Posted by: @lucia

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This is government by lobby - Future homes standard’ will not mandate replacing boilers with environmentally friendly alternative 😡🤬🤑

The article goes on to say this

"However, minimum standards for energy efficiency in newly built properties under the rules will preclude the installation of gas boilers. The government is also extending the £7,500 grant for people to install heat pumps, hoping this will boost uptake"

I too am cynical but bear in mind this the guardian and they are going to spin it as the title says.  If the telegraph celebrates the decision (whatever it may be) then we know the position, otherwise we may need to wait for the detail!

Sometimes I feel that being of ‘mature years’, at least I won’t have to put up with such utter stupidity as a watered down FHS for as long as will the next generation. However, what future does my daughter and grandchildren have to look forward to under these circumstances? I don’t know that I wish to burden the blame - I feel I have done and am doing what I can but such utter stupidity ‘from above’ is nothing short of criminality and inhumanity - even if such moves will gain respect in ‘another country’ from some people with more money than sense! Regrets, Toodles.

@jamespa 

The article goes on to say this

"However, minimum standards for energy efficiency in newly built properties under the rules will preclude the installation of gas boilers. The government is also extending the £7,500 grant for people to install heat pumps, hoping this will boost uptake"

"However, there are reports that elements of the proposed FHS will be watered down, potentially making homes more expensive to heat as a result and passing the cost of switching to heat pumps on to the property owner rather than the developer.

The long-delayed regulations are expected to make solar panels on roofs optional rather than mandatory, as campaigners have called for. Current plans for the FHS are only to “encourage” builders to equip homes with some solar panels “where appropriate”.

******

This is why, whatever your political persuasion, we need a cross-party single issue (similar to Brexit) 'Clean Up Politics Party'. To campaign on the removal of business funding for political parties, no revolving doors, and so on.... 

The main parties are heavily funded by the building companies amongst other things... it also serves to calm panic about stressing the grid if gas is kept in the equation. We really are feeble in this country compared to others. 

It's depressing - like @toodles I despair for my kids and their kids...  

Posted by: @lucia

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The long-delayed regulations are expected to make solar panels on roofs optional rather than mandatory,

There are technical reasons for this @lucia 
but I'm unsure if 'government' understands how to better word their directive to get this right.

Homes that export to the grid cause phase-imbalances at the local substation.

That's because over 99% of our houses in UK are single-phase.

Energy losses at the local substation are running at 10% for transformers supplying domestic properties,
and around 8% overall.

That's unsustainable.
We cannot afford to build a future grid which delivers n-Gigawatts of power up until the final transformers,
only for 10% of it to be thrown away!

The solution is to mandate the need for rooftop solar panels, but using an inverter which doesn't permit export.

The electricity should be stored and used solely within the home.

That reduces overall grid-demand whilst simultaneously avoiding an increase in losses.

I read this thread since I wanted to know what a reverse ferret was! Please assist.

I totally agree with @transparent recommendation of (I assume) full roof PV but not exporting OR in a new estate allow export since on average the phases will be balanced if all the houses have them and will approximately be exporting at the same time. To a first order, or is that too naïve?

OR mandate battery installation. 

Posted by: @judith

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in a new estate allow export since on average the phases will be balanced if all the houses have them

If we're considering only the issue of export from solar generation causing phase imbalance losses then that would make sense.

However, new builds are also likely to be fitted with Low Carbon Technology (LCT) which includes heat-pumps and EV car chargers.
LCT in single-phase housing also causes phase imbalance.

As an example, here's a single EV Smart Charger connected to one of the feeds from a local substation:

Note how the high current is drawn between 00:30 and 04:30, which is typical of the Octopus Go tariff.

I'd like to see all new houses with 3-phase cables to the Service Fuse position as standard.

That allows the homeowner to discuss with their chosen Energy Supplier and regional DNO, how they should best place their loading across the phases.

Not only is a 3-phase heat-pump more efficient, but an EV charger could do a rapid-charge at 22kW provided the substation transformer could offer that capacity.

I've been looking at a proposal for a small estate of 28-houses in mid-Devon for which there is a live Planning Application 3828/24/FUL.

