His Lordship On The At-tack

If anyone would care for some salutary advice about new central heating systems and the subsequent upheaval it causes, look no further. I spent all day yesterday screwing down floor-boards properly, fitting carpets, moving furniture, hammering tacks - notice the pun in the title? - and is it really necessary to continue?

I have a list of nine faults, ranging from a stone-cold bathroom radiator to a leaky garage roof where they erected the new flue; and asbestos piping for collection.

For me it is somewhat stressful. I am uncertain as to whether, or not, I'd make an ideal property developer.

The new system itself seems exceedingly efficient: we have the hot water cylinder on from 06:30 till 08:30 - two hours - once a day and the water is still scalding. The water thermostat is at 63c; I might turn it down to 60c and have the water heating on for an hour instead. We haven't required the radiators on anyway.