Month: January 2026

Unblogged January

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A photo of January's 'Wolf Moon', taken by me in Derbyshire

I didn’t do one of these in December, although I think anything that I would have written about went into the 2025 review. Instead, here’s what I got up to in January that didn’t merit a full blog post.

The Wolf Moon

That photo of the moon at the top isn’t a stock photo – I took it myself! A full moon in January is known as a ‘wolf moon‘, and the moon happened to be closer to the earth than average so it appeared much larger in the sky.

The photo was taken on my Canon EOS 90D DSLR camera, but I admit there was some luck involved. I used the pop-out screen to set the correct exposure automatically, rather than experiment with various settings. I didn’t even need to use a tripod, and that photo was the first and only one I took. It’s been minimally cropped and edited.

As for where I took the photo? Well, after visiting Hardwick Hall, we took a detour and went to the Chatsworth Farm Shop. That photo was taken in the car park – being out in the countryside meant there was less light pollution. It also meant that, as well as getting a fabulous moon photo, we also picked up some of Chatsworth’s excellent maple-cured bacon. Seriously, it is probably the best bacon we’ve ever tasted.

A return visit to NESM

Last April, we went to the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield. As the tickets automatically become an annual pass, earlier this month I went back there with our ten-year-old. On our previous visit, there had been a Steampunk event on (it looks like it’s returning this April) and so we never got to visit the top floor, or the police cells.

This visit was an opportunity to rectify that, and so we got to learn about HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. There’s also a recreation of a multi-agency response, where different emergency services have to work together – in this instance, a car crash which requires the police, ambulance and fire & rescue services. The museum is fundraising for a much-needed extension and I hope it’s successful – it’s a fantastic little museum and clearly needs more space.

Also, we bought a Plague Ducktor in the gift shop.

A screenshot of our results from the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Garden Birdwatch results

We took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on Sunday morning, which happened to be really wet and dreary. Despite this, we managed to see around 14 birds – mostly sparrows, but also a couple of blackbirds and bluetits. We fleetingly saw a wagtail too, which wasn’t on the core list.

(not) Changing Mobile Network

My mobile phone contract came to an end this month, and so I used a Martin Lewis trick to request a Port Authority Code (PAC) to port my number to another provider. This resulted in my current provider giving me a better offer than their standard upgrade deals, so now I have almost three times more data each month for less money than I was paying before. And, I don’t have to switch to a different network. All the haggling was done via Live Chat too, so I didn’t even need to call someone.

A photo of a Star Wars themed Lego set at the Calder Valley Brick Show

The Calder Valley Brick Show

We popped into this year’s Calder Valley Brick Show in Mytholmroyd last weekend. It’s an annual show for amateur Lego builders to show off their creations. Some are based on standard sets – often the older sets from the 1980s and 1990s – whereas others are custom builds. There were quite a few Star Wars dioramas there, but there was a good mix. Next month, there’s Bricktastic at Manchester Central (what used to be G-Mex) which is a much bigger event, although it looks like a number of the sets we saw will be there too.

Thackray Museum of Medicine

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A photo of the outside of the Thackray Museum of Medicine

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds. It’s next to St James Hospital, and tells the history of medical care in the UK from the 18th century until the present day.

History of the Thackray Museum

The Thackray Museum first opened in 1997, so it’s just shy of its 30th anniversary. It gets its name from the pharmacist Charles Thackray, who opened a chemist shop in Leeds in 1902; over time, the company branched out into manufacturing medical devices such as replacement hips. The company’s archive, in the care of Charles Thackray’s grandson Paul, became the basis of the museum’s collection.

The building housing the museum pre-dates the hospital next door, and opened in 1861 as a workhouse. However, a medical wing was established, and it was requisitioned as a hospital during the first world war. It then remained in use as part of St James Hospital until 1990, when it was deemed no longer fit for modern medical use. However, by this time it had become Grade II listed, and so rather than demolish it, the building was converted for use as a museum.

This wasn’t our first trip to the Thackray Museum. I visited with my parents when I was still living in York, within a few years of it opening, and Christine and I visited some time in the early 2010s when we were living together. We also visited in 2022, as a family of three; this was our first visit following a major refurbishment that started just before the Covid-19 pandemic. So our visit this month was our fourth visit.

A view of Disease Street inside the Thackray Museum of Medicine

Inside the Thackray Museum

Whilst you can pick and choose the order in which you view each of the museum galleries, the recommended route is to start off with Disease Street. This is a recreation of a street in Leeds in the early nineteenth century, towards the start of the Industrial Revolution when large numbers of people moved into the cities to work. You can choose to follow the fate of a person who would have lived during that time, and would find out why diseases thrived in the filthy conditions that working people had to live in. The person we chose ended up dying of consumption (tuberculosis) aged just 27.

Opposite Disease Street is a recreation of an old operating theatre, from a time before anaesthesia. You can watch a recreation of an operation on a young girl having an amputation, following a factory accident. Or not; the room rightly comes with significant trigger warnings and certainly our ten-year-old wasn’t keen to watch. But, you can see why we still refer to such rooms in hospitals as ‘theatres’ as they were designed to accommodate lots of spectators.

Also downstairs is Disease Detectives, about microorganisms and their impact on our health. There’s quite a bit about our microbiome and how this is an emerging area of science that is updating our understanding of the role of bacteria.

A photo of the apothecary collection inside the Thackray Museum of Medicine

Upstairs

Christine’s favourite bit of the Thackray Museum is the apothecary shop, which has (probably) the world’s largest collection of ceramic apothecary jars. It explains the role of an apothecary, and how this evolved over time into the modern day Pharmacist. Outside, there used to be a jar of live leeches, but it wasn’t there when we visited this time.

The largest room upstairs is home to Cutting Edge, which shows some of the museum’s collection of medical equipment, and how this has changed over time. Something that the museum has always had is an ’empathy belly’, which is a wearable harness that simulates what it’s like to be pregnant. You can try it on yourself; it’s not the original one from 1997 but a newer one of a type used in current medical training.

Opposite is another large gallery called Normal and Me. This focusses on the stories of people who live with various disabilities or health problems, as well as ‘normal’ life stages such as puberty. It includes plenty of artwork by local artist Bobbie Rae, who we’ve met at Thought Bubble these past two times. To the side of this is an exhibition about medical car in war zones, and a section about sexual health.

Inclusivity

As you would expect from a museum that underwent a major renovation this decade, some effort has been put in to ensuring that the exhibits are inclusive. A description of a pregnancy test refers to ‘people with a uterus’, to include trans men and non-binary people who may want to see if they are pregnant, for example. And there are contributions from LGBTQ+ people, including those unfortunate enough to have experience conversion therapy.

Leeds is a diverse city, and its healthcare workforce especially so, and again, this is represented in the museum. It’s also very up-to-date, with several exhibits related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and recent medical advances.

Accessibility

Accessibility at the Thackray Museum is pretty good; despite it being an older building, there are wide doorways, a changing places toilet and sensory spaces. However, when we visited, the lift was broken.

The Thackray Museum is run by a charity, and there is some flexibility with the admissions prices depending on your circumstances and how generous you feel. You can therefore pay £9 per person, or more – there’s a £16 per person ticket which subsidises the £9 tickets for others. Under 7s get in free, as do holders of the National Art Pass and Max Cards.

There is some on-site parking, which is right outside the front entrance. It’s pay-and-display at £2 per hour, or you can pay on the PayByPhone app. A typical visit will be 2-4 hours; there’s a café, shop and a kid’s soft play area as well. The car park doesn’t offer electric vehicle charging, but there’s a Morrisons offering rapid charging a short drive away (CCS2 plugs only, no CHAdeMO).

As it’s next to St James Hospital, the museum is served by regular direct buses from Leeds Bus Station. If you arrive in Leeds by train, then the number 16 bus leaves from City Square, near the station, and drops you pretty much outside the museum. Otherwise, it’s a 45 minute walk from Leeds station.

