We realised last night how much the kits have grown! They've both put on several hundred grams since we got them in the first week of Jan and are now four and a half months old. They had a sniff of outdoors earlier today, supervised as they're still a bit wee to be out and about on their own. They weren't sure about the windiness but liked the plant by the back door 🌱
Remote
Ecoflap Home Draughtproofing
@ecoflap@mstdn.business
mastodon 4.7.2Family business designing and building the draughtproof Petflap and Midiflap pet doors and Letterplate Eco bespoke letter boxes. Dreamt up and built in the UK, supplied worldwide. tootfinder
29 Followers
73 Following
50 Posts
Joined March 03, 2023
Energy efficiency:
Sharing articles and thoughts on energy efficiency
Draughtproofing:
Sharing information and best practice
Our Draughtproof Petflap:
Historic buildings:
Our little weakness
Tails has a quick claw at the mat before heading out, but Sparky checks the coast is clear first, having met a pretty big local cat the other day.
#caturday #draughtproofing #EnergyEfficiency #cats #CatsOfMastodon #FediCats #chamedi
"Batteries are particularly useful to homes which generate their own electricity. Most rooftop solar installations now include a battery to help make the best use of the solar power they generate."
We have a heat pump going in very soon and batteries are next on our wish list. We'll be documenting the process of fitting the heat pump.
Home batteries: a ‘gamechanger’ for cutting energy bills? | Energy bills | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/may/09/home-batteries-cutting-energy-bills-fuel-prices-electricity-costs
#renewables #RenewableEnergy
For #Caturday Tails would like to show you her new trick: out of one (ground floor) window and in at the other. She always does it the same way round 🐈
#chamedi #cats #CatsOfMastodon #FediCats
Sparky can now jump on to the windowsill 😄 They'll both spend most of #caturday up there.
Both kitties have had their flea and wormer treatment ready for their first proper sniff of outdoors next weekend. 'Just separate the fur and apply to the back of the neck' isn't just so simple with the luxurious fur these two have been blessed with.
We'll soon be fitting a Petflap to our back door, so keep an eye out for videos on the Ecoflap Draughtproofing YouTube channel for those.
These guys are four months old tomorrow. Tails is getting bolder and bolder, and Sparky soppier and soppier 💙 They're off to the vet's next week for flea and wormer ahead of starting to go outside a week later. They need to be weighed to make sure they get the appropriate dose while they're still growing.
These two are being very cuddly together lately which is a welcome change to fighting! We had hoped to fit their Petflap this weekend and upload a few videos to demonstrate the process, but we've been overtaken by events so that will be a bit delayed. We're also fitting one into a panelled wooden door, not the ideal site, so we'll be documenting how to fit a Petflap properly in that situation. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for updates 📽️
@ecoflaphomedraughtproofing952@m.youtube.com
#caturday #catsofmastodon
The cats' Petflap draughtproof pet door is fitted! Videos will be out soon.
This shows a white Petflap with 35mm trunking set into a replacement panel. We've locked the door open to help the cats get the idea. To everyone's surprise Sparky has got the hang of it more or less straight away. Tails, the brains of the outfit, isn't quite sure about this new contraption, but she'll be following her brother in and out in no time.
"These will include speeding up the warm homes plan to encourage the rapid take-up of solar panels and electric vehicles; expanding the use of solar on public land; and delinking gas and electricity prices, to cut consumers’ bills."
Ed Miliband to double down on net zero with measures to combat Iran energy shock | Energy industry | The Guardian
For #caturday we bring you Sparky, Interrupted.
We've made them for parrots, we've made them for rabbits, we've even made one for a pot-bellied pig, but never have we been asked to make a Petflap #draughtproof pet door for #goats 😄 Looks like these guys in central Italy could use a little draughtproofing. In case you're wondering, yes, we could make a Petflap to go there. We're always happy to work on bespoke and unusual projects. #pets #AnimalsOfMastodon #Italy
Enquiries today are being supervised by Tails, who's keeping a beady eye on me 😄
We're answering queries about international shipping, unusual wall configurations, lock mechanisms and which microchip catflaps we can build in to an extended Petflap, so if you have any questions about choosing the right Petflap #draughtproof pet door for your home drop us a line at info@thepetflap.com
Just off now to add a couple of videos to our YouTube channel @ecoflaphomedraughtproofing952@www.youtube.com
"An electric car usually holds about 40 kilowatt hours of power, enough for an average UK home for several days."
How EVs could be part of answer to UK’s fuel reserve worries | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/28/how-evs-could-be-part-of-answer-to-uk-fuel-reserve-worries
#EVs #renewables #EnergySecurity
"for #Canada to achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, about 600,000 homes will need to be retrofitted each year. Updated building codes mean new buildings produce lower emissions, but older ones require retrofitting, especially since 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been constructed."
