Rogerwlt

Why drive? As a self Employed soon to retire person building in Thiviers I fly with Flybe from Bristol to Bergerac for £200 return for two people, hire a small car for about £130 per week and save two days travel and a lot of greif. the cost of car parking outside Bristol is C£28 for 8 days and the extra costs compared with self drive are adequately compensated by the value of the 2 days saved  for me if I'm not working I'm not earning.   prices researched thro the web     Roger in Thiviers

I'm only a new boy and searching for info like you but have you looked at >House renovations>ground source heat pumps or >heating costs and sustainablity yet? Personally I'm worried that an air sourced system would fail i.e freeze up, at low temperatures just when you most need it. but I'm willing to learn. Roger L-T

Got a discussion going on on a similar subject under renovations you are welcome to join in Rogerwlt

No first hand experience but web search gives reduced efficiency with air sourced heat pumps rather than ground or water sourced, further reductions in efficiency were quoted for systems that relied upon underfloor hot air ducts, dire warnings of the need for the floor and the ducting to be insulated. EdF vivrelec(I think) advertise a 15% tax reduction.

  Has to be underfloor never had a second thought. I would also instal a wood burner for A) The smell and boring B) as back up. DO EdF consider this to be Electric Heating for tariff purposes?  When you reverse the pump in summer (for cooling) do you have a condensation problem on the floor or do you blame the dog? Still no feedback on CHP ie where you have a small generating set and use the coolant for domestic heating, searches to date claim efficiencies better than 95% and in the uk there is a scheme to sell excess electricity back to the grid. for the techies out there try  http://www.stirlingengines.org.uk/manufact/manf/misc/sig.html or for heat pump and ground array quotes  http://www.kensaengineering.com/ they're in the west country but I have no connection. As an aside: If you are tied into a long term supply contract for Propane and would like to reduce costs could you install a CHP unit powered by propane and save on electricity to offset the apparent horrendous cost of even bulk propane? Ebay have s/h reversible heat pumps on their auction site from £50 if any one is considering air con or is this advertising?   Roger L-T

Planning permission:- I have just reapplied to extend the CU (outline planning permission) for a further year (from march 2005) giving me march 2006. My information is that you can renew the CU if you apply within the two months prior to its expiry by means of a letter to the Mairie otherwise a new application is required hopefully I can either re apply again or go for a full 'permis de construire'(Detail planning permission) in that time. Which is why I am doing my research now. Or have I got it wrong?     Roger Thomas

I am planning a new build of about 120M2 between Limoges and Perigueux on a 4000M2 site site bought build to start circa 2007 In Britain I would have installed a Condensing Gas boiler to heat water and provide Central Heating BUT no mains gas.  Although a Wood burner seems a valid choice on a "zero carbon" basis the thought of having to buy my heating needs in at least a year in advance as well as storage and drying the wood worries me . Has any one out there considered, researched, costed or even installed any of the following:- Central heating oil or propane powered Combined Heat and power. Ground source or Geothermal Heat Pump perhaps with heat recovery from waste water i,e around the fosse septique as well as the usual under soil receptors. a combination of the two? I am using a ten year period to compare costs   Roger Thomas    

Have to agree with dordognecarol doris and Graham at Immobilierbonjour have /are being most helpfull not like some from burgundy !!!