#18 The strategy-reality gap: What's really happening in asset management.

#23: Let's stop paying for fuel and pay for comfort instead!

What if switching to a heat pump didn’t mean a hefty upfront cost, a stressful installation, or a breakdown at 11pm in January that’s somehow your problem to sort? What if you just paid for warmth — a guaranteed, comfortable home — for a predictable monthly fee, with a low carbon system designed, run, and maintained by someone who actually has skin in the game? That’s the promise of Heat as a Service (HaaS), and it might be closer to reality than you think.  In this episode, Kev is joined by Tom Wigg, Senior Advisor in the Net Zero Homes platform at Energy Systems Catapult, for a genuinely fascinating conversation about one of the most exciting — and underexplored — ideas in the UK's transition to net zero.  Tom explains how HaaS turns the traditional domestic heating model on its head. Rather than purchasing a heat pump, managing your own energy supply, and hoping the installation was done properly, a service provider designs, installs, and runs a low carbon heating system for you — taking on all the risk and complexity, while guaranteeing the outcome you actually care about: being warm and comfortable in your home. The conversation covers a lot of ground, including: * Why HaaS isn't one thing — it’s a spectrum of options, from simple output-based contracts to fully managed outcome-based services * The ‘servitization’ concept: why home energy has been slow to follow in the footsteps of Netflix, Spotify, and mobile phone contracts * How service providers can unlock new revenue through flexibility markets — aggregating demand from thousands of homes to stabilise the grid and pass savings back to consumers * The social housing opportunity: why models targeting vulnerable households could deliver some of the most meaningful wins for fuel poverty and social value * The data challenge: why a portfolio of 10,000 homes generates something far more powerful than 10,000 individual smart meters * Consumer control: what it really means to hand over your heating system — and why the best service providers will make sure you never want it back * The skills gap, the regulation gap, and why the spark gap (the price difference between electricity and gas) remains one of the biggest barriers to making this fly * What success looks like in 2036: Tom’s vision of HaaS becoming as unremarkable as a mobile phone contract There's also a candid moment when Kev reveals his own heat pump installation didn't go entirely to plan — and why that's actually a perfect argument for why this model needs to exist.  Whether you're a sustainability professional trying to understand where HaaS fits in the decarbonisation toolkit, a developer or housing association weighing up your options, or simply someone who’s curious about what the future of low carbon heat delivery actually looks like in practice, this one’s worth your time. Things mentioned in the show: *  Energy Systems Catapult [https://es.catapult.org.uk/] * Green Finance Institute [https://www.greenfinanceinstitute.com/] * Citizens Advice — Report on third-party ownership models for home energy [https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publications/owned-and-operated-building-consumer-confidence-in-third-party-ownership/] * Connected Response [https://connectedresponse.co.uk/] — innovator working on smart storage heaters in social housing * Sero [https://sero.life/] — innovator delivering heat pump + PV + battery in social housing with comfort charge model Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/] Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet [https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet]

#22: 3 things I'd tell every organisation kickstarting their Net Zero journey.

Episode 22: 3 Things I'd Tell Every Organisation Kickstarting Their Net Zero Journey Most organisations have someone responsible for net zero. Far fewer have someone genuinely accountable for it. And that gap — between good intentions and actual emissions reductions — is where years get lost. In this solo episode, host Kev Cooling steps back from the interview format to share the three things he'd tell any organisation that's serious about reducing its carbon footprint. Drawn from over 20 years in carbon management and distilled into his two free hackbooks on Governance and Leadership, these aren't the flashiest ideas in sustainability — but they are the most consistently overlooked. In this episode: * Why giving someone a job title isn't the same as making them accountable — and what genuine accountability actually looks like * The shadow leaders cast, and why one visible act of hypocrisy can undo months of hard work * Why trying to convert everyone in your organisation is one of the biggest energy drains in sustainability — and where to focus instead Whether your net zero programme has stalled or you're just getting it off the ground, this episode will give you a clearer sense of where to put your energy first. Free resources mentioned: * Governance Hackbook — www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk/] * Leadership Hackbook — www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk/] Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/] Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet [https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet]

#21 The rulebook that could transform UK construction.

