"John Borrman" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all the assistance have just caught up with this thread got a
bit
messy half way.

Things that we are going to be considering a

Cellar, not for living.
Superinsulation,
Cat5 wiring

Just one Q's with superinsulation what
kind of heating would you go for,
were just a bit concerned that the house
will be cold, (We tend to like the
house warm)

If it is genuinely superinsulated (walls to U value 0.1ish) and air tight,
you will need a heat recovery ventilation unit. Uprate the ducting and have
either an electric duct heater battery or a wet copper coil heated by a
boiler which will also do the DHW. Forget underfloor heating as a
superinsulated, or just well insulated, buildings don't require it. With
electricity the capital cost is far lower for heating and DHW, than a gas
boiler, and no annual boiler maintenance costs to offset the electricity
costs. A boilers flue has to be taken through the roof in a solar house, so
to prevent a large cold bridge via the flue through the wall.

Also install solar DHW panels on the roof and shower waste heat recovery.
http://gfxtechnology.com Using these two, the cost of electricity is
substantially reduced for DHW, so making electricity competitive. A
superinsulated house requires so little heat that electricity can be used
with no large bills. Use an electric heat bank like the Pandora, which
requires no overflow or mains feed (no penetration of the outside walls with
overflow pipes). The heat bank may also heat the copper duct coil too, by
pumping hot water from the heat bank to the coil. Depends on what is
cheapest to install: copper coil or electric battery.

Well insulated houses can have the room temperature lowered without any
discomfort. Far less heat is being extracted from your body due to the high
insulation.

I would consider superinsulation for one minute and then go for it. Get the
basic shell right in insulation, thermal bridging and air tightness. All
the rest after those three are aesthetic toys in comparison. You can fit a
kitchen in later, but not change the insulation with major cost and
disruption.

Join the Selfbuild list or group. They are much more clued up on this.