BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast

Send us a textCan Low Loss Headers and Buffer tanks be installed onto heat pump systems and other renewable heating topics are discussed in this episode but also land regeneration and how soil locks in carbon. Nathan speaks with regular guest host Brandon who is currently on lockdown in New Zealand with his family.Some topics discussed:Comparison of New Zealand and UK building regulationsSolar Heat not being discussed enoughZoning vs WCHome made WhiskeyRegenerative AgricultureSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textLow temp heating design along with heat pumps is todays discussion at the HQ of Grant who are well known in the industry. Grant is essentially an off-grid company known in the heating sector for their oil boilers, heat pumps and Nathan’s favourite: Solar Heat or also known as Solar Thermal.Nathan gets to chat with Grant’s training manager Phil, and two of his favourite engineers Paul and Steve.You will hear the following topics:Low Temp system design and weather compensationGrant’s historyTransition of oil installers to low carbon technologiesHeating system monitoringThe importance of commissioning.We will also hear Paul’s story of how he convinced a developer to use heat pumps on their property rather than gas boilers and also how he uses analogy to help explain such systems to customers.We hear Grant explain the importance of heat loss design and radiator sizing and Steve’s conversation about architects highlights whether there needs to be more consideration at the house planning stage for such an important aspect of the home.Enjoy and please leave a review to help others find these podcasts. Thank youSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textGround source heat pumps is still the topic at Kensa. Lots of topics to listen to including:Kensa explain how they are part of the commissioning process Bill explains the importance of installers and customers understanding controls We discuss how heat pump systems run very differently to conventional systems and training currently has not been greatDp manufacturers drive the market?Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textKensa Ground Source Heat Pumps are the topic of this weeks betatalk  podcast.Nathan took along some of his usual guest engineers to Kensa's HQ to have a chat about heat pumps, training and their "shoebox" design for district and community heating systems.Topics discussed are:Geology of the UK Drilling bore holes for heat pumpsCalculating the ground array for ground source heat pumpsShoebox vs heat interface unitsCan the grid cope with heat pumpsNuclear is bad for the environmentIt's a good episode...enjoySupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textMeet Emma, Sue, Alan, Lee and Andrew members of a team based in Sheffield and Perth Scotland who specialise in heat pump installations. With over a 100 years of combined experience Nathan enjoyed his visit to chat with the team.Nathan and Emma chat regularly on Social Media and her passion about standards and design within this sector really shows through. Listen till the end where you'll hr Emma make some fantastic points.Alan installed his first heat pump back in 1996 and he talks about design of the system and how it is vital for efficiency and performance. A theme which betatalk inculcates. Hear Sue and her fascinating insight into the development and evolvement of MCS.Other topics discussed are MVHR and PAS 2035Its a great episode...enjoySupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textIn this episode Nathan travelled to meet Rebecca from Building People and Abi Burns and Leah Robson from Your Energy Your Way. The discussion considered inclusion and diversity within the renewable and construction sector.Abi comes from a research background and is now training with Your Energy Your Way so we touched on training within the renewable sector. Leah does a grand job of describing a sunamp heat storage unit to Rebecca and how they work with a phase change material PCM.You can hear also how Leah entered the industry having previously come from an IT background and her passion for installing heat pump and solar technology.Your Energy Your Way is an MCS [Microgeneration Certification Scheme] certified company and you can find more about them here https://www.yourenergyyourway.co.uk/Building People, much like Your Energy Your Way have a focus on training and diversity. They are a social enterprise and have three founding partners: Chartered Surveyors Training Trust, The Chartered Surveyors' Company and University College of Estate Management and you can find them here https://www.buildingpeople.org.uk/Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textCarbon capture storage, gas networks, Future Homes Standard it's all discussed in part 2 of Ken Bone and Nathan's trip to Cornwall to meet with Richard Lowes. In this episode we are also joined by Sovay Berriman who discusses her transition into the heating world from art and higher education.At the beginning of the episode you will hear Richard talk about the ways engineers can help shape policy. It's not easy but he gives examples. He also mentions a study which was carried out by Faye Wade at Edinburgh university which sounds extremely interesting.Richard is part of the energy policy group at Exeter and he has become a valuable part of the heating community. Both Nathan and Sovay have PGCE qualifications and they discuss the lack of evidenced based learning within the heating training sectorTake a listen and enjoySupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textEnergy and sustainable policy is the topic of this episode. Nathan travels to meet with Richard Lowes, a wonderful gentleman well known in area of heat policy within the UK. Richard has worked on policy regarding the future of the gas grid and started a PhD in 2014 which looked at the development of policy within the heating industry: how it started and how different interests lobby. A main question being asked by academics is: " do industries in the market help drive change or hinder it?"Not only was it interesting to discuss Policy with Richard we also Ken Bone and I also discussed his new heat pump install, which is a NIBE air source installed under the Nu - Heat umbrella MCS scheme. Richard is Cleary happy with it but discusses with us how he felt "to many cooks can spoil the broth" You can listen to discover what he means.You can also hear Ken discuss weather compensation curves and low temperature heating. There's also discussion about the risks manufactures pose to industry.Support the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textBristol heating engineers Ben, Simon and Craig chat with Nathan about renewables and the gas heating industry. They discuss the importance of heating system design and how it is vital to obtain efficiency.In this episode you will hear about the types of renewable heating these engineers have worked with and how social housing would benefit from renewables and boilers set up efficiently.This seasons podcast is sponsored by https://mcscertified.comSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky

Send us a textOnce again Nathan speaks to Brandon and Richard for this podcast on heatpumps. This time we have Brandon's nephew with us who is an apprentice. So a little training theme within this episode. Accountability is a main theme e.g. what happens if heat pumps are installed incorrectly. Other topics include:Data EfficiencyIoT and its use within the heating industryCompetenceHeat Pump System DesignPlease enjoy and if you have any questions about heat pumps or want to reach out to any of the engineers Nathan uses in these episodes you can contact him at learn@betateach.co.ukThanks to season 2 sponsors: MCSYou can visit their website here: https://mcscertified.comSupport the showLearn more about heat pump heating by followingNathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky