone up to cover costs related to companies going bust and increased fixed costs (eg fuel), which are being shared across the county. That also suggests they will go back down in time. The costs will move to somebody else if SC is reduced, which needs to be taken into account. And zero standing charge tariffs have been tried previously, they have not exactly set the market alight. This isn't a tax, though - it is a payment for a service.

Example of an adult cat stuck in a tiny gap between 2 houses: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-61810606

A gap that small is a *very* bad idea. It will fill up with gunge with no sensible way of getting it out. How would you deal with a wasps' nest, for example, or an ant hill? Or 2 inches may trap a small animal, such as a teensy cat that falls in. What if it slipped higher up the roof, for example. IMO what you need is to key in to their wall with an agreed roof drainage strategy. I don't envy your conversations with your neighbour. Perhaps try chatting to your local Building Control at the Council - they may talk to you about your issue and have some ideas informally if you are thinking around it. F

Hmmm. 🤔 Daily Mail article using poverty as a reason to support abolition of standing charges. They did not mention that people with empty houses and second home owners will love it - no energy bills at all whilst they are not occupied. Straight abolition is not a subtle enough policy imo.

At this point then, it's get it done PDPDPDQ before someone goes "Hmmmmm. We need advice" in your local Council. F

When I dryline I tend to do it traditionally framed out rather than dot and dab, then I include a membrane to help isolate the insulation from the ventilation, then install some sort of modest forced ventilation.

Not in the area. I normally suggest a local one with more than one branch, and some sort of specialist land expertise so it's available in case you need it. So you get to deal with one experienced person, with backup available. I generally recommend against regional companies big enough to imagine they are in a different league with rates. For a specific recommendation I would ask a Chartered Surveyor or most experienced member of staff in a long-term trusted local EA. That is the middle-aged one in the backroom who looks as if they have been dragged through a hedge backwards, and has their tea out of a chipped cup marked "Lawn Mower Racing Championship 2006. Third place.".

Yes - it seems they might. I've reedited my post to note that I missed that on a quick skim. More to experiment with. Remaining main concern with the unit would be the strange noises it makes on occasion - which seems to me that it may be something like fan-strike as the temperature of the outlet hits its limi and before the thermal cutout activates. I've been playing with it for a few days, so I need to decide whether I need a replacement or a return, but may try the app over the w/e first. Generally it has been a very positive experience. I have had part of my career playing in areas adjacent to IT whackery-hackery, but I generally prefer to avoid it at home.

That is an excellent suggestion. I should have thought of that, since I have done it occasionally that way on the electric side. Do you get LGC certified plumbers from the list on the regulator website, if such exists? Where would @Jilly find the register?

I have since discovered by testing that the machine remembers some things: Thermostat temperature. Fan setting (I think). Mode it is in ie cool, heat or fan only (I think). This is moot between heat and cool, as the hoses need to be swapped around, and that has to be done manually. That gives me hope that I can have it on a regular say 7am-10am or 6am-9am mains timer to run it in aircon (summer) or heating (winter) mode to reach a reasonable say 20C which will make the house comfortable without risking long-term-running by mistake. It also suggests that more complex remote control could be done via a House Management setup. Encouraging.

They recommend the "Tuya Smart" app, and it is listed on the Tuya website wherever that is. Github? I have attached the WIFI Manual below, from here: https://www.electriq.co.uk/files/pdf/AIRFLEX15 WIFI TUYA 20190318.pdf That is where my comments came from, after skimming it. My tests (next post) suggest that more information may exist in the unit for you to access. It seems to remember the thermostat setting, for example. Reskimming there is a whole 1-2 page section I missed called Automation, that lets actions be triggered based on Humidity, Time, Temp etc. A integration with Google Home of Amazon Echo is possible (knew that). That may actually give me what I want, but may require the unit to be left on standby. And they seem very keen on ability to run lots of air conditioners 🙂 . So buy some more. I'm more keen to leave the doors open and buy one. AIRFLEX15 WIFI TUYA 20190318.pdf

OK. Reflections. This portable aircon / heat pump is powerful enough to make a difference. I can see it being very useful to cool down in summer and warm up in winter, perhaps even for much of the house if I leave doors open. Potentially it *may* let me significantly reduce the amount I use the GFCH. It will be cost effective if running at the times I want. The biggest issue is that - either via the unit, the handheld or the app - programming cannot go beyond "switch on or off in X hours", which means programming the night before every time, or leaving it on full time with a thermostat setting. The latter runs the risk of it running when I do not want it to - eg in a cool night. I don't believe I can put it on a mechanical timer for say 3 hours a day, and have it auto start at the default temperature. Testing that. I can see daily programming before bed working, but the lack of long term programming is a disappointment. F

Another way is to use a 1.2m concrete repair spur that comes with holes already in it, and bolt a wooden fencepost to that so that it does not contact the ground. Set the spur 18-20" into the ground. https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/supreme-concrete-repair-spur-100-x-100-x-1200mm-grey-LSCFE532

Why is this not made from Guinness cans?

OK a few hours later, with the air-con-heat-running in the 28sqm kitchen on low. Whole house has used 1 (one) kWh of electricity. Rounded down to the unit. TV news running in background. Lights on. Computer plugged in. Kitchen temperature down by 3-4 degrees. Conservatory has run up to a very hot temp. Now to see how quickly it warms up when the machine is switched off. Only issue: machine occasionally making fan-making-contact sounding noises.

Because the energy meter is filed somewhere. I'm seeing how much 3 hours of low takes and delivers this morning, via the electric meter. And a Smart meter is incoming on Monday. I have an OWL, but that is also filed somewhere.

Ask me in December. 🙈🙉🙊

Smart Meter ordered.