The Rule Book That Could Transform UK Construction. Until recently, anybody could say their building was net zero — and define what that meant in their own terms. The UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard was created to change that. In this episode, Kev is joined by two people who know it inside out: Will Arnold, Head of Sustainable Materials at the Useful Simple Trust and the standard's technical author, and Apeksha Gupta, Principal Consultant in ESG and Net Zero at Greengage, who spent 2025 applying it to real buildings on behalf of real clients. Between them, they cover what 200+ pilot projects taught the steering group, why the data infrastructure you put in place today will define your ability to decarbonise tomorrow, and how a heritage-listed office in the City of London came within touching distance of net zero aligned status. Will also reveals what's new in version one — including a practical completion on-track check that could be a game-changer for speculative developers — and explains why a coalition of global investors managing trillions in real estate concluded this was the only standard in the world that did what they needed. If you work in the built environment, this is the episode to get you ready for version one. Things mentioned in the show: • UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard (pilot version, launched late 2024; version one forthcoming): Pilot Version | UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard [https://www.nzcbuildings.co.uk/pilotversion] • UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) — research that led to the standard (2021): UKGBC - The UK Green Building Council [https://ukgbc.org/] • BREEAM / LEED / NABERS — certification schemes referenced in context: Certification for Sustainable Buildings | BREEAM [https://breeam.com/], LEED rating system | U.S. Green Building Council [https://www.usgbc.org/leed], About NABERS UK | CIBSE Certification [https://www.cibsecertification.co.uk/nabers-uk/about-nabers-uk/] • RICS Professional Standard on Whole Life Carbon — Whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) for the built environment [https://www.rics.org/profession-standards/rics-standards-and-guidance/sector-standards/construction-standards/whole-life-carbon-assessment] Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/] Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet [https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet]

#20 The gap between media noise and boardroom action has never been bigger.

The gap between media noise and boardroom action has never been bigger. In this episode of Carbon Clarity, I'm joined by Will Symons, Deloitte's Asia Pacific Sustainability Leader, for a conversation that cuts through the headlines. We cover:  🌏 Why China's climate commitments matter more than you think  🔄 The shift from marketing departments to CFO desks  🤖 How AI could be climate's secret weapon (not its enemy)  🏗️ What Australia's rapid grid transformation teaches the world  📊 The real drivers behind corporate sustainability action Will's leading 1,500 sustainability practitioners across the region and has a unique view on what's actually happening versus what we're reading about. If you've been wondering whether the sustainability agenda is really slowing down, this conversation will give you a very different perspective. Stuff mentioned in the show: ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) - S1 & S2 [https://www.ifrs.org/issued-standards/ifrs-sustainability-standards-navigator/] TNFD (Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) [https://tnfd.global/] IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards [https://www.ifrs.org/projects/completed-projects/2023/climate-related-disclosures/#about] Paris Climate Agreement (Paris Agreement/COP21) [https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement] NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) [https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs] NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) [https://www.nabers.gov.au/] NABERS UK [https://www.nabers.gov.au/nabers-uk] Green Steps Program (Monash University) [https://www.monash.edu/science/current-students/green-steps] #CarbonClarity #Sustainability #ClimateAction #AsiaPacific #Leadership Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/] Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet [https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet]

#19: Building more than networks: How energy infrastructure creates social value AND saves carbon.

When you hear about half-billion-pound heat network projects, you probably think: carbon savings, right?  But what if I told you these massive energy infrastructure schemes are also creating apprenticeships, building local supply chains, and bringing serious inward investment to cities?  Kit Gillibrand from Hermetica Black has spent over a decade turning complex energy projects into reality – from Madagascar to Manchester. And he's got a powerful message: the best energy infrastructure projects don't just decarbonize cities, they transform them.  In this conversation, Kit explains how places like Greater Manchester are using long-term energy contracts to develop local skills, why removing government grants might actually force better decisions, and how energy infrastructure is becoming the foundation for development rather than a cost on top of it.  If you've ever wondered how these enormous projects actually get financed, built, and delivered – or why they're about so much more than just saving carbon – this episode is for you.  🎧 Listen to Carbon Clarity – wherever you get your podcasts. Things mentioned in the show: Find Kit on LinkedIn, here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitgillibrand/]. Find Hermetica Black, here [https://hermeticablack.com/]. The Spark Gap - the difference in cost / kWh of gas and electricity. Useful article from the EcoExperts here [https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/news/spark-gap-electricity-gas-prices]. The HMT Green Book - guidance for evaluating project from .Gov. Explanation provided by Thornton & Lowe here [https://thorntonandlowe.com/green-book-value-for-money-and-procurement/]. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) - info from the Government here [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-sector-decarbonisation-scheme]. Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk [https://www.hut22.co.uk] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/] Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet [https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet]