tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44777789197770071462024-03-13T04:21:12.222+00:00the solarbloggerComment and opinion on the solar industry and its development, low-carbon construction and refurbishment, and Government policy in relation to energy efficiency and renewables.The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-78703757944019202742024-02-16T16:54:00.009+00:002024-02-17T07:05:21.930+00:00The Future Homes Standard Consultation The Future Homes Standard (FHS) consultation is here and while the consultation itself seems at first glance to be relatively straightforward, the whole thing is, in fact, an absolute beast. Why? Because at the same time as issuing the FHS consultation, the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) also dropped consultations on its plans for a wholesale The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-37950875895238418802024-01-26T16:39:00.000+00:002024-01-26T16:39:11.080+00:00The Future Homes Standard UnwrappedA Review of The FHS 'Wrapper' for the Home Energy Model The Future Homes Standard (FHS) consultation includes proposals for a wholesale revision to the underpinning calculation method by which the energy efficiency of new homes is evaluated.I have already written about the Home Energy Model (HEM) in an earlier blog. It is planned that this will replace the Standard Assessment Protocol The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-35069408234827857452024-01-19T17:56:00.006+00:002024-01-19T17:56:52.902+00:00A New Solar Calculation for Building Regulations and EPCs An Assessment of the Solar Energy Calculation in the Home Energy ModelThe HEM introduces a new variable - the degree of ventilation of the solar panelsAs part of its consultation on the Future Homes Standard, UK Government has revealed details of its proposed replacement of the associated energy calculator. You can read more about the new 'Home Energy Model' in my earlier blog on the The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-37773412154452337402024-01-18T15:25:00.003+00:002024-02-04T14:34:19.145+00:00New Scottish Building Regulations Torpedo a Solar Success StoryOn December 22nd 2023 Scottish Government published an update to the Building Standards Technical Handbook which will apply to new building sites where a building warrant is applied for after April 1st 2024.The update to the handbook was made to implement the New Build Heat Standard which bans the use of ‘Direct Emission Heating Systems’ - gas or oil boilers in plain English - from newly The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-59152914802773530422024-01-02T15:21:00.008+00:002024-01-02T15:22:36.917+00:00The "Home Energy Model" - The Artist Formerly Known as SAP
Alongside its consultation on the Future Homes Standard building regulations, the government
has revealed sweeping changes to the calculation underpinning Part L of the
building regulations (Conservation of Fuel and Power), and launched a consultation on the new approach.
The StandardAssessment Procedure (SAP) has been the government approved methodology to estimate
the energy The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-9558806272135467102023-02-26T17:52:00.003+00:002023-02-26T17:52:22.615+00:00Scotland to Adopt Passivhaus Standard for new Houses Linn Way, Garelochhead - a Passivhaus Development of 10 homes by Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) On 15th December 2022, Patrick Harvie, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenant's Rights (there's a job title for you), wrote to Alex Rowley, a member of the Scottish Parliament to inform him that his campaign for new homes in Scotland to be built to The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-78809481461042524092022-08-25T15:11:00.006+01:002022-08-25T15:11:49.130+01:00 New Homes to Have Charge Points for Electric Vehicles as StandardHousebuilders in England will soon be fitting EV chargers to new homes, how do the new rules work and what is happening in the other home nations?How the New Rules Work in EnglandIn December 2021, the government published Approved Document S, a new part of the Building Regulations that apply in England. The new regulations require developers to fit Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points whenThe Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-43783573223494554022022-07-15T15:40:00.000+01:002022-07-15T15:40:07.568+01:00 New Building Regulations for ScotlandIn June 2022 the Scottish Government published its consultation response on changes to further tighten the Building Regulations for energy efficiency. New developments in Scotland seeking a Building Warrant after 1 December 2022, will need to meet the new regulations.Although most respondents to the consultation were in support of a higher performance target (delivering a 57% reduction in The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-46858925685236569262022-05-30T09:15:00.004+01:002022-07-19T08:59:15.904+01:00On The Causes of Solar Fires Longest Distance Darts Bullseye World Record Attempt (youtube video) If you're looking to break the record for the longest distance bullseye on a dartboard how do you do it? You throw lots of darts.Solar is a very safe technology. It's less dangerous than a toaster or a tumble dryer (see my earlier blog putting solar risks into context). But just like when trying to The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-4495263513685486002022-05-20T16:41:00.003+01:002022-05-20T16:41:26.547+01:00 Owner Occupiers - Government's Final Frontier for Energy Efficient BuildingsDutch Householders Must Now Include Renewables When Making Major Home ImprovementsImage (C) Viridian SolarUK energy efficiency laws have been made for new homes and new commercial buildings, for houses owned by private landlords (in England) and those managed by Social Housing Providers (in Scotland), but the biggest part of the building stock has so far sailed on without interference from The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-50407324867212351722022-04-29T16:39:00.001+01:002022-05-03T13:18:31.728+01:00Cross-mating of Solar DC Connectors and Fire SafetyImagine you've just got home with this season's must-have kitchen appliance - perhaps the Nostalgia Pop-up Hot Dog Toaster ("why boil water when you can toast?")You can almost taste those delicious toasted hot dogs as you unpack your new purchase but you notice a warning label attached to its power cable: "Do not cross-mate this plug with sockets of another manufacturer's brand."The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-76627118797694190592022-03-18T16:28:00.002+00:002022-03-20T08:13:30.283+00:00How Safe is Solar PV? Putting the Numbers in PerspectiveComparing the fire risk from solar PV with that from common household appliancesRecent research has advanced our understanding of the risk of solar PV fires. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) published reports of their investigations of fire incidents involving solar PV The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-41642512027353919882022-03-11T15:54:00.010+00:002022-03-18T16:37:52.242+00:00The Electric Arc and DC Solar SystemsIf you cut a wire in an electrical circuit, current will stop flowing because the air in the gap is a very good electrical insulator so electrons cannot travel across it.A electric field is formed between the positive and negative sides of the gap (which are called the electrodes), represented by the red field lines in the diagram below.If you increase the voltage between the two electrodes, or The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-15128728092771476962022-02-22T15:06:00.004+00:002022-02-22T15:39:47.786+00:00How Progressive Building Regulations Made Scotland a Solar Powerhouse Statistics recently published by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) show how much solar PV different regions in the UK installed in 2021. Scotland really stood out from the pack, with more than 25% of all installations. However, because the graphic only showed the number of installations, and didn't take into account the population of each region it doesn't really doThe Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-39332787409996587962021-12-20T18:31:00.000+00:002021-12-20T18:31:17.171+00:00The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – A Role for Solar PVPadiham Near Burnley where 108 electrically heated homes were improved with external wall insulation, new windows and hot water systems, and Clearline fusion roof integrated solar PV by social landlord Places for PeopleOn 19th October, the UK government revealed its much anticipated Heat in Buildings Strategy. Headline writers entirely focused on only one element of the announcement - The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-57512662267928435422021-12-16T11:58:00.005+00:002021-12-16T12:04:53.551+00:00Where Next for Solar PV Efficiency?Source: NRELIn the early 1990s a research team led by Andrew Blakes and
Martin Green at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia was
working to reclaim the world record for the most efficient monocrystalline solar
cell. The group had led the way throughout the 1980s, with a series of
record-breaking developments that drove the efficiency of energy conversion in
laboratory-made The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-42209235994236680362021-11-29T15:25:00.003+00:002021-12-13T15:17:09.798+00:00Real-World Heat Pump Running Costs Solar PV is a Necessary Enabler of the Transition to Electric Heating Much of the discussion of the transition to electric heating has focussed on the installation costs of heat pumps, but what do the running costs look like? It’s all very well handing out £5,000 grants to make heat pump installations more affordable for consumers, but if people take this government incentive only to The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-14257301438560066322021-05-28T11:46:00.003+01:002021-12-16T12:01:45.649+00:00Why are Solar PV Panels Getting Bigger?Power GamesThe rated power of solar PV panels has climbed steadily over time. This has been driven in large part by innovative new processing techniques for the cells themselves, although improvements to the technology of panel assembly has also played a role. Over the decade from 2010, customers of the panel manufacturers came to expect higher and higher module powers each The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-80398694952342748722021-03-05T14:29:00.001+00:002021-03-05T16:10:24.683+00:00PV Cell Formats and Size Guide Here's a handy diagram I created to help show the difference between all the new solar PV cell formats in the market right now.Monocrystalline cells are made by slicing across a cylindrical ingot of silicon. The least silicon waste is created by having perfectly round cells, but these don't pack very neatly into a solar panel (or module), leaving gaps between the cells which The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-71352565934490645302021-03-02T15:22:00.004+00:002021-03-03T09:41:24.247+00:00Do We Need to Talk About Fugitive Emissions from Heat Pumps? Could the Benefits of Future Building Standards be Affected?It’s not a recent study, but its contents may have become newly relevant. In March 2014, the then Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) published the results of a study commissioned from Eunomia Research and London Southbank University - “Impacts of Leakage from Refrigerants in Heat Pumps”. Governments The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-65401542628247470682021-01-22T11:29:00.003+00:002021-01-22T11:29:48.292+00:00Comparing Building Regulations for Energy - Scotland and England Development of new homes in Glasgow by CCG Homes, Installation by Arc-TechNew regulations have been published for Part L building regulations in England.Let's take a quick look at how they compare to Scotland, where almost all new homes now come with solar panels.The building regulations work by defining a specification for a 'Notional Dwelling' - read this article for more detail of how itThe Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-64165213393061197652019-11-17T12:21:00.000+00:002019-11-18T08:49:48.311+00:00Solar PV and Primary Energy in Building Regulations
The Future Homes Standard consultation has proposed that a new requirement based on Primary Energy use should be brought into the next building regulations . In this article we look at how the Primary Energy use of a house might be calculated, and what is fair or desirable for solar.
Primary Energy is energy found in nature that has not undergone an artificial (man-made) transformationThe Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-48026108471692793982019-11-08T16:21:00.000+00:002019-11-08T16:21:56.423+00:00Options, Options - The Building Regulations Review & the Notional House
I have read commentary in recent weeks on the 2020 Building Regulations Review that suggests an alarming level of ignorance about the way the building regulations work. It would be a real shame if the organisations behind these comments were to base their response to the consultation on such a fundamental misunderstanding.
The government consultation is proposing two options for new The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-617029084965153572019-10-30T16:58:00.001+00:002019-10-30T16:58:23.341+00:00What Is Primary Energy?
Primary Energy
Primary energy is a form of energy that is found in nature which has not been subjected to any artificial (human) conversion process. It is the energy contained in materials such as oil, natural gas, and coal which can be released by burning them.
The process of converting primary energy into other, more useful, forms of energy, involves energy overheads and efficiency The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477778919777007146.post-76375796311611527432019-10-05T17:08:00.000+01:002019-10-05T17:08:13.962+01:00The Future Homes Standard Consultation
Where next for Building Regulations?
In the week where Extinction Rebellion activists were arrested for hosing the Treasury in 'blood' in protest at the lack of progress on tackling a climate emergency, the consultation on the Future Homes Standard came out. There's talk of solar panels for all new homes - so let's take a look under the hood of the consultation.
The consultation The Solarbloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482590542235478022noreply@blogger.com1