EU renewables record: The Reengineer Monitor #56
Nuclear bunker erosion risk, hot homes backlash - and more!
First up this week, check out my story for BBC Future about some of the coldest scientific experiments in the world. This includes detail about an upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider. It will soon use heat exchangers that are also designed to help keep supermarket fridges cold.
Heating and cooling
Some of the most energy efficient homes are extremely air-tight, meaning wind and draughts are barely able to disrupt their thermal envelope. But air tightness testing is a laborious process. House Planning Help has an article about how this work can be made easier and, to some extent, automated.
British homeowner Mick Wall has written up a really interesting and detailed blog describing how he has improved the fabric of his property over the years, in order to improve the functioning of his low temperature heating system. (I interviewed Mick back in 2023 for a BBC News article about heat pump owners.)
Sales of heat pumps in Germany outpaced sales of gas boilers in 2025 for the first time, according to an analysis by non-profit co2online.