Playlist of the month: Ska covers

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Screenshot of the ska covers playlist on Spotify

This month’s playlist comes from me discovering the band Skameleon. They’re a German band who specialise in covering pop songs in the third-wave ska style.

I’ve long had a soft spot for ska music – a close friend of mine started to get into it when we were at college and so I passively listened to lots of his music. It was also popular when I get to university, as part of a broader alternative music scene along with metal and pop-punk. So, this month’s playlist starts with Skameleon, and includes various other ska cover versions by other bands. As usual, you can listen along on Spotify, and, if you want a longer playlist, here’s another one that I found.

  • “Rhythm Is A Dancer” by Skameleon. This is a cover of Snap’s 1992 dance hit. Skameleon have done a couple of albums of covers now and this is one of the better ones, but they’re all pretty good.
  • “Get Lucky” by Russkaja. Russkaja were a Russian-themed ska band from Austria, with some songs sung in Russian; they disbanded in 2023 following the war in Ukraine. This is a cover of the Daft Punk song with Pharrell Williams.
  • “Take On Me” by Reel Big Fish. You can’t have a third-wave ska playlist without at least one Reel Big Fish song on it, so here’s their cover of a-ha’s greatest hit.
  • “Hot N Cold” by Los Colorados. Speaking of Ukraine, this is a Ukrainian band that do covers – indeed, when they recorded this version of Katy Perry’s song, the lead singer didn’t actually speak English.
  • “Come On Eileen” by Save Ferris. This is a classic 2000s student union rock night staple, and a cover of the song by Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
  • “Chop Suey!” by King Punch. Speaking of 2000s student union rock night staples, you would often come across this System Of A Down song. Here’s a ska version of it.
  • “The Final Countdown” by Furillo. Apparently the band Europe have released 11 studio albums, so to call them a one-hit wonder would be inaccurate, but I’ll admit this is the only song of theirs I can name.
  • “I Will Survive” by Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Another band that typify third-wave ska, this is their cover of the Gloria Gaynor classic.
  • “Hotel California” by Skadaddyz. The Eagles’ original is quite a laid back song that converts quite easily to ska, courtesy of the Skadaddyz.
  • “YMCA” by The Skunks. Again, the use of brass instruments in the Village People original makes this a relatively straightforward conversion to ska.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

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A photo of the guide and tally chart for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

If you have a garden, and a spare hour this weekend, you could take part in the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch. It’s a citizen science project that allows the RSPB insights into which birds are most common in British gardens, and identify trends over time.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch normally takes place on the last weekend of every January. Anyone with a garden can take part – you don’t need to be an RSPB member. In fact, even if you don’t have a garden, you could go to a public park, or monitor a shared space from a balcony. The aim is that you record the birds that land in the space during a one hour period.

If you’re really keen, you can count the birds in more than one place. For example, if you have both a front and a back garden, you could spend an hour counting birds in one, and then a second hour counting the birds in another. The key aim of the Big Garden Birdwatch is that as many open spaces as possible are monitored, for an hour each, over the course of three days.

How to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch

You don’t need to be a knowledgable birdwatcher to take part. We signed up some time ago, and so the RSPB sent us a pack in the post (pictured above). It’s a bit late for posting things now, so there’s a downloadable PDF which includes the most common species of bird that you’re likely to see. You can tick them off – but remember to count how many of each species you see too.

After the hour is over, you can submit your results online. The form will be open until the 22nd February, so there’s no rush. You can also post your results to the RSPB, but the form is quicker and will accept a wider list of birds. So if you’ve been really lucky and spotted (for example) a jay or a sparrowhawk, then you’re probably better submitting online. We’ve previously had both in our garden, but not during a Big Garden Birdwatch session.

Solar panels – a 3 year retrospective

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A screenshot of the spreadsheet that I am using to track solar panel savings

Roughly three years ago to the day, we invested in a set of solar panels, along with an inverter and battery. Although I did a two year review last year, I’ve decided to do another one as we’ve reached the point where we’ve recouped 25% of our initial investment.

