BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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This week on BetaTalk, we're doing something truly special: the FIRST EVER exclusive interview with EDF Heat Pumps about their groundbreaking new "Express" initiative.

EDF's new "Express" initiative is hitting the accelerator, promising faster, smoother heat pump deployments that are directly comparable to the cost of a boiler install. 

We sit down with Clay Brown from EDF Heat Pumps behind to unpack:

• What "Express" really means for installers and homeowners.
• How they're streamlining the process from survey to switch-on.
• The vision behind this bold step for #RenewableEnergy.

Sign up to the BetaTeach newsletter to view heat pump installations from engineers in the Guild of Master Heat Engineers

GUILD PATRONS:

Primary Pro

Wolseley Renewables Centre

Castrads

UK Radiators

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In this episode Nathan chats to two of the Guild Patrons, Rob Nezard from UK Radiators and Nick Baylis from Castrads about the issue of radiators being sold in the UK with overstated power outputs. 

Rob and Nick have been working with the Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) and now have the help of the Government body:  Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), the National Regulator for construction products, enforcing the Construction Product Regulations. This level of government involvement is a significant development, and it validates the nearly nine-year campaign for transparency and accurate performance claims across the radiator and convector sector

Meet the Guild Patrons

Guild Patrons help support the Guild of Master Heat Engineers disseminate quality information about current good practice. Sign up to the Newsletter to see case studies from the Masters

Guild Patrons are:

Primary Pro

Renewable Centre

Castrads

UK Radiators 

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Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

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Expanding Horizons: BetaTalk's New Newsletter and Website!

We're thrilled to announce that BetaTalk is growing! In addition to our regular podcast episodes, we're launching a brand new newsletter and an associated website. This expansion will allow us to bring you even more in-depth content, industry news, and valuable insights into the world of heat pumps and sustainable building.

Our newsletter, launching shortly, will be your go-to source for the latest industry developments, insightful opinion pieces from the third sector, and crucially, real-world heat pump case studies from experienced engineers in the Guild of Master Heat Engineers. This is an exciting step in our mission to inform and empower.

As Chris Stark, former CEO of the Climate Change Committee, remarked about this new venture: "Nathan is one of the UK’s clean heat leaders, so I always watch him closely. This collaborative media venture is an exciting next step. We need positive voices like Nathan’s to help broaden knowledge around retrofit and heat pump installations."

Don't miss out! Be among the first to receive our new newsletter and stay ahead of the curve:

Sign up now for exclusive content and updates!

Episode Notes:

Welcome back to BetaTalk! In this fascinating episode, we delve deep into the world of air-to-air (A2A) heat pump systems for domestic properties. We were incredibly fortunate to be joined by two distinguished guests: Es Tresidder, a consultant specialising in Passivhaus design and low-carbon building design optimisation, and Michael Cosham, a seasoned HVAC engineer with 47 years of invaluable experience.

Our conversation began by exploring air-to-air systems in general, including Michael's personal experience building an A2A system for his first home on Canvey Island. Es then shared insights into the A2A system installed in his own highly efficient home, providing a real-world perspective on their performance.

We thoroughly discussed the numerous advantages of A2A systems in domestic properties, highlighting their efficiency and effectiveness. We also touched upon some perceived disadvantages, but as our conversation unfolded, it became clear that many of these concerns, such as fan speeds, comfort, noise, and even dry skin issues, may be simple to resolve with proper system setup and design. Indeed, with the right configuration, these issues may not even exist. 

For more on this, and avoiding potential pitfalls, Es has provided these insightful articles:

• About overheating in low-energy buildings: https://www.highlandpassive.com/do-low-energy-buildings-have-an-overheating-problem/
• Understanding thermal comfort: https://www.highlandpassive.com/why-do-i-feel-chilly/

A key takeaway from this episode was the remarkably low cost of A2A heat pumps, making them an increasingly attractive and accessible option for homeowners looking to embrace sustainable heating solutions.

Join us for a truly enlightening discussion that challenges preconceptions and sheds light on the true potential of air-to-air heat pump technology.

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Gas prices have risen. This is having a dramatic effect on the poor. Nathan discusses the sorry state of ECO, the Energy Companies Obligation and how boilers have been installed in such a way that the heating systems in the homes of the fuel poor are not as efficient as they should be. Is anyone to blame? Is anyone researching this?

To listen to the bonus episodes, including one coming shortly on how radiators are sized correctly for your home please sign up 

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In an experimental podcast episode Nathan chats to his friend and world renowned Michael Liebreich who hosts the Cleaning Up podcast. It is a dual podcast and will go out on BetaTalk and Cleaning Up. You can even watch it here on YouTube

Nathan and Michael discuss how we have the technology for low carbon heating but lack the skills to implement it. As an expert on finance Michael touches on the fact that investment money is there ready and waiting.

If you would like to hear extra bonus episodes please sign up to our patreon site to help support us. Thank you and enjoy the show

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Planning permission and planning allocation are complex topics and Nathan invited along his friend Rico Wojtulewicz, the head of housing and policy at the National Federation of Builders, for a chat about how the planning process hinders the uptake of low carbon heating technology such as heat pumps.

A fantastic episode where Nathan learns new terms and concepts such as

• Open Spaces
• Local Development Order
• Reserved Matters
• Biodiversity Net Gain
• Call for Sights
• Subdivision of large sites
• HousingDelivery Test  

The National Federation is similar yet different to the Home Builders Federation where you will find the big developers such as Barret Homes.

The NFB has around 1200 menbers of which about 400 are exclusively house builders. These are made up of the SME's who like to deliver a good product. 

Take a listen to this interesting episode

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Nathan was joined by a very special guest on the first episode of a new season sponsored by the Heat Geek Team.

Nathan has been trying to help the heating industry realise there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way we train people. Many people are  now involved in the training and education discourse, but unfortunately they have little understanding around the science of learning. So, for this episode, Nathan interviews one of the world's leading experts on the subject Nick Shackleton Jones.

Nick has worked for Siemens , the BBC and BP and has his own consultancy. Nathan studies the science of learning himself and you will enjoy hearing them discuss psychologists such as Piaget, Vygotsky and Bowlby. There is even a bit of Plato.

Education and learning are two completely distinct things and in fact education gets in the way of learning. We possibly won't break the paradigm of the whole of education but now the world needs to decarbonise can the heating and renewable industry reshape how people learn?

In this episode we also hear Nick discuss his affective context model, which is his general theory of learning

Are we training all the heating engineers we need for the energy transition the right way or are we sticking to convention?

Nick has en excellent book which you can find here.

It is Nathan's favourite book on the subject of learning. Enjoy the show

You can find a discount code to the heat geek course here

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Corrosion is a big problem in wet central heating systems. The water within the heating system is the cheapest yet regarded as the most important component. Unfortunately, it's perhaps the least understood and often neglected.

Many boiler breakdowns are caused by corrosion and in a transition to heat pumps we will need to be careful about water quality.

Nathan chats to his good friend Ricky from Thoroughflush and Simon from elexion about VDI2035.

VDI2035 is a German standard for water quality and unlike the BS7593 (2019) it understands the importance of system design.

Simon explains how in the commercial sector, where heating equipment is very expensive, it is vital to have a good water quality regime. elexion is known for understanding how to condition water using a non chemical method and they were recently involved with the new update to BG50 (BSRIA) which is the bible of water quality used in the industry.

The methods Simon and Ricky uses to test and condition water are now being used in the domestic sector and many of the engineers Nathan has on his show now use this chemical free method to protect heating systems from corrosion.

The method relies on removing the salts and minerals from the fill water which reduces the conductivity of the water and helps slow down the process of corrosion, especially if too much oxygen is getting into the system. This demineralisation process uses ionic exchange. The good news is, if your water tests for low conductivity, good system design (such as the use of a deaeration device) can be all you need

If you are a housing association, university or a Local Authority and you are interested in learning more about water quality contact BetaTeach at learn@betateach.co.uk as Simon and Nathan are able to offer some training around this area.

Some nice science in this episode such as cations and anions, the positive and negative ions found in our tap water such as calcium carbonate.  Like measuring heat loss is so important when working out the design of a heating system, measuring the conductivity and pH of the fill water is also extremely beneficial and can lead to the correct strategy for water quality control. Enjoy the episode

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Nathan chats to a good friend of the podcast, Guy Newey, about decarbonising our homes and heating

Guy is Director of Strategy and Performance at the Energy Systems Catapult - (sponsor of season 3 of BetaTalk) He was the Energy Adviser to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Greg Clark and Special Advisor to former Energy Secretary Amber Rudd. 

He has also worked as Head of Policy at OVO, one of the UK's energy suppliers, and was Head of Environment and Energy at think tank Policy Exchange.

The episode discusses the work at the Energy System Catapult and some of the challenges for home owners. But Nathan and Guy are interested in the business model Heat as a Service or otherwise known as Comfort as a Service. These models can be beneficial to homeowners as well as incentivise innovation, efficient energy use and a race to the top rather than the bottom in the heating sector. 

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Nathan has a conversation with industry veteran Bob Beattie about air to air heat pumps which have been heating and cooling us for many years outside of our homes.

Bob and Nathan discuss mini splits, multi splits and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems (otherwise known as variable refrigerant volume VRV

Often, discussions around heat pumps in the media only concentrate on air to water heat pumps e.g. air source heat pumps which transfer heat to a wet system such as underfloor or radiator circuits or ground source heat pumps which transferor heat energy to wet heating systems.

Air to air heat pump systems are very efficient and will work well in some domestic situations. They also provide heat removal from a room otherwise known as comfort cooling and often called air conditioning.

Enjoy the episode and please share on social media and with friends and work associates 

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Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky