Articles by Argile

When your clients complain about a shower that's too hot then too cold, it's often the water going down the drain during adjustment that's the real cost. In renovation, you can give them comfort right away and cut wasted litres, without touching the tank. With the right installation and settings, you also secure the temperature — a real plus in family homes.

6 min read

On a house, siting is not a detail. It can add comfort in winter and avoid overheating in summer, without adding a single piece of equipment. As a tradesperson, you have influence from the earliest sketches or during a major renovation to place living rooms and glazing where they work for you, not against you. A few simple choices, well explained to the client, and your project becomes more efficient, easier to read, and often easier to justify when applying for grants.

6 min read

On a job near the sea, salt and humidity attack fast. On a facade, a roof or a terrace, the smallest weakness becomes an entry point, and callbacks pile up. As a tradesperson, you save time when you secure materials, fixings and finishes from the start. With the right reflexes, you deliver a durable result, and you avoid site returns.

5 min read

In renovation, you can improve comfort without piling on equipment, by starting with orientation, sun, wind and the building's thermal mass. These simple markers help you decide quickly, justify your choices to the client and avoid contradictory work. When the building "works" for you, your technical solutions become leaner and easier to deliver on site.

5 min read

When a client mentions a small wind turbine for their house, you need to sort promise from reality fast. Available height, steady winds, neighbours, local paperwork, that's often where the project is decided, well before the quote. With a few simple benchmarks, you can frame the need, avoid bad surprises, and talk profitability without selling a dream.

5 min read

Altitude is not a comfort nuance, it is a calculation input: France's 3CL-DPE 2021 method publishes its climate data by zone H1a to H3 and by altitude band, below 400 m, 400 to 800 m, above 800 m. The performance thresholds that govern grant eligibility, on the other hand, do not move by a single metre. Here is where the line falls, and what it changes on the quote and on the programme.

5 min read

A client complaining about a whooshing sound or vibrations in the ventilation system is often a job that can tip into dissatisfaction. As a tradesperson, you can quickly diagnose the cause — clogged vent, poorly fixed duct, wrong flow rate — and restore comfort without redoing everything. With a few simple actions and the right choice of equipment, you cut the noise and keep air quality on track.

5 min read

Your clients want to reduce their home's impact, but they don't always know where to start. As a tradesperson, you can help them take stock, category by category, then choose the work that really matters: insulation, ventilation, heating. With a simple method and clear orders of magnitude, you save time and back up your recommendations.

5 min read

The diameter of a ventilation duct is not read off the connection spigot on the unit, it is calculated from the flow rate required room by room. One division gives you the cross-section, and the rest of the sizing comes down to lengths, bends and access. What is decided on the layout cannot be recovered at commissioning.

5 min read

When a client wants fast, stable comfort without swings, you have every interest in proposing an emitter that combines a quick temperature rise with sustained gentle heat. On site, it also comes down to very concrete details — controls, thermal mass, noise, and ease of installation — the ones that avoid callbacks. With the right criteria in mind, you can steer clients towards a genuinely premium solution, suited to the room and the household's routine.

6 min read

No statutory interval governs the servicing of a ventilation system in an occupied dwelling. Two cases sit outside that rule, a new dwelling at completion and any work that affects ventilation, and everywhere else the only defensible benchmark is the flow rate you measure against the Approved Document F tables.

5 min read

When a client asks you "how much will it really cover?", you need a simple calculation, not vague talk. By quantifying the share of energy delivered over the year and sizing the right backup, you secure hot water comfort and size the system correctly, without overcost or unrealistic promises. The result is a clearer quote and a job that runs smoothly.

5 min read