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Alan Clarke

@alanclarke.bsky.social
1.8K followers 355 following 805 posts

Energy & buildings engineer, Passivhaus, mountain biker, veg gardener/rewilder

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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 5h
The 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Hard to argue that if starmer had lost his own seat he wouldn't have to resign as pm
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LukeBMTB @lukebmtb.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I'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.
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Nice 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)
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Cookies are webpage data files (Jaffa) cakes are cakes
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Do I have this right - petrol cars pay >€5000 registration tax, EVs pay minimal amount? Quite a decent incentive!
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
And 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Wouldn'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
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Dan Grey @dangrey.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It'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.uk
Zero emission vehicle mandate review
Seeks views on the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and its effectiveness in the UK.
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Can you explain it then? Guy walks up with two yellow pipes in completely different location to first scene - just baffling
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
One 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
At what point do I have to get contact lenses to be trusted?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Flats are usually leasehold which brings own challenges
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Vaillant 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
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Jay Rayner @jayrayner1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
On 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.
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fluids_guru @fluidsguru.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I 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?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Your 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I 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
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Marianne Heaslip @marianneh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Running 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.
A workshop description: 

People First Retrofit, 
Marianne Heaslip and Helen Grimshaw

Arguments about whether retrofit should be 'fabric first' or 'heat pump and energy systems first' are getting tiresome. PPR take a different approach - focusing on people, context and understanding first. We'll explore through case studies and discussion what this means in a range of homes - and the implications for policy makers and practitioners.
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I guess his train was late
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Question now is why are petrol cars selling so well?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Yes - 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
You mean if they operate in wales?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Or diagnosis of broken arms
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Kate de Selincourt @katedes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Hospital parking FML
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
So 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
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
File under: not good. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
And 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
this 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.com
A little rudeness can save you from being scammed? Count me in | Polly Hudson
Being 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
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
UK 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 record
MCS tracker reveals number of small-scale solar installations completed this year has already surpassed long-standing 2011 record
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
if the supply & extract are in the cold loft then they need a lot of insulation - like 300mm over the top of all of them
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Hassinator @hassinator.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
a great letter in the times today. perhaps worth sharing in these troubled times. #RNLI #heroes
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This is our experience - bought a full tank of petrol in March for the non EV, now only half left
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
You'll get BUS on an air to water installation which includes fan convectors capable of cooling as well as heating
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Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Yes, 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?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Our 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)
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𝚂𝚊𝚖𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎 @samsonite.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Happy Friday BSkyers.
Do not touch bread with hands, please use tongue
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I saw one yesterday too (on valerian) and wondered if it shouldn't be somewhere else
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
But 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
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A 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.com
UK Plug-in Solar Kits, Products and Brands | Plugin Solar Calculator
Browse UK plug-in solar kits, brands and retailers. We list complete kits with credible evidence that they meet the official UK requirements.
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Juraj Mikurcik @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
More photos and project description now on the architect's website 👇 Amazing craftsmanship. www.kastarchitects.com/work/wooden-...
Exterior photo of The wooden house, a two storey home built with straw panels, externally clad in locally grown cedarExterior photo of The wooden house, view of the house and south facing brise soleil providing shadeInterior photo of The wooden house, view of the open plan dining room and kitchen areaDetail of a wooden staircase
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Anyone else wondering if labour picked wrong metro mayor to be PM?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Didnt 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)?
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This 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
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Also that's not going to suddenly depreciate by loads - even if only worth £1000 at 100,000 miles that'd be 15p/mile
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Looking at the age of trucks I see on UK motorways - most <5 yrs - it won't take long to replace high mileage fleet
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
It 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.
bar chart showing rapid rise of battery use in heavy trucks in China.
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Will 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
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