Heat Pump or Gas Boiler (notwithstanding a log burner)

I prefer using extruded polystyrene to expanded because it does fall apart into thousands of tiny balls. It is somewhat better insulation and it doesnt curl like expanded boards can. That said I have used exactly that in France on the walls of the old garage as I converted it to a dining room.

You have undertaken a serious and excellent task. It pays, and, like you, we do our own work particularly now as I am a pensioner. Apropos the chimney, in an old farmhouse I owned in the Dordogne the chimney was central and as far as I could see was probably the first thing built. It comprised of a column, very wide at the base (kitchen), tapering as it rose and was constructed of flat roof tiles (leastways that what they looked like) laid horizontally with each layer separated with mud. The first floor floor joists all emanated from there. After a day the entire column was very warm to the touch and heated a huge bedroom and kitchen downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs. Hi Tech what?

Solar is complicated here with regards selling it back.

The rules depend to a degree on how big your installation is. I’m over simplifying but…

If you self install there’s no grants or incentives. You can sell your excess but it’s a lower tariff than you pay for grid elec and it’s real time metered not offset. It’s slightly more complicated and requires various approvals but in a nutshell.

If you pay for install there are incentives paid out over a few years - but only approved installers.

There’s guides on the solar companies websites - oscaro power has probably the clearest overview.

Hi Jovis,
Can you tell your mate I was also an R/O in the Merchant service in the 70s working with Marconi.

Peter, David & I grew up together. He went the Wray Castle route and I went NZSCo deck officer cadet route. He’s 70 and I will be in May. Reestablished contact with each other a couple of years ago. I’ll tell him. He became ‘the’ or a Cunard radio electronics officer and spent loads of time on Atlantic Conveyor. I’ll ask him of he knows of you of course. Which company or companies Peter?

Hi Jovis,
I did a few trips with The Ben Line, Shaw Saville , Ellermans, Stevie Clarke, three long trips with The Bank Line. Did a bit of shore side in East London, Tilbury etc.
Great fun but got out at the right time.
Happy though sometimes tedious times spent with Cunard. I often only had one message to get off to London from wherever in the world but was often confronted with having to wait my turn behind the QE2 or similar cruise ship. It was quite usual for them to have a QTC of dozens with me being on the QRY of 20 +
QTC - the number of messages to send
QRY - the number in the waiting list.