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Following the Govs decision to give more time to introduce net zero. I kind of had it in my head we were to be stuck with ASHP with underfloor heating, although the installation would be hideously expensive and the usage not very much more cost effective than other heating types. It seems now we may not be stuck with one option given the extension and a longer time scale to make the changes. We are quickly sliding into our pension years and im now confused as to which system (no gas available) we should employ. Is there anywhere truthful where you can compare how economic all systems are. Ive googled and thats hopeless, one says ASHP another said Electric and ive even read that oil is!!! If I ask a plumber, of course they say the systems they supply are the best. Has anyone found any honesty?

My untreated oak veneer doors have just arrived, and will need treating. I am looking at either normal Osmo oil, or Polyx Oil - also by Osmo and iirc a harder finish. Sprayable versions do exist, albeit at the usual slightly eyewatering prices . I can live with that for only a few litres. http://www.osmouk.com/retail/product.cfm?product=359 Has anyone tried spraying their doors? Are there any lessons to learn? Cheers

Hi all, We are looking for some help with the best configuration of heating and hot water system. We will likely have oil on site, a wood burner and solar thermal panels. How would we put these together for the best system. We will have under floor heating. We could make room for a storage tank but we're thinking of just having an oil Combination boiler for the hot and heating until the Architect came up with solar thermal panels for SAP. We will only use the wood burner on occational cold evenings. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks, Geoff

Hi All We're at the stage where we need to make a final decision about our Heating & Hot water system and we would really appreciate some advice. We're building a 230 sq metre, 2 storey house (GF 120, FF 110) in Co. Down, Northern Ireland... Family of 2 adults, 2 teenage boys (long showers, most days) Work/school means the house is unoccupied for a large part of the day Block built full-fill 150mm cavity walls Triple glazed windows throughout Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery Underfloor heating on the ground floor and radiators on the first floor Multi-fuel, back boiler stove Airtightness target of 1 m3/(m2 h) We will have a south facing pitched roof which is crying out for solar panels, but with no RHI in NI both solar thermal & photovoltaic are expensive options. My preference is PV panels and I plan to put all the wiring in place during the build and then at some point in the future add the panels. Mains gas is on it's way to us but won't be available until at least 2 years after we finish the build. I'm working on the assumption that mains gas is the best option and therefore we should put something temporary in place and then switch to mains gas when it is available. We've ruled out Air Source Heat Pump due to cost (we saved £11.5k when we removed it from our spec and replaced it with Oil). I would really appreciate some guidance as my head is pickled thinking of each option and permutation. My specific questions are; With a reasonably airtight/insulated house we hopefully won't need too much energy. Therefore am I over-thinking the whole issue? (In which case Oil is probably the way we'll go) Whichever fuel we decide on, what's the best way to use the energy provided by PV panels on those few days it actually is sunny in NI? We've been advised to let intelligent heating controls (Dataterm IHC) run the UFH, but as the house will be unoccupied for long periods is this not wasteful? Anything else I should consider? Thanks in advance

@Nickfromwales Telford seem a good bet for supplying my UVC. As per other post on UFH with rads but I will now site the tank in the cellar and have an external boiler (fluing from the cellar is a pig and looks expensive). So presume new system boiler and UVC or TS. Can't invest in solar now, or air-source hp as no funds left. See system below I got quoted from Greensquare. Should I not have a buffer if going uvc?

I've been reading various old threads about the oil vs varnish question, and seeing a lot of praise for Osmo products. Thing is, most people praise its hardwearing qualities and moan about the price! So maybe I can get by with something cheaper, given these beams will see nowhere near the abuse(or even direct sunlight) that floors and skirtings do. The beams are 'dressed all round redwood' from the BM, and in no sense are they red in colour- what's that about then?