Net Hero Podcast – With Sumit Bose

“Even the best businesses can do more on energy efficiency”

Monitoring data is key for businesses starting their sustainability journey.
This is what John Hyde, Centrica’s Head of Sales told us.
He said: ‘I think for people at the start of their sustainability journey, they should look at their data. Monitor it, identify the hotspots and the emissions and then look at what kind of new technologies would have the most impact.
‘After that, it's about getting the right balance for the strategy. There's some quick wins like energy efficiency.
‘There are fabric upgrades, green supply contracts and they can unlock cost savings and you can reinvest them into bigger capex projects like heat pumps, upgrading a CHP system to run on hydrogen or solar.
‘And then finally, what I'd really urge people to do is to not wait around for government or regulations to force you.
‘[Legislation is] constantly changing but sustainable practises help business, it's good for business and it can be a differentiator for your customers too. So don't wait, just put these things into practise.’
He emphasised on the importance of using all available climate technologies to reach our net zero goals.
He said: ‘You've got different technology arms competing for the prize, where actually there's no silver bullet. All these different technologies will work together for a future better system.’
John told us that it’s important businesses embrace sustainable technology.
He said: ‘Things like heat pumps, solar, they're known quantities but people were previously hesitant to deploy them. [But] generating your own onsite energy protects you, protects against the volatility that we've seen in the market.’
But businesses are struggling to fund net zero projects, so what can be done?
‘We do a lot of research and over half of businesses we see are finding it difficult now to access funding to invest in these ways.
‘So we put our money where our mouth is. We support that kind of Opex financing and it's our own cash we're using, so there's no third parties, no banks, so people are getting a very good deal there.
‘But it's harder to quantify the cost of inaction, the opportunity cost, the people who are hesitant and sitting on the fence. But we're helping in that way with funding.’

Sky high sustainability!

I've heard many interesting tales over the course of the last two years on this podcast, yet this week's one is a corker!
What if you replanted forests by seed bombing?
That's right, dropping seeds like little bombs, from the undercarriage of drones, with each seed wrapped in a protective package so it doesn't smash to bits when it hits the ground.
That's what a company called Morfo is doing across parts of depleted South American rainforest. They have been using the drones to help reforestation projects in areas that have been over used or completely cleared, with remarkable results. In one project in French Guiana they've helped a forest go from 0.3 to 42% cover in just a year!
Listen or watch my chat with Adrien Pages, one of the founders of this sky high agri-business. Remember to like and subscribe!

“We need to act to make sure we have a better future for ourselves and those around us”

We spoke to Justin Jacober, Managing Director of Centrica Business Solutions about enabling net zero 
Sustainability has been put on the back burner. 
This is what Justin Jacober, Managing Director at Centrica Business Solutions told us. 
He said: ‘I think some companies are just focused on survival.  
‘Even if you’re still focused on how [you’re] going to make payroll, you still don’t want to lose sight of what the net impact to the environment, in which you are operating, is going to be. 
‘It’ll take all of us and it’ll take actions right now. And we all need to act.  
‘It’s a matter of if we all take significant steps towards decarbonising our heat and energy networks. That’s the key.’ 
Business that don’t have the time and resources to think about sustainability can outsource sustainability to energy partners to help them with the transition. 
Justin said: ‘What we should as an industry do is let you get on with what you’re good at. So you need to run your business, you need to focus on taking care of your employees and your customers. What we need to do is take care of that for you. 
‘[We] come in with you, assess your unique roadmap to get to net zero and I can take it off your plate.   
‘In five years you can make a pretty significant impact. So you decarbonise your heat networks, your energy networks, while you save a bunch of money. 
‘It’s my job to help companies decarbonise, to leverage how we build, own, operate decarbonised solutions. But it’s everyone’s job to make sure that they're asking the right questions at the right time, to get people like me and others into the organisation to help out.’ 
Mr Jacober emphasises on the importance of engaging with sustainability, without which businesses will likely be penalised by stakeholders. 
He said: ‘I think it’ll be a license that will be removed from them, either through investors or customers choosing someone different. So I think it’s kind of at your peril but the time to act is now. 
‘I can’t imagine why, if you can save some money while you’re [decarbonising], why you wouldn’t do it today.’ 
Watch the full episode to find out how Centrica Business Solutions can help your business reach net zero. 
 

100th episode special with the Queen of Energy!

WOW. One hundred! A Century. A TON!
Thanks so, so much for listening, as we celebrate the 100th Net Hero Podcast! When I started this a couple of years ago, I didn't think there would be such a response, yet here we are, one hundred different voices, people from all over the world and 28,000 downloads and counting!
To mark the occasion, I've been chatting to a young woman whom I first met at the start of her career as a graduate engineer, who I can firmly attest really is a net zero hero, Juliette Sanders now Director of Strategic Comms at Energy UK. Jules is an energy and sustainability geek in the truest form, she loves it!
She's worked across the energy sector and does more to make it relevant to the public than anyone else I know; from giving talks to youngsters, launching a range of sustainable energy jewellery, to dressing as a turbine at festivals, Jules has done it all.
Why? Because she believes the energy sector has a vital role to play in enabling society to change.
So, join us for an entertaining and informative chat. Keep subscribing and please help spread the word that the Net Hero Podcast is the one to listen to!

