Net Zero Living 2: How we empower communities for a Net Zero Future

Net Zero Living 3: How we finance net zero and invest in better places

Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme has provided funding and support to nearly 300 businesses and local authorities to adopt innovations to help their places prosper from the shift to net zero. This podcast episode draws on learnings from the Net Zero Living Programme, and the recent publication Investing in Places (Investing in Places: Learnings for local net zero planning - Innovate UK Business Connect [https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/perspectives/investing-in-places-learnings-for-local-net-zero-planning/]) For this episode, Poppy Maltby, Associate Director at Regen, is joined by: · Christine Zhou, Executive Director, Global Head of Built Environment Finance, Bankers without Boundaries · Louise Wilson - co-founder & joint managing director at Abundance Investment We hear about how the Net Zero Living Programme worked with local authorities to build their understanding and confidence to attract private sector investment into their projects and places. Louise and Christine explore the different forms, functions and drivers of finance that can be used in place based initiatives, and how to tackle some of the challenges faced by local areas in bringing private sector finance into places via local authorities and their partners.

Net Zero Living 2: How we empower communities for a Net Zero Future

For this episode, Poppy Maltby, Associate Director at Regen, is joined by: Fraser Stewart, Great British Energy's Head of Local Energy Strategy Charlotte Norton, Associate Director within the Cities and Regions team at the Carbon Trust Alex Templeton - From the Net Zero Living project in Essex, and Director of Community Infrastructure Group CIC Local and community energy projects are a critical part of securing a just energy transition, ensuring all places can capitalise on the clean energy transition. This episode explores the Net Zero Living Programme [https://www.regen.co.uk/net-zero-living]'s insights in community energy, including lessons from Essex's new community interest company, to understand how local authorities and other stakeholders can support and grow the sector.

Net Zero Living 1: How we build local retrofit workforces for the future

Net Zero Living has provided funding and support to nearly 300 businesses and local authorities to adopt innovations to help their places prosper from the shift to net zero. This podcast episode draws on learnings from the Net Zero Living programme, and the recent publications of retrofit insights from the programme in Better Warmer Homes. For this episode, Poppy Maltby, Head of Local Energy at Regen, is joined by: Kate Spalding from Fife Council's Climate Change and Zero Waste Team David Pierpoint, CEO of the Retrofit Academy. We hear about the learnings from Fife Council's Net Zero Living programme which delivered a skills gap analysis for the region alongside a delivery plan to guide future skills development. Kate and David also reflect on challenges facing local retrofit supply chains, policies that can help overcome these challenges, and the opportunities that exist for local retrofit markets for delivering better, warmer homes.

RESPs and t-RESPS: local authorities and electricity networks

Regional Energy Strategic Plans - or RESPs - are a significant new development for the planning of a net zero energy system. Their purpose is to understand how the UK's energy transition is likely to play out at a regional scale - and to ensure that our energy infrastructure and networks are prepared for the scale and pace of change. With a request for information on strategic investment being sent out to Local Authorities in June and July 2025, Regen's Fraser Stewart hosts this run through of RESPs, with a focus on interim t-RESPs (transitional RESPs), and what is will be needed from local authorities with some tips of how to respond. Contributors to this episode: Fraser Stewart (host), Regen's Just Transition and Communities Lead, hosts this introduction to RESPS (as well as more interim tRESPs, or transitional RESPs). Fraser is joined by: Tom Worthington, Regional Energy Strategic Manager at NESO Kate Ashworth from Energy Capital, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority Philip Glanville, UK100 Director of Advocacy and Engagement Jonty Haynes, Principal Analyst at Regen This episode was recorded as part of the Net-Zero Living programme, funded by Innovate UK ** More information: Regen's policy insights paper [https://www.regen.co.uk/insights/a-guide-to-getting-ready-for-regional-energy-strategic-plans], produced for the Net Zero Living programme, offers advice and guidance on how to prepare institutionally for changes that may come about as a result of the RESP.