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This is why JG Speedfit is banished for my jobs, unless it’s for wet testing. Hep2o manifolds have never let me down.

But being on site is also a delicate balancing act. Being seen as a supportive presence can be tricky.

I've not found them to be keen on decking. Too wet and draughty. Under the shed, up in the loft, in the warm , covered compost heap though, they like and will prefer. Plus, how are they going to get under a raised slab if it has an edging?

Thats actually an extremely good point. AI coding isn't like mine at all. The style, the way AI usually over engineers. As models are trained off existing code bases then it loses the "human" element of coding i.e. elegance . Ask 50 competent programmers to write pac-man and you'll get 50 packman games - the code though will vary wildly on how they solve issues and do things - infinite variation in fact. The future will be IMHO AI checking other AI written code no human coding. Of course that's what I do now! Chat checks codex suggestions but when chat gets in a mess I literally say STOP!. We then uncommit previous code so we are back to a known state. Though I have not looked still at 1 line of code I can see where it's getting stuck. Then I can direct it better on what to do.

I will go against the forum trend, and say that's why I avoid push fit of any sort.

Went to turn on the H & C outlets for the ensuite shower this morning, and I and the plant room got an unasked for shower from the hot outlet (had to be the potentially dangerous one didn't it!). The culprit was found to be a missing O ring (look carefully), compared to a known good one. But, planning ahead years ago allowed me to divert the pipe to the known good outlet, making a complete mess of my layout !!! Now wondering if I can get a replacement O ring for my OCD 😀

I hate coding, even though I do appreciate what can be achieved with it. But as computer coding is a logical processes, is AI not showing up it's weakness but not being able to write some scripts easily? Or is it that most programming languages are so full of contradictions that the whole industry needs to have a word with itself.

with your mixer at 25 and the boiler at 60, does it not short cycle straight away or do the rads come on at the same time? id just leave it at 45 and then whack it on for an hour every few hours.

As a "temporary" solution I have a 4mm sheet of arcylic held by velcro onto the casement, the velcro doesn't look great but it does the job until I get around to renovating the bedroom and coming up with a more perminant solution like having proper insulation or even proper AC. I haven't had any issues with the weight of the hose

That's one of the reasons I stopped using DeepSeek as although it produced some very good code - it seemed to particularly like Python but its approach to UI was a it questionable - code & file management was very painful.

I'd echo Conor's suggestion - contact the planning department and ask for status (validated, allocated (to whom) and ask for update) - seems all planning teams are overworked, some more than others. We did planning & listed pre-apps last year in Warwickshire - submitted mid-May, waited 2 weeks and then chased via phone to get on-site meeting dates confirmed (happened end June & mid July) and received their responses mid August. Good luck!

You need to get get bait boxes and suitable bait, get rid the problem, they will be your warm house next

Some food for though there. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/gas-share-in-global-power-mix-has-declined-for-a-fifth-consecutive-year/ This analysis examines how the role of gas in the global power sector is changing as renewable electricity expands across major economies. It explores long-term trends in gas-fired generation globally and across key markets, including the G7, China, India and Brazil. Summary Gas’s role in the global power mix is declining The share of gas in the global power mix declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2025, despite a small rise in absolute gas generation. Strong growth in clean power, led by solar and wind, met around 68% of global electricity demand growth over the last five years (2021-2025), reducing the need for a significant rise in gas power generation. 2025 was the fifth consecutive year of decline in gas share in the global power mix. Although global gas generation has not yet peaked in absolute terms, its growth has slowed sharply. Between 2021 and 2025, gas generation grew at an average annual rate of 1.6%, about half the average growth rate seen between 2016 and 2020 (2.9%). Because gas grew more slowly than electricity demand, its share of global electricity generation fell from 23.9% in 2020 to 21.8% in 2025. Nearly half of gas-generating economies have passed their gas power peak. By 2025, 61 out of 124 economies generating electricity from gas had passed their gas generation peak, defined in this analysis as countries where gas-fired electricity generation has remained below its historical peak for at least five consecutive years. Together, these countries accounted for around one-fifth of global gas-fired electricity generation in 2025, showing that gas declines are widespread, but the global peak still depends on a smaller group of large gas-generating economies. Renewables are close to overtaking gas power in the G7. The G7 accounted for 37% of global gas-fired electricity generation in 2025. Four G7 gas import-dependent economies — the UK, Germany, Italy and Japan — have remained below their historical gas generation peaks for at least five consecutive years. Across the G7 as a whole, gas has not yet peaked, but there are growing signs of a plateau. Its share fell for a second consecutive year, while generation also declined in 2025. At the same time, renewable power has grown consistently and, in 2025, generated almost as much electricity (2,544 TWh) as gas power (2,577 TWh), helping clean power overtake fossil power in the G7 electricity mix. Brazil, China and India are meeting rising electricity demand without turning to gas. The world’s three largest emerging economies, which accounted for 42% of global electricity demand in 2025, continue to grow while maintaining relatively low levels of gas generation in their power systems. China’s gas share remained close to 3% of the electricity mix in 2025 despite rapid demand growth. In India and Brazil, gas has already peaked and now plays a more limited balancing role. The economics and energy security case for electricity are increasingly moving in the same direction. As renewables lower costs and reduce exposure to fuel price shocks and geopolitical disruptions, gas is steadily losing the advantages that once made it the default fuel for power system growth. Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka ‍Senior Electricity Analyst, Ember Recent geopolitical disruptions have also reinforced the downward trend in gas by exposing the price volatility and energy security risks associated with import-dependent gas systems. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered major gas supply disruptions and price spikes, accelerating renewables deployment in Europe and Asia. More recently, LNG disruptions linked to the US-Israel war with Iran in 2026 are expected to further accelerate this shift. Together, these trends suggest that gas is increasingly shifting from a source of structural growth in the power sector towards a balancing role alongside expanding renewable electricity systems. The world is nearing the gas power peak 2025 marked the fifth consecutive year of decline in gas share in the global electricity mix, as clean power grew faster than electricity demand, limiting the need for a significant rise in gas generation and suggesting that the world may be nearing a peak in gas-fired power. Global electricity demand more than doubled over the last two decades, increasing from 15,279 TWh in 2000 to 31,774 TWh in 2025, driven by industrialisation, rising living standards and electrification. Historically, much of this demand growth was met by fossil fuels, including gas. However, the role of gas in meeting new electricity demand is now changing as renewable power scales up rapidly across most countries. Global gas power growth is slowing as clean electricity meets more demand Since 2000, gas-fired electricity generation has continued to increase globally, but its role in meeting new electricity demand has weakened. Between 2001 and 2005, gas accounted for an average 33% of growth in global electricity demand at a time when renewable deployment remained limited. In the decade following the Paris Agreement, several advanced economies expanded gas generation as part of efforts to reduce coal use or diversify power systems. Between 2016 and 2020, gas still accounted for an average 31% of growth in new electricity demand. However, as renewables deployment accelerated globally, gas accounted for only about 11% of demand growth between 2021 and 2025. In 2025, gas accounted for less than 5% of global electricity demand growth, increasing by only 38 TWh (+0.6%). Solar alone grew by 636 TWh (+30%), 17 times more than gas, and met around 75% of global electricity demand growth. Because gas generation grew more slowly than demand, its share in the global power mix fell for the fifth consecutive year, from 23.9% in 2020 to 21.8% in 2025. Although global gas generation has not yet peaked in absolute terms, these trends suggest that gas power is losing momentum as a source of global growth and may be approaching a structural peak. Geopolitical disruptions have reinforced the downward trend in gas by exposing the price volatility and energy security risks associated with import-dependent gas systems. Major economies, including Germany, India, Japan and South Korea, have been committing to faster deployment of renewable sources as a response. Gas share in the power mix is stagnating or falling in most regions Gas share in power mixes is stagnating or declining as new demand is increasingly met by sources other than gas, particularly renewables. This suggests that gas is no longer the primary route for meeting rising electricity demand across much of the world. In traditionally coal-heavy regions such as Asia and Oceania, falling coal generation has not translated into a larger role for gas. Gas remained a relatively limited share of the regional power mix in 2025, accounting for 10.2% in Asia (down from 13.9% in 2015) and 15.1% in Oceania (down from 18.5% in 2015). In Europe, gas power share peaked in 2010 at 28.4% of the electricity mix, equivalent to 1,443 TWh. Since then, generation has fallen in absolute terms to 1,212 TWh, accounting for 23.8% of the mix. Falls in gas power occurred alongside coal power’s decline as clean power scaled up. In Latin America and the Caribbean, gas power share peaked in 2015 at 28.6% of the mix, equivalent to 460 TWh. As electricity demand continued to expand, gas power peaked in absolute terms in 2019, reaching 474 TWh or 28.2% of the mix. Since then, it has fallen to 448 TWh and 24.3% of the mix in 2025, as much of the region’s growing demand has been met by clean sources. In contrast, gas power is rising in North America, parts of the Middle East and Africa. This is especially evident in the US and Canada, where gas remains central to the power sector due to abundant domestic resources. In parts of the Middle East, gas has been used to replace some oil-fired generation, while in North Africa and parts of West Africa, domestic gas continues to support rising electricity demand. Nearly half of gas power-generating economies have passed their gas generation peak By 2025, 61 of 124 economies generating electricity from gas are now below their gas-generation peaks. Together, these countries accounted for around one-fifth of global gas-fired electricity generation in 2025. This shows that gas peaks are already widespread, but most generation remains concentrated in large economies that are still growing or have not yet clearly peaked. The largest declines since peak gas generation occurred in Japan (-127 TWh), followed by the UK (-85 TWh), India (-69 TWh), Spain (-59 TWh) and Italy (-48 TWh) — all economies exposed to imported gas or international gas prices. Japan recorded the largest absolute fall from the peak. Gas-fired generation peaked in 2017 at 464 TWh (43% of the electricity mix) before falling to 338 TWh (33%) in 2025. The decline reflected the restart of some nuclear reactors following the Fukushima disaster in 2011, alongside rapid solar expansion and falling electricity demand. In the UK, Spain and Italy, falling gas generation also coincided with declining coal generation and rising renewable electricity output. In the UK, the gas share fell from 176 TWh (45% of the electricity mix) in 2008 to 91 TWh (31%) in 2025, while coal was phased out completely in 2024 as offshore wind and other renewables expanded. Post-2015 gas growth has been concentrated in a few large markets In the decade after the Paris Agreement, gas continued to rise, but growth was concentrated. In some countries, particularly the US, gas expanded as coal declined or electricity systems diversified. In others, gas growth fell for country-specific reasons, including nuclear generation recovery and the strong growth in renewables. The US recorded the largest increase in gas generation between 2015 and 2025, with gas-fired electricity rising by 474 TWh — equivalent to just under one-third of global gas growth over the period. In the same period, the gas share in the US electricity mix increased from 33% to 40%, while coal share halved from 33% to 16%. China recorded the second largest increase, but gas remained a relatively small share of its electricity mix. Gas generation in China rose by 167 TWh over the decade, with its share rising from 2.9% to 3.2% between 2015 and 2025. Between 2015 and 2025, gas-fired generation in Japan fell by 80 TWh as nuclear reactors gradually restarted and solar deployment accelerated. Outside advanced economies, Viet Nam recorded one of the sharpest declines in gas reliance, where gas generation fell from 30% of the country’s electricity mix in 2015 to 6% in 2025, while both coal and renewable generation expanded rapidly to meet rising electricity demand. Other declines were spread across a diverse group of economies, including Venezuela, Brazil, Türkiye, India, the UK, Belarus, Belgium and Colombia. Gas generation is slowing in major power markets Renewables