Lewis Bowick
@l-bow.bsky.social
Engineering and economics of the energy transition. Electrification of heat, renewables, energy networks and various other pieces of the jigsaw.
What I notice in heatwaves is we'd be able to keep cool if we weren't so restricted with ventilation. Security overnight, road noise, curtains to block 5am sunrise (also blocking cool air) and outdoor temps above indoor between midday and 9pm. Precious little opportunity for passive cooling!
June 19, 2025 at 11:17 AM
What I notice in heatwaves is we'd be able to keep cool if we weren't so restricted with ventilation. Security overnight, road noise, curtains to block 5am sunrise (also blocking cool air) and outdoor temps above indoor between midday and 9pm. Precious little opportunity for passive cooling!
I pay £7/mo for 12GB mobile data. Graciously my provider let me use that data for no extra charge in Spain and France. Dipped into the Spanish speaking principality of Andorra for some hiking and all of a sudden they're charging me £9830 per GB!!!
May 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM
I pay £7/mo for 12GB mobile data. Graciously my provider let me use that data for no extra charge in Spain and France. Dipped into the Spanish speaking principality of Andorra for some hiking and all of a sudden they're charging me £9830 per GB!!!
May 8, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Consultation launched today on including air-to-air heat pumps in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme! The proposal is for a grant of £1000-2000, which would allow hot water to be provided separately, but would exclude fossil fuel hybrid setups
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
April 30, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Consultation launched today on including air-to-air heat pumps in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme! The proposal is for a grant of £1000-2000, which would allow hot water to be provided separately, but would exclude fossil fuel hybrid setups
Never have I seen a duck curve actually look like a duck quite so much as today
April 7, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Never have I seen a duck curve actually look like a duck quite so much as today
Is the link not effectively broken already? Renewables built since about 2017 are on CfDs which pay a fixed price, irrespective of wholesale. When the CfD price is lower than wholesale, they pay back to consumer bills.
Green energy can't bring our bills down unless we break the fossil fuel price link.
Major Labour donor warns Starmer risks losing next election without lower bills
Dale Vince issued the warning to Keir Starmer ahead of "awful April" when Britons will see several bills rise.
www.express.co.uk
March 30, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Is the link not effectively broken already? Renewables built since about 2017 are on CfDs which pay a fixed price, irrespective of wholesale. When the CfD price is lower than wholesale, they pay back to consumer bills.
How should we estimate running costs for homes switching to heat pumps if they use their current heating intermittently? Intermittent heating seems to be common practice, so if we’re going to persuade households to shift to continuous, we’ll need to assure them this won’t lead to much higher bills.
March 2, 2025 at 2:44 PM
How should we estimate running costs for homes switching to heat pumps if they use their current heating intermittently? Intermittent heating seems to be common practice, so if we’re going to persuade households to shift to continuous, we’ll need to assure them this won’t lead to much higher bills.
The most cost-effective thing landlords of homes with electric heating could do to boost efficiency is surely installing air-to-air heat pumps. With SCOPs around 4, they could reduce heating bills 75%. Try getting anywhere near that with a few £k of insulation! But EPCs assume they run at SCOP 1.7!!
February 28, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The most cost-effective thing landlords of homes with electric heating could do to boost efficiency is surely installing air-to-air heat pumps. With SCOPs around 4, they could reduce heating bills 75%. Try getting anywhere near that with a few £k of insulation! But EPCs assume they run at SCOP 1.7!!
People with home batteries: are you expecting a payback from it?
January 30, 2025 at 2:01 PM
People with home batteries: are you expecting a payback from it?
If you're a homeowner in a flat with electric heating, you could have an air-to-air heat pump installed completely free of charge for a research project by Energy Systems Catapult. Should be good for reducing bills. Please share! paidresearch.further-afield.com/p/147/4281ca...
4281CAT-LLB CATLINKEDIN
paidresearch.further-afield.com
January 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
If you're a homeowner in a flat with electric heating, you could have an air-to-air heat pump installed completely free of charge for a research project by Energy Systems Catapult. Should be good for reducing bills. Please share! paidresearch.further-afield.com/p/147/4281ca...
"Other" has been way too critical during our times of need lately for it to continue to remain anonymous
January 15, 2025 at 9:38 PM
"Other" has been way too critical during our times of need lately for it to continue to remain anonymous
I see stuff like this all the time; it's really common. "Our house is freezing, we keep the heating totally shut down most of the day and we're all out of ideas. Must be something wrong with the building fabric." It's going to take some effort to unlearn this national habit!
