A momentous week. After 8 months in the planning, one in the planning department and four with Scottish Power we now have all the OKs to go ahead with our PV array. Hopefully by the end of October we will be up and running.
The cost for this over and above the quote from the installers is £734.66 to Scottish Power to check it is all connected properly, £1500 for an additional piece of equipment Scottish Power require and £460 for a building warrant. Not really encouraging the public to install renewables.
On a lighter note the wood pellet boiler does not require a building warrant so long as the flue is less than a metre above the roof line. As with the Solar PV it doesn't need planning permission and no-one else is involved. Hopefully, the boiler will be delivered from Denmark on time.
Sometimes it feels like you are ploughing through treacle with these projects, however, other than paying and then getting the grants and loans running, hopefully we are on the home straight.
I have also been looking at the Passivhaus theory and retrofitting to existing properties. If it is a theory you aren't familiar with, it is German and essentially is about using insullation like a teacosy on a teapot. To totally surround the living area with insulation and limit the heat loss to as close to zero as possible. The aim is to get the house to using 15kWh/m2/year for heating. That is the amount of energy (gas/electricity/oil etc) used to heat the house in a year divided by the floor area of the house in m2. We are at about 110kWh/m2/yr, so a way to go. One thing we haven't done is insulated under the floor so that is what I am now looking at and will add it to the insulation page.
I also spoke to a neighbour this week about a second 6 x 8 foot green house. He no longer uses his and was looking for someone to take it away. I volunteered, so will need to fit that in somewhere.
The bees, as you will see from their page, have perked up since I fed them and now have larvae and closed brood with loads of honey. They are still eating fondant so I am still feeding it. I am much happier though I think the hive may be getting a bit damp - this is central Scotland - so I need to make a better roof/protection for it. We have cut back any foliage that was starting to encroach so we can watch and see.
I have lifted the last of the potatoes this week. Desiree and Isle of Jura - fantastic crops only slightly slugged. We also picked 3 kg of crab apples to make crab apple jelly with our own mint and chilli pepper. It is a beautiful colour. Had intended to plant pak choi, chinese mustard and mizuna but I think that will be tomorrow.
We juiced some plums this week, they were past eating but made good, if strong juice, nice mixed with apple though. Still using our own apple juice though the apples are running out. Not sure how long they will last.
The cost for this over and above the quote from the installers is £734.66 to Scottish Power to check it is all connected properly, £1500 for an additional piece of equipment Scottish Power require and £460 for a building warrant. Not really encouraging the public to install renewables.
On a lighter note the wood pellet boiler does not require a building warrant so long as the flue is less than a metre above the roof line. As with the Solar PV it doesn't need planning permission and no-one else is involved. Hopefully, the boiler will be delivered from Denmark on time.
Sometimes it feels like you are ploughing through treacle with these projects, however, other than paying and then getting the grants and loans running, hopefully we are on the home straight.
I have also been looking at the Passivhaus theory and retrofitting to existing properties. If it is a theory you aren't familiar with, it is German and essentially is about using insullation like a teacosy on a teapot. To totally surround the living area with insulation and limit the heat loss to as close to zero as possible. The aim is to get the house to using 15kWh/m2/year for heating. That is the amount of energy (gas/electricity/oil etc) used to heat the house in a year divided by the floor area of the house in m2. We are at about 110kWh/m2/yr, so a way to go. One thing we haven't done is insulated under the floor so that is what I am now looking at and will add it to the insulation page.
I also spoke to a neighbour this week about a second 6 x 8 foot green house. He no longer uses his and was looking for someone to take it away. I volunteered, so will need to fit that in somewhere.
The bees, as you will see from their page, have perked up since I fed them and now have larvae and closed brood with loads of honey. They are still eating fondant so I am still feeding it. I am much happier though I think the hive may be getting a bit damp - this is central Scotland - so I need to make a better roof/protection for it. We have cut back any foliage that was starting to encroach so we can watch and see.
I have lifted the last of the potatoes this week. Desiree and Isle of Jura - fantastic crops only slightly slugged. We also picked 3 kg of crab apples to make crab apple jelly with our own mint and chilli pepper. It is a beautiful colour. Had intended to plant pak choi, chinese mustard and mizuna but I think that will be tomorrow.
We juiced some plums this week, they were past eating but made good, if strong juice, nice mixed with apple though. Still using our own apple juice though the apples are running out. Not sure how long they will last.
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