Back in 2023, the system we had installed cost around £11,000. We paid for most of it out of savings, topped up with a contribution from my parents and the rest was borrowed. We finished paying off the borrowed money at the end of 2024. So, on the basis that it has taken us three years to get to 25%, it means the full return on investment will probably take another 9 years. By then, we’ll still have a couple of years left on the mortgage, and our ten-year-old may or may not have left home by then.

Our system is from SolaX, and although they provide an app, I also transpose the data each month into a spreadsheet. What is notable is that 2023 was our best year – for example, in May 2023, our total savings were £136.78, made up of £85.90 of saved electricity and £50.88 of exported electricity. Over the course of the entire year, we saved £855.45.

Savings in 2024 were lower – £750.79. And last year was only a few pence higher at £750.96. Indeed, the weather last month was pretty terrible, as we only saved £11.43 and didn’t export anything. Suffice to say, we’ve already saved more this month with several days left to go. On average, our system saves us £65.48 per month on our electricity bill, and in some of the summer months, we actually get a net negative electricity bill as we export more than we use.

One thing we haven’t yet done is have our solar panels cleaned. It may be that, after being cleaned, they may allow more light in. However, having spoken to others online, they’ve found that it makes very little difference.

I think it’s important to be open about the savings we’re making. Whilst prices have come down – a similar system may cost around £9000 now – getting solar is a big investment, especially when paired with a battery. As such, I hope this information is useful if you’re considering getting solar and have a suitable property.

2026 vs 2016

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Side by side photos of me in 2016 and 2026 (almost)

There seems to be some nostalgia for 2016 at the moment. It mostly seems to be about the music of 2016, but apparently it’s also because people have started putting filters on their TikTok videos like we used to with Instagram photos in 2016.

I did a review of 2016 at the time, so you can read that, I suppose. 10 years ago, our 10-year-old was, well, a newborn baby, and so whilst they were born in 2015, most of the first year of their life fell in 2016. So it was quite a memorable year for us in that sense.

2015 had been a big year – we’d bought a house, I passed my driving test and bought a car, and we became a family of three. So 2016 was more of a consolidation year, with Christine on maternity leave for the first half (and me having the whole of January off on paternity and annual leave). I changed jobs twice – securing a secondment doing timetabling in early February, and then moving to a new permanent role in August. I’m (essentially) still in that role now.

Our house that we bought in 2015 was (and to some extent still is) a work in progress, and so in 2016 we had a downstairs bathroom installed, along with a new boiler and a Nest thermostat – our first piece of smart home technology. And despite having a small child, we did manage some trips – I went to London twice, we had an overnight trip to Liverpool, we went to see two friends get married up near Durham and had a day out in Oxford.

The photo at the top is a then-and-now comparison; not having a newborn means I’m less tired, but I’m a little wider nowadays and need to wear glasses. Also, there’s quite the difference between the front facing camera on the iPhone 5S (2016) and the iPhone 13 Mini (2026).

So on the whole, at least for us, it was a good year. Although the Brexit referendum, Trump’s first election and all the celebrities who died that year were less good outcomes.

Hidden motorway services

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Today I’m written about ‘hidden’ motorway service stations. These are places which offer most, if not all of the facilities of standard motorway services, but they’re typically not signposted from the road.

M1 – Markham Vale Services

There’s one that we’ve used a couple of times at Markham Vale on the M1 – most recently on our way back from Hardwick Hall earlier this month. Like the other hidden motorway services that I’ll mention here, this is built at an existing junction, in this case Junction 29A. As you may gather from the ‘A’ in the junction number, this isn’t one of the original M1 junctions. It was added in the 2000s to improve access to the Markham Vale Employment Growth Zone, and so the area is mostly offices and warehouses.

But a strip of land next to the motorway is now home to Markham Vale services. Unlike typical motorway service stations, there isn’t one single amenity building. Instead, it’s a cluster of separate buildings with their own car parks. There’s a fuel station, a small Asda, a Starbucks, a KFC, a McDonalds, a local fish and chip shop and a pub. Of these food outlets, all of them (except the pub) offer drive-through service as well. I’m not sure a drive-through pub would be a good idea. Most of these are operated by EG (formerly Eurogarages).

For electric vehicle owners, there are three separate sets of chargers, on the EV Point, Osprey and Instavolt networks, and they all happen to charge slightly different prices. When we were there, EV Point was cheaper, by 10p per kWh, than the others. Across the road, Gridserve are building one of their ‘electric forecourts’ which may open soon as well. That’ll offer 25 rapid chargers and its own amenities, as well as a children’s playground.

Because there’s not one central building, and because it’s not signposted, it’s a bit quieter than others. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and it was moderately peaceful. If you’re sensitive to noise and don’t like big echo-y spaces, then somewhere like this may be preferable.

There used to be a huge totem sign next to the fuel station that was viewable from the M1, but this seems to have been removed in recent years.

M62 – Plantation services at Gildersome

A little closer to home is at Gildersome interchange, or Junction 27 of the M62. It’s where the M621 splits off towards Leeds, and, to the south, is home to Birstall retail park and Ikea.

But to the north of the junction, just off the A650, is another EG site, which calls itself ‘Plantation Services’. Again, there’s a fuel station with a small supermarket – currently Spar, but EG is under the same ownership as Asda, so it could change. There’s also a Greggs, a Subway, a Starbucks and a Popeyes Chicken.

For electric vehicles, there are several chargers on the EV On The Move network.

It’s a compact site, but it’s easy to get back onto the M62 (or M621) after using it.

M62 – Chain Bar services

Going back a junction, to junction 26, there’s also a smaller hidden service station here as well. Junction 26 is where the M606 heads off towards Bradford, but there’s also a massive roundabout here too.

Just off this roundabout, on the A58, is a small site with a Starbucks, a Greggs and a Subway. There isn’t anywhere to get fuel here, but there are rapid chargers, again on the EV On The Move network. It therefore won’t surprise you to learn that this is also an EG site, who call it ‘Cleckheaton Services’.

Separately, but a little further down the road, is a pub with more rapid chargers (Osprey network), and across the road is a Premier Inn and another pub.

A1 (M) – Coneygarth services

This is a bit of a cheeky one. Coneygarth services is located at Junction 51, which is also the nearest junction to Leeming Bar Rest Area. However, whilst Leeming Bar is officially signposted from the motorway, Coneygarth is merely marked out as a ‘truck stop’. That doesn’t mean that it’s restricted to trucks though – cars can use it as well, and there’s fuel, car chargers, a Londis shop and a Subway available.

Here’s why it’s cheeky. The ‘rest area’ at Leeming Bar pre-dates this section of the A1 being converted to motorway in the 2010s. As motorway junctions are more spaced out, traffic heading to Leeming Bar rest area has to leave at junction 51 and then travel around a mile along an access road. Coneygarth services was then established at the junction, and so you could just call here, rather than take a longer detour to Leeming Bar.

Also, Leeming Bar is generally regarded as being the worst in the UK. The fact that it is considered a ‘rest area’ rather than a full services should be a clue; we had the misfortune of calling there on a baking hot afternoon in 2024. There’s literally just a Costa, a hidden-away McDonald’s, a fuel station and some car chargers. The main amenity building, which once hosted a hotel, is derelict, and has been for some time.

Advantages of ‘hidden’ motorway services

I’ve just listed three examples that I’m aware of, but there will undoubtedly be others. Indeed, as building a few electric vehicle chargers is much easier than a whole fuel station, I imagine we’ll see more of these pop up alongside motorway junctions where the land is available.

Because they’re not signposted from the motorways themselves, they tend to be quieter. This is especially true of those that you can’t see whilst driving, as you need to know that they’re there. That may also mean that the fuel is cheaper, and that you can charge your electric car more cheaply too.

You may also find a different range of food options available. If you’re planning a longer stop, you could have a nice pub lunch at Markham Vale. Very few ‘official’ motorway services have pubs – Beaconsfield services on the M40 had a Wetherspoons until 2022. Of course, you absolutely should never drink and drive.

