Shows
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastBeyond Three Days: Rethinking Heat Pump Installation TrainingSend us a textNathan speaks with Leah Robson, owner of a small SME installing heat pumps, batteries, and solar, about her recent appearance at Westminster. Leah gave evidence to the "Workforce Planning to Deliver Clean, Secure Energy" Committee, invited through Ellora Coupe of "Her Retrofit Space." The discussion centres on whether Leah's concerns about workforce training, particularly for heat pump installation, were understood by the committee.Key Discussion Points:Westminster Testimony: Leah shares her experience presenting to the committee and her assessment of whether her points regarding the challenges...2025-05-0749 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastAre Industry Associations Still Relevant? A Deep Dive with the Heat Pump AssociationSend us a textIn this insightful episode, host Nathan sits down with two key figures from the Heat Pump Association (HPA) – CEO Charlotte Lea and Chair Craig Dolan – to explore the role the HPA plays in the evolving UK heating landscape. They delve into the value the association brings to the industry, particularly as the nation transitions towards low-carbon heating solutions.The conversation tackles the fundamental question of whether industry associations are still necessary in today's rapidly changing world. Charlotte and Craig passionately argue for their continued relevance, highlighting their crucial function in providing a un...2025-04-261h 32BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastA Personal Heat Pump Journey and the Power of MentorshipSend us a textWelcome back to BetaTalk, the podcast dedicated to exploring the exciting world of renewable heating! In this episode, host Nathan is joined by two fantastic guests: Barry Sharp from Renewable Heat and a familiar voice to BetaTalk listeners, and Scott Sanford who has recently embarked on his own renewable heating journey.Our conversation kicks off with a fascinating deep dive into Scott's personal experience installing a Viessmann heat pump system in his own home. We hear firsthand about his installation journey, the challenges and triumphs he faced, and the benefits he's...2025-04-081h 06BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHeat Pump Strategies: Insights from the UK for US HomeownersSend us a textEver wondered how heat pump systems differ between the UK and the US? In this episode, Nathan chats with Shreyas Sudhakar, a leading heat pump installer and educator from California, to explore the contrasting approaches. Nathan, who has fond memories of his time in America, and his apprenticeship on a US airbase in the UK, emphasises the strong connection he feels to the country. He and Shreyas engage in a fun discussion, highlighting the strengths of both systems and gently suggesting areas where US installations might benefit from UK insights. They both strongly...2025-03-071h 02BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastDid the Government funded Heat Pump Trial Fail?Send us a textNathan talks with Katrina from Energy Systems Catapult and Trysten Lee from Open Energy Monitor about a key question surrounding the Electrification of Heat (EoH) trial: why did the heat pumps perform so poorly? The trial, involving aprox. 740 heat pumps, showed an average Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) of just 2.81 for air source.This contrasts sharply with the performance of heat pumps monitored by Trysten at HeatPumpMonitor.org (HPM). Interestingly, many of the installers whose systems are tracked on HPM are relatively new to the field, some with only a few years...2025-01-3159 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastIs MVHR any good?Send us a textMechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery systems are discussed with Nathan's guests Duncan and Barry Sharp.Regular listeners will know Barry from previous episodes of BetaTalk and is one of Nathan's favourite heat pump engineers based in Scotland.Duncan is Barry's dad and has been specialising in MVHR systems since around 2010.The discussion looks at how effective MVHR is and the problems with design, installation and commissioning. Duncan spends a lot of his time helping others understand MVHR and is involved in surveying the systems in social h...2025-01-2258 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastMentorship or Send Gas Engineers on Heat Pump PowerPoint Courses?Send us a textIn this podcast Nathan chats with his friends Barry from Renewable Heat and Matt from Matt Rigby Heating Ltd. The guests and Nathan discuss Matts journey from a gas engineer to a heat pump engineer. It mentions how Barry has provided mentorship which is a far better way to help gas engineers transition than the current system of just sending them on a powerpoint course.This season is sponsored by Ultimate Renewables Supplies Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingN...2024-10-3154 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHeat Pumps in Edinburgh - a discussion with SNIPEFSend us a textIn 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 pumpsSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2024-09-0352 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHeat Pump & Fabric First Debate Featuring the Insulation Manufacturers AssociationSend us a textNathan 