Rob Aitken
robaitken.bsky.social
Rob Aitken
@robaitken.bsky.social
Anthropologist at York Politics. Processes of identity change esp before, during and after conflict. Left politics, climate change, renewable energy, live in self-build Passivhaus Plus.
Original heating system was an electric oil filled electric radiator in sitting room and a post heater on the MVHR. Neither works now. So in winter we switch on the towel rails in the en-suite and bathroom for comfort and use a fan heater in the sitting room to keep it at 20-22C.
September 10, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Final airtightness test before we moved in was 0.4. Have not tested since. PHPP calculated heat demand at 14 kWh/(m2a). I suspect our actual usage for heating is lower but don’t have a way to measure it.
September 10, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Our Projected Building Footprint is 95m2. This is used in Passivhaus calculations of generation of renewable energy per year divided by footprint. Our Generation of Renewable Energy is 97.4 kWh/m2/year. Again this is better than the Passivhaus Plus standard (>=60) but not PH Premium (>=120).
September 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
According to our #Passivhaus PHPP calculations we have a treated floor area of 189.5m2. So our Primary Energy Renewable demand (PER) (total energy used / treated floor area per year) is 30.2 kWh/m2/year) meeting the Passivhaus Plus standard (<=45) and just missing the Passivhaus Premium (<=30).
September 9, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Hi Es, thanks. I will drop you an email. I know Scotland has a lot of timber frame houses like yours, but it also has a lot of houses with solid or rubble-filled stone walls. They seem more prevalent in the areas we are looking. So I was hoping there were some examples of Enerphit projects.
April 21, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Thanks. That is really helpful.
April 5, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Thanks. I appreciate that condensation is a problem that I do not understand enough. I was hoping for some examples of external insulation versus internal and the trade offs involved. House is not in a conservation zone so mainly external is possible but it does have some party walls.
April 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
There is an excellent 2004 article by Prof Andrew Williams which argued the conflict between Moldovan and Transnistria was about orientation (East or West) not ethnicity. I fear Brexit has similarly become between orientation to EU and rule of law versus orientation to (MAGAfied) USA.
December 28, 2024 at 3:06 PM
My bad. I just assumed they would have followed NI rather than having every country in the UK a have a different electoral system! Norway sounds sensible.
December 11, 2024 at 8:26 AM
The Netherlands with PR in a single national constituency only works because constituents take issue to powerful local politicians who are responsible for most services. Eg in NL you get your passport from the town hall not a central government agency. Local government can take up issues for you.
December 8, 2024 at 4:19 PM
OK. It then you need something like Wales has moved to with STV in multi member constituencies (which is not perfectly proportional) to maintain a local politician for constituents to contact.
December 8, 2024 at 4:16 PM
The only solution is the German one where additional levelling seats are added to make the outcome proportional. Hence the Bundestag currently has 733 members not the 598 minimum required.
December 8, 2024 at 3:32 PM
Arab countries should restore the rights to citizenship of who were expelled or fled and campaign for Israel to similarly restore the rights to citizenship and property of Palestinians.
May 5, 2024 at 6:14 PM
A language of rights and equality is more productive than one of colonialism and settlers. As well as equality talking of a restoration of rights to citizenship and property would seem a useful way to go. Germany and Austria have restored citizenship and property to descendants of those expelled.
May 5, 2024 at 6:12 PM
If you get to Scotland try Kilmartin valley which has Neolithic burials and an Iron Age fort dating from the kingdom of Dalriada. If you can get to the north or west have a look at some brochs- Iron Age fortified homes whose ruins survive still.
April 16, 2024 at 8:42 AM