I suppose the disadvantages are a narrower range of shops or food outlets, and that they’re more spread out. Not so good if it’s raining.

Hardwick Hall

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A photo of the outside of Hardwick Hall

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. It’s a National Trust property to the east of Chesterfield, and I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of it until a few weeks ago.

I came across it via this YouTube video from Auto Shenanigans. The M1 passes by Hardwick Hall, and when it was upgraded to be a ‘smart’ motorway a few years ago, the National Trust insisted that the new gantries must be painted brown, to blend in better. Anyway, it turns out Hardwick Hall is doable as a day trip for us, even though I didn’t include it in my list from last year. And, it’s something of a new year’s resolution for me to visit more National Trust places this year, so that we make the most of our annual membership.

History of Hardwick Hall

You can read a more detailed history of Hardwick Hall on the National Trust web site, but the building owes much of its design to Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury who lived in the Elizabethan period. She was more commonly known as ‘Bess of Hardwick’, and her initials ‘ES’ appear all over the building. She had four husbands during her life, the second of which was William Cavendish. If the Cavendish name sounds familiar, it’s because the Cavendish family owned nearby Chatsworth and Bolton Abbey. Indeed, following Bess’ death in 1607, the hall passed to the Cavendish family’s ownership, where it remained until after the Second World War. Faced with a large tax bill, the Cavendish family bequeathed Hardwick Hall to the National Trust in 1956.

More recently, Hardwick Hall has been used as a filming location. You may recognise it as ‘Malfoy Manor’ in the film adaptations of the books-that-shall-not-be-named.

Nowadays, it is one of the National Trust’s ‘top tier’ properties, and so there are regular events there during school holidays. We visited towards the end of ‘Wintertide’, which saw the rooms decorated for an Elizabethan winter and a seasonable tale of mischief installed throughout the house and gardens. During the half term break next month, there’s a planned Valentines event for kids.

Hardwick Old Hall

On the same site are the remnants of an older grand house, now known as Hardwick Old Hall. Most of the outer walls remain, but there’s no overall roof or window panes. It didn’t burn down; instead, the stonework was gradually removed and shipped over to Chatsworth to support work there. It would have been cheaper to use existing carved stones, than to have new stone quarried. Whilst the wider Hardwick site is managed by the National Trust, Hardwick Old Hall is in the care of English Heritage. It was closed when we went, but re-opens in February.

Gardens and estate

The Hardwick estate covers around 2500 acres of parkland, and there are a number of signposted walks. This includes a sculpture walk, which we would have considered doing on a warmer day but decided not to.

The formal gardens around the house are enclosed within walls, and will probably look fabulous later in the year. Alas, there’s not much to see mid-winter,

Accessibility

There are two car parks at Hardwick Hall; the main one, close to the hall and the stableyard, and a second one at Hardwick Park Centre which is further away and down a hill. If you have accessibility needs, park at the main car park; there is also an accessible buggy that can take visitors to the hall. The stableyard includes a Changing Places toilet.

At present, there is one electric vehicle charging socket in the lower car park (type 2). Planning permission for chargers in the main car park has apparently been granted, but work hadn’t started yet as I type this.

Google Maps gave up when I asked it to work out public transport directions to Hardwick Hall; there doesn’t appear to be any local bus services and the nearest railway station is in Chesterfield.

Entry to the whole site is free for National Trust members, and English Heritage members get free entry to both Hardwick Hall itself and Hardwick Old Hall. A cheaper ticket that just covers the estate and stableyard (not the houses or gardens) is also available to non-members.

24th blogiversary

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Every year on the 14th January, I mark the anniversary of my first blog post from 2002. Which is today, and so it’s been 24 years since I started blogging.

That being said, I took a four year gap between 2018 and 2022, so you could argue that I’ve ‘only’ been blogging for 20 years. Still, that’s a long time, and way more than half of my life.

Since 2002, I’ve sat my A-level exams, started and finished university, moved out of my parents’ house, got married, passed my driving test, bought a house, started a family and settled into a career. The me that started this blog aged 17 is very different to the 41 year old me that writes this nowadays.