“We are seeing less of an uptake of green energy from businesses”

We Spoke to Oliver Kruc, Sales Channel Manager at British Gas Business about the cost of the pandemic on net zero 
The energy crisis is preventing businesses from going green. 
This is what Oliver Kruc, Sales Channel Manager at British Gas told us.  
He said: ‘When their energy bills go from one year to the next – doubling, tripling, quadrupling in some cases. All of a sudden, the presence and pressure of incorporating sustainability becomes a bit more challenging when your costs increase by that much overnight. 
‘Across the board, we are seeing less of an uptake of green energy products from businesses purely because cost is still largely above what it has been pre-pandemic or even pre-energy crisis a couple of years ago.’ 
Oliver told us that recent legislation pushing net zero further into the future shows that the government is mindful of the costs that businesses have to bear. 
He said: ‘I think that what it does do is show that the government is starting to recognise that some of these costs aren’t really affordable today for lots of businesses. 
‘None of these [sustainable technologies] are cheap for people to invest in and install and it gives the community a little bit more breathing space to think. Hopefully, we’ve got more time for some of these technologies to reduce in cost, to become cheaper.’ 
But businesses are being pushed by stakeholders to think more about sustainability. 
Oliver said: ‘Over the summer, we surveyed 300 business leaders and one-third of them told us that they’re under increasing pressure to take environmental action from stakeholders.  
‘We’re starting to see customers inquire more about sustainability.  
‘And businesses are starting to recognise their customers are now expecting or requiring their supply chain to be operating with a certain level of sustainability consciousness.  
‘So the ability of a business to deliver their sustainability goals has a direct impact on their profitability.’ 

Light up your life the lighter way!

It’s the most abundant element in the universe, lighter than air and firey too! But is Hydrogen really going to play a big role in our net zero future?
Whenever the topic of Hydrogen pops up there’s lots of furore, its detractors say it’s too expensive to make, unsustainable, impractical and limited. Its champions say Hydrogen can give us a ready made substitute for natural gas and is the key to an equitable transition.
So what’s the truth? I discuss that this week, with Danielle Stewart who works for National Gas and is heading up a pilot scheme looking at the large scale deployment and transportation of H2 around the country. We delve into the myths around its safety, its green credentials and the practicalities of what it will mean to you the consumer.
Agree or disagree, get listening and remember to drop us a line on social media with your comments. If you want to be featured on the net hero podcast, get in touch and please subscribe to our youtube and podcast channels.
 

“Climate change isn’t stopping and it isn’t going to wait”

We’re not moving fast enough to combat climate change.
This is what Laura Plimbey, head of partnerships and propositions for British Gas Business, told us.
But businesses are making changes. Laura told us that ‘20% of businesses have switched to renewable energy contracts and a further 68% say that they plan to switch in the near future, which is promising.’
She added: ‘We’ve seen that 73% of businesses are planning to invest in their CO2 monitoring and reporting.’
She noted that businesses can use simple techniques to reach net zero.
‘To get to net zero, there’s two things. One is your monitoring and reporting, understanding where you use energy, where you waste it.
‘Are your appliances running efficiently? Are they old? Is any equipment needing a service? Have your windows got all the seals?
‘All the basics, all the things that you can tick off to say I'm not using any energy above what I need to run my business?
‘And when you've got a handle on that, so the energy you are being supplied, that you are paying for and you are using is what you absolutely need.
‘The second part then is to have that supplied by a zero carbon or better still, renewable supply. And that makes you net zero because you're using only what you need and what you need is being supplied from a non CO2 admitting source.’
Laura noted that business can focus on cutting emissions if they cannot afford to switch to renewable energy.
She said: ‘There is [something you can do] – your CO2 monitoring, your reporting, understanding your business usage, understanding how your colleagues and the people you employ are using energy within your business and creating that energy culture, to basically change everyone’s attitude and understanding and not just pinning it all on the supply type.’
Listen to the full podcast to know more about how British Gas Business can help businesses reach net zero.

Houses that tell you how to save energy

You wake up one winter's day and your house tells you to install insulation, pop a solar panel on the roof and points out the best place to stick a heat pump!
Aaagh an AI house! Well not yet but a new start up is looking at building something along these lines.
SuSy.house is an app that's going to let homeowners find out just what they can do to cut emissions for their home, by explaining the potential for solar, heatpumps and other energy saving technologies.
I spoke to Bryan Charter, one of the founders, about how it works and the way this might help homeowners and landlords find a bespoke solution for energy saving measures. Will it be a gamechanger? Will it encourage us to think about our places differently? Listen in and find out more.

Is Wall-E about to clean up?

A little robot gets a personality, falls in love and saves the polluted world by repopulating plant life, cheered on by obese human blobs.
If you've never seen it do so, Wall-E is a pixar classic and a film I have loved watching with my kids (and without them) again and again. The premise is clear we need robots to show us the folly of treating the planet as a waste bin. Great fiction or is it?
This week on the net hero podcast I spoke to Carling Spelhaug from AMP Robotics. They are using AI powered droids to improve the efficiency of recycling centres by teaching robot grabbers how to collect a range of reusable products. It's a way of working faster and more accurately, so is their robot Wall-E's grandad and the start of what's to come to help clean up our world?
Listen in or watch on our youtube channel and please follow the net hero podcast on social media.

District heating much more than hot air?

Hot air! As we get towards autumn we need lots of it to keep our homes and workplaces warm. But could the real gamechanger be under our feet?
District Heating is a concept that goes back to the Romans and ancient Chinese, yet its main use has been the last century or so in America. We’ve all seen movies with steam coming out of street vents, in fact most apartments in US cities use communal heating.
But it’s never really caught on here and even in Europe, it’s confined to the nordics in the main. But now it’s being lauded again as a ‘new way to net zero’, so can it work to help us decarbonise heat? I speak to Rob Thornton who heads up the International District Heating Association, to talk hot air, pipes and community heat.
Listen in or watch the video below and keep subscribing to our channels and follow us on social media. If you want to be featured on the podcast get in touch.