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 muc...2024-05-1058 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastThe Heat Pump Installer NetworkSend us a textNathan 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.2024-05-021h 06BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastRadiator Outputs Could Cause Heat Pump ProblemsSend us a textHeat 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...2024-04-1251 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastThe Ideal Experience for a Heat Pump CustomerSend us a textIn this episode Nathan chats to Paul Eastwood, Head of Energy Systems Planning at OFGEM and the past Senior Climate and Energy Advisor at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Also joining the heat pump conversation is engineer Barry Sharpe from Renewable Heat The discussion focuses on what an ideal customer journey is. Paul has had a heat pump system after Nathan recommended Barry to him. The episode questions if Paul's experience could have been better with the hope engineers may gain some useful insight. Topics covered ar...2024-03-261h 15BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastCurrent Issues at the Heat Pump CoalfaceSend us a textNathan chats to Barry Sharpe from Renewable Heat, Emma Bohan from IMS Heat Pumps and Steve Webster from EGE Energy about the MCS hybrid consultation, heat pump training as well as glycol and anti-freeze valves.Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2024-02-281h 01BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHow Swedish Company AIRA Will Help the Heating & Energy TransitionSend us a textSweden have had a long tradition with heating technologies and have incredible expertise regarding heat pumps. Nathan talks to the Swedish company AIRA, the new entrant to the UK's heating and home renewables industry. AIRA will be installing heat pump and other technologies across Europe bringing their expertise first to Italy, Germany and the UK.It's a great episode and Nathan enjoyed his conversation with Daniel Sarefjord, the chief executive of Aira in the UK, immensely. Support the showLearn more about heat pum...2024-01-281h 02BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastCoding the Heating IndustrySend us a textSeason 9 is sponsored by Grundfos and in this episode Nathan speaks to James Twallin about the software and codes behind the heating industry. Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2023-12-311h 00BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastIs MCS Fit For Purpose?Send us a textIn this episode Nathan chats to Paul Spence, a very competent and highly regarded heating engineer. Paul installs a range of heating system types including heat pumps.It's a long but highly interesting episode. If you want to hear Paul's credentials first skip to around the 1hr 05 min mark... and then come back to the beginning of course.Paul also runs the facebook group HeatPumps UK...check it outEnjoy!Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan...2023-12-071h 31BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastLook at the Best Performing Heat Pump Systems in Real TimeSend us a textHere is the link to the heat pump installer survey (lot's of prizes to be won)In this episode Nathan speaks with Glyn Hudson and Trystan Lea who along with open source enthusiasts have created open energy monitor and heat pump monitor.Heat pump installers and consumers are installing monitoring equipment such as heat meters onto their heat pump systems to obtain COP readings. COP stands for the coefficient of performance.The monitoring has provided the oppotunity for engineers and home owners to learn from each...2023-11-0957 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHow Do We Get Flexible Demand on the Electric GridSend us a textNathan speaks with Sandra Trittin, co-founder of tiko Energy Solutions and co-host of the podcast Talking New Energy from LCP Delta. Joining Sandra is Talking New Energy's other host Jon Slow partner at LCP Delta.The discussion centres around how we may be able to heat pumps, batteries and EVs as as virtual power plants to increase the flexibility of the grid .Take a listenSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2023-10-3049 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastIndustrial Heat Solutions with CalderaSend us a textIn the first episode of a new season Nathan chats to James Macnaghten, CEO of Caldera.Caldera manufacture and supply thermal storage solutions for industrial heat processes. Get early access to their investment opportunity hereThank you to season sponsors Grundfos Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2023-10-1246 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastMaking the Transition Work for Both Consumers and InstallersSend us a textEconic is a new venture from Nathan's friend Christophe Grossbaier. Its aim is to make the transition from gas boilers to heat pumps smoother for both customers and installers and uses a hybrid heat pump business model to achieve this. With an engineering background and Masters from Cambridge University, Christophe appreciates heat pumps can heat almost any building but understands customers still have their concerns and worries. This business model is designed to take away the anxiety a customer may have and at the same time offer...2023-08-2642 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastAre Heating Manufacturers Misinterpreting Building RegsSend us a textNathan dives into the history of heating systems and looks at why chemical inhibitors were introduced to prevent corrosion.He also points out that manufactures are possibly misinterpreting the building regulations e.g. they are getting confused with a requirement within the building regs and the guidance contained in an approved document.It also takes a look at the Benchmark system and questions if it is fit for purpose. Is it biased towards maintaining growth of the chemical inhibitor companies?The episode also looks at how a 1960s...2023-08-1435 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastListening to the heating engineersSend us a textIn this episode Nathan interviews Faye Wade, his favourite academic researching the heating industry. This is because Faye understands that the most vital component of the industry is the engineer and that we need to really listen to them.Joining Faye are Nathan's friends Leah, Sovay and Rhiannon who are all involved in installing and maintaining heating systems.This is a fab episode with lot's of discussion around the transition to heat pumps and things like certification bodies, awarding bodies and MCS etc etcSupport the show2023-07-261h 06BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastSpecial Bulletin: The Heat Pump Ready Programme Episode 1Send us a textAlongside usual episodes from the BetaTalk Podcast, Nathan will be helping the Carbon Trust and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero disseminate knowledge around the learnings from the Heat Pump Ready Programme with around 10 extra podcast episodes. This is episode 1 of these special Heat Pump Ready bulletins. The Heat Pump Ready Programme is part of the The Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which is a £1 billion fund, announced in the Prime Minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies, systems and busine...2023-06-2350 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastExhaust Air Heat Pumps and PVT with NIBESend us a textIn this conversation Nathan chats with Jonny Hancock, product manager at NIBE about some of the products and solutions they have on offer including their new exhaust air heat pump being launched at the InstallerShow 2023You can find the links discussed on the show belowNIBE Training University of West London PVT case studySupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2023-06-2037 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHeat Pump Quotations - solving the mysterySend us a text*Update: in this episode Damon and host Nathan realised after editing there was a mistake. An easy one to make as engineers like Damon have so many numbers running around in their head. He mentions he sizes radiators to 50°C when in fact Damon is one of the engineers who designs to a lower flow temp of 40-45*C for a radiator heating circuit.In this episode we speak to the fabulous engineers Damon from Blakemore Plumbing and Heating and Barry from Renewable Heat about quotations. It's a hot topic so s...2023-06-1543 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastWhole Life Carbon with Daikin and XCO2Send us a textRecycled refrigerant and Energy Performance Declarations are discussed in this episode alongside the wider discussion around whole life carbon and the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.Nathan's guests are:Ryan Philp, the Business Development Manager at Daikin Ellie Burkill, Energy Sustainability Consultant at XCO2Sara Godinho, Associate at XCO2To hear what Daikin are doing with recycled refrigerant skip to 1 hour 2 mins... a link is provided in the chapters tabSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by f...2023-05-151h 15BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastHow to Heat Terrace Houses with Heat NetworksSend us a textThe BetaTalk podcast speaks to friends at Kensa about their approach to using heat pump technology for domestic heating.Nathan and Wouter Thijssen, MD at Kensa Contracts, explain 5th generation heat networks (known as ambient loop) and how they are different to other types of district heating.For more info about the check out the links belowITV NEWS Financial TimesBBCSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2023-04-2544 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastThe EPC debateSend us a textFantastic guests and a fantastic episode which digs deep into the Energy Performance Certificate. Nathan is joined by Madhuban Kumar, CEO of Carbon Laces; Stuart Fairlie, MD of Elmhurst Energy and Marcus Shepheard from the Climate Change Committee Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky2023-03-2959 minBetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating PodcastLeading Experts Discuss Fabric, Heat Pumps, Innovation and Policy - 100th EpisodeSend us a textThis is the 100th episode so a big thank you to all the listeners and all those who have taken part.BIG THANK YOU TO MyEnergi who are this season's sponsorIt features European policy expert Louise Sunderland from the RAPUK policy and innovation expert Guy Newy from Energy Systems Catapult (past sponsor of the podcast)AND expert heating engineer Welsy Hort from West Hampstead Plumbing and Heating. Wesly is one of the renowned BetaTalk #heatarchitects - leading heating engineers who are he...2023-02-131h 20