First Fuel

In Episode 29 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by two guests: Francesca Muskovic, National Policy Manager for Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at the Property Council of Australia, and Tennant Reed, Head of Climate, Energy and Environment Policy at Australian Industry Group.

Luke, Frankie and Tennant unpack Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 United States Presidential election and what it means for American climate policy. They also reflect on the likely flow on effects for global climate talks, and how renewed US interest in climate action may influence the political debate here in Australia.

Mentioned in this episode:

Interview with former Australian Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull (Insiders, Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/insiders-the-interviews/series/0/video/NN2015H047S00

Connect with our guests:

Find Frankie at https://twitter.com/FrankieMuskovic

Find Tennant at https://twitter.com/TennantReed

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 28 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined two members of the team at the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), Director Carlos Flores and Head of Market Development, Esther Bailey.

Luke, Carlos and Esther discuss some of the key themes from the NABERS Annual Report 2019/20: the future of NABERS, sector expansion, the second year of the Sustainable Portfolios Index, and NABERS’ rapid response to the global pandemic.

Mentioned in this episode:

NABERS Annual Report 2019/20

https://nabers.info/annual-report/2019-2020/

NABERS Sustainable Portfolios Index 2020

https://www.nabers.gov.au/portfolio

Connect with our guests:

Find Carlos at https://twitter.com/CarlosFloresLen

Find Esther at https://twitter.com/estherbailey

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 27 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by two guests: Annie Shepperd, CEO of Salix Finance, an organisation wholly owned by the UK Government which provides interest-free capital to public sector bodies for energy efficiency upgrades, and the Energy Efficiency Council’s own Holly Taylor, Senior Manager for Projects and Partnerships.

Luke, Annie and Holly discuss the role Salix Finance has played in financing local government energy efficiency improvements in the UK, and the £1 billion of stimulus funding recently allocated to Salix by the Johnson Government to drive the next wave public sector energy efficiency upgrades.

Mentioned in this episode:

Salix Finance

https://www.salixfinance.co.uk

Salix Finance to deliver BEIS £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to tackle carbon emissions

https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/£1bn_Announcement

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme 

https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/PSDS

Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund

https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/public_sector_low_carbon_skills_fund

Connect with our guests:

Find Salix Finance at https://twitter.com/SalixFinance

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

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 26 of First Fuel, we bring you a panel discussion from the launch of the third edition of the Energy Efficiency Council’s annual energy briefing for Australian businesses, Navigating a dynamic energy landscape.

Luke is joined by Bridgette Carter, Manager of Energy Sourcing & Utilisation at BlueScope Steel, Justin Merrell, Group Environment Director at Lion, Christina Tonkin, Managing Director of Corporate Finance for Institutional Banking at ANZ and Tony Wood, Energy Program Director at the Grattan Institute to discuss how businesses can manage risks and capture opportunities around energy and carbon in the midst of COVID-19.

Mentioned in this episode:

Navigating a dynamic energy landscape: A briefing for Australian businesses (Energy Efficiency Council)

www.energybriefing.org.au

Navigating a dynamic energy landscape: A briefing for Australian manufacturers (Energy Efficiency Council)

https://www.energybriefing.org.au/sector-spotlights

Lion becomes Australia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer

https://www.lionco.com/media-centre/lion-is-first-carbon-neutral-brewer

Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative (Climateworks Australia & Climate-KIC)

https://energytransitionsinitiative.org

Start with steel: A practical plan to support carbon workers and cut emissions (Grattan Institute)

https://grattan.edu.au/report/start-with-steel/

Connect with our guests:

Find Christina at https://twitter.com/tonkinchristina

Find Tony at https://twitter.com/tony_r_wood

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 25 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Francesca Muskovic, National Policy Manager for Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at the Property Council of Australia and Stakeholder Chair of the Steering Committee for the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).

Luke and Frankie discuss her early aspirations to get into Formula 1, the energy efficiency announcements in last week’s Federal budget, and the role of gas in the property sector’s transition to net zero.

Mentioned in this episode:

NABERS Annual Report 2019/20

https://nabers.info/annual-report/2019-2020/major-achievements/

Low Carbon, High Performance (Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council)

https://www.asbec.asn.au/research-items/low-carbon-high-performance-report/

Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings (Australian Government)

https://www.energy.gov.au/government-priorities/energy-productivity-and-energy-efficiency/trajectory-low-energy-buildings

Energy efficiency announcements in Federal budget (Energy Efficiency Council)

https://energyefficiencycouncil.cmail20.com/t/ViewEmail/i/E1240017511676C02540EF23F30FEDED/073AF3405309D5198BD4C707EBCCB890

GPT fast tracks net zero target by six years

https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/commercial/gpt-fast-tracks-net-zero-target-by-six-years/

Connect with our guests:

Find Frankie at https://twitter.com/FrankieMuskovic

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 24 of First Fuel, we bring you a panel discussion from the joint opening plenary of All-Energy Australia and Energy Efficiency Expo hosted by Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel on the eve of the 2020 Federal Budget.

