Thanks Ben. Got some more blunders today, but managing OK. It seems Spain has some catching up to do when it comes to EV charging infrastructure
Passivhaus architect. Bio-based materials. UK support for ecococon.eu straw panels. Often taking close-up photos of sheds on bike rides Living in a 100% electric passivhaus with zero energy bills, see the blog: oldholloway.wordpress.com
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Thanks Ben. Got some more blunders today, but managing OK. It seems Spain has some catching up to do when it comes to EV charging infrastructure
Good spot! 🧐
On my way to a building site. The first charger was blocked by an ICE car 😡 The second charger didn’t work, lucky with the third one 🤞 I’ll miss these coffees for €1.75
Spain 🇪🇸 on the other hand seems to be lacking in the EV charging infrastructure. Found a working charger on my third attempt. Anyway, made it safely to Barcelona Buenas noches
I’m liking these rapid chargers at the simple motorways laybys in France. The canopies look a bit useless bit the 29 cents per kWh is just 👌
There are calculations for dB reduction in separating floors and walls, for accurate results it’s best to speak with acoustic consultants, but linings manufacturers also have some design guides
I don’t think it would make a big difference. Though putting 100mm hemp in would make more of a difference 😉
Bonjour ☀️ A beautiful sunny morning in Burgundy. Bob ⚡️🚙 met his Belgian cousin at the fast charger and I got to sample a pistachio croissant 🥐 Onwards
Hemp in the void would help. I’d also suggest installing ceiling (or even double layer lining) on resilient bars and sealing all the gaps.
What are you trying to achieve?
Nice sunset, one more charge en route plus a bonus charger at the hotel. 600 hassle free and low emission miles today, I’ll take that Bonne nuit 🥱
A quick charge and food stop near Reims. FIP seems like a good eclectic 🇫🇷 music radio, with no talking so far
A bit of a delay on the LeShuttle tunnel, but now on my way again. I love the EV charging symbol in France, looks like a mouse 🐁
It’s a new day and another EU roadtrip. A bit windy but nice blue sky for a quick charge at Cobham services Today’s destination Dijon 🇫🇷
Seen a few chimneys smoking in our village today - has the heating season officially started?
See if this gets censored by bluesky
Tomorrow’s breakfast sorted?
I've finally published my improved solar tariff tool. I'm exhausted. youtu.be/UR-F9d5Fm7k #solar
Thank you for this, works great. Looks like it's going to be Intelligent Go for us! (if car/ charger are compatible 🤞)
Thanks James, I’ve already listened to one of your pods with Lloyd, very good. Will look up further episodes
Any tips for good podcasts? Need to fill my phone for next week’s travels
Our highly insulated and efficient passivhaus also has EPC rating C 🤪
What Happens When Real People Try e-Cargo Bikes? Spoiler: good things 😊 www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ0K...
Aah but you’re missing out on sunshine & showers and 12C 😉
Congratulations
Thanks for sharing, I'll stop by next time I go to Abergavenny
Ouch, snakebite? Or no repair kit on you?
I don't know either way. I do know that AC save lives in the warming world, whereas data centres, generally speaking, don't.
By now there's nothing inconclusive about the genocide in Gaza, but UK plc is in the pockets of big players so can't be honest about it
I'm still a bit mad that they've torn down the Central Library in Birmingham
Relatable. My brother lives in US but there's no way I'd go and visit him now. The border checks remind me of the old iron curtain border controls. It's just not worth the risk.
Intrigued by the 'cannot open the windows' myth mentioned in the article, though at the end it sounds like poor communication between design team and end users (?)
Lovely clouds this afternoon
just...why?
Thanks, I’ll have a look at the vid. And looking forward to seeing the tariff tool as currently deliberating which ones to switch to for ‘winter mode’
I wonder how it compares to @timwaskett.bsky.social 's setup?
Yes, we've had negative bills since we've had the system installed, earning around £150 a year
We had unusually sunny (& dry) spring & summer in UK
Today marks a bit of a milestone. Our PV system has generated the same amount of electricity ⚡ from Jan 1st to September 6th as the whole of last year. Can't wait to see what the total will be for this year. 💡🔌
An odd headline @theguardian.com, most of the vehicles mentioned in the article are electric motorbikes, not e-bikes www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
But no one (maybe apart from the Greens) wants to talk about this
I was chatting to an acoustician about requirements in different countries today, he said ‘basically in the US they don’t care’ 🤷
Form Follows Fuel - this looks good! (Pity John isn't on Bluesky)
And no amount of EVs will improve this
Yes a good reminder but I'd love it if Labour gov would simply explain how - further oil & gas licences wouldn't give us cheaper bills or improved energy security ⚡ - renewables are now cheaper than oil & gas and better for the planet 🌍
A man with no spine, an embarrassment for Slovakia
😎Keep cool - the Passivhaus way! Find out the key Passivhaus strategies employed to keep our homes and buildings cool, and the situations in which additional active cooling might be needed. Passivhaus summer comfort👇 www.passivhaustrust....
Norway - the world's greenest petrostate. Latest from @thejuicemedia.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjo...
Agreed but there's always more money for war related things
In good news, it's 6th consecutive month of record solar PV production this year. Spring & summer have definitely been sunny ☀️⚡ 💡🔌
Pendine sands in South Wales 🏴 is such an amazing landscape when viewed from afar, but look closer and you’ll find an awful lot of garbage 🥺 Humans, eh
Raised heel would be my guess but what do I know 🤷
Upgrading insulation and airtightness would likely warrant upgrading ventilation system too
Much needed rain 💚
good to see Grafton architects embracing timber, rather than the usual concrete 👍
Saw similar in Austria and Germany on a recent trip. We just need to adopt these simple measures in UK, it’s not rocket science
Belt drive and integral gear hub = minimal winter maintenance 😃
Possible causes of your problems. It’s a diagram that (sadly) still seems relevant in 2025, so reposting a year and a bit on.
This makes the $10k cargo ebikes seem like an absolute bargain
Seems to be a thing this summer. Same in parts of Hereford 🤷
Oi Oi !!! I was there! sunshine ☀️😎 good vibes 🎶💃🕺 bikes taking over the city 🛴🚲👣 Drum & bass on the bike Cardiff 🏴 www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-_...
A lot of rapid chargers along EU motorways are now up to 400kW. Almost too fast for a meal break if your EV can take it. My i3 is limited to 50kW, but has a small battery so it’s still OK
A good day out in the saddle 🚵♂️
There's a lot to like about Savick's high performance straw insulated timber frame panels over in Alberta Canada 🇨🇦 Imagine if this was the standard way of building... www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gpj...
Yep, east gable wall. Better keep the doors shut!
Hornets building their nest in a birdbox
Nearly, it’s 7 😃 🇫🇷🇧🇪🇳🇱🇩🇪🇦🇹🇨🇿🇸🇰 Bob can’t wait to go to 🇪🇸 next month for another EV adventure
yes, back in the shire now, and starting at EBS next week! new chapter etc
must admit I still refer to them as Green Building Store - old habits die hard!
In my latest podcast I'm chatting to the Managing Director of 21 Degrees. He's got a beginner's guide to creating a comfortable home. Expect a bit of physics... but the good news we can do this! Andy explains how. www.houseplanninghelp.com/hph383-a-beg... #SelfBuild #Passivhaus #EcoHome
Thank Ben, I enjoyed listening to this and Andrew Mitchell podcasts on my EU roadtrip
Sally Godber grew up with her dad (Peter Warm) building houses and experimenting, so I suppose it's no massive surprise that Sally has followed suit. In my latest podcast I chat to her about what it meant to de-risk her #Passivhaus project. www.houseplanninghelp.com/hph384-de-ri... #PassiveHouse
It’s been a super smooth EV roadtrip experience. I mainly used @octopus.energy electroverse RFID card at the EU chargers and I generally didn’t have to wait for any chargers (except twice for about 5min).
