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Frank Reif

@frankreif.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.3K following 1.8K posts

Mainly here for climate stuff. Decarbonizing heating and cooling. Building science / efficiency / retrofit / mechanical engineering etc.

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=84BH...
youtube.com
Water Management Basics in Homes & Buildings
YouTube video by ASIRI Designs
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
AI hot take thread trigger warning. From an LLM-using Luddite...
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Families for Clean Air @healthyair.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.the-independent.com/news/uk/poli...
the-independent.com
Sadiq Khan ‘plans to ban wood-burning stoves in parts of London’ in clean air push
The Mayor of London has written to the government asking for more power to ban burning certain fuels
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
If you stacked 1 trillion dollars of $100 bills on the ground so it stretched out ahead of you, it would be over 1000km long.
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Prof Katherine Schofield 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇪🇺 @katherineschof8.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
*Health care WORKERS. Prof Nick Maynard is an Oxford consultant surgeon who has volunteered in Gaza. The stats are that in Gaza c. 75 healthcare workers have been killed per 100,000 of the population, compared to just 0.8 in Ukraine, 0.3 in Myanmar, and 0.3 in Sudan. cherwell.org/2026/05/27/g...
cherwell.org
'Genocide – I want you to use that word': Nick Maynard on working in Gaza's healthcare system - Cherwell
Professor Nick Maynard, a consultant at Oxford University Hospitals, has been to Gaza three times since 7th October 2023.
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Alan Clarke @alanclarke.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
About time I did this - retrofit external blind for velux roofwindow
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Excellent resource for Site and Foundation Drainage best practices. With recommended assemblies for new builds and retrofit. www.bchousing.org/sites/defaul...
bchousing.org
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
#Drax claimed record £999m in subsidies for burning trees in 2025, thinktank says - UK company has received about £8.7bn in renewable energy subsidies since 2012, despite claims wood pellets are not sourced sustainably www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Drax claimed record £999m in subsidies for burning trees in 2025, thinktank says
Company has received about £8.7bn in renewable energy subsidies since 2012, despite claims wood pellets are not sourced sustainably
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 12/04/2026
Palantir’s infiltration into the British government is chilling. A world where our health records are used to power state-sponsored surveillance isn’t so far away goodlawproject.org/palantir-uses-me…
goodlawproject.org
Palantir uses medical records to target people for ICE in the US – will the UK be next? | Good Law Project
Deadly ICE raids in the US rely on Palantir tools that mine health records to produce real-time data on people’s location – a chilling prospect for the NHS
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Climate Change Committee @thecccuk.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Our latest analysis shows that energy losses could be halved by 2050 in a Net Zero system. Why? Because low-carbon technologies like EVs and heat pumps are more efficient, meaning they require less energy to meet the same level of demand. ⚡ Read here: www.theccc.org.uk/publication/...
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Families for Clean Air @healthyair.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/market...
thisismoney.co.uk
Drax under fire over £8bn green energy tax break
Drax came under fire as it emerged its boss could earn nearly £7m this year having scooped just under £2.7m last year despite a sharp drop in profits.
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Doctors and Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution @dsawsp.org · 28/03/2026
“Campaigners estimated that Drax received an effective tax break of more than £8billion as a green energy provider despite the Selby plant releasing over 140m tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2013 and 2025.”
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Finnish Government @finnishgovernment.fi · 25/03/2026
Expert group: Young people are losing confidence in the future – rebuilding it will take broad action
valtioneuvosto.fi
Expert group: Young people are losing confidence in the future – rebuilding it will take broad action
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Peter Miller @petereastern.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
But… microbore is absolutely fine for up to 500W or more (depending on exact internal bore). No extra work, no sacrifice of cop and actually.. it’s a neat way of plumbing a rad because pipes are flexible and easy to route. 12mm pex is just fine for most rads. Smaller is often not an issue either.
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Andrew Dessler @andrewdessler.com · 13/03/2026
My experience with the DOE Climate Working Group report is that their analysis is based on cherry picking, misrepresentation, omitting contrary data, and every other scientific felony you can name. This video by Prof. David Romps shows exactly how the "bad science" sausage is made.
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Kirsten de Vos 🚶🏻‍♀️💚🚲🍃 @kirstendevos.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Just submitted my response to the wood burning consultation. I had no warnings when I burned wood in wood burners and fire pits, putting my children and neighbours at risk - now I know the harm. It’s time to end unnecessary wood burning. Speak up!
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Mums for Lungs @mumsforlungs.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
"Straight from the playbook of tobacco". The Stove Industry Association has been pressuring councils to tone down their public health campaigns, telling them they were exploring options for potential legal action. This stinks even more than the burning they promote. #WoodBurning #AirPollution
theguardian.com
Lobbyists send legal threats to councils over anti-wood burner campaigns
At least eight councils receive legal threats alleging flyers criticising wood burners are in breach of advertising codes
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
📌 A reminder: Most of the gas Europe imports is used for heat - to warm our buildings and to provide process heat in industry. Only around 20% of gas is used to generate electricity.
