maxie

Ah, yes. That was a bit ambiguous. Sorry! Trousers, not knickers. No drawing blank! 

It is also quite common to ask for one when you change jobs within the company or when your boss changes. Every time I had a boss who left (left the company, retired etc.) I asked for a Zwischenzeugnis. 

Definitely not. I have never been naked at a physio. Take of top or pants for massage / drainage etc. - yes. Exercises are done in gym clothes.  My husband finished 8 months of physio recently, including 15 weeks of intense daily reha (broken leg). If he came in shorts, he didn't have to remove anything but the shoes for the massage / lymph drainage bit.    My guess would be that it was maybe a misunderstanding / miscommunication.  

I would keep that option open, depending on how they deal with it. Slight grovelling and a sincere apology? Assuring you they will cover any cost that might arise from it e.g. from missed bills etc.? Sure.  Arrogant dismissal? Suggesting you are not that smart for not having realized what happened right away? Then I would demand a reimbursement of any cost that you had to cover and complain to the Hausverwaltung again for sure. 

We have PV for the heat pump plus a gas boiler and are now researching if it would make sense to swap our fireplace for one with water pouches to supplement the central heating (prompted by looking up something for a thread on here )  Wann ist ein wasserführender Kaminofen sinnvoll? (ofenseite.com)  

Definitely talk to your Schornsteinfeger about the regulations and any ideas s/he might have. You might even be able to attach the flue to the existing chimney depending on the setup.  You also need quite a bit of space to store the wood and or Briketts. Especially if you want to get cheaper, i.e. not completely dry, wood which you have to store for a few years. 

They might have used the info from the Finanzamt. All tax documents list the husband first.  My husband had to do the census and the request for the Grundsteuerreform was addressed only to him even though they listed both our names in the salutation of the letter. 

Doesn't work though. If the holder of the reservation (a person) is not in the seat, the reservation expires after 15 minutes. If someone makes a fuss, get a Schaffner. They really do not like this kind of behaviour. 

Technically, you need a permit to drill a well.    A vague inquiry at the Untere Wasserbehörde in our district yielded the info that the permit will not be granted unless the garden is adjacent to a house or for commercial farming.  What I did find out is that it can vary by district.  A larger well drilling company will always require a permit and well offer to apply for it as well. This can come back and bite you if the permit is denied.  A one or two man outfit probably might not ask too many questions.  

One year it was the rabbits, then we had white flies and the next year they all shot up immediately, for some reason. After that I gave up...   

One of the best pruning channels (in German) I have found so far is Bauschule Schreiber. The Austrian dialect might be difficult to understand though. But they have videos on a wide range of topics and they clear up a whole lot of myths around pruning that some of the oldtimers still cling to.  Baum- u. Rebschule Schreiber - YouTube     I have grown fruit and vegetables for quite a few years. Had success with some - pumpkin, zucchini ,tomatoes, beans, physalis, mirabelles, currants, strawberries, not so much with others - gooseberries, cucumbers & apples - and of course there were spectacular failures - all cabbages: red, white, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, romanesco.   We lost our allotment last year, which was a shame, but it led to us buying a field which we have just planted with a whole lot of fruit trees and shrubs. I hestitated in the past because we never knew hoe much longer we would be able to keep it. We also managed to buy a fenced garden next to it where I'll plant the tomatoes etc. Ownership won't be transferred until 1 June so they will have to make do with the pots until then. 

One thing that came up in my research was the possibility to have a wood burning oven with a water reservoir which is attached to the existing heating system thus supplementing the heating of the water tank which circulates through the radiators.  I have no idea if this is efficient, expensive, sensible etc. but I think it might be worth looking into in more detail.    Wasserführender Kaminofen | Holzofen mit Wassertasche (hark.de) This is a manufacturer's website so probably quite biased and heavy on the marketing, but a decent starting point. The terminology to search for is, apparently: Holzofen/Kamin mit Wassertasche    Here is the deepl translation of the intro on the website:  WATER-BEARING STOVE Thanks to good insulation and efficient extraction and use of heating energy, modern houses require less and less energy. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement. Legislation requires that at least part of the required energy comes from renewable sources. This can be obtained, for example, by means of solar thermal energy, ground-source or air-source heat pumps, or gas condensing boilers. In addition, a water-bearing stove is becoming increasingly common in the plans of house builders and homeowners. Such a stove with a water pocket is integrated into the existing or planned heating system and can also be used in combination with a solar system, for example. About two-thirds of its combustion heat is used to heat water, which is then fed into a buffer tank for domestic and heating water. In this way, the heat produced can be felt not only in the room where it is installed, but can be used throughout the house. EFFICIENT WOOD-BURNING STOVES WITH WATER SUPPLY Our wood-burning stoves with water supply not only impress with their efficient technology and high cost-effectiveness, but also set visual accents. Especially when it comes to the design of the cladding of your water-bearing stove, you can choose from numerous options. Thus, depending on the model, you can choose from various materials such as soapstone and ceramic stove tiles. The tiles are handmade in Germany and are available in many different colors as well as subtle black or white. In addition, we also offer a pellet stove water-bearing, which works on the same principle as a water-bearing stove. Instead of logs, however, it burns pressed pellets of untreated wood residues (e.g. sawdust or wood shavings). STOVE WITH WATER POCKET - MODE OF OPERATION A water-bearing stove has a water pocket, which is installed around the combustion chamber. The water circulating in it is heated by the fire blazing in the wood-burning stove and is directed to a buffer tank integrated into the heating circuit. At the same time, cool water flows from the storage tank back into the stove water pocket. A thermal control valve ensures that the return temperature to the stove is at least 60 °C. The jacketed combustion chamber of a water-bearing stove ensures high heat efficiency and low convection heat. The heat temporarily stored in the buffer tank can be called up at any time as needed via the heating system. In the room where the stove is installed, you can also immediately enjoy the pleasant feeling of a fireplace and the radiant heat generated by it. SAVE HEATING COSTS WITH A WATER-BEARING STOVE Depending on the intensity of use and the output of the stove with water pocket, the consumption of fossil fuels such as fuel oil and gas can be significantly reduced. This not only leads to a noticeable reduction in heating costs, but also protects the environment. In the transitional period, up to 100% of the energy requirement for heating and domestic hot water can often be covered by a water-bearing stove, which is an ideal addition to a heating concept that is as sustainable as it is economical.

One thing that came up in my research was the possibility to have a wood burning oven with a water reservoir which is attached to the existing heating system thus supplementing the heating of the water tank which circulates through the radiators.  I have no idea if this is efficient, expensive, sensible etc. but I think it might be worth looking into in more detail.    Wasserführender Kaminofen | Holzofen mit Wassertasche (hark.de) This is a manufacturer's website so probably quite biased and heavy on the marketing, but a decent starting point. The terminology to search for is, apparently: Holzofen/Kamin mit Wassertasche    Here is the deepl translation of the intro on the website:  WATER-BEARING STOVE Thanks to good insulation and efficient extraction and use of heating energy, modern houses require less and less energy. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement. Legislation requires that at least part of the required energy comes from renewable sources. This can be obtained, for example, by means of solar thermal energy, ground-source or air-source heat pumps, or gas condensing boilers. In addition, a water-bearing stove is becoming increasingly common in the plans of house builders and homeowners. Such a stove with a water pocket is integrated into the existing or planned heating system and can also be used in combination with a solar system, for example. About two-thirds of its combustion heat is used to heat water, which is then fed into a buffer tank for domestic and heating water. In this way, the heat produced can be felt not only in the room where it is installed, but can be used throughout the house. EFFICIENT WOOD-BURNING STOVES WITH WATER SUPPLY Our wood-burning stoves with water supply not only impress with their efficient technology and high cost-effectiveness, but also set visual accents. Especially when it comes to the design of the cladding of your water-bearing stove, you can choose from numerous options. Thus, depending on the model, you can choose from various materials such as soapstone and ceramic stove tiles. The tiles are handmade in Germany and are available in many different colors as well as subtle black or white. In addition, we also offer a pellet stove water-bearing, which works on the same principle as a water-bearing stove. Instead of logs, however, it burns pressed pellets of untreated wood residues (e.g. sawdust or wood shavings). STOVE WITH WATER POCKET - MODE OF OPERATION A water-bearing stove has a water pocket, which is installed around the combustion chamber. The water circulating in it is heated by the fire blazing in the wood-burning stove and is directed to a buffer tank integrated into the heating circuit. At the same time, cool water flows from the storage tank back into the stove water pocket. A thermal control valve ensures that the return temperature to the stove is at least 60 °C. The jacketed combustion chamber of a water-bearing stove ensures high heat efficiency and low convection heat. The heat temporarily stored in the buffer tank can be called up at any time as needed via the heating system. In the room where the stove is installed, you can also immediately enjoy the pleasant feeling of a fireplace and the radiant heat generated by it. SAVE HEATING COSTS WITH A WATER-BEARING STOVE Depending on the intensity of use and the output of the stove with water pocket, the consumption of fossil fuels such as fuel oil and gas can be significantly reduced. This not only leads to a noticeable reduction in heating costs, but also protects the environment. In the transitional period, up to 100% of the energy requirement for heating and domestic hot water can often be covered by a water-bearing stove, which is an ideal addition to a heating concept that is as sustainable as it is economical.

Yep, I love math! 

Exactly. What I am wondering is at which point (i.e. temperature) it switches to gas being more efficient / economical and how to adjust the settings for it. WE do have a air source heat pump. The service person should come in the next month or so and I will pepper him with questions. They love me  I think I drive them nuts because I have the basic technical understanding and ask relevant questions, but lack the proper technical vocabulary so the questions sometimes come out funny.