Alan Stainer

Tech head through and through.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lyndon NA says

    Solar, water heaters, rainfall catchers, split waste-water pipes with the ability to capture shower/bath water for the garden, built so the main wall catches the most sun, adequate parking etc. etc. etc.

    Tons of common-sense, eco-friendly ideas that are utterly ignored :(

  2. Lyndon NA says

    Solar, water heaters, rainfall catchers, split waste-water pipes with the ability to capture shower/bath water for the garden, built so the main wall catches the most sun, adequate parking etc. etc. etc.

    Tons of common-sense, eco-friendly ideas that are utterly ignored :(

  5. Lyndon NA says

    Anthony Hazard – people are happy to pay reasonable prices for these things.

    The issue at hand is – why are they not included in standard new builds?

    It’s not like they will eat in to the major profit margins of the development industry.

    What those things would do is seriously cut the revenues of the electricity and water “companies”.

  6. Lyndon NA says

    Anthony Hazard – people are happy to pay reasonable prices for these things.

    The issue at hand is – why are they not included in standard new builds?

    It’s not like they will eat in to the major profit margins of the development industry.

    What those things would do is seriously cut the revenues of the electricity and water “companies”.

  7. Grant Marlenee says

    If they’re mandatory, the price won’t be reasonable.

    Also, if the price were reasonable, they wouldn’t have to be mandated.

    They are not included in standard new builds because the people putting up the cash want the highest profit they can get.

  8. Grant Marlenee says

    If they’re mandatory, the price won’t be reasonable.

    Also, if the price were reasonable, they wouldn’t have to be mandated.

    They are not included in standard new builds because the people putting up the cash want the highest profit they can get.

  13. Adrian Chapmanlaw says

    MidnightVisions yes they do. Especially when combined with a battery to time shift the usage. During the day the battery charges. Then you use the battery in the evening.

    During the summer even with running an an electric car bills drop to zero. Prices are coming down fast too.

    Think I saw a figure of them halving in the last few years

  14. Adrian Chapmanlaw says

    MidnightVisions yes they do. Especially when combined with a battery to time shift the usage. During the day the battery charges. Then you use the battery in the evening.

    During the summer even with running an an electric car bills drop to zero. Prices are coming down fast too.

    Think I saw a figure of them halving in the last few years

  15. MidnightVisions says

    Adrian Chapmanlaw Sorry, just a bit of humor with that last post.

    On another forum we were talking about this topic and several people from eastern europe were saying this option won’t allow the homeowner to use or install a reliable system. The builder will install a cheapest junk system that will fail before the warranty expires, and just not be fixable. The homeowner will be stuck with paying to repair or re-install a repeatedly bad system, or paying for a new one completely. Apparently that is what happened elsewhere in the EU.

    In these days of China building everything, warranties are meaningless unless the system is from a big name company, and even that is taken with a grain of salt because these big name companies outsource building components and systems from unknown and untraceable fly-by-night Chinese factories.

    The way the building code is exploited in North America is the same in Europe. The code represents the bare minimum a building can be built to, but low ball and fly by night construction companies reference it as the only way to build a structure. This is why Modern buildings don’t last as compared to older structures and reputable builders.

  16. MidnightVisions says

    Adrian Chapmanlaw Sorry, just a bit of humor with that last post.

    On another forum we were talking about this topic and several people from eastern europe were saying this option won’t allow the homeowner to use or install a reliable system. The builder will install a cheapest junk system that will fail before the warranty expires, and just not be fixable. The homeowner will be stuck with paying to repair or re-install a repeatedly bad system, or paying for a new one completely. Apparently that is what happened elsewhere in the EU.

    In these days of China building everything, warranties are meaningless unless the system is from a big name company, and even that is taken with a grain of salt because these big name companies outsource building components and systems from unknown and untraceable fly-by-night Chinese factories.

    The way the building code is exploited in North America is the same in Europe. The code represents the bare minimum a building can be built to, but low ball and fly by night construction companies reference it as the only way to build a structure. This is why Modern buildings don’t last as compared to older structures and reputable builders.

  17. Lyndon NA says

    Personally, I hold the housing market as the main fault of the economical issues we now face… so it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried to skimp it and go with the minimal setup.

    But as time passes – the quality improves. We faced the same with internal toilets, central heating, double-glazing and conservatories.

    It takes a decade – but we get to “decent enough” instead of “will last long enough”.

    Eventually, they become qualifiers rather than increasing the value .

    So – we have to start somewhere.

  18. Lyndon NA says

    Personally, I hold the housing market as the main fault of the economical issues we now face… so it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried to skimp it and go with the minimal setup.

    But as time passes – the quality improves. We faced the same with internal toilets, central heating, double-glazing and conservatories.

    It takes a decade – but we get to “decent enough” instead of “will last long enough”.

    Eventually, they become qualifiers rather than increasing the value .

    So – we have to start somewhere.

  23. Julian Bond says

    This is one of many things I find deeply depressing about the design and style of current new builds. We’re covering the SE of England with “Garden City” style “new villages”. These consist of detached and semi-detached 3-4 bed room houses in cul de sacs with a tiny patch of garden and space for 1.5 cars. The trend is for 10 architecture designs chosen randomly and then laid out randomly so they all point in different directions. They’re all white, cream, red brick, some times with some fake wood beams.

    Where are the

    – passive haus designs

    – electric car charging points

    – solar panels

    – basement storage

    – Victorian terraces

    – stacked 2 bedroom maisonettes

    – shops, pubs, play areas

    – places to walk the dog

    – social housing

    – Allotments

    and so on. Will these houses last >200 years like the previous housing stock in our villages and towns? Will they ever generate any feel of community?

  24. Julian Bond says

    This is one of many things I find deeply depressing about the design and style of current new builds. We’re covering the SE of England with “Garden City” style “new villages”. These consist of detached and semi-detached 3-4 bed room houses in cul de sacs with a tiny patch of garden and space for 1.5 cars. The trend is for 10 architecture designs chosen randomly and then laid out randomly so they all point in different directions. They’re all white, cream, red brick, some times with some fake wood beams.

    Where are the

    – passive haus designs

    – electric car charging points

    – solar panels

    – basement storage

    – Victorian terraces

    – stacked 2 bedroom maisonettes

    – shops, pubs, play areas

    – places to walk the dog

    – social housing

    – Allotments

    and so on. Will these houses last >200 years like the previous housing stock in our villages and towns? Will they ever generate any feel of community?

  27. Lyndon NA says

    Julian Bond – I’m sure there was a study and plan done about idyllic housing – including ratios of shops and parks to housing/population and leisure centers etc.

    I’m sure I saw it on TV in my early teens.

    But obviously no developer or council person in the South has seen it, or cares.

    Garden Grabbers are slapping up houses all over the place, and so are “old for new” developers (knock down that old 4 bed, and lets put up a small 3 “luxury” apartment block).

    I appreciate the need for housing, and the desire for money,

    but the buildings are crammed, are in the wrong areas (traffic congestion), and it’s ruining what little greenery we have left.

  28. Lyndon NA says

    Julian Bond – I’m sure there was a study and plan done about idyllic housing – including ratios of shops and parks to housing/population and leisure centers etc.

    I’m sure I saw it on TV in my early teens.

    But obviously no developer or council person in the South has seen it, or cares.

    Garden Grabbers are slapping up houses all over the place, and so are “old for new” developers (knock down that old 4 bed, and lets put up a small 3 “luxury” apartment block).

    I appreciate the need for housing, and the desire for money,

    but the buildings are crammed, are in the wrong areas (traffic congestion), and it’s ruining what little greenery we have left.