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Juraj Mikurcik @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Really good podcast about some of the challenges of insuring buildings made from biobased materials Insurance is one of the barriers to wider adoption of biobased materials in construction, so thank you Ben for covering this topic.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
A widespread war in the Middle East is the worst-case scenario for the global oil and gas markets. That war is here, and it could have wide-ranging, long-lasting impacts on energy and climate policy. This week on Zero: What does the Iran war mean for the energy transition? omny.fm/shows/zero/w...
omny.fm
War with Iran is a nightmare for oil and gas. What does it mean for clean energy? - Zero
Many consider a widespread war in the Middle East the worst-case scenario for the global oil and gas market. That war is here, and it could have wide-ranging, long-lasting impacts on energy and climat...
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Dawn Butler MP @dawnbutlerbrent.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Last summer I launched my campaign against outdated “aim-to-permit” gambling laws. On Hampstead High Street? Not a single betting shop. In lower-income areas? Flooded. Councils are forced to say yes. That’s not fair and it’s damaging our high streets. The fight isn’t over. ✊🏾
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/3IZU...
open.spotify.com
Beyond Techno-Optimism w/ David Edgerton
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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
February is a great time to talk about… air conditioning. Otherwise known as air to air heat pumps, which can heat as well as cool your home, very efficiently. We have a big new report out today on how suitable air to air heat pumps are for British homes. The answer: quite a lot!
nesta.org.uk
Air-to-air heat pumps: a low-carbon solution for UK homes
A2A heat pumps can provide homeowners with an additional option for decarbonising home heating
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Adam Morton @adammorton.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Extreme heat lab: Enduring the climate of the future with @readfearn.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Extreme heat lab: enduring the climate of the future
Graham Readfearn enters a simulation to investigate how heatwaves affect the human body
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
80% of agricultural land is used for livestock (and textiles), yet this huge land use provides only 17% of our calories and 38% of our protein. 16% of the land used for crops provides 83% of our calories and 62% of our protein. It's past time we rethink what we eat.
An infographic from Our World in Data titled "Global land use for food production" uses a series of stacked horizontal bar charts to visualize the distribution of Earth's surface and the disproportionate land requirements of livestock. The first bar shows Earth's surface is 71% ocean and 29% land (141 million km²); the land surface is then broken down into 76% habitable land, 10% glaciers, and 14% barren land. Of the habitable land, 45% (48 million km²) is used for agriculture, while 38% is forests and 13% is shrubland. The agricultural land bar reveals a major disparity: 80% (38 million km²) is dedicated to livestock (meat, dairy, and textiles) including grazing land and cropland for feed, while only 16% is used for crops for direct human consumption and 4% for non-food crops. Finally, two smaller bars at the bottom contrast this land use with nutritional output, showing that while livestock uses 80% of agricultural land, it only provides 17% of global calories and 38% of global protein, whereas plant-based foods provide 83% of calories and 62% of protein.
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
BREAKING⚡️The High Court has just ruled that the government's draconian ban of Palestine Action was unlawful. This is a massive blow to the Home Office’s authoritarian approach. They need to stop criminalising people protesting a genocide and start ending the UK's complicity
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Mums for Lungs @mumsforlungs.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
This is a fascinating study into children's exposure to fine particle #AirPollution (PM2.5). Spikes of PM2.5 were "strongly linked to indoor activities, particularly the use of wood-burning stoves." Smoking is also mentioned as a significant source.
airqualitynews.com
Wood burners polluting rural homes more than traffic - AirQualityNews
A citizen science project with schoolchildren on the Isle of Anglesey has revealed that for rural children, the greatest threat to air quality is not outside on the roads, but inside their own homes.…
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Most people don’t know this: Heat pumps REDUCE gas consumption even if running 100% on electricity from a gas fired power plant. More here in my piece for @carbonbrief.org👇 interactive.carbonbrief.org/factcheck/he...
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
theconversation.com/why-do-disas...
theconversation.com
Why do disasters still happen, despite early warnings? Because systems are built to wait for certainty
Scientists can warn of a risk of floods days in advance. But forecasts often aren’t definitive enough to trigger action.
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Passivhaus Trust @passivhaustrust.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
📺Stretford Passivhaus retrofit TV makeover Deep retrofit of a modest Manchester semi-detached home to the Passivhaus retrofit standard features in Guy Martin's 'House without bills', which will air on Monday 9 February 2026 at 9pm on C4. passivhaustrust.org.uk/news/detail/…
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Mums for Lungs @mumsforlungs.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
We welcome the idea of #Health warnings on stoves. Did you know that: 👉 A 2025 study by UCL discovered that indoor wood burning is linked to a decline in lung function. 👉 Wood smoke contains hundreds of air pollutants that can cause cancer: formaldehyde & benzene are just two. #WorldCancerDay
A fireplace with a wood burning stove. There is a health warning on the stove, in the style of a cigarette packet warning. It says "Burning seriously harms you and others around you".
