19 Dec 2025
By Carl Dodd

2025: the second-hottest year since records began

2025, affordable warmth, air quality, Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP), carbon sequestration, Carl Dodd, circular economy, climate resilience, climate whips, damp, decarbonisation, draught-proofing, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, Floods, floor insulation, heat pumps, Heatwave, housing, humidity, hybrid heat pumps, hydroelectricity, lifestyle transformation, loft insulation, low impact, low carbon living, Lüften, Net Zero Carbon, new homes, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rainwater harvesting, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, shading, solar panel, sustainability, sustainable living, tiny homes, ventilation, weatherproof
A landmark year 2025 is shaping up to be another landmark year in the climate record. Globally it is on track to be the joint second warmest year ever measured, while the UK is likely to log its warmest year since records began. For householders, that is not an abstract statistic, but a signal to rethink how homes are heated, cooled and protected from floods and storms through intelligent retrofit. A year that confirms the trend The global climate story in 2025 is one of persistence rather than surprise. The planet is not just warming in occasional spikes; it is settling into…
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05 Dec 2025
By Carl Dodd

Electric cars are going the distance

2025, affordable warmth, air pollution, air quality, biodiversity, Carl Dodd, circular economy, decarbonisation, diesel, ecosystem, electric vehicle, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, EV, EVs, green sector, heat pumps, housing, hybrid heat pumps, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, motorhomes, Nature, Net Zero Carbon, new homes, petrol, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rechargeable, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, solar panel, sustainability, sustainable living, transport, van life
Sustainable technology is leading the way There's a new spark of good news in the world of sustainable technology - and this time, it's about how long our vehicles are lasting. A recent study published in Nature Energy has found that electric vehicles (EVs) nearly match petrol cars in lifespan and comfortably outlive their diesel counterparts. On average, electric cars now last 18.4 years, compared to 18.7 years for petrol models and 16.8 years for diesels. For years, one of the quiet reservations surrounding EVs has been longevity - particularly the durability of their batteries. Would electric cars stand the test of time, or would early adopters…
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21 Nov 2025
By Carl Dodd

Why Lüften brings relief in the midst of winter

2025, affordable warmth, air pollution, air quality, Carl Dodd, circular economy, damp, draught-proofing, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, floor insulation, heat pumps, housing, humidity, lifestyle transformation, loft insulation, low impact, low carbon living, Lüften, mould, Net Zero Carbon, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, sustainability, sustainable living, ventilation, weatherproof
Keeping warm and staying healthy: why we need a winter ventilation rethink The UK is in the grip of freezing temperatures, with overnight lows falling well below zero. Windows are shut tight, draughts are blocked and everyone is trying to keep the heat in. It's an understandable instinct as heating costs are high, and homes lose warmth quickly. But, while closing everything up feels sensible, it brings a dangerous consequence: damp, condensation and black mould. As we heat our homes but reduce ventilation, indoor air becomes humid and stale. Hidden moisture settles on cold walls and windows, and, in the…
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07 Nov 2025
By Carl Dodd

How on-demand transport will support an ageing UK population

15-minute cities, 2025, affordable warmth, air pollution, air quality, banger economics, bangernomics, bangers, Carl Dodd, damp, draught-proofing, electric bike, electric vehicle, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, EV, EVs, floor insulation, housing, lifestyle transformation, loft insulation, low impact, low carbon living, mould, Net Zero Carbon, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, sustainable living, tenants, tiny homes, transport, ventilation
Designing cities for the future: the changing cost of independence The way we move around our towns and cities is going to change dramatically over the next 20-25 years. Ageing populations, technology shifts, climate pressures and rising costs will reshape not only how we travel, but how our neighbourhoods function. For millions of people, mobility is more than a practical question - it is the foundation of independence, dignity and community life. For years, the sustainability debate has been dominated by discussions about vehicles: EVs, emissions standards, charging infrastructure, and the decline of the combustion engine. Yet the real transformation…
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17 Oct 2025
By Carl Dodd

Retrofit and decarbonisation: it’s time to rethink the route to scale

affordable warmth, air pollution, air quality, Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP), biodiversity, carbon sequestration, Carl Dodd, circular economy, decarbonisation, ecosystem, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, green sector, heat pumps, housing, hybrid heat pumps, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, mindfulness, Nature, Net Zero Carbon, new homes, one planet living, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rechargeable, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, rewilding, shading, sustainability, sustainable living, tenants, ventilation, water neutrality, weatherproof
Retrofit with purpose: rethinking decarbonisation and design Across the UK, the call for mass retrofit grows louder by the month. Buildings account for around 40 per cent of our carbon emissions, and if we are serious about meeting net zero targets, large-scale retrofit is non-negotiable. Yet despite the ambition, the path we are currently paving could make true scale impossible. From May 29, 2025, new rules in England require all new Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) installations to comply with the MCS 020a standard, but the new rules will not come into effect until May 29, 2026. From this date, all air source…
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03 Oct 2025
By Carl Dodd

Government targets to restore our native forests could be delivered 81 years late!

