In the news

One of the original articles about Part O name checks single aspect new build flats that get hotter through the day and don't let it out. It's like they were describing the flat I live in now. It's impossible to get airflow without 3 fans arranged to circulate air from one window to the next and on a hot day by 5pm or 6pm it'll be cooling outside but be hotter inside than it was at 1pm.

Heating is super efficient in the winter which is why it's designed that way I guess. Underfloor heating downstairs is on for about an hour a day and the radiators in the main rooms for maybe 90 mins throughout the day.

What's the issue with shooting it off to space?

Hah. The low - but not that low given you'd need hundreds of rocket launches to get it all off world - chance of something going wrong resulting in the entire planet ending up uninhabitable.

You might be right. I have a three floor wall that is completely in the sun from sun up to about 2pm that acts as a heat sink. Definitely causes that side of the house (living room, nursery, wife's office and spare room) to heat up rapidly and above the rest of the house, well into the afternoon.

We had a similar issue in our flat in Hither Green, years ago. Great in winter, boiling in summer with very little airflow.

Two criticisms of conventional passivhaus are that it doesn't take into account embodied carbon emissions (of materials and fittings/equipment) nor quality of materials other than thermal (eg off-gassing, moisture buffering, renewable resources) but both of those are becoming more mainstream discussions and a lot of people doing passivhaus/enerphit are interested in that side of things too.

100% this.

When we first moved to our place (1950s semi), to save money we moved to one room + the bedroom and used little heating. As a result out external wall, which is north-facing got damp and mouldy.

Now with kids I have a real concern about the mould. My OH thinks I'm being OTT, but I am already worried about how to balance having enough heat to keep that side of the house mould-free while not wasting money.

The 1950s stuff is the worst for this. Victorian / Edwardian construction style with materials that have all downsides of modern stuff and none of the positive qualities from the Victorian / Edwardian era.

That said, even the modern flat we had would get mould behind the rads.

We're about to move to a 30s house that basically has no loft insulation at all. Figure I can fit it myself, how hard can it be, but I'm a bit worried about the stuff selling out now. Even on Wickes right now the first items on the product page and have 70+ in the last 48 hours.

How will they deal with this in Scandinavia where heating is free

I really like the concept, though I’m not sure the cost of upgrading a house to passive or near spec is worth it financially as opposed to energy costs.

A friend is currently rebuilding a house to almost passive spec, though there are a couple of design choices and ease of living choices that means the house can’t be officially classified as passive.

Figure I can fit it myself, how hard can it be, but I'm a bit worried about the stuff selling out now.

You can. Get the stuff in rolls and lay it out over the 'floor' in the roof space. Probably the easiest, cheapest and least risky bit of home insulation you can DIY. If the synthetic stuff like Rockwool is selling out, consider going to your local farmer and offering to take away a load of wool for free. The moths will have a field day but it'll last the winter.

The loft is partially borded now and I want to board all of it so I think I'll need to add some joists going across the existing beams with space for the insulation underneath and I'm not sure what to do about the electrics that come through the ceiling. It's feeling a little beyond my skill level but we need the cash for other work.
The gory details from our level 3 survey:

1 Attachment

Is that a giant teabag?

You get the risers that sit on top of your existing joists and board on top of those. You just fit the insulation around the services, making little cuts here and there when needed.

Make sure that you preserve airflow through the soffit - don't ram the insulation right into the corners.

Makes sense. Wasn't sure if it could cause a fire risk. We need to get the electrics in the whole house done anywa.

Ah, 1 in 100 does indeed sound quite risky. I assumed it was much better than that.

TBH there's some historic rot up there anyway so I'm going to have a poke around the soffits as far as I can anyway. This roof was renewed ~15 years ago so I assume they fixed it then and left the rotten bit but the cost of replacing hip joists scares me.

You can get various protectors and guards to cover existing bits

Loft stilts aren't hard to install, it's just not the most pleasant job.

DIY thread >>>

Ah, 1 in 100 does indeed sound quite risky. I assumed it was much better than that.

Even transporting waste via rail or road requires a container that would survive any conceivable surface level collision. If you apply that philosophy to a space launch... well you looking at a very uneconomical ratio of container to waste, even if rocket launches were thousands of times more likely to be successful.

I'm WFH as usual. My legs are pretty chilly wearing jeans, and so are the backs of my hands. Windows are all closed.

Phone weather app says it's 14 degrees. It's not even September

Something to be aware of is that putting insulation against electrical cabling can take it out of spec - cables have a higher current rating in free air than they do wrapped up all warm and fluffy.

If there's enough slack, I'd try and lift the cables above the insulation (I'm not qualified to give this advice)

Your friendly local planning permission place might have all the standards online (the NI planning board does, you have to declare insulation for inspection) and Youtube is very good too.

I second buying wool insulation, be aware wool can be eaten by moths if not treated. But there is special wool insulation, everything at BnQ here in Belfast is selling out too. Only 10 cm rolls left (ffs)

Jeans are shit for warmth tbf