And yet, some things haven’t changed much. The blog has always been hosted on web sites running the Apache HTTP Server on Linux, for example. The tools have changed, but not much – first Blogger for a few months, then Movable Type and more recently WordPress. Data has been stored in either a MySQL or MariaDB database for over 20 years.

I no longer publish multiple blog posts per day – Twitter, and later Bluesky fill this role now. Instead, I aim to publish a new blog post every other day but most blog posts are written at least a few days in advance and usually in bulk. Back in 2002, scheduling posts wasn’t really a thing – you just wrote some words down and published them. Also, this was before web browsers routinely included spellcheckers.

I’m not planning to quit blogging any time soon, so, fingers crossed, I’ll be able to post about the big 25 next January. If you fancy it, here are links to previous blogiversary posts from 2025, 2024, 2023, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2007, 2006, 2004 and 2003.

Comparing ESPHome and Tasmota

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A photo of a Coosa smart plug, originally running Tuya firmware, and a USB to UART converter. This now runs ESPHome firmware.

If you’re looking for custom firmware for your devices with an Espressif ESP chip, then two of your options are ESPHome and Tasmota. I’ve used both – first Tasmota and later ESPHome – on some smart plugs that used to run Tuya firmware.

I’m going to share my experience with both and highlight the strengths of each. Other ESP firmwares are available, but for this I’m just going to focus on comparing ESPHome and Tasmota.

Tasmota is easier to install

If you’re new to installing custom firmware, then Tasmota is the easiest to install. This is because you first install Tasmota on the device, and then configure it using a web interface on the device after installation.

With ESPHome, the configuration is done first, using a YAML file. You then have to compile a binary and install this on the device. This can mean some trial and error with getting the configuration right.

Tasmota has more device templates

This directory has Tasmota templates for almost 3000 devices. If you can find your device there, then you can install Tasmota, copy and paste the template, and off you go. Meanwhile, the ESPHome Device Database only has 650 devices with pre-made configurations.

ESPHome may be easier to update

If you’re running Tasmota on an older ESP8266 device, then it can be a pain to update. This is because of the limited storage space on ESP8266 devices and the size of the Tasmota binaries – there isn’t enough space to store the current and new firmware side-by-side. Instead, you have to install a ‘minimal’ version of Tasmota, and then install the new full version as a two step process.

Because the ESPHome Device Builder compiles the firmware specifically for each device, it’s smaller and so can be updated over-the-air more easily.

This shouldn’t be an issue with newer ESP32 chips, as these have more storage and so updating Tasmota should be easier.

ESPHome is updated more regularly

It’s a good thing that ESPHome updates more easily, because updates are also more regular. Normally there’s a big update every other month, and smaller bugfix updates most weeks. It also has a much larger developer community.

Tasmota receives updates less often, and its development is largely led by just one lead person.

ESPHome supports more DIY devices

Whilst Tasmota is generally used to convert existing devices with ESP chips, ESPHome is more suited to DIY projects that you can make yourself. For example, you could build your own thermostat, a miniature weather station or control your blinds. With the right boards and cables, you can build and automate lots of things using ESPHome that Tasmota may not support.

ESPHome integrates better with Home Assistant

Being both projects of the Open Home Foundation, ESPHome has better integration with Home Assistant. You can run the ESPHome Device Builder as a Home Assistant add-on, and devices should show up without much additional configuration.

Tasmota works over MQTT, so you have to set up an MQTT Broker like Mosquitto in Home Assistant first, and then configure your Tasmota devices to use it. You also have to enable an option using the device’s command line to allow Home Assistant to discover the devices.

In summary

Whether you want to use Tasmota or ESPHome will depend on your use case:

  • If you’re relatively new to all this, or are replacing the firmware on an existing device, Tasmota may be best for you as it’ll be easier to install and configure.
  • If you’re a more advance user, or have built a DIY device that requires functionality not normally supported by Tasmota, then you should use ESPHome.