2025, air pollution, biodiversity, Carl Dodd, decarbonisation, ecosystem, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, forest bathing, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, mindfulness, Nature, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, organic, peat restoration, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., reduce carbon footprint, rewilding, Shinrin-yoku, sustainability, sustainable living
Hardcastle Crags, Hebden Bridge (13th July 2025). CREDIT: Wild Card Wild Card: their powerful petition A huge show of public support is continuing after it was revealed that Government targets to restore native forest could well be delivered 81 years late... unless urgent action is taken now. A petition calling on Forestry England to fulfil its commitment to bring back the nation's "ghost woods" - ancient woodland sites felled and replaced by timber plantations in the 20th century - has been signed by over 120,000 members of the public. The milestone was reached less than three weeks after the launch of the petition,…
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19 Sep 2025
By Carl Dodd

Celebrating PRL’s 18 years of green innovation and sustainability

2025, affordable warmth, air pollution, Carl Dodd, decarbonisation, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, green sector, hospitals, housing, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, Net Zero Carbon, new homes, one planet living, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, schools, sustainability, tiny homes, tiny houses, water neutrality
The PRL Pioneers This autumn, PRL marks a significant milestone: 18 years of pioneering in both the public and private sectors. Since its inception, PRL has been an innovator, creating retrofit solutions that address the evolving needs of buildings, large and small. Its mission: to provide solutions that enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and support sustainability goals. PRL and the Public Sector: Innovation for the greater good The ambition was always to work within the public sector for the greater good. The projects are always challenging, and are designed to help society as a whole have options that are more…
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05 Sep 2025
By Carl Dodd

Richest look set to produce 13x more transport emissions by 2035

15-minute cities, 2025, air pollution, air quality, bangernomics, Carl Dodd, decarbonisation, electric vehicle, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, EV, EVs, housing, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, motorhomes, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, petrol, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, sustainable living, transport, van life
Photo Credit: Kyle Bushnell Calls for policies that tackle flying and private car use Transport emissions in the UK are not just an environmental issue - they are a question of fairness. A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) reveals a stark inequality: by 2035, under current government policies, the richest Britons will be producing 13 times more domestic transport emissions than the poorest. And, when international travel is included, the gap grows to 22 times. This isn't simply about carbon footprint - it's about who can access the benefits of mobility, and who bears the…
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15 Aug 2025
By Carl Dodd

Why the UK’s new-build towers are becoming summer ovens

2025, air quality, Carl Dodd, climate resilience, climate whips, draught-proofing, floor insulation, heat pumps, Heatwave, housing, humidity, London Climate Resilience Review, low impact, low carbon living, new homes, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., Retrofit PRL, shading, sustainability, sustainable living, tenants, Urban Heat Island, ventilation, weatherproof
Life inside a heat trap As we discussed in a previous Blog Post, groups of tall buildings are prone to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect - which happens because materials like concrete and asphalt absorb and retain heat. A recent headline caught our eye. It refers to what happened last June when a warning was stuck to the window of a flat in Leaside Lock, East London, reading: "DO NOT BUY THESE FLATS. TOO HOT." The photo has been shared over half a million times: Picture Credit: Aidan Sheehan Twelve months later, after the UK recorded its second-warmest June and…
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01 Aug 2025
By Carl Dodd

The rise of van life

banger economics, bangernomics, bangers, biodiversity, campervans, Carl Dodd, decarbonisation, electric vehicle, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, EV, EVs, forest bathing, housing, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, motorhomes, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, petrol, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rainwater harvesting, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, solar panel, sustainability, sustainable living, tiny homes, tiny houses, van life, wind power, wind turbine
500,000 - and rising... Did you know that over half a million people in the UK live in either vans or campervans? And, it's a rising trend: there are over 16,000 motorhomes registered each year. To understand why they have chosen such a nomadic lifestyle, we thought we'd take a deep dive into what life is like when the holiday never ends. The promise of an easier, trouble-free life? Is it perhaps the allure of a 'freer' life, the call of spontaneous adventure, or the embrace of a minimalist lifestyle that has propelled van life into a prominent cultural phenomenon? Whatever…
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