January 12, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I see stuff like this all the time; it's really common. "Our house is freezing, we keep the heating totally shut down most of the day and we're all out of ideas. Must be something wrong with the building fabric." It's going to take some effort to unlearn this national habit!
The entire green sceptic media ecosystem who think heat pumps struggle in the UK's -2C winters need be sent on an educational trip to Canada. And no, they don't all live in airtight Passivhauser
Design day is upon us in Southwestern Ontario! Let's see if my heat pump can get through another winter without any backup! (Gas or electric)
Design load is (theoretically) 33k btu/h and rated output of the heat pump is 26k @ -17C (0F).
Stay tuned for the data!
#heatpumps #energysky
Design load is (theoretically) 33k btu/h and rated output of the heat pump is 26k @ -17C (0F).
Stay tuned for the data!
#heatpumps #energysky
January 12, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The entire green sceptic media ecosystem who think heat pumps struggle in the UK's -2C winters need be sent on an educational trip to Canada. And no, they don't all live in airtight Passivhauser
Cylinder sizing: is 45 litres per person based on 60°C stored temperature? If so, should we allow more like 60 litres at 48°C?
Both would give an 8 min shower at 10 l/min, 39°C shower, 12°C cold, which feels reasonable
Both would give an 8 min shower at 10 l/min, 39°C shower, 12°C cold, which feels reasonable
December 13, 2024 at 1:40 PM
Cylinder sizing: is 45 litres per person based on 60°C stored temperature? If so, should we allow more like 60 litres at 48°C?
Both would give an 8 min shower at 10 l/min, 39°C shower, 12°C cold, which feels reasonable
Both would give an 8 min shower at 10 l/min, 39°C shower, 12°C cold, which feels reasonable
Why does the Octopus Cosy tariff go to full price between 00:00-04:00? That's just not what energy prices do. Why not pass through the full off-peak night period? It would then work well for EVs too, and we wouldn't need separate, single tech tariffs.
December 3, 2024 at 9:52 AM
Why does the Octopus Cosy tariff go to full price between 00:00-04:00? That's just not what energy prices do. Why not pass through the full off-peak night period? It would then work well for EVs too, and we wouldn't need separate, single tech tariffs.
It would be great if Vaillant's "eco" DHW mode capped heat output rather than compressor speed, so it could be a better all-season setting. I find it a bit too slow in freezing conditions
November 22, 2024 at 1:54 PM
It would be great if Vaillant's "eco" DHW mode capped heat output rather than compressor speed, so it could be a better all-season setting. I find it a bit too slow in freezing conditions
Reposted by Lewis Bowick
Big news on heat pumps from the UK govt this morning: the 1 metre planning rule is to be abolished!
Big credit to my colleagues @katyking2.bsky.social and @codrinacretu.bsky.social who did so much work on this
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Big credit to my colleagues @katyking2.bsky.social and @codrinacretu.bsky.social who did so much work on this
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Help to save households money and deliver cleaner heat to homes
Up to 300,000 homes to benefit from upgrades next year, as government continues rollout of the Warm Homes Plan.
www.gov.uk
November 21, 2024 at 7:48 AM
Big news on heat pumps from the UK govt this morning: the 1 metre planning rule is to be abolished!
Big credit to my colleagues @katyking2.bsky.social and @codrinacretu.bsky.social who did so much work on this
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Big credit to my colleagues @katyking2.bsky.social and @codrinacretu.bsky.social who did so much work on this
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Energy market noob question: why did prices go bananas during the low winds at the start of November when we were only using ~23 GW out of our CCGT fleet capacity of ~30GW? I get that low utilisation plant has to recover cost over fewer run hours, but aren't the CCGTs low capex & already paid off?
November 15, 2024 at 9:59 PM
Energy market noob question: why did prices go bananas during the low winds at the start of November when we were only using ~23 GW out of our CCGT fleet capacity of ~30GW? I get that low utilisation plant has to recover cost over fewer run hours, but aren't the CCGTs low capex & already paid off?
This platform seems decent but how is everyone managing to remember whether carbon dioxide is plant food without a refresher in each thread?
November 15, 2024 at 12:16 AM
This platform seems decent but how is everyone managing to remember whether carbon dioxide is plant food without a refresher in each thread?
Ok fiiine I'll make a new account. This looks like one of those blatant Aldi versions of a popular brand of crisps. Are we going to have to do this for the United States Government as well?
November 13, 2024 at 10:47 PM
Ok fiiine I'll make a new account. This looks like one of those blatant Aldi versions of a popular brand of crisps. Are we going to have to do this for the United States Government as well?