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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 1d

That's what I was expecting, alongside window and door opening - flashing/air sealing, and soil pipes etc.

If the system fails to manage bulk water ingress there's no amount of ventilation that will fix it.

And yet, ventilation and boiler flues are included.

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Reposted by Frank Reif

Kirsten de Vos 🚶🏻‍♀️💚🚲🍃 @kirstendevos.bsky.social · 1d

🔥 Domestic wood burning is becoming a serious public health issue

Residential wood burning now contributes 11% of the UK’s PM2.5 emissions - tiny particles that can harm lungs, brain & heart

See how your area is affected with this interactive map from UCL:

storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9231...

Where are the wood burners in England and Wales?

Mapping the distribution of wood fuel heat sources using Energy Performance Certificates

storymaps.arcgis.com

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 1d

Partly, because they have more moisture sensitive construction, so failures become apparent more quickly. But it's a far better way to approach retrofit, and the ROI isn't purely based on reduced opex.

Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 1d

It's how they lumped both together. It's an odd way to classify it. Both do pose major risks, so from a public health perspective it's important. But adding EWI won't make ventilation much worse, and it does reduce mold risk if there's no bulk water ingress regardless.

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

The US had a highly successful and respected weatherization program, where remedial work for durability and maintenance were prioritised, and efficiency was added as a bonus measure. Terrible coms from the retrofit advocates on this front.

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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 2d

What I think is needed is more state capacity and expertise to actually support delivery of these schemes. Both in local and national government.

We used to have, say, in-house engineers in local government to design and oversee programmes like this. That has largely disappeared

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

Important to note that a lot of major failures reported were due to poorly fitted flues for boilers, and incorrect additions of ventilation. These issues were likely present before the retrofit. Cumulatively fixing decades of poor work shouldn't really be associated with energy efficiency alone.

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

I would like to know the detailed breakdown of the data. Especially the different % of major failures. A lot of them seem to be due to poor boiler flue installations, and exhaust ventilation. Not really to do with EWI.

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

Building professionals should read the report:
www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/u...

www.nao.org.uk

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

What's more, EWI is more durable than IWI. Lord knows how many funky IWI are being installed for the lack of proper training and a clear building code.

Reposted by Frank Reif

Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

"Well, you shouldn't be complaining anyway as you got it all for free"

"Electric shocks from walls, safety features bypassed"

"Installation took over a year... we were left for the winter without central heating... We had to seek alternative accommodation for 8 weeks"

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/u...

www.nao.org.uk

Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 2d

"Well, you shouldn't be complaining anyway as you got it all for free"

"Electric shocks from walls, safety features bypassed"

"Installation took over a year... we were left for the winter without central heating... We had to seek alternative accommodation for 8 weeks"

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Reposted by Frank Reif

Jules Birch @julesbirch.bsky.social · 2d

Hard to be surprised by anything that involves builders and cladding but what a fiasco: 98% of homes fitted with external wall insulation under govt schemes have major issues requiring remediation

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Almost all external insulation fitted under Tory scheme needs repair or replacing, report finds

Homeowners who took advantage of government programmes left with cladding likely to cause damp

www.theguardian.com

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 3d

I'd love to see a stone block strip foundation system without the need for grouting or rebar that's code compliant for light timber frame structures. Even a pier foundation system is hard to pass.

Reposted by Frank Reif

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 3d

A reminder.

Humanity has never removed an atmospheric pollutant at a global, continental or, even, regional scale — we have only ever shut down the source and let nature do the clearing up. This is the case for chlorofluorocarbons and stratospheric ozone destruction, for sulfur dioxide and acid rain, and for sulfur and nitrogen oxides and photochemical smog. We must be prepared for CDR to be a failure, leaving us to rely on the environment to stabilize atmospheric CO₂ over thousands of years. This is another argument for rapid decarbonization.

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Steve Dawe @stevedawe.bsky.social · 4d

I just signed a @stopburningtrees.bsky.social petition: Say No to New AI Data Centre Powered By Drax. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/sa...

Say No to New AI Data Centre Powered By Drax

Drax, the University of York and the North Yorkshire Combined Authority have just submitted a bid to host an AI data centre at Drax, powered by burning millions of trees. The Government recently de...

actionnetwork.org

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Reposted by Frank Reif

Chris Baraniuk @chrisbaraniuk.com · 8d

Tomorrow's story for The Reengineer is subbed and ready to go in the morning!

Here are a few other recent stories, if you're thinking of subscribing:

www.thereengineer.pro/p/the-big-co...

The big cover-up: ‘We should bring back old habits of shading windows’

Shutters and awnings can cool properties down, and look good, too

www.thereengineer.pro

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 8d

Thermal Energy Grid Storage systems have round trip efficiencies of 50-60%. But the cost/kwh of storage is cheap enough that it doesn't matter, it will outcompete gas turbines.

Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 8d

We should also not obsess about efficiency. VRE is so cheap that we can store it rather wastefully, and it'll still be cheaper than gas - despite not including externalities in the price.

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 8d

My favourite example is gas boilers. Burn the same amount of gas in a CCGT power station, producing electricity at 40% (sounds very inefficient), then use that electricity to produce heat with a heat pump, and the heat pump will produce more heat than the gas boiler.

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Reposted by Frank Reif

CoHSAT - Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (Oxon) @cohsat.bsky.social · 8d

"Give us options" they said...
Free bus travel and a host of extra services are coming to Oxford, thanks to clearer roads of the Temporary Congestion Charge
www.oxfordbus.co.uk/free-bus-tra...

A bus and the caption 'Free bus travel to coincide with congestion charge'
(from BBC website)

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Reposted by Frank Reif

Dr Paul Dorfman @drpauldorfman.bsky.social · 19d

More than half the people of Bristol will either live, work or study in a place kept warm by the city’s District Heat Network.
www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...

Half the people of Bristol will be kept warm by Sweden by 2050

"Thousands of homes and businesses are already benefitting from our reliable, resilient heat networks"

www.bristolpost.co.uk

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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 17d

Work is starting on a genuinely massive heat network in London. Promises to harness waste industrial heat to warm around 300,000 homes. www.businessgreen.com/news/4519595...

First 'nationally significant' heat project to warm nearly 300,000 London homes

Construction of UK-first large-scale heat transmission system to start in 2028, with low carbon heat to be supplied from 2032

www.businessgreen.com

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Frank Reif @frankreif.bsky.social · 9d

I understand the appeal of a home that's net positive, but I'd much rather have a well run grid and heat network connection in a 15 minute city with no PV, EV power wall etc to worry about.

My version of abundance would be to have no bills either, it just is a municipal tax covering everything.