Improving energy efficiency of house

[Captain Nemesis]

one of the recommendation was to insulate the solid concrete floor (the cost of this I'm pretty certain would never be outweighed by the energy efficiency I'm sure)

Too right

 

[Captain Nemesis]

If you want to make a noticeable difference, regardless of EPC; hunt down any cold air draughts!

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19...-winter-to-decrease-coronavirus-risk-12135381

 

[Captain Nemesis]

The solution is either government grants to upgrade existing housing stock or start to rebuild.........

Grant schemes like last year's Green Homes Grant?

Announced with great fanfare, as a double benefit to a Covid damaged economy and to reducing CO2 emissions?

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/10/green-homes-grant-poll/

https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/reasons-the-green-homes-grant-failed

 

[Captain Nemesis]

It's a catch 22. No guarantees whatsoever that a new house will be better.

The "performance gap" is very real and that will not change unless this stuff is explicitly inspected and cared about during any work, including new builds. The lack of care and knowledge is nothing short of shocking accross the industry, especially when doing it correctly in terms of energy use would require no extra time, effort or cost at those build stages. Its very difficult to make doing it properly valuable to the builder on the ground, why on earth would they know that PIR insulation doesn't have a constant resistance value and loses significant performance under 10C? There is no incentive structure.

You can now be fined an unlimited amount and/or be banged up for 2 years for Building Regs contraventions.

Start to give builders, and inspectors, serious beatings and watch them start to take an interest.

 

[Notch7]

I don't think any of the options are truly feasible now that we are discussing it.

Personally I don't like new builds because they are rarely freehold these days, and there is usually a grounds charge. We looked at a new build before we moved into our current house, and the ground rent was around £250 per month, plus a shared cost should anything major be required to the roads and paths etc.

New build means paying a premium and a heap of snagging issues into the bargain.

the big housebuilders are driven by shareholder profits -so they build to a tight deadline and screw the pants off subbies.



This country has a mammoth housing crisis -we have a generation coming through that are being locked into renting and housebuilders that control the market by land banking.

There is no interest in building to higher standards, let alone building to the current standards.

I dont understand why we dont have the Labour government all over this -they should be looking to for radical solutions to solve this housing crisis.

 

[Captain Nemesis]

the big housebuilders are driven by shareholder profits -so they build to a tight deadline and screw the pants off subbies.

Drive one of them into bankrupcy with fines and lock up the directors.

Those left will probably change their ways.

I dont understand why we dont have the Labour government all over this -they should be looking to for radical solutions to solve this housing crisis.

Because the public have been brainwashed by the disgusting gutter press to equate any radical proposals from Labour as dangerous loony left fantasises which will bankrupt the country by teatime the day after the election and to have huge personal animosity to all Labour leaders.

This forum is rancid with examples.

 

[sxturbo]

I was a labour supporter before Corbyn, the party went a bit down hill, some policies were just far to radical, and others not radical enough.

The Tories appear to have made the zero carbon commitment without really thinking bit through, and are now trying bumble their way through it with poorly thought out schemes.

Since starmer took over labour I've been waiting for great things, but he hasn't been as dynamic and challenging as I hoped. I want radical change and proper thought out policies not policies done to impress the latest headline movement which is what we seem to be doing at the moment.

Anyway back to house efficiency, it seems that I have already done all I can do. There is no way I'm ripping up my concrete floors to insulate them, it would literally be a house remodel of the whole downstairs and I be lucky to have change of 40k.

Solar panels since the incentives were stopped don't appear to be viable,

Solar water heaters, are they any good, are they worth the cost?

 

[IT Minion]

These are the recommendation from the surveyor.

It's quite an expense to get the property to a C grade by the sounds of things..

Solar panels would probably get you there and pay for themselves within 10-15 years max. Although not if youre paying 5-8k for a 2.5kWp system.

 

[Passenger4]

The whole epc thing is a mess in my opinion, in conjunction with rising temperatures.

Yes you can add insulation but, it's actually counterproductive because they say the country is the getting warmer, by adding insulation you're also risking the property in being hot in the summer months.

Adding a fancy new boiler now is great but soon they want to phase boilers out. Getting to C band now is great, in a few years they'll want B and then A.

It's like the electric cars hype, zero emissions but then they're not thinking about the grid providing all the electricity. On top of that the emissions from electricity generation.

Just another generational thing trying to push new products through... Like the recommended diesels 20 years ago...

 

[Passenger4]

I was a labour supporter before Corbyn, the party went a bit down hill, some policies were just far to radical, and others not radical enough.

The Tories appear to have made the zero carbon commitment without really thinking bit through, and are now trying bumble their way through it with poorly thought out schemes.

Since starmer took over labour...

This is the very problem. Politicians are clueless. Here's an example the health Secretary and shadow health secretary don't have a background in health care. In fact labour has kept the same shadow health secretary from Corbyn days. Yet there is a Labour mp who is an A&E doctor and she's not the shadow health secretary.

We need people in government positions where they have experience in relative frontline work.

Politics is all about sorting your mates out regardless of which party you're with.

 

[Captain Nemesis]

Yes you can add insulation but, it's actually counterproductive because they say the country is the getting warmer, by adding insulation you're also risking the property in being hot in the summer months.

If you add insulation to the outside of the house it stops the walls warming up so much when its hot outside.