174 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
174 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
property
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propertyadvice
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jeffhowell
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3361082
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-----
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# Property advice: On the level
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Jeff Howell 12:01AM BST 22 Apr 2008
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[Comments][1]
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**Should I worry about energy certificates? Jeff Howell gives it to you
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straight**
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### Q.
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We would welcome your comments on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC),
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which form part of the now-compulsory Home Information Pack (HIP). We were
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shocked to find that our solid-wall Victorian house has been given a G rating,
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the lowest, despite our total fuel usage being only 35 per cent of that
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estimated in the EPC. We suspect there was no "box to tick" for our two-foot
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thick, south-facing brick walls, and that the assessor ignored the low-energy
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lamps fitted in communal areas. The report recommended that we fit PVC double
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glazing, photovoltaic cells on the roof, and replace our reliable gas Rayburn
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with a new condensing boiler, all of which we feel would be inappropriate for
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a period building, and would not save us any money or energy. We are appalled
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that this erroneous report is now permanently recorded on a Government
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database, and that, if believed, no prospective buyer would set foot in our
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house. Since this EPC is now part of our HIP, might it actually constitute
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property misdescription? **JC, Coleford, Somerset**
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### A.
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I have had dozens of letters from readers on this subject, all confirming the
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findings that I wrote about when I had an energy assessment on my own house
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last August. You have hit the nail on the head when you say there is no "box
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to tick" for many features of older houses, which results in some bizarre
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information being selected by the computer, based on the age of the property.
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My own house, for example, is listed on the government database as having
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suspended timber ground floors with no insulation, when it actually has solid
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brick floors, very well insulated below. My home's EPC also fails to mention
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the insulation in the roof and walls, and estimates my energy consumption to
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be more than four times what I actually use. Other readers report similar, or
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worse, discrepancies in their own EPCs. I wouldn't worry about prospective
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buyers being put off your house because of this, as estate agents and the
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public are becoming increasingly aware of the shortcomings of EPCs and HIPs.
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Recently built homes might score better on the EPC tick-boxes, but Victorian
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houses will always be seen as more solid, and better investments.
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**What's the white stuff on my window?**
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### Q.
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Six years ago we had new oak-frame, diamond-leaded casement windows fitted in
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our 18th-century cottage. The lead work was undertaken by someone who does
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restoration work for Wells cathedral.
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Six months ago, we had Selectaglaze secondary glazing fitted to all but two of
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the windows. A few days ago we noticed a salt-like substance on the inside
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lead work breaking through the blacking that had been painted on and giving an
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unsightly crusty appearance to the metal work. The windows face south and
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west. Have you any idea what might be causing this? The two windows without
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the secondary glazing are not affected. **JT, Bristol**
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### A.
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There are two possible reasons for this. One is that, in new leaded window
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work, the temperature difference between inside and out causes differential
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thermal movement in the "came", the H-shaped lead strip that holds the glass,
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resulting in the glass grout creeping up on the warm side, and appearing as a
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whitish powder. However, you seem sure that the substance is forming
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underneath the blacking, so it is more likely to be "white carbonate", lead
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corrosion caused by moisture and carbon dioxide from the air. The second
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explanation is all the more likely since it has occurred since the secondary
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glazing was fitted, resulting in small amounts of condensation forming on the
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leadwork, and being trapped there due to lack of air circulation. Try cleaning
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off the affected areas gently with fine wire wool, and applying a coat of
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patination oil (£5.49 for 125ml from Wickes). This will prevent further
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carbonation until a natural patina of stable black lead oxide forms.
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* Send your questions to Jeff Howell Home & Living, The Sunday Telegraph,
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111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT; email
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[askjeff@telegraph.co.uk][2]; Also visit [www.askjeff.co.uk][3]
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* Jeff regrets he cannot reply to every letter
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][5]
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* Share: [Share][4] [ ][6] [ ][7]
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[Tweet][8]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/jeffhowell/3361082
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/Property-advice-On-the-level.html
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Telegraph
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## [Jeff Howell][9]
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* ### [Property »][10]
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* ### [Property Advice »][11]
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In property
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[![Silver birch is unlikely to cause damage to a nearby building][12] ][13]
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### [Home improvements: Could my neighbour's trees damage my house?][13]
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[![DIY skills learned from dad, such as carpentry, are in sharp decline partly
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because of advances in technology
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][14] ][15]
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### [DIY: Are dad skills obsolete?][15]
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[![Jeff Howell][16] ][17]
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### [Home improvements: Do I need to replace my locks?][17]
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][5]
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Share:
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* [ ][4]
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* [ ][6]
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* [ ][7]
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* [Tweet][8]
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* Advertisement
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![][18]
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