Audrey Nugent

There is so much good stuff being done by social housing providers in the low-energy / low-carbon-emission field. So I was delighted to hear more about one example from Tony Hopkin, Head of Construction, Quality and Innovation for Midland Heart. Tony, Beth, and Scott were kind enough to take the time to show staff from the Church Development Agency Limited around their Elevetham Road scheme. The project is a collaboration between product suppliers, academic researchers from Birmingham City University, specialist contractors, architects, a local building contractor, and the Building Alliance. The site comprises 12 maisonettes with technology designed to minimise carbon emissions and significantly lower energy costs for tenants - and it looks great too! Now, if you’re thinking, "This is old news, that scheme was completed years ago", you’d be correct. However, the CDA team was as keen to hear about the post-occupation findings as they were about the technology deployed in the homes. And for me, one of the most interesting parts of the day’s discussion centred around what information should be given to tenants about the technology in their home, in what format, and how often this should be revisited. Midland Heart seems to have covered all bases in terms of ensuring tenants have the information they need, in a format that suits them best, at a time that is most useful to them. They didn’t get it all right from the start, but have fine-tuned their approach for this and future schemes. I’m incredibly grateful to the team for such an informative (and surprisingly fun!) afternoon. #netzero #lowcarbon #energyeffiency #socialhousing #innovation

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Heat pumps will struggle to compete with fossil fuel boilers until we fix electricity pricing. I spoke with the Financial Times for their article out today about this exact issue. My colleagues and I have researched this extensively. Our work on the total cost of ownership and the policies needed to make heat pumps affordable reveals several key findings: 🔹 Cost parity with gas boilers at SCoP of 3.3 in the UK with current grant support 🔹 Shifting levies from electricity bills to general taxation significantly lowers costs 🔹 Moving levies from electricity to gas creates the strongest incentive for switching 🔹 Time-of-use tariffs & heat pump-specific rates further improve affordability 💡 The right policies can make heat pumps cheaper compared to fossil fuel heating systems Paper coauthored by me at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford, Oriel College, Oxford & Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), Jake Barnes at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford, Ray Galvin at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), Sam O'Mara & Dr Richard Lowes at the University of Exeter and the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). Read our full paper here: https://lnkd.in/efkVbuE9

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Final approval of the North West Shelf extension is not surprising. Some gas is needed for the transition, but an extension to 2070 does not align with a decarbonised future. Places and ancient culture heritage are more important than Woodside’s profits.

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The Climate Commission’s 2025 monitoring shows emissions are starting to come down. But transport is still heading in the wrong direction and without stronger action, it will put future budgets at risk. This graph shows there’s plenty of opportunity to turn that around. It’s not just about emissions either. Petrol is wasteful. Most of the petrol you pay for never moves your car. Imagine paying for a full tank and only getting a third back in useful movement. That’s the reality of combustion engines - wasted fuel, wasted money, and pollution in the air we all breathe. Electricity is different. It works harder for every unit we put in and when it’s renewable, the emissions savings are even greater. That’s why EVs are part of the picture, along with how we design our towns, support active transport, and move freight. These can all help cut waste, reduce air pollution, and lower emissions. #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition #SharedFuture #Transport #NewZealand

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We've published new research carried out by Verian Group about the use of secondary heating and how this might change in future: https://lnkd.in/eCNTwxgV 🏡 Generally, households surveyed used secondary heating to fulfil needs that their primary heating could not. For example, to deliver heat at the desired temperature if their primary heating system was insufficient in colder months. While others did so because they perceived the secondary heating to be cheaper, more flexible in just heating one space or it brought emotional comfort or aesthetic appeal. ❄️ Use of secondary heating appears to coincide with wider peak demand for electricity, being more common in Winter evenings between 5-10pm. 📊 Participants were not considering reducing their use of secondary heating. This suggests a weak starting point for behaviour change, as it implies that motivation is low. 📉 There was an indication that heat pumps may reduce usage of secondary heating in households that prioritise keeping warm and flexibility.

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“Enough to power 5.2mn homes for a year, or the London Underground for more than a decade.” Fab article in the Financial Times today on the record solar generation in Great Britain this year so far👇🏻 https://lnkd.in/eQdybtMT

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Some seriously good news in the FT today on the surge in planning approvals for the UK's renewables sector. Over 16.1GW of new renewables capacity across 323 projects received planning approval during the second quarter, representing a 195 per cent increase on the same period last year - a three month period, which not entirely coincidentally, marked the last full quarter of the Conservative government. There was also a surge in energy storage projects, with the data showing more than 100 planning applications for battery energy storage systems were filed between April and June 2025, delivering a pipeline with 8.4GW of capacity and representing double the level recorded during the second quarter of 2024. The results follow confirmation from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme that installations of small scale solar, heat pump, and battery technologies have also sent records toppling this year. The most recent data confirmed there were a record 170,000 certified installations in the first six months of 2025, marking a 37 per cent increase on the first half of last year and a 33 per cent jump on the previous record, which was set in 2023. This all adds up to some seriously rapid progress. Give or take, the government wants to add 60GW to 70GW of new renewables capacity over the next five years. It is a daunting task and there are good reasons to be sceptical that it can be achieved. But then again, 16GW of new capacity was just approved inside three months. There is zero room for complacency. Concerns over grid connections and capacity, rising costs, curtailment payments, skills shortages, CCS, long duration storage, and supply chain bottlenecks all urgently need addressing. But planning barriers are being eased, political signals are having the desired effect, and investment is starting to motor. The debate over the government's clean energy ambitions will rumble on, but what is clear is that some serious momentum is starting to build. https://lnkd.in/eAzY23qh

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Yesterday, our CEO, Caroline Bragg, joined Ian Collins on TalkTV during the Conservative Party Conference to discuss recent comments around net zero, including Kemi Badenoch’s suggestion to repeal the Climate Change Act. Recent shocks such as the crisis in Ukraine saw energy bills rise by 74% and are a stark reminder of the volatility of our energy system. As Caroline highlighted the big question is protecting people from this volatility in the future and providing a stable environment for the long-term investment required during the transition to net zero. The Act has given businesses the stability to plan, invest and innovate in decarbonisation. 🏭 From energy security to global competitiveness, it is crucial that we maintain course for net zero without undermining progress.

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