First Fuel

Recorded in front of an intimate live audience in Melbourne on the eve of the 2022 Energy Efficiency Summit, episode 79 features Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel in conversation with California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister.

This was Commissioner McAllister’s first visit to Australia in five years, and this fascinating and wide-ranging discussion range from what compelled Ronald Reagan to make energy efficiency central to California’s policy in the 1970s, through to why “the matching of supply and demand is the concept of our time.”

Mentioned in this episode:

California’s Warren-Alquist Act

Key topics:

Connect with our guest:

Find the California Energy Commission at https://twitter.com/calenergyConnect with us:

In Episode 78 of First Fuel we bring you a panel discussion from the launch of the Energy Efficiency Council’s sector spotlight on energy management opportunities for Australian farms, released in partnership with the National Farmers Federation in late 2021.

Luke Menzel, CEO of the EEC is joined by Ash Salardini, Chief Economist at NFF, Edwina Beveridge, Blantyre Farms; Dean Cayley, Cayley Farms; and Karin Stark, the founder of the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference. This fantastic panel digs into how the leaders in the Aussie farm sector are approaching smart energy management.

Mentioned in this episode:

Navigating a dynamic energy landscape: A briefing for farms

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 77 of First Fuel, EEC’s CEO Luke Menzel is joined by the Secretary General of the European Heat Pump Association, Thomas Nowak.

Even prior to the war in Ukraine, Europe was already warming up to heat pumps, but the need to get away from Russian gas has supercharged that effort. Today, the European Commission has a plan to double the rate of heat pump deployment, with Germany announcing a ‘heat pump offensive’, to take the annual install rate to half a million per year. As another example, the Netherlands - one of the most gas-reliant countries in the world - will ban fossil fuel heating from 2026, making heat pumps mandatory.

Needless to say, Thomas is at the forefront of this movement. In this episode, he and Luke discuss the pace of change in Europe, the opportunity to leverage this technology in Australian homes, commercial buildings and industry, and the need to educate the public about the transformative benefits of heat pumps for climate, health and hip-pocket.

Mentioned in this episode:

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In Episode 76 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by New Zealand’s Minister of Energy and Resources, Dr Megan Woods.

Luke and Minister Woods discuss New Zealand’s legislated climate targets, New Zealand’s proud history of action on energy efficiency, and two of the nation's flagship energy efficiency programs, the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund (GIDI) and the Warmer Kiwi Homes program.

Mentioned in this episode:

Key topics:

Connect with our guests:

Find Minister Woods at https://twitter.com/Megan_Woods

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 75 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Professor Nick Eyre, Director at Oxford University's Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS).

Luke and Nick discuss the impact of the European gas crisis on UK energy consumers and what can be done about it. They also dig into the UK Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, and Nick’s recent paper – co-authored with Jan Rosenow of RAP – Reinventing energy efficiency for net zero.

This episode was recorded at Oxford University on Thursday 7 July 2022.  

Mentioned in this episode:

Key topics:

Connect with our guests:

Find CREDS at https://twitter.com/@CREDS_UK

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 74 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Brian Motherway, Head of Energy Efficiency at International Energy Agency.

Recorded on 4 July 2022 at the International Energy Agency headquarters in Paris, Luke and Brian take stock of the current state of energy efficiency efforts around the globe. They consider the impact of the current global energy crisis, unpack the outcomes IEA’s 2022 Energy Efficiency Conference, and look at emerging trends in electrification, flexibility and industry.

Video updates:

This is the fourth in a series of episodes recorded during Luke’s recent trip to Europe.

To see the video updates produced during the trip visit

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiEzC40kXieRYiEmpjjitdq7IMYkNyiBN

Mentioned in this episode:

First Fuel Episode 2: Energy efficiency and economic stimulus with Dr. Brian Motherway

Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector (IEA)

Key topics:

Connect with our guests:

Find Brian at https://twitter.com/BrianRMotherway

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 73 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is again joined by Francesca Muskovic, Director – National Policy at the Property Council of Australia, and Carlos Flores, Director of the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).

In this, the second part of a bumper double episode of First Fuel, Luke, Frankie, and Carlos go deep on electrification of buildings, which emerged as a major theme of their recent delegation to Germany. They discuss the ways in which the war in Ukraine is driving a major policy push to get off Russian gas, the incentives, skills and supply chains that will help Germany meet its electrification targets, and what lessons Australia can learn as we seek to decarbonise our own building stock.

Video updates:

This is the third in a series of episodes recorded during Luke’s recent European trip. To see the video updates produced during the trip, visit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiEzC40kXieRYiEmpjjitdq7IMYkNyiBN

Key topics:

● The Russian-Ukraine conflict, and Europe’s accelerating path to electrification

● Overcoming the challenges of electrifying existing commercial buildings

● The critical role of trade skills and business models in enabling electrification

● Global manufacturing capacity and supply chains for heat pumps

Connect with our guests:

Connect with Frankie: https://twitter.com/FrankieMuskovic

Connect with Carlos: https://twitter.com/carlosfloreslen

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 72 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by two guests: Francesca Muskovic, Director – National Policy at the Property Council of Australia, and Carlos Flores, Director of the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).

This episode was recorded at the conclusion of a week long delegation to Germany on energy efficiency in buildings. Luke, Frankie, and Carlos discuss Germany’s granular climate targets, the role of the KfW Bank in financing energy efficiency, what Australia can learn from Europe when it comes to disclosure of building energy performance, and what we have to share.

Video updates:

This is the second in a series of episodes recorded during Luke’s recent European trip.

To see the video updates produced during the trip visit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiEzC40kXieRYiEmpjjitdq7IMYkNyiBN

Key topics:

Germany’s energy efficiency policy in buildings

- Germany approach to climate targets; granularity, ambition and accountability

- The role of the KfW Bank in financing residential energy performance improvements

- Lessons from Germany for Australia’s efforts on residential disclosure

- Energy efficiency in commercial buildings and what Australia has to share

Connect with our guests:

Connect with Frankie: https://twitter.com/FrankieMuskovic

Connect with Carlos: https://twitter.com/carlosfloreslen

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 71 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Dr Nicholas Matten, Managing Director of EEC industry Member Stiebel Eltron.

During this episode – recorded at the Stiebel Eltron Energy Campus in Holzminden, Germany – Luke and Nicholas discuss the history of Germany’s heat pump market, the drivers for increasing heat pump demand, and what government and industry will need to do to unlock the full potential of electrification in Germany and around the world.

Video updates:

This is the first in a series of episodes recorded during Luke’s recent trip to Europe.

To see the video updates produced during the trip – including one from the Stiebel Eltron campus – visit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiEzC40kXieRYiEmpjjitdq7IMYkNyiBN

Key topics:

Connect with our guests:

Find Stiebel Eltron at https://twitter.com/stiebeleltron

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts

In Episode 70 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by two guests, EEC Head of Projects Holly Taylor and Program Director of the Net Zero Initiative at Monash University, Scott Ferraro.

In this episode, Luke, Holly and Scott discuss the launch of the EEC Professional Certifications Framework. They look back on the EEC’s engagement with training and certification over the last decade, the motivation for establishing the Framework, and how the EEC is partnering with government, industry and education providers to build professional pathways for energy management experts.

Mentioned in this episode:

EEC Professional Certifications

Race for 2030 E3 Opportunity Assessment: Developing the future energy workforce

Leveraging tax incentives to improve energy performance

Key topics:

· The skills needed for the net zero transformation

· The path to the Framework

· The purpose of the Framework

· Prioritisation of effort on skills and training

· Committing to diversity in the energy sector

Connect with our guests:

Find Holly at https://twitter.com/hollymtaylor_

Find Scott at https://twitter.com/scott_ferraro

Connect with us:

Find Luke at https://twitter.com/lukemenzel

Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Council at www.eec.org.au

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EECouncil

Email us at [email protected]

To find out how you can listen to an upcoming episode of First Fuel live, visit www.eec.org.au/podcasts