I already have the National Grid network maps for the area, but I've also been in direct contact with the Grid Planner overseeing this site.
He's provided me with some very useful details of the calculations they do when assigning power-loadings for such new-builds.  😀 
You can access this SD5A document from National Grid's site.

Look at Table-2.

This information is very new to me, but I expect to use it in a Submission to the Local Planning Authority.

Councillors on the Planning Committee may not understand all the technical detail, but they have the option to require additional expert opinion if they wish.
We're not going to combat these losses due to phase imbalance until Councillors are made aware that the issue exists.

@transparent 

The solution is to mandate the need for rooftop solar panels, but using an inverter which doesn't permit export.

The electricity should be stored and used solely within the home.

That reduces overall grid-demand whilst simultaneously avoiding an increase in losses.

An absolutely simple to invoke sensible policy - why don't we ever have sensible policy makers? (Rhetorical question alert - see previous moan about revolving doors etc).

Germany and Spain are popularising balcony solar panels for flats - cheap to buy, nothing much technical to install, attractive to look at (because they are wrapped around the balcony) and incapable of exporting. Lowering bills and decarbonising the grid (by using less imported energy) one balcony at a time.

@judith  

I read this thread since I wanted to know what a reverse ferret was! Please assist.

A 'reverse ferret' is to over turn a previous policy  - it has its origins in the infamous 'ferret down the trousers' competitions and according to journalism legend  was originally used by The Sun's Kelvin Mackenzie

It involves not so much as hinting at any previous political position or policy while announcing a blatant change in direction. I do like words and expressions that conjure up images..  😁

Yes compulsory 3 phase in New Homes Standard is best!

Posted by: @judith

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Yes compulsory 3 phase in New Homes Standard is best!

Forgive my ignorance but if one were building a new house on a new plot of land what is the difference in cost between installing single phase vs 3 phase? I can imagine it's peanuts compared with the cost of the overall value of the property once built but I don't actually have any more accurate idea than that.

There should be a requirement for new build housing to be heat pump ready even if they are sold with gas combi boilers. By "heat pump ready" I mean providing space to install the heat pump (with provision for an electricity connection), a place to put a DHW cylinder and controls inside the home and near the heat pump location, underfloor heating on any solid floors and radiators sized for a low flow temperature. This minimises the cost of subsequently installing a heat pump.

@majordennisbloodnok The cost on my plot was about £400 more for the connection from the grid, so not a huge extra cost there but mine was probably as straight forward as they come, about 20 mtrs of cable from the pole in the corner of the plot to my meter cupboard.  The extra costs can mount up though as I now have commercial disribution boards and everthing that goes in them, the main cables also have an extra core so more cost there. I don't know what the cost would have been if it was single phase so I can't give a direct comparision but I imagine it is mounting up. Mine isn't a typical new build plot as I have extra buildings on the plot that need power, but it is all extra cost that I didn't really consider when I decided to go for a 3ph supply.

Posted by: @transparent

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Not only is a 3-phase heat-pump more efficient, but an EV charger could do a rapid-charge at 22kW provided the substation transformer could offer that capacity

What size are the smallest 3ph heat pumps?  A new house should have a very low heat demand so only need a small heat pump, do small 3 phase units exist for sale in the UK?  Thinking about it I imagine they are needed in european countries where it is common to have 3 phases but with less amps per phase, but not in the UK. I would go for a 3ph HP if it was suitable and costs weren't too different but I have only seen large 3ph HP's I need a small one.

On the EV charging, not many Ev's will charge at 22kW, We have 2, one is single phase and the other is 3 phase but only 11kW. I bought the 2nd EV 4 years ago so I'm not up to totally up to date on current cars but when I was looking it was slowly becoming more common to have 3 phase charging but at 16 amps per phase not 32. I believe this is for the european market where they need to pull less amps per phase than we can in the UK. I don't have a 3ph charger yet as the differnce in charging speed between 7.5 and 11kW isn't worth the extra cost to replace the charger.  When I need a new one I do expect to get a 3ph charge point.  I will put the 1ph charge points on seperate phases and have put a 3ph cable to the garage.