‘My own contribution’: the Ottawa immigrants learning to retrofit homes and fight the climate crisis | Climate crisis | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/ottawa-immigrants-retrofit-homes-climate-crisis
#retrofit
Happy #Caturday These two love being outside. Tails is sniffing the flowers, Sparky is reclining on warm paving stones. Not a bad life for a couple of kittens who were abandoned #AdoptDontShop
G'day Australia! The Petflap draughtproof pet door's getting a lot of love from the Southern Hemisphere at the moment, #Australia in particular.
We ship to Australia and #NewZealand. Standard Petflaps can be bought through the cart with Oz and NZ shipping options. If you need a bespoke model - extended trunking, microchip fitted, oversize frame etc - just drop us a line at info@thepetflap.com and we'll be happy to help.
#draughtproofing #energyefficiency #cats #catsofmastodon #caturday
UK households to be urged to use more power this summer as renewables soar | Renewable energy | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/14/uk-households-power-renewables-soar
Replying to
Tails's turn!
#draughtproof #energyefficiency
"“People who could afford to do it at that time realised that it was much cheaper and cost-effective and better for them in the long run to do a one-time investment in rooftop solar as opposed to keep paying high electricity bills from a grid that is also unreliable,” said Nabiya Imran"
How Pakistan’s people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis | Solar power | The Guardian
"It highlighted examples of action that had helped to clean the air, such as China’s rapid switch from combustion engine cars to electric ones, the expansion of cycle lanes in dense European cities, London’s restrictions on dirty vehicles and Warsaw’s shift away from all coal and wood home heating."
London, San Francisco and Beijing achieve ‘remarkable reductions’ in air pollution | Air pollution | The Guardian
Reading this with interest as we're also having a heat pump installed through Octopus 🐙 #renewables
@EarthOrgUK@mastodon.energy https://mastodon.energy/@EarthOrgUK/116200955166557032
"the nearly 36,000 solar panels installed on the site are literally a shining example of what can be achieved when a renewable energy project is co-owned by local people."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/08/a-share-in-the-delight-the-people-investing-in-the-uks-first-community-owned-solar-battery
#solarpower #UKenergy
"GB Energy said it initially hopes to support 1,000 clean energy projects, which will receive grants or loans. It could also allow communities and local councils to buy shares in large privately owned schemes."
Miliband pledges up to £1bn for community green energy schemes | Renewable energy | The Guardian
"Hungary leads the EU by a wide margin, with an estimated 28 GW of untapped geothermal capacity at competitive prices. Türkiye follows with around 6 GW, while Poland, Germany, and France each hold roughly 4 GW. This spread matters because it means multiple countries across central and western Europe could benefit, not just those sitting on volcanic zones."
#Geothermal Energy in #Europe is Ready to Replace Nearly Half of Fossil Fuel Power | Happy Eco News
"“We’re seeing a massive shift as people take matters into their own hands – switching to solar, heat pumps and EVs, locking in low running costs and shielding themselves from future price shocks.”
Record number of homes in Great Britain turn to green energy as fuel prices soar | Energy industry | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/11/homes-great-britain-green-energy-fuel-prices
We ship Petflap draughtproof pet doors around the world. Recent orders have gone to Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Austria and The Netherlands. We're very happy to answer all your Petflap questions pre-purchase, directly or through an architect. We can mix and match colours, make a square edge, and provide extended trunking to go through a wall 🐈
#CatsOfMastodon #FediCats #Chamedi #EnergyEfficiency
Replying to on mastodon.social
@metaning@mastodon.social They're windows rather than holes as such, holes not being what you'd call draughtproof, but it's all the same to a cat 🐾
"Few would consider #Romania a climate leader but on one metric it has found the holy grail of the energy transition. The country has decoupled economic growth from pollution faster than anywhere else in Europe, and perhaps even the world."
‘The trend is irreversible’: has Romania shattered the link between economic growth and high emissions? | Romania | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/11/is-romania-blueprint-economic-growth-low-emissions
#renwables #cleanenergy
Awww. We wrote a blog post about feline blood banks 🐱
https://www.thepetflap.com/2023/07/14/feline-blood-banks/
#cats #fedicats
@kibcol1049@mstdn.social https://mstdn.social/@kibcol1049/117037974939328105
Sorry to hear this. We named our previous model Palmerston in his honour.
Chief mouser Palmerston dies after swapping Foreign Office for Bermuda | Cats | The Guardian
"The cat, adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, retired in 2020 after four years of service in Whitehall."
#windpower #renewables
Mind blowing that one new wind turbine can produce so much power compared to the old ones.
