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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 983 total)
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  • in reply to: AAVs and Airtightness #39151
    Nick Grant
    Participant

      We seal them and also make sure traps have water in.

      Nick

      Nick Grant
      Participant

        Hi Dave

        I was co-author of the AECB Water Standards which are intended as voluntary best practice guidance not as some sort of punishment. Have you read them?

        As you say a lot of water use is down to behaviour and the AECB standards acknowledge that. Also we focus on hot water because of the energy impact.

        There are some things that are down to design such as minimising hot water dead legs, not the sort of thing most designers would think about or know what might be a good target.

        Nick

        in reply to: Re: Re: Secret regulations #38829
        Nick Grant
        Participant

          Dave, catching up on old postsI missed!

          This also gets my goat.

          A few years ago I wrote a crit of the Water Calculator that was part of the Code for Sustainable Homes and sent it to BRE. Ignored. Sent to CLG, ignored. Eventually a shorter version got into Green Building Mag and some other places and when the calculator was about to become law as part of Building Regs a review was called for.

          Rather surprisingly the contractor that won the work of reviewing employed me and Judith Thornton to work on addressing the criticisms we had raised.

          As part of this we had a lot of help from people in other countries, particularly Australia, wrestling with their own Codes. When the report was finished I asked to send copies to these collaborators who had been so helpful but was told the report was confidential.

          Margarie Slater put in a FOI request and eventually got the report in the public domain https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/technical_background_to_updated

          Amusing correspondence.

          The most useful spin off of all this was the AECB Water Standards.

          in reply to: Open Energy Monitor – Building performance #38942
          Nick Grant
          Participant

            Hi Will

            Catching up on forum posts as have been too busy.

            Re boards I always regret having set up the forum with so many boards but if there is a demand then I am sure another board can be created (I no longer do this). Problem is there is always overlap – eg with software and simulation?

            Re OEM I think it is excellent and they are great people but I ran out of time playing with it before I was fully up to speed with what is a developing system. On my long list of things to get back into when I am at a loose end!

            in reply to: Re: Re: Open forum post #38937
            Nick Grant
            Participant

              Just catching up with discussions after busy summer.

              Absolutely agree with Mark. AECB is a club but anyone can join and if you are working in the field (or a self builder) then the cost is tiny, about the price of a nice hammer (please don't anyone start a thread on hammer prices) and supports a lot of behind the scenes work.

              I try to be very generous when sharing what I have learnt as others have done the same for me. For me the fact that someone has committed to joining the AECB means I tend to be more generous with my time. it is like classic car or bike clubs, cycling clubs etc, a common currency of sharing. it isn't about what people should do, it is human nature.

              And yes, as someone said, a lot goes on behind the scenes “in secret”! But anyone can join the secret society if they put in the effort. As with any community (face to face or virtual) if you join in and contribute you will be welcomed in.

              The AECB isn't something out there, it is us and anyone who wants to get involved.

              in reply to: Re: Re: MVHR in PHPP #38879
              Nick Grant
              Participant

                I dont understand what you are trying to 'model'.

                in reply to: Re: Re: Thermally broken flitch beams?? #38835
                Nick Grant
                Participant

                  Probably too late but I'd say redesign to avoid the structure going through the envelope. Not just a thermal bridge but tricky airtightness, especially with flitch plate!

                  Think nature, structure inside OR outside. If structure goes through the envelope you go to A&E

                  Nick

                  in reply to: Re: Re: ITHO cooker hood combined with MVHR #37862
                  Nick Grant
                  Participant

                    But Tahir you have the Berbel??

                    in reply to: So, is this going to be better than Windsave? #38830
                    Nick Grant
                    Participant

                      Oh dear, might be time to switch electricity supply companies!

                      in reply to: Re: Re: MVHR in PHPP #38877
                      Nick Grant
                      Participant

                        Hi Richard

                        Obviously there is more to designing a low energy building than simply filling in the PHPP. There are many considerations regarding how heat is delivered and controlled but this does not get modelled in PHPP other than the possibility to check peak heat demand to a room.

                        Heating through the supply air is classic Passivhaus but a good number of PH partitioners favour radiators.

                        The PHPP manual is very thorough but it is worth doing a course such as the AECB Carbonlite one.

                        Nick

                        in reply to: Re: Re: Heat Loss Calculations #38892
                        Nick Grant
                        Participant

                          yes, do check for thermosiphoning, might be in-pipe. Google 'heat traps'. My home made solar panels were getting warm at night when I first installed them!

                          in reply to: Tips on living in an (almost) passive house #38881
                          Nick Grant
                          Participant

                            🙂

                            It's a lovely home you have built Tahir and it is interesting to spot so many forum discussions turned into concrete results!

                            Nick

                            in reply to: Room thermometers #38806
                            Nick Grant
                            Participant

                              In terms of measuring floor temperature, this is what it might look like under long wave IR. Area average temp 17.7C.

                              in reply to: Roof Windows #38810
                              Nick Grant
                              Participant

                                Peter

                                PHPP can't change the Ug with roof angle But it does flag up a warning to check the Ug if the glazing is not vertical.

                                For standard triple glazing that would be 0.6 U vertical I use about 0.9 in sloped position. As David says you need to consider whether any downdraft of cold radiant will cause comfort problems but modest sized skylights should be fine I think.

                                Nick

                                in reply to: Room thermometers #38802
                                Nick Grant
                                Participant

                                  Tahir

                                  Agree with Alan. If the floor feels warm then it is what I'd call hot! Your floor won't be much above room temp when on so will feel cool to touch. The medium price IR thermometers from Maplin are fine. Resolution good, 0.2C or so and you can 'calibrate' against a surface at room temp.

                                  Can also check kids for fever at a distance if you suspect they have something you might catch!

                                  Nick

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 983 total)