Smooth final leg from Aachen to Hereford today. Even managed to get on an earlier Eurotunnel 😃 Updated stats for the round trip: Total distance: 2436 miles Efficiency: 4.3miles/ kWh Average speed: 57mph Total cost of charging: £337 so around 14p a mile (excluding a bit of ‘free’ wall charging)
Thanks Adrian. It was an early morning start, in Calais already. Hopefully another time!
Stopping for the night near Aachen, with a handy AC charger for Bob near the hotel. Had a nice falafel & chips salad for dinner earlier. Think I’m going to sleep well after driving 1230km today!
Love to see so many wind turbines when traveling across EU. Much better than the climate change inducing oil production. Two photos 10 miles apart Renewables rock 🤘
These are in both in male and female toilets
Guten tag from Bayerisher Wald 🇩🇪 A toilet break for me and a charge for Bob 🚙⚡️ Got to love the German self cleaning toilets 🚽👌
Cloudless blue sky with waning crescent moon 🌒 and a start of the return leg of EU roadtrip. The first EV charge just before the Austrian border
Gove & Heatherwick - what a combo! 🤪
Night time cooling using opening windows/ doors only works if outside temps are sufficiently low, well below 20C. Anything above that during a heatwave is likely to cause overheating, so AC may be needed to lower the internal temps
They are motorised aluminium louvers, with a remote control
It’s not just insulation. It’s a combination of insulation, good airtightness, triple glazed windows and effective external shading. And keeping windows & doors shut once it gets warmer outside. It works for now without AC, may not work when night temps get warmer than 20C
It’s hot 🥵 in Slovakia, 37C in the shade. So glad my parents’ place is highly insulated and has external shading installed. It’s 48-68C surface temperature on the outside and comfy 22C inside, with no air conditioning
The only acceptable answer to a 37C outside. Outdoor misting is great too
Smooth Day 2 of the EU roadtrip, made it to my parents’ place in Slovakia 🇸🇰 Key stats: Distance: 1206 miles Consumption: 4.2miles/ kWh Average speed: 58mph Average cost: about 50p/ kWh or 12p/ mile Beer o clock time now! 🍻
Lunch stop & charge in Austria 🇦🇹 A toasty 32C outside, grateful for the solar canopy above the charger This top up should get me to Slovakia 🇸🇰
It still amazes me that we’re able to do this, feels like magic
Guten morgen from Bayerisher Wald 🇩🇪 Frühstück for me 🍳and Bob ⚡️ Next stop Austria 🇦🇹
Country number 4, guten abend from Germany 🇩🇪 Just enough time to have a schnitzel while waiting for a charge. All good so far
Just stopped for a top up ⚡️ and nearly missed these chargers - they were in the main fossil fuel forecourt 😅
Thanks that’s useful to know. I’m going for convenient charging along motorways on this trip
France 🇫🇷 flew by and now charging in Belgium 🇧🇪 I live these rapid chargers with shading canopies - really helps with comfort when it’s 32C outside ☀️🥵
Prices are generally a lot lower in EU compared to UK. Just made the first stop in France 🇫🇷 charging at €0.53/kWh
Smooth first leg with couple of quick charges ⚡️ down to Folkestone to hop on a train 🚄🚙
Here we go again. EU roadtrip #2 Starting with (almost) full moon 🌕 Hopefully no issues with charging this time around 🤞
I wrote about why I felt unbearably sad when I was arrested at the Palestine Action protest. substack.com/@jeremytill1...
A classic by @robcowan.bsky.social
Simple ID cards (physical or digital) would sort this out, but UK seems reluctant to adopt them. Not everyone has passports or driving licences