I get what you say about reputation - but sometimes they are spread so thinly you wonder how much word would get around if they did questionable work, my last sweep came from 60kms away, the last central heating engineer from 100kms away.
That said I agree - I have so far had no problems (apart from Orange, that is).
Wasnât teasing - had just noticed the time!
We have a three storey mainly open plan house with a pellet stove on the middle floor that heats the upper two storeys far more effectively - stronger convection than the heat pumps (which were already in when we bought the place).
The ground floor heat pump is used in early Spring and late autumn, before itâs time for the log burner to take over, also for winter days if itâs inconvenient to light the poelle.
Thanks Mark, as I am considering a heat pump just wanted to make sure I hadnt missed something. That said it will be air to water and probably wet underfloor heating.
Yes the blighters woke me up at 3am in an aire, scared the bejesus out of me. No action taken on anything brought over but I am never at my best having been so abruptly woken as the lady duanne remarked âyou are very cheekyâ I said yes when you hammer on the side of my van like that, thought I was being robbed.
Strongly recommend Newhaven-Dieppe route even if it involves a smallish detour either or both sides. For a variety of good reasons stretching back over 30 years.
There is no need to take a motorway going South from Dieppe as an excellent quality close to motorway-standard road now runs from very close to Dieppe all the way to Rouen and itâs free. Even at Rouen itâs not necessary to take a motorway although might depend how far youâre going. Iâm well South of Limoges and from Dieppe I never take motorway before Chartres (A11) and.sometimes not before Vierzon (A20) The A20 being free for many hours going South.
The Brittany Ferries routes are much more expensive and the ports much busier. Calais to be avoided at all costs especially with a load or complication as anything bad that happens just multiplies at Dover in particular.
Try putting a post on Allo Voisins - https://www.allovoisins.com/ - (itâs free) explaining your situation and asking for an electrician to help you. Write it in English and French (Google translate or Deepl will do). Youâll be amazed at the number of electricians - both registered and illegal, French and foreign - who will crawl out of the woodwork.
Amazing. Thank you
Disagree about lumping all artisans together, modern trades like plumbers and electricians are far more common than traditionally skilled maçons and their ilk.
I agree, my maçon who is* a tailleur de pierre and restores churches etc. canât find apprentices any more and itâs not him, heâs the nicest person on earth, but the job itself.
I kind of lost the will to live ploughing through all the responses, but I note a few things - notably that an english electrician suggested an electric âballoonâ in answer to your question of hot water on demand! Obviously he, like so many english artisans down this way, has not a clue as he should have promoted an electric tankless systemâŠ
You really need to bring in an architect who will have someone with all the answers. There are lots of small inexpensive one around - you could try Fred Pau in Limoux as a start ( he is great on ideas, but useless (imo)on project management)
I already suggested Ets Alamo in Limoux, but maybe too expensive.
Bon courage!
Hello Lola, I havenât read the whole thread, so some of my points may already have been covered.
If you have a south(ish) facing roof, go for solar panels and/or solar hot water. I have had solar panels installed this year at a cost of about 8,000 Euros. Given some estimates that my bill might otherwise be as much as 4,000 per year in a few yearsâ time, the return on investment works for me. My system (about 3 kW ) includes a switching system that wil direct energy to my hot water tank(s). Only one operational at the moment; the other two to go in when I build the shower rooms that they will supply. In the summer I use about half of the total energy generated.
I have friends locally (north of the Vienne) who have solar heated water, and say they only need to top up the heat for showers on the dullest of days. Being much further south than us either or both of these should work well for you.
Given the predicted increases in elecricity prices, electric heating may present something of a shock (no pun intended) in a few years. Iâve opted for a log burning boiler which will only supply the hot water central heating system. Initial investment is high, but itâs big enough to meet the needs of my 200 sq m house and the 70 sq m dĂ©pendance that I hope to convert later.
Now to the thing I can talk most confidently on : self-move. It really depends on how much you have to move. I managed mine in two round trips with a hired 3.5 ton box van with tail lift.
You will need to find a company that will allow you to take it abroad, and, of course have the right classes on your driving licence. [I passed my driving test in 1977, so things may have changed since then.] Whatever else you do, should you choose this route use the DFDS Newhaven-Dieppe crossing !!! Dover is full of numpties who canât tell the difference between a DIY move and a commercial operation. Having gone through Dover for the first of my two trips, Newhaven, which I had used before, was a much better option. I spoke to one of the customs officers at Newhaven and she said if you are taking your own possessions out of the country we donât have any issue with that. I havenât use the Brittany Ferries Portsmouth routes because of cost, so canât comment on those.
What you will need at the other side is an itemised list of everything you are taking, its state (new or used) and an approximate value. This is not as daunting as it might seem. I listed the most expensive (and bicycles) items individually, but others things were listed as, for example, 'Box 34, clothes, used, value 30 Euros; Box 35, kitchen utensils, used, 45 Euros.
