Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 5hThe sunk cost of gas boilers is quite low - <£1000 and 30kg of metal - I'd have no qualms about scrapping a new one to fit a heat pump when moving house Petrol cars are more of an issue as much bigger, more expensive and easily transferred when owner buys an EV 120
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Hard to argue that if starmer had lost his own seat he wouldn't have to resign as pm 010
Reposted by Alan ClarkeLukeBMTB @lukebmtb.bsky.social · 09/10/2026I'm trusting you lot not to put images or video of someone being killed by firing squad on my timeline here. Please don't let me down. 0174
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Nice of centrica to fly you out to their economically redundant gas storage unit! Shame the country isn't doing better replacing gas with heat pumps (even if you have to burn gas for the electricity they use you still only need half the gas for same heat) 010
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Cookies are webpage data files (Jaffa) cakes are cakes 030
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Do I have this right - petrol cars pay >€5000 registration tax, EVs pay minimal amount? Quite a decent incentive! 100
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026And you're on the cheap leg there! I travel on gwr to london either via glos or newport/bristol - and the latter is significantly more expensive than the cheltenham line 000
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I went to timpsons with DMs where sole splitting on side - estimated cost was at least twice what I'd paid for the boots new! Resolved by seeing video of manufacture and working out how to repair them with a blowtorch to heat a knife blade to reweld the split - all good now 130
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Wouldn't it make sense instead for govt to adjust 1st year road tax to help EV sales - by effectively adding purchase tax on fossil fuel cars? We all know 100% EVs is the ultimate end point, just car manufacturers currently make more money selling obsolete tech vs developing new 010
Reposted by Alan ClarkeDan Grey @dangrey.bsky.social · 28/09/2026It's extremely hard to take this government seriously when it's proposing this. How can anyone look at the world today and say "yeah, we need to sell fewer electric cars" www.gov.uk/government/c...gov.ukZero emission vehicle mandate reviewSeeks views on the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and its effectiveness in the UK. 043
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Can you explain it then? Guy walks up with two yellow pipes in completely different location to first scene - just baffling 100
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026One thing I've noticed more and more: a web search used to be good way to uncover real knowledge, but now this is often swamped by complete garbage, seemingly generated to respond to search terms but totally useless 050
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 24/09/2026At what point do I have to get contact lenses to be trusted? 010
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Flats are usually leasehold which brings own challenges 110
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Vaillant used to say the 10kW was compatible with a cylinder with a 1 m2 coil - yours is 0.9 - I'd keep it. Have you looked at heat geek "zero disrupt" - may resuce amount of replacement of rads and cylinders Also double check you actually need 10kW - most houses have lower load than that 120
Reposted by Alan ClarkeJay Rayner @jayrayner1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026On the BBC News Katya Adler has just described Germany, where the far right AFD keep winning elections, as entering 'uncharted political territory'. Hmmm. Where Germany is concerned I think that territory is pretty well charted. 563915736
Reposted by Alan Clarkefluids_guru @fluidsguru.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I don’t understand the hand-wringing reaction to claims that nueral networks have a 10% chance of destroying civilisation. Fossil fuel companies have a 100% chance of initiating a mass extinction event. Maybe we could address that? 8411149
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Your boiler cylinder might be better than you think, especially with smaller heat pumps - my cylinder was designed for a 30kW gas boiler and works well on low flow temp with 5kW ASHP 120
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I doubt it if you have a modern cylinder I just used existing solar+boiler cylinder, works fine, scop 3.7 - but this is only sept-apr, warmer months are 100% solar 110
Reposted by Alan ClarkeMarianne Heaslip @marianneh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Running a workshop at the AECB conference next Friday. Should be fun assuming I've recovered from this horrid cold by then: aecb.net/wp-content/u... Though I'm sad that our workshop clashes with @ecominimalnick.bsky.social 's session and I'll miss that. 2113
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Question now is why are petrol cars selling so well? 220
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Yes - there may be limit to what your joints can comfortably take and best to stay under that limit - even though your muscles may be able to lift more 020
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 16/09/2026So for sake of argument gas heating (85% eff) will be 13 p/kWh vs good ASHP (sCOP 3.5) 9 p/kWh - 30% cheaper than gas 020
Reposted by Alan ClarkeDuncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 15/09/2026File under: not good. www.bloomberg.com/news/article... 511235
