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There's a large new development on a brownfield site next to the metro line by my stepson's flat. They have gone up really quickly, and I was pleased to see that most of them I can see have solar pv built in

Same near me, some have 3, 4,5 6 panels when it could be 10.11,12

Imagine it’s a good way of climbing the EPC for planning

Good to see. Wondering where that shading is coming from though? !

This "box ticking" really annoys me. Everything to do with new-builds seems to be doing the absolute minimum to comply with the exact letter of the rules.

I've said before that all new-builds should have 1kWp of solar and 2.4kWh of battery per bedroom as a starting point.

Chucking up a couple of panels on a vast roof is just stupid.

This one for example:




Why not put up a 6th panel?

AGT wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:27 pm Same near me, some have 3, 4,5 6 panels when it could be 10.11,12

Imagine it’s a good way of climbing the EPC for planning

That's exactly why they do it. 2 or 3 PV panels on the roof is the easiest way to up the EPC a grade. Whilst adding MVHR will push it down, and for a long time boilers scored better than heat pumps (that may have finally been fixed by now - not sure?).

Meanwhile speccing an AECB Carbonlite level 2 build gets you a building that is significantly cheaper to build and has only 60% of the heat-load and emissions of an EPC A building. But mass housebuilders will still swear blind that anything other than what they currently do is 'too expensive'. So they are (almost) all spending more money building worse houses that are much more expensive to run, and higher carbon both upfront and whilst in use. (To be fair a lot are still getting away with EPC C which probably is cheaper than Carbonlite level 2 - I'm not aware of anyone having tested that in practice).

Sames happening down here in sunny Cornwall, new houses going up with 2 token small panels going on roofs almost as an after thought - surely the builders could add a realistic amount on as a 'customer specific optional extra' a bit like picking the colour of the bathroom tiles or which doorbell is fitted?

The absurdity of our building requirments are legendary.

Mate of mine recently bought a house to do up and extend in Sidmouth, had a flat roof over part of it that was knackered so he obtained planning permission to rip the lot off and put up a pitched roof replacement on the same structure.

As permission was granted, my mate cracked on and ripped off the flat roof. Then some numpty from the council decided that a 'bat and bird' survey was needed by an expert and stopped further works till this survey was done.

Mate had already removed everything by this point but was still made to cough up close on £500 to get an expert to stand within the four walls and look up at the now visible sky to provide his 'report' for the council numpty.

Surprisingly there were no nesting bats nor birds in the non existent previously flat roof.

Panels on new builds should be compulsory imv

dan_b wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:32 pm Good to see. Wondering where that shading is coming from though? !

Ah - that would be the 5/6 storey apartment block where I was standing

richbee wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 5:05 pm

dan_b wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:32 pm Good to see. Wondering where that shading is coming from though? !

Ah - that would be the 5/6 storey apartment block where I was standing

It is November !