close to surpassing gas generation in G7 The G7 accounted for 37% of global gas-fired electricity generation in 2025, despite representing only around 10% of the world’s population. The US alone accounted for 26% of global gas power in 2025. Gas remains a significant share of the mix and has not yet reached a peak in generation, but there are growing signs of a plateau. Gas generation across the G7 expanded largely as a replacement for coal generation, particularly in the decade following the Paris Agreement. In 2025, gas generation in the G7 fell by 50 TWh, from 2,627 TWh to 2,577 TWh, leading to a small fall in the gas share of the power mix from 34.3% in 2024 to 32.9% in 2025. That is a decline for the second year in a row, as the share in 2023 was at 34.5%. At the same time, renewable power has grown consistently and generated almost as much electricity (2,544 TWh) as gas power (2,577 TWh) in 2025, helping clean power overtake fossil power in the G7 electricity mix. Additionally, four G7 gas import-dependent economies — the UK, Germany, Italy and Japan — have remained below their historical gas generation peaks for at least five consecutive years. Large emerging economies are growing with limited reliance on gas Brazil, China and India are increasing electricity demand while maintaining relatively low levels of gas generation in their power systems. China’s gas share remained close to 3% (334 TWh) of the electricity mix in 2025, despite rapid demand growth. In India, gas power peaked in 2010 at 12.6% of the electricity mix, or 118 TWh, and has since declined to 2.3% (49 TWh) in 2025. In Brazil, the gas share peaked in 2014 at 13.7% of the mix (81 TWh), and currently stands at 7.3% (55 TWh). All three economies rely to varying degrees on gas imports, while most new electricity demand is increasingly met by clean power. This suggests that even fast-growing electricity systems are not locked into gas reliance. As renewable deployment accelerates alongside grid expansion, storage and other flexibility solutions, the future role of gas in the power sector is likely to become more limited, regionally uneven and increasingly shaped by energy security and economic considerations. Supporting materials About Ember Ember is an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. Its vision is a clean, electrified energy system for all. It gathers, curates and analyses data on the global energy system, publishing this openly and accessibly. It uses data-driven insights to shift the conversation towards high impact policies and empower other advocates to do the same. Founded in 2008 as Sandbag, it formerly focused on analysing and reforming the EU carbon market, before rebranding as Ember in 2020. Its diverse team brings together energy analysts, data scientists, communicators and team-builders based around the world in over 20 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Poland, South Africa, Türkiye, the UK and US. Methodology General methodology Electricity generation data for countries, regions and the world is based on Ember’s yearly data. Data is gathered for 215 countries, with latest 2025 data for 91 countries, including national transmission system operators, statistical agencies and data aggregators such as ENTSO-E. In some cases, published data was not available for the full reported timeframe; here, we have estimated recent years using Ember’s own generation forecasting model. Regional and world data is largely based on actual reported data, with Ember’s yearly data covering countries representing more than 90% of global electricity demand. Other countries are estimated. A full methodology on data sources and methods is available here. Note on electricity source classification Bioenergy has typically been assumed (by the IPCC, the IEA and many others) to be a renewable energy source, as forest and energy crops can be regrown and replenished, unlike fossil fuels. It is included in many governmental climate targets, including EU renewable energy legislation. Ember, therefore, includes it in “renewables” to allow easy comparison with legislated targets. However, we recognise that the IPCC-reported lifecycle carbon intensity of bioenergy is significantly higher than other renewables and nuclear, and this is incorporated into our power sector emissions estimate. More information about Ember’s classification of electricity sources can be found in the full methodology for Ember’s monthly electricity data under “Fuel Types”. Gas usage peak definition and caveats If absolute gas generation remains below its peak output for at least five years since a country’s initial gas power peak, it is considered to have passed its peak. Falls in gas generation for some economies may have been caused by external factors such as war, civil unrest or recession. For these countries, such as Ukraine or Yemen, data reporting can be limited, is largely based on estimates and has significantly lower accuracy. Some economies reported to be past a peak in gas power may have replaced domestic gas generation with electricity imports. Acknowledgements Ember: Richard Black, Raul Miranda, Rashmi Mishra, Dave Jones, Sarah Brown, Wilmar Suárez, Nicolas Fulghum, Libby Copsey, Lauren Orso, Muyi Yang, Neshwin Rodrigues, Ardhi Arsala Rahmani, Claire Kaelin We thank our external reviewers: Toby Lockwood (CATF), Scott Smouse (Enerconnex Global, LLC, formerly with the US DoE), Sanjay Pande (Independent Researcher and Consultant, formerly with NTPC Limited, India) Cover image Canetti / Getty images

Good post. First thing is the location, It's windy up our way and often, thus local knowledge prevails. It's so windy that cold roofs if not too big work fine. But if you want to now heavily insulate and make air tight then you have a big problem. What you are missing is that you are trying to apply modern regs to an old structure. It's very hard to achieve, and expensive. Have you considered targeting easier areas to improve the thermal performance?

Yes, won’t it be quite dangerous to be swapping out a glazed unit if you’re above the ground floor? I’d still say this is your best bet tbh. Saves the risks of juggling the glazed unit and (eventually) buggering up the seals / beads.

+1 to using pedestals, we'll probably finish our exposed patio edges with vertical tiles that fix to the pedestal with clips example, which hopefully avoids the risk of vermine getting below

Can I have some buttons to test basic expressions. And there they are....... (expletive deleted)! blows my mind when it does magic. Swear it's some guy in an Indian data centre typing really (expletive deleted)ing quickly!

and then, then there are those magic moments. I need a face for avalon on a round hdmi. SVG so can animate with lipsync etc. Chat says "yeah" . Then a face with blinking eyes just appears in a window....

@Nickfromwales, thanks, as ever. Our window is on the first floor and miles from humanity, so there will be no security risk, but thanks for the thought. The room's exterior is timber-framed, insulation panels, with horizontal boarding, so a bit messy to create a hole beneath the window. Other thoughts?

It would be a serious compromise to security, plus it’s going to kill your window beads from taking in/out seasonally. I’d core drill a hole down low, to match exactly where the outlet exists the AC unit, and just blank the hole off when not in use. Simple blanks with EPS plugs to insulate through winter and be draught-proof would be simple to make, and no unsightly hose or flimsy plastic panel to contend with.

Don’t overheat it. Slow and steady wins the race.

Hmm. I have been doing something similar to what you suggest @Nickfromwales I suspect that as the surface is around 22C, then it might well be that heating the slab to 22C (though it may not be getting to that) has no effect whatsoever on the levelling compound on top. Essentially the heating below is no different from the heating the levelling compound is receving from the environment above it. I shall gradually increase the flow temperature over the coming days.

Not sure I follow? I’m with @Conor pedestals would be a good way to go. If one or two sides of the patio are against the house, the remaining open sides could butt up to a dwarf wall or similar leaving no way in for them there rodents and leaving you with a patio at FFL and no issues with DPC

Contact them. We had similar, 5 weeks and application still not online. Architect contacted them, and they hadn't verified it as there was a mismatch between some text in the form and a drawing... But they never bothered contacting us to correct it.

Yeah, we're hoping for our sounder & main control unit to be wired to the mains. But the keypad and sensors will be wireless. I have an electrician friend, So provided it's not a mare to setup then i'm sure he could do a job for us. From the look of the Orisec site they seem focused on professional installers. I might be wrong, but that might mean limited support (if they don't speak to us peasantry)