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 15/09/2026And I assume if you buy a second hand EV you help maintain their resale value and thus reduce the cost to lease a new one 030
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 15/09/2026this has escalated fast - caller on my work phone from "the bank" - "which bank?" scammer replied "you a**hole m*****f*****r" and hung up! Maybe it's getting to them? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comA little rudeness can save you from being scammed? Count me in | Polly HudsonBeing polite to strangers will make everyone love you – especially those who just want to swindle you out of your money. I won’t make that mistake again, writes Polly Hudson 030
Reposted by Alan ClarkeDoug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026UK is on track to install around 300,000 solar rooftops this year That'll break records and on its own add at least 1GW of solar to UK generation For scale, UK maximum demand is around 50GW www.businessgreen.com/news/4535700...businessgreen.com'Unprecedented numbers': Solar industry on track to smash rooftop recordMCS tracker reveals number of small-scale solar installations completed this year has already surpassed long-standing 2011 record 920272
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 14/09/2026if the supply & extract are in the cold loft then they need a lot of insulation - like 300mm over the top of all of them 110
Reposted by Alan ClarkeHassinator @hassinator.bsky.social · 13/09/2026a great letter in the times today. perhaps worth sharing in these troubled times. #RNLI #heroes 4059822392
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 12/09/2026This is our experience - bought a full tank of petrol in March for the non EV, now only half left 050
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 12/09/2026You'll get BUS on an air to water installation which includes fan convectors capable of cooling as well as heating 040
Reposted by Alan ClarkeSimon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 12/09/2026This animated map shows a day of actual UK train movements, delays and all! On 19 August 2026 the network peaked at 1,794 trains moving at once. Even around 3am, at least 141 were running. Passenger services wind down, but freight and maintenance keep rolling. Source: buff.ly/0zrhl41 413455
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Yes, understood it's the gas price that's putting up electricity - what's the timescale for grid upgrades to reduce reliance on gas for elec generation in england? 121
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Our octopus agile is 34p/kWh average for today Car charging is usually cheap at weekend but heating will cost more if this is the pattern now (I did read that powerline upgrades were temporarily reducing use of scottish wind power in england - not sure how temporary this is) 120
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I saw one yesterday too (on valerian) and wondered if it shouldn't be somewhere else 010
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 10/09/2026But do most people have a job because they are doing something that needs doing, or because people don't need to find their own food and fuel they have time to spend doing other stuff? AI won't change that 000
Reposted by Alan ClarkeJosiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 07/09/2026A lot more plug-in solar kits have been registered as 'compliant' over the past week. On the day it was permitted in Britain, only 7 products were listed (just a few available to buy). Now there are 46 compliant kits. Progress! Still expensive (esp. compared to Germany) but it's getting better...pluginsolarcalculator.comUK Plug-in Solar Kits, Products and Brands | Plugin Solar CalculatorBrowse UK plug-in solar kits, brands and retailers. We list complete kits with credible evidence that they meet the official UK requirements. 413046
Reposted by Alan ClarkeJuraj Mikurcik @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social · 08/09/2026More photos and project description now on the architect's website 👇 Amazing craftsmanship. www.kastarchitects.com/work/wooden-... 0466
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Anyone else wondering if labour picked wrong metro mayor to be PM? 010
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Didnt they notice gloucestershire has a large river estuary running through it, with 50 min drive between adjacent bridges (one of which is not in the county, weight restricted and liable to close in windy weather, the other is currently undergoing tedious traffic-jamming repairs)? 101
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This is already the case - we pay lot more road licence for 5 yr old ev compared with 11 yr old petrol car Mileage charge for EVs only is due in yr or so 140
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Also that's not going to suddenly depreciate by loads - even if only worth £1000 at 100,000 miles that'd be 15p/mile 010
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Looking at the age of trucks I see on UK motorways - most <5 yrs - it won't take long to replace high mileage fleet 130
Reposted by Alan ClarkeJustin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 04/09/2026It wasn't that long ago we were told that batteries would never succeed in big trucks. This is some very good news for everyone not in the business of selling diesel. 512845
Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Will bow to your expertise, but wikipedia gave me impression jackdaw annual would be similar to the rough storage. Anyway at 2% I agree just move on and focus on reducing demand 110