Yes. IMO. Do it once, do it properly and it will be good for the rest of the life of the property.
Combating energy prices
- Thread starter Dirk Diggler
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I was thinking these, they work out cheaper than Homebase:
I think I need ~25 Sq M worth as I can't be bothered to board the sides.
Loft Storage Stilts - Box of 96 (11.3m² Space)
Most Popular Quantity Sold Create 11.3m² of storage space. FREE TRACKED NEXT DAY DELIVERY IN THE UK and IRELAND Will create a raised boarded area above the government recommended 270mm Insulate your loft AND keep your storage space. Create a raised platform to insure the insulation is not...
www.loftstilts.co.uk
I think I need ~25 Sq M worth as I can't be bothered to board the sides.
No, I haven't, the cowboy installer has. It's been on my list to investigate before the winter.
Have to disagree, spotting cowboy Celotex installation is easy if you can see daylight, but also hard if they've put the slightest effort in as you can't pull it back and see if they foamed the depth of the joint between board and rafter without destroying it.
I've been through and foamed and taped all the joints in our eaves storage but the wind still gets around the celotex in places, especially at the bottom where it meets the wall.
I'm considering one of the following. As they are all expensive.
Solar setup (but I don't think our house is ideal, not checked professionally)
Replace boiler (it's a tank one) as it's probably 20 years old. (not sure how old. It looks old!)
Windows replace/fix
I have a suspicion that the Windows are the biggest cause of heat loss. But also damn expensive to replace.
There's literally draft and visible gaps where seals are
How would you go about pricing up a cost/benefit ratio?
I feel the solar is actually easiest to price! I know our monthly kWh spend etc
Solar setup (but I don't think our house is ideal, not checked professionally)
Replace boiler (it's a tank one) as it's probably 20 years old. (not sure how old. It looks old!)
Windows replace/fix
I have a suspicion that the Windows are the biggest cause of heat loss. But also damn expensive to replace.
There's literally draft and visible gaps where seals are
How would you go about pricing up a cost/benefit ratio?
I feel the solar is actually easiest to price! I know our monthly kWh spend etc
Windows, if double glazed, will be the least of your issues as long as there aren't any gaping holes in the surrounds or seals. You can always just re-do the seals on the windows if you wish to make easy draft improvements, but pound for pound spent replacing double glazing with newer double glazing is one of the biggest wastes of money.
It's easiest to price in terms of kWh generated, and then offset against your normal usage if you already know what that is.
There are gaps around the seals. So big you can hear/feel the wind.
In terms of electricity.
We both work from home so power draw is fairly constant.
We can easily stagger dish washer, washing machine etc to come on so only one is ever on. In essence balancing the load.
On weekdays we probably draw 200w most of the day I guess (usually 6-10kwh a day)
6 would be a no dishwasher, little TV, no washing machine or tumble.
10 would be most of these and a lot of TV.
(TV uses 300W-350Wish)
If it is just the seal, and not the fitment of the actual frame or the opening part of the window, then you can buy (almost) universal seals - here! Obviously you should do some proper investigation of the gaps, and sizes, and doing one window first to see what the result are like. I refurbished all of our windows, includes hinges and slides where required, new seals, and one new lock handle, and a single new glass unit for less than £200.
A reasonable sized ~4kWp PV system with a medium/large sized battery would be a good solution, in conjunction with a TOU tariff for the later autumn/winter/early spring time to cover poorer generating days, in the summer even 4kWp will cover your needs regardless of the system facing.
Soldato
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I'd have thought some low expansion foam would be enough around windows.
Had renovation work done recently and added about 100mm wall insulation and changed the boiler to a 94% efficient one, house is EPC B now. Hoping to get solar panels but they are like unicorn poop. Should be EPC A after that.
In a previous property with poor sealing around windows we have used window insulation film that you tape over the entire window.
In a previous property with poor sealing around windows we have used window insulation film that you tape over the entire window.
I thought it would be interesting to know what some things I leave plugged in are using overnight in standby mode etc. Can anyone recommend something to test? Is it as simple as getting one of those things that allow you to plug the appliance in to?
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- Rollergirl
Thank you. Could be an eye opener.
Do you all think it's worth using something like this on the living room ceiling.
www.insulationsuperstore.co.uk
It's the room that's heated the most and next on my list for decorating.
The current ceiling is coming down either way to be re-boarded.
Celotex PL4025 Insulated Plasterboard 2400 x 1200 x 37.5mm | Insulation Superstore®
Fabricated from rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) with a blend of blowing agents that have low global warming potential (GWP) and zero ozone depletion potential ...
www.insulationsuperstore.co.uk
It's the room that's heated the most and next on my list for decorating.
The current ceiling is coming down either way to be re-boarded.
Does anyone know how to calculate the average usage of a boiler?
We have a standard gas boiler, 4 years old, that deals with central heating and the hot water tank. We also have a gas hob, but don't always use it.
I used to have it set for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening, but I recently dropped them both down to 30 minutes to see how we get on.
Yesterday we were out of the house, no central heating on and no gas hob usage, so the only gas that should have been used was 1 hour total.
However my usage was still over 8kWh, which makes no sense to me.
We've had days where the usage was only 6kWh, and that was back when it was on for 2 hours a day.
Any ideas what could be causing this?
We have a standard gas boiler, 4 years old, that deals with central heating and the hot water tank. We also have a gas hob, but don't always use it.
I used to have it set for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening, but I recently dropped them both down to 30 minutes to see how we get on.
Yesterday we were out of the house, no central heating on and no gas hob usage, so the only gas that should have been used was 1 hour total.
However my usage was still over 8kWh, which makes no sense to me.
We've had days where the usage was only 6kWh, and that was back when it was on for 2 hours a day.
Any ideas what could be causing this?
I run mine for 30 minutes in the morning and 20 in the evening. Yesterday our gas usage was 6.82 kwh (we have nothing else that uses gas). However that figure isn't always the same and taken over an average of a week it's 6.07kwh
Do you know what the thermostat connected to your hot water cylinder is set to? Are you hitting that temperature? e.g. if you ran your boiler for 60 minutes but the thermostat kicked in after 30 minutes then reducing your boiler runtime to 30 minutes will not make a difference.
Keep in mind that, depending on various other factors, incoming water temperature, hot water usage and the ambient temperature of the tank, your cylinder may hit the temperature cut-off on some days but not others.
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- Rollergirl
The 1 hour time period is not the only factor, your water will reach temperature and then a thermostat will cut off the control signal that calls for heat. You'll probably find that the water is reaching temperature in around 15 minutes and the time period you've set is irrelevant.