@adapalmer@wandering.shop https://wandering.shop/@adapalmer/115996683272733529
Calls to move England’s home insulation scheme into council workers’ hands | Energy efficiency | The Guardian
Today we have bespoke doors for larger cats and smaller dogs going out to #Australia and #Canada.
There are lots of enquiries in asking about all sorts of things including a request for trunking nearly a metre long, painting the Petflap, placeholder trunking to build around, Petflaps with a microchip catflap at one end and more.
We can provide Petflap #draughtproof pet doors to suit most requirements so if you're looking for a pet door drop us a line.
“Decades of government-subsidised electricity have led many Koreans to view power as a public good that the government should provide cheaply and abundantly,” he says, which, in turn, erodes public acceptance of the costs of transition."
How South Korea plans to use the Iran crisis to spur a renewables revolution | South Korea | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/16/south-korea-solar-power-renewables-revolution
Happy #Caturday from Sparky and Tails 🐾 Sparky has discovered he can push a glass of water off a table and Tails got herself stuck up a tall hedge yesterday, so they're getting more mischievous the older they get, not that you'd know it from these pics 💙
#caturday #catsofmastodon
The first of our product reviews is up! We bought our cats a cooling mat, and this is how it went...
https://www.thepetflap.com/2026/07/24/cat-cooling-mats/
Replying to on mastodon.social
@metaning@mastodon.social Yes! Cats like to see the lie of the land before they venture outside 🐾
"while cities usually start by tackling air pollution in the most affluent areas, Bogotá started rolling out clean air zones – zonas urbanas por un mejor aire (Zumas), or urban zones for better air – in the most polluted, such as Bosa, one of Bogotá’s poorest neighbourhoods and, critically, one of the main routes into the centre."
‘Clean air should not be a privilege’: how Bogotá is tackling air pollution in its poorest areas | Air pollution | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/29/bogota-air-pollution-poorest-areas-zuma
#CleanAir
"Most of the new #solar installations recorded in the government’s official figures are on household rooftops, although these smaller solar systems make up slightly less than a third of the country’s total solar power capacity."
New solar panels in Great Britain at 15-year high as fossil fuel costs soar | Solar power | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/31/new-solar-panels-great-britain-15-year-high
#SolarEnergy #renewables
"The solar record was confirmed less than a fortnight after Britain’s windfarms drove gas-fired power generation to a two-year low by reaching a record high."
Britain breaks solar energy record twice as UK’s biggest solar farm gets approval
"Investment grew even in the U.S., despite a sweeping rollback of government support for clean energy."
#renewables
@primonatura@mstdn.social https://mstdn.social/@primonatura/115989600666870483
Tails and Sparky are 16 weeks old and growing fast. Sparky was half Tails' weight when they were rescued and now he's the heavier. There's a bit of argy bargy while they adjust to this new dynamic - we'll be glad when they can take it outside! #caturday
We're going to test out the 'death kick leek' on our #cats and post a review, along with reviews of a cooling mat and water fountain. We'll let you know when the reviews are up!
‘Sent the kittens scarpering’: the best cat toys in the UK, tested by cats | Cats | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2026/jul/21/best-cat-toys-tested-uk
#CatsOfMastodon #FediCats
"Within a decade it says it will be producing enough lithium carbonate, a key material used in the production of rechargeable batteries, to supply about 250,000 electric vehicles a year."
‘Magic beneath the surface’: pioneering geothermal plant launched in Cornwall | Geothermal energy | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/26/cornwall-new-geothermal-project-launches
#cornwall #geothermalheat #evs
"The association explained that the risks of electricity shortages and blackouts were a key market driver last year, and are set to remain a leading driver this year."
#ukraine #solarpower
@primonatura@mstdn.social https://mstdn.social/@primonatura/115991252622314580
Breakthrough Calcium-Ion Battery Could Challenge Lithium for Clean Energy
https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-calcium-ion-battery-could-challenge-lithium-for-clean-energy/
The World, the Universe and Us: Why The Iran War Is Speeding The End Of The Fossil Fuel Era
Episode webpage: https://www.newscientist.com/
"Cooperation with energy companies could allow the loans to be recouped through bills; otherwise, the repayments – likely to be about £45 a month on average, offset by bill savings of about £66 – could be collected by the banks."
Low-cost loans for solar panels could save households hundreds on bills – thinktanks | Solar power | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/07/low-cost-loans-for-solar-panels-could-save-households-hundreds-on-bills-thinktanks
#SolarPower #renewables
"As traditional lithium-ion batteries push boundaries in size and scale, alternative battery types could provide the same vital role in harnessing low-carbon energy – but without the scramble for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel that have raised concerns for environmental protection and vulnerable communities."
Molten salt and human sweat: the weird #batteries that could store renewable energy | Renewable energy | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/19/molten-salt-human-sweat-weird-batteries-store-renewable-energy
#renewables