BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast

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In this episode Nathan chats with Fiona, CEO of SNIPEF and Barry, a regular podcast guest and a Snipef member. 

Snipef presented talks at the Green Homes Festival during Edinburg Festival month and Nathan discusses the talks with his guest and the potential Edinburgh has in switching to heat pumps

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This is the second episode of the special Heat Pump Ready podcast series, in collaboration with the Carbon Trust with funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. 

In this episode, Nathan talks to 4 Heat Pump Ready projects to discuss ‘How Innovation can improve the heat pump survey and design process’. 

Key topics discussed include: 

 - Ways to improve heat loss calculations, the limitations of standard methods and the potential role of measured heat loss in heat pump surveys.

 - Innovative tools to improve and streamline the survey process, potentially reducing the need for surveyors to visit properties to generate quotes and system designs 

 - What tools do engineers and installers need to deliver an excellent result to their customers? 

A summary of the speakers and their Heat Pump Ready projects is provided below:

Thomas Whiffen – GEO

Utilising data from an existing portfolio of energy modelling and smart thermostat technologies, GEO is looking to provide a solution that will deliver an estimate of a heat pump system required for a property before a boots-on-the-ground assessment.

Hermione Crease – Purrmetrix

Working with Hoare Lea, this project will use in-home energy monitoring to calculate the heat loss of a property and provide a forecast of appropriate heat pump products that would suit the homeowner. 

Richard Jack – Build test Solutions

In conjunction with Veritherm and Elmhurst, Build Test Solutions use their expertise in measured domestic energy use to determine an accurate heat loss of a property, which can then be used for accurate heat pump sizing. 

Griff Thomas: Heatly

Using just your phone camera and the Heatly app, this tool will allow a homeowner to conduct a building survey themselves and receive a complete heat pump design. Supporting both installers and homeowners. 

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and do not represent the views of the Government or the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

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Emma Bohan from IMS Heating came up with the idea for surveying heat pump installation companies big and small. She brought me on board with the project and I had Nesta help with the construction of the survey and its analysis.

The podcast episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Installer Show 2024 with some audience questions at the end.

Take a look at the survey report here 

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In the first episode of season 10 which is being sponsored by Ultimate Renewables Supplies Nathan speaks with Madeleine Gabriel the Mission Director for  Sustainable Future mission at NESTA and Adam Bell, formerly a civil servant at DECC, BEIS and DESNZ and now policy Director at Stonehaven.

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In this episode I spoke to Nigel Banks, Technical Director at Octopus Energy. Nigel is  author of Fabric Fifth which many now see as the common sense approach to retrofitting and decarbonising homes. 

Nigel spoke in a personal capacity. I was extremely grateful he came on the show.  I have been critical of Octopus in certain regards but am also well aware they are doing important work. It was a pleasure to have Nigel speak on my show. 

I also chatted with Dan Kelly, Managing Director at Dartmoor Energy. Dan has nine years experience with heat pump systems as well as being a qualified PAS2035 retrofit coordinator and assessor.  

For me, the episode helps illustrate that the fa bric first mantra has possibly led the UK down the wrong path.  And it could be argued there has been a waste of Government funds, essentially tax payers money. 

The most vehement of fabric first advocates, to me, clearly do not understand why the forefathers of thermodynamics got excited about heat pumps: things which used work to do heat rather than things which use heat to do work.  The former being able to reach well above the 100 percent efficiency cap of the later. 

It highlights how many are not taking ownership of their own learning and understanding what people like Lord Kelvin knew back in 1852.

It has been far too easy for people to  disseminate "fabric first".  Quite honestly it is often laziness and highlights a lack of professional development

It is totally understandable that consumers do not understand the science of heat but for those involved in the discourse, especially if they are being paid and funded via money from the tax payer they need to take ownership of their own learning and bring them selves up to speed. 

What's discussed:

• UKREiiF event, and lack of heat pump knowledge
• Framework lists for Social Housing and Local Authorities
• Conflicts of interest regarding PAS2035
• Cavity Wall Insulation (and Zone 4)
• LA's are stuck between a rock and a hard place
• Heat Pump Optimisers such as Passiv UK and Homely
• Tackling fuel poverty at scale
• The able to pay market vs the fuel poverty market
• Trust Mark - does it work? Possibly not
• Unconscious incompetence

I'd like to thank Grundfos for sponsoring this season of BetaTalk

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Nathan sat down with three regional winners for the 2024 Heating Installer Awards.

They explain their winning installs as well as well as discussing the current trends happening in the industry

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Nathan was grateful the IMA reached out to ask if their CEO, Simon Storer, could  come on the podcast to contribute to a very interesting debate.

Nigel Banks from Octopus (who wrote this fabric article) was scheduled to appear on the show and will  be coming on for a follow up episode.

Nathan was very grateful Richard Erskine,  who could step in at short notice to be a guest host, who has lots to offer in the debate and wrote the very good "Insulate Britain! Yes, but by how much" essay.

Great episode which will be continued

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Nathan sat down to chat all things heat pumps and training with Clayton Brown from CB Heating.

EDF acquired CB Heating back in 2022 which is one of the largest heat pump installation entities in the UK. 

EDF’s strategic investment and partnership with CB Heating have supported the development of the HPIN Academy. This academy provides free training to upskill engineers at every level in the UK.

The episode also discusses the recent partnership between Ideal Heating, a group Atlantic company, who manufacture and supply heat pumps.

Take a listen 

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Heat pumps move energy from and energy source e.g. air, ground water (hence they are called :air source, ground source) to a sink.

The sink is the emitter system within a home e.g. radiators, underfloor heating (UFH) and fan coils.

Engineers, Installers, designers and the occupants of a home rely on radiators having accurate power output data. Unfortuanlty, it looks like their is a big problem in the radiator industry: the published power outputs are being over stated.

This has huge consequences for heat pump systems which rely on designers designing a heat pump system which can operate at the lowest possible design temperature.

Higher flow temperature to radiators requires the heat pump's compressor to work harder an use more electricity, resulting in more demand on the grid and higher fuel bills for the customer.

Rob Nezard from UK Radiators has spotted a problem across the whole of the radiator supply chain and created a video to prove this. Nathan went to visit Rob (watch on youtube) to discuss the problem 

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