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International Energy Agency @iea.org · 03/02/2026
District heating offers an efficient way to capture heat that would otherwise be wasted – and is at times the only technology able to do so. Modern networks can capture waste heat from data centres, industry & water treatment to warm homes & businesses 👉 iea.li/4qWC018
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Here is a delightful detail on a rubble masonry building. Being on a hilltop, it's exposed to high winds, which, round corners, creates turbulence that forces rain onto the wall. Typically, higher quality masonry is placed here to endure it. On occasion, we get a rounded corner instead.
youtu.be
(#74) Dramatic Wall Transformation - End Result
YouTube video by Casa Catalana
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
“I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilisation, that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities – that can very often be a precursor to fascism.”
theguardian.com
Watchmen author Alan Moore: ‘I’m definitely done with comics’
As he releases his first short story collection, the revered writer talks about magic, the problem with superhero movies and why he will never write another graphic novel
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Do not let AI design your building. The only genius on display here is how creatively bad it is.
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Equality Trust @equalitytrust.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Join us and our friends at Compass for the launch of Professor Kate Pickett's new book The Good Society online at 6pm on Wed 4th February. Featuring a truly stacked lineup of Caroline Lucas, Ruth Lister, George Monbiot and of course, Professor Kate Pickett. Sign up now: ow.ly/kkpb50Y794O
A picture of Kate Pickett inviting you to the launch of her book the Good Society at 6pm on Wednesday 4th February.
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
"because of the upgrade works, he was able to give the house a makeover and renew the property which hadn’t been updated in decades." I like the reverse framing, if refurb can't justify a retrofit, why can't a retrofit be used to justify a refurb?
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Energy Stats UK @energystatsuk.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
New article: Air Changes Per Hour Heat Loss in a Retrofit Home Subtitle: Always challenge the values used for air changes in a heat loss survey. It might save you ££ in the long run. Hope this is interesting. I enjoyed pulling this one together. energy-stats.uk/air-changes-...
energy-stats.uk
Air Changes Per Hour Heat Loss in a Retrofit Home
Air changes per hour heat loss explained using real heat pump data, modelling, airtightness testing and ACH measurements in a 1930s retrofit home.
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
@chiefgeekad.bsky.social Hey Adam, good to have you more active on here. If you're taking request, can you look into what Adia are doing with their hydrobox/dynamic balancing system. I can't quite get my head around it. Handwaving explanation about machine learning algo is not good enough.
adiathermal.co.uk
Comfort in every room. Savings on every bill
Smart heat pump control that works with your existing radiators. Auto-balances heating, tracks flexible tariffs, and saves money on every bill.
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Adia Thermal are developing a smart dynamic balancing system which is attempting to work with any existing system, and then offer upgrade advice for pipework/radiator sizing after installation. I'd be interested to know how they do this. Because it's unclear to me. www.adiathermal.co.uk
adiathermal.co.uk
Comfort in every room. Savings on every bill
Smart heat pump control that works with your existing radiators. Auto-balances heating, tracks flexible tariffs, and saves money on every bill.
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
What on earth did the Japanese think when they came up with this passive ventilation strategy? asiri-designs.com/resources-1/...
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Marc Hudson @marchudson.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Apols if this is stuff you already know - www.google.co.uk/books/editio...
google.co.uk
Unbuilding Cities
City planning initiatives and redesign of urban structures often become mired in debate and delay. Despite the fact that cities are considered to be dynamic and flexible spaces—never finished but alwa...
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI0E...
youtube.com
A Guide To Foam Free Attic (Debunking the Myth that You NEED Spray)
YouTube video by ASIRI Designs
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
"Additionally, CATL introduced battery swap-compatible packs in the series, including the #20 battery swap block with 42 kWh capacity, the #25 block with 56 kWh, and the #35 block with 81 kWh." cnevpost.com/2026/01/22/c...
cnevpost.com
CATL launches 1st sodium-ion battery for light commercial vehicles
The sodium-ion battery is engineered for extreme cold environments, retaining 90% of its usable capacity at -40°C, CATL said.
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Shreyas Sudhakar @shreyassudhakar.com · 21/01/2026
Heat pumps are a great way to deal with the elephant in the room.
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Sustainable heat experts in the UK - I hope it's worth taking the time to provide feedback directly to civil servants here, because it's taken me a long while: energygovuk.citizenspace.com/energy-secur...
energygovuk.citizenspace.com
Exploring the role of alternative clean heating solutions - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
V. funny interaction between Mark Blyth and Trader types pod bros about deficit hawks and bond market vigilantes. (time stamped) youtu.be/wXn3Qg10DPE?...
youtu.be
Mark Blyth: Capitalism Is Crashing Again and Politics Isn’t Ready | Global Macro | Ep.94
YouTube video by Top Traders Unplugged
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Gregk Foley @gregk.co.uk · 15/01/2026
In the UK, it is a fact that the left cannot govern, and so must be blocked from power by centre-right politicians, who are incapable of governing, but are wiser than the left, and so imitate the politics of the far-right party, who are also incapable of governing, but will inevitably govern.
Yeonmi Park Joe Rogan Meme
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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Hybrid Foundation Insulation Retrofits: Measure Guideline A retrofitting guide for a vented crawspace void to a conditioned / encapsulated ground floor system. buildingscience.com/sites/defaul...
buildingscience.com
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