Finding the chase and cutting to it

One of the things you hope for when ripping out your gas boiler and putting in a heat pump is things are not going to be worse for you. Obviously, having our own solar generation capability means that unlike distilling our own natural gas, we can generate our own electricity. So, if it’s sunny and […]

I am from the UK. That means many things but ultimately, we’re a discrete people. Quiet, laid back, we don’t like fuss. We do like to talk and share, but, you know, through quiet means. Eh, what, what’s going on? ‘Morning. Just about to talk about what’s happened since we had our gas meter removed […]

Few people like surprises. Some say they do, but when you ask them, it’s about fun things not things like a spider dropping down on a thread before their eyes while they watch TV. Really, do you have to? Sorry <shame>. One of the things we were not expecting with our Smart Meter when we […]

When we got our last EPC done in April 2022, we were a little disappointed that there were no recommendations of what to do to reduce our carbon footprint. Which was the reason behind getting the assessment redone. As it is, we’ve made some positive steps, hopefully, in the right direction. The lattest one was […]

The intersection of my worlds (diabetes. cyber security, developing interesting tools, cyclist, motorcyclist, skier, driver, keen walker, sustainable living, and cooking) leads to some observations. Not least when it comes to this term: lived experience. When medical studies are conducted and are published to the masses, this is the caveat emptor, your experience may vary. […]

When my husband was made redundant in 2008, my wage was less than a third of what it is now and we had a mortgage. We had no gym membership, we had a relatively expensive house to run compared to our wages. But we adjusted and 9 weeks later, he had a job offer with […]

If you have been following my blog for a while, you’ll be familiar with my love of automation. It is not necessarily a passion my immediate family shares, but working with them, we have a situation we can all see the benefit of and all have equal control. (If you are in such a position, […]

The reaction to our heat pump has been interesting. Many questions have been about how much more it is costing us? It’s not, actually, we’re saving about £3 a day on heating our water compared to the gas boiled at today’s prices. It’s summer, and for the past eight days, for 7kWh of energy we’ve […]

And I am not talking about slaying a Scottish King to seize the throne! We have had our heat pump going for three days! So, everyone should be thanking us for the more than clement weather we’ve been having. Little note to the manufacturer: in normal operation, it is perfectly reasonable to prevent the heating […]

When you DIY a project, preparation is key. If someone is coming in for you, making sure the decks are clear saves valuable time. The heat pump is coming and the old boiler and water tank are disappearing. With luck, the old gas pipe too. How do we know which is the gas feed? Well, […]