The working from home thread: tips and advice

Cheapest thing you can do is install some of this.

That reduced the temp in our house by about 2 degrees on really hot days. It also reduces UV damage to furniture / flooring etc.

Having said that, we now have 7 AC units and two heat pumps installed to manage temps in our house. Super insulated / air tight new builds are impossible to heat manage properly. It was 29 degrees in my office this morning, before 8am.

Now sitting in a lovely 20 degrees, using around 0.2 kWh

Worth noting that heat pumps, AC cassettes and installation are currently all VAT free...

31 in my flat right now, I feel you.

Get one of the AC things, just get it from somewhere you can return. I had a beko one, looks at the reviews of whatever you get.

The issues is we stopped building buildings to manage heat. My parents live in a 200 year old building and even with high temps it's always cool.

I mainly used the air con before going to bed to get the room cool before going to sleep.

These are meant to be the best option for fans.
https://www.box.co.uk/Meaco-MeacoFan-1056-Air-Circulator-MEACO_2578416.html
Not cheap but get rave reviews (including which best buy) for the amount of air they can move around a room. Think I may pick one up

Ignore me.

They are a good fan

Heat exchangers

Our heat exchanger is WAY too efficient during summer. I wish there was a way you could turn it down to cool our place. Or more accurately, just let the place cool a bit.

We've bought a portable aircon but I feel we're wasting money fighting the heat exchanger.

Heat exchangers can / should be able to cool a property. It's basically just a supercharged version of the pump in your fridge that takes warm air from the surrounding area and cools it.

Cheapest thing you can do is install some of this.

Have ordered some of this. The specs look great, 38% reduction in the increase of heat due to sun, total rejection of UV, 70% of visible light still gets through (even for a single pane of glass that is only 86%, so this is "visible but minor reduction in light" which is great as it will prevent glare).

These are meant to be the best option for fans

Disagree.

The Duux Whisper fan range are incredible... very low power use, virtually silent at most speeds, extremely efficient at pushing a lot of air... and you can take it apart for easy storage in the winter.

https://www.fenwick.co.uk/search/?q=duux%20whisper

Duux isn't a known brand in the UK, but their fans are exceptional.

PS: Also, link to Fenwick on Bond St! Because everyone looks to Argos and John Lewis for fans, but posh places sell fans and tend to have them in stock as everyone else is looking on their local High St and Amazon, etc.

Cheapest thing you can do is install some of this.

I have this for my garden office, which was getting warm even when it was frosty outside.

I'm also going to have an exterior canvas awning to stop the sun getting to the bifold in the first place.

Great.

Main tip is to make sure you follow the right mix of washing up liquid to water when installing. Too little and you can't place it properly; too much and it moves around and will shift when you're trimming it. Don't be afraid of getting plenty of mixture on the back and the front when putting into place.

I found it easiest to trim with a modelling knife and a credit card as the guide.

I have this for my garden office, which was getting warm even when it was frosty outside.

It's on every window in our house now. Takes maybe 4-6 degrees off in my kitchen with the larger door panes.

Still needed aircon to really control heat in our house. Thankfully it's super efficient at getting to temp and maintaining once there.

The working from home thread: tips and advice

They are, a similar question asked on another forum and most recommended the 1056 or the smaller 650. luckily my flat is dual aspect E-W facing and the air pulling through from the shaded side keeps it from overheating and the sun is off the pitched roof after 1pm.
My partners place is unbearable as it bakes in the sun all day and has solid walls, she’s buying one of those fans..

Generally speaking, when it gets hot, I spend the day opening and closing blinds and shutters, doors and windows, at various points in the day and evening, trying to get airflow and avoid hot air from the exterior walls / roof blowing in.

In out bedroom, I counter intuitively need to keep the doors and windows (even trickle vents) shut.

In my (currently indoor) office, if I'm doing anything heavy duty on the desktop and running hot, all bets are off. Even my monitor pumps out heat.

Wait...

• 7 air con units.
  
• 1 heat exchanger.
  
• Solar film on every window in your house.
  
  

What is up with your house that it needs all of that?

I'm only looking to shave another degree or more off the temp in a small office with window and skylight, that additionally is home to 6 running computers all creating heat. I think a couple of fans and the window film will be enough to provide comfort.

2 heat exchangers. One 8kW and one 4kW.

It's a new build which is heavily insulated that's also in the full sun from sun rise to set.

Current temps in the house:

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a new build which is heavily insulated

Ah. That explains it.

That's nuts.

My sensors have:

• Entrance: 20.7'c
  
• Bathroom: 22.4'c
  
• Hallway: 20.7'c
  
• Office: 21.8'c
  
  

External temp (currently in the sun, so it's over-reading): 26.1'c

Yeah. In the winter it's great though - barely have heating on for 1 hour a day. Wet underfloor heating on the ground floor (which soaks up UV light in the summer and creates a radiated heat store which is part of the problem) keeps the whole house toasty and is super efficient.

What is up with your house that it needs all of that?

Yeah it's bonkers isn't it. Doesn't sound right. I'm guess once it heats up and the air inside it heats up, that air cannot escape. I suspect this is how it is designed to behave to keep it efficient in the winter though.

It's basically that. It's properly airless in the house when it's hot.

Have you turned the heating off?

That stuff could be good. We both work in our lounge which is sun facing in the afternoon so heats up a lot. It's 25C in here now.

Lol.

Heating app - all on standby. Slight temp differences are sensor locations...

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The advantage of telling work to 'fuck off' when they mentioned webcams is that I can work in my underpants.

Don't try and rush the place ladies, I've got security to keep the fans out.