Luke is joined by Anna Skarbek from ClimateWorks Australia, Amanda McKenzie from the Climate Council, Eytan Lenko from Beyond Zero Emissions, Ian Learmonth from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Kane Thornton from the Clean Energy Council to discuss how we can accelerate a clean economic recovery in Australia.

Mentioned in this episode:

Special Report on Sustainable Recovery (IEA and IMF)

https://www.iea.org/reports/sustainable-recovery

Stimulus spending by nation (Carbon brief)

https://www.carbonbrief.org/coronavirus-tracking-how-the-worlds-green-recovery-plans-aim-to-cut-emissions

Decarbonisation Futures (ClimateWorks Australia)

https://www.climateworksaustralia.org/resource/decarbonisation-futures-solutions-actions-and-benchmarks-for-a-net-zero-emissions-australia/

Clean Jobs Plan (Climate Council)

https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/clean-jobs-plan/

Million Jobs Plan (Beyond Zero Emissions)

https://millionjobs.org.au

A Clean Recovery (Clean Energy Council)

https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/advocacy-initiatives/a-clean-recovery

To register for upcoming virtual sessions as part of All-Energy Australia and Energy Efficiency Expo visit:

All-Energy Australia

all-energy.com.au

Energy Efficiency Expo

energyefficiencyexpo.com.au

Connect with our guests:

Find Amanda McKenzie at https://twitter.com/@McKenzieAmanda

Find Anna Skarbek at https://twitter.com/Anna_Skarbek

Find Eytan Lenko at https://twitter.com/eytanlenko

Find Ian Learmonth at https://twitter.com/ilearmonth

Fina Kane Thornton at https://twitter.com/kanethornton

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 22 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Steven Nadel, Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Luke and Steve discuss US Government’s approach to energy efficiency under different Presidents, action on energy efficiency at the state and federal level under President Trump, and the Biden campaign’s plan to put energy efficiency at the heart of a green recovery.

Mentioned in this episode:

The International Energy Efficiency Scorecard (ACEEE)

https://www.aceee.org/portal/national-policy/international-scorecard

2019 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard (ACEEE)

https://www.aceee.org/research-report/u1908

Growing a Greener Economy: Job and Climate Impacts from Energy Efficiency Investments (ACEEE)

https://www.aceee.org/white-paper/2020/09/growing-greener-economy-job-and-climate-impacts-energy-efficiency-investments

Halfway There: Energy Efficiency Can Cut Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Half by 2050 (ACEEE)

https://www.aceee.org/fact-sheet/halfway-there

National Energy Efficiency Conference 2020 (EEC)

https://www.eec.org.au/neec20/program

Connect with our guests:

Find the ACEEE at https://twitter.com/ACEEEdc

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 21 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Edith Bayer, an energy policy analyst specialising in energy efficiency at the International Energy Agency.

Luke and Edith discuss her recent article on utility-funded energy efficiency programs,  their role in economic recovery post COVID-19, and how they are evolving to enable dynamic, 21st century electricity systems.

Mentioned in this episode:

Paving the way to recovery with utility-funded energy efficiency (International Energy Agency)

https://www.iea.org/articles/paving-the-way-to-recovery-with-utility-funded-energy-efficiency

Energy Technology Perspectives 2020 (International Energy Agency)

https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-technology-perspectives-2020

Sustainable Recovery Report (International Energy Agency and International Monetary Fund)

https://www.iea.org/reports/sustainable-recovery

First Fuel live recording: The future of energy efficiency in the United Stated with Steve Nadel

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KedQxBsSRz-4PjkS_h9INA

Connect with our guests:

Find Edith at https://twitter.com/edithmbayer

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 20 of First Fuel, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel is joined by Meg McDonald, who’s been local and global leader on the response to climate change and the energy transition for over two decades. Luke and Meg discuss her background working on climate issues overseas, the climate and energy institutions she has helped establish in Australia over the last decade, and her role on the Expert Panel of the Decarbonisation Innovation Study released by NSW’s Chief Scientist this week.

Mentioned in this episode:

Post-2025 electricity market consultation (Energy Security Board)

https://esb-post2025-market-design.aemc.gov.au

Decarbonisation Innovation Study (NSW Chief Scientist)

https://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/independent-reports/decarbonisation

Decarbonisation Futures report (ClimateWorks Australia)

https://www.climateworksaustralia.org/resource/decarbonisation-futures-solutions-actions-and-benchmarks-for-a-net-zero-emissions-australia/

Connect with our guests:

Find Meg at https://twitter.com/McDonaldMeg

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