This list needs to be in French, in triplicate, and, if you are going to do more than one trip, manage it in such a way that you can identify what has already been taken into France and whatâs in the van at the time.
The cheapest professional quote I got was from a French company for about ÂŁ4,000. However, this was consolidated into a container with other peopleâs stuff. So, no guarnteed delivery date. Plus, a condition of the job was a parking space within, as I recall, 10 metres of the front door. As I have an arched entry to my property thatâs only 3.5 metres high there was no way I could accomodate that for a 15â high container lorry. The additional cost of carry things the extra 15-20 metres was ridiculous. The other quotes that I got from UK companies were ÂŁ6,000+ and had similarly inconvenient requirements.
I hope some of this helpsâŠ
Bonjour @Lola89 ,
Welcome to France (when you get here) 
1: Electric : we use Seolis on standard tarrif (not interested in specials) and run some electric heaters, hot water, lights, water filters etc and occasionally electric oil heaters in the colder months. Average bills range from âŹ500 to âŹ900 per quarter in all. We are on a 9kw rating, you will get a choice of which amount the supply is set too, 6kw, 9kw , 15kw etc. The higher the rating allows for more demand in the property but incurs a higher cost. My recommendation is not to go below 9kw unless itâs a tiny house and low demand, but reading your intentions I would even think 15kw is suitable.
2: my advice on moving is to pay someone who takes care of customs and get everything delivered safely and not broken.
Dealing with customs yourself is a lottery, sometimes you win, but on balance you loose.
We used a Company called White & Co. Based in Shropshire who were EXCELLENT value for money. 3 artic trucks and trailers, 4 men packed up in UK over 4 days, left Thursday, arrived Deux-SĂšvres Tuesday and unloaded. All for ÂŁ6k. Best value service Iâve ever had.
Enjoy France, itâs fabulous, just stay away from the dodgy âEnglishâ groups who only want to have English Food, English type pubs and canât speak French - they give us all a bad reputation !!
Fully agree with this statement. Newhaven - Dieppe is great, a nice small Port easy to navigate. Used it multiple times and never an issue with customs.
Indeed - for the directionally challenged itâs easy - only one way in and out and one ferry at a time, at both Newhaven and Dieppe! As opposed to Dover / Calais with multiple ferries and an absolute maze of vehicle lanes.
Portsmouth and Ouistreham (Caen) are in between; busier than Newhaven/Dieppe but easier than Dover/Calais.
Thank you⊠I need cheering up and youâve made me laugh out loud.
Your words echo those of my dear old DadâŠ
⊠a nice small Port, easy to navigateâŠ
so long as one steered directly at the old submarine strategically placed to âsaveâ the retaining wall from further damageâŠ
by bouncing off the old Sub, one was correctly lined up for a safe mooring. 
You may find it advantageous to start with EDF, even if there are better deals to be had [in theory] because EDF has a good Eng lang c/s, in my experience.
As with Orange.fr for i/net, even if the deal is not the best it is a weight off oneâs mind to get sorted first up with an Eng lang c/s. You can always change later once youâre more familiar with the m.o.
What you really need to do - I speak from experience paid for in âŹâŹâŹ* - is to have a source of space heating other than lekky.
*You know you are being had if, for exactly the same or even less consumption in kWhrs, you are being charged x2/x3/kWhr by the iniquitous EDF ploy of Les Jour Rouges, ⊠red days, as we have today and 7 days earlier this month.
I had no trouble signing with Mint energy and they spoke english for me. Now manage the acvount on line via the linky. They made the appointment at a mutally convenient time unlike EDF who would only give appointments that suited them. Mint were a bit lower cost as well but I havent checked against others lately.
So iniquitous that itâs described in plain text on their website and itâs only paid by volunteers.
Yes/. Thatâs true.
But not âvolunteersâ Thatâs a ridiculous word to describe customers. Not far short of an insult to their intelligence.
I note that in earlier replies and implied in your latest you characterise those subject to Red Days as little more than suckers who have it coming to them.
If you are charged x 2/x3 for the same item/service as you were charged the day before/after you are being scammed. Thereâs no getting round that.
Consumption of the Red Day less than any day save 24th Dec. And yet x2+ cost. What justification other than profiteering is that?
The Red Day gambit is, as I have discovered by eliminating my consumption to no more than my fridge and my electric bed blanket by turning off all my rads and the balon, no more than a State authorised punitive rate - puffed as an encourgement for users to consider their level of consumption.
Nonsense. Itâs an attempt to claw back shortfall of revenue due to the suppression of increases that Macron allowed, for fear - well considered - of more of the âGilets Jaunesâ type manifestations.
If Tempo isnât working for annually best change as you wrote with everything turned off on the 27th you were using just over 1000W /h / 24hrs. Thatâs a lot for an electric blanket & a fridge.
This is ours for the same dates for comparison, we are happy with Tempo its saved us a few hundred a year since we switched.
