econick.bsky.social
Home energy efficiency retrofit consultant at www.owensinsight.com. AECB member. Fan of PHPP. Trying to decarbonise Sussex in small bites. Slow hill walker.
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Offer yours as a precedent?
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And “close to EnerPHit” doesn’t quite dispel all the draughts, some of which can be in annoying places. One day I’ll insulate the living room floor!
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I’ve lived by the South Downs for 23 years and never heard one these words - obviously need to get out more!
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Maybe the government plans to tax them off the roads, to pay for the removal of the 2-child cap on child benefit?
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Impressed by what I assume is an extra PV array in Skye - very neat, and a good solution if existing roof space isn’t enough
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Wood fibre? Hemp? Looks very neat anyhow
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Why stop at “near”? If new builds had to reach Passivhaus that implies they would have to be certified and any short-cutting builders found out. Vive la certification!
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Yes it’s criminal that a new house can be built in 2025 that does not achieve EPC A100 rating.
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- HKD Energy raised £100k to put solar PV on Downlands School Hassocks & the adjacent leisure centre. This was in the days of FIT tariffs.
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Close perhaps:
- aided Adastra Hall in Hassocks secure grants for solar panels & batteries;
- did a “whole hall retrofit plan” for them
- retrofit plan also for Ditchling Village Hall, plus procured grant from HKD Energy for cavity wall insulation
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But also, as retrofits are done, there can be non-visible insulation installed that really does exist but which energy assessors aren’t allowed to take into account. It is silly that the rules insist DEAs assume that it not exist. This is a deterrent to desirable, underfloor insulation & warm roofs
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Interesting. It seems elmhurst is already issuing misconceived audit requests as more accurate EPCs based on better RdSAP10 window data is brought into play. A pain in the backside!
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Interesting there are no A rated houses on the graph - I’m guessing it’s ’cos current RdSAP9.94 is almost incapable of registering a true A-rated property with heat demand < 50 kWh/(m2.yr). Sad.
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In its manifesto, Labour promised “to restore & protect our natural world” and “to unlock the building of homes .. without weakening environmental protections”.
Is it any wonder so many people are so dissolusioned with politics. Labour's great environmental betrayal explained in depressing clarity!
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Great piece George. My blog on this, from a couple of weeks ago. We are calling for a Pause. Not even the various amendments being rushed through will make this ok.
www.hiwwt.org.uk/blog/debbie-...
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This is Klarna logic: destroy now, offset later. Except you cannot offset or ‘outweigh’ entire habitats and ecologies. This is a shameful, shameful bill
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Sounds like the BBC has completely lost the plot.
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I agree with CPRE Sussex that not having directly elected members and ignoring natural capital would be grievous errors: it could create a bunch of mini-hitlers despoiling Sussex’s beauty with growth at all costs. Might as well hand it all over to the Reform party.
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I don’t know - I’d never heard of a zeekr but the X looks suspiciously like my Volvo EX30 with same performance characteristics
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I do whole house retrofit plans for people. For these I use up to date carbon factors and the PHPP energy modelling software so avoid all the ridiculous absurdities of EPCs and the foolish requirement to ignore some insulation that reasonable documentation says exists. I often recommend heat pumps!
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I think an update of the rules is coming on 15th June …
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Yes, EPCs done under the RdSAP 9.94 rules are rubbish. If a householder retrofits insulation (eg underfloor; or above the rafters) that the assessor can’t see and measure, it’s assumed not to exist. They recommend solar water heating for people with combi boilers - when there’s no water tank!
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I think this is officially a Trumpian dystopia.
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But you found the cause! I wanted nice Sussex flint walls but couldn’t get the u-value with existing cavity fill. 0.11- looks like you’re heading for Passivhaus! Picture available?
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For more look at www.owensinsight.com.
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Here’s the bible very much recommended
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Essentially:
- interstitial condensation risk typically limits internal insulation to about 100mm of eg wood fibre;
- external not limited this way as stone walls are kept warm;
- but often need to preserve historic look prevents EWI;
- with solid walls for EWI use breathable insul. eg wood fibre.