BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
Nathan Gambling BetaTeach
"Nathan is brilliant at making the complicated simple..." Amber Rudd (Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 2015-16)
BetaTalk is an award winning podcast for Local Authorities, Social Housing Groups, Think Tanks, Government, Journalists, Consultants, Developers, Gas, Oil and Heat Pump engineers and the general public.
It is hosted by Nathan Gambling who's family have been involved with heat pump technologies for nearly half a century.
"Nathan is one of the UK's clean heat leaders, so I always watch him closely..." Chris Stark (former CEO of the Climate Change Committee and Head of UK Gov. Mission Control)
The podcast features guests from the policy world as well as some of the UK's remarkable heating engineers. It discusses challenges and opportunities with decarbonised heating.
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Top 10 BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
District Heating, Heat Networks, Solar Heat Networks part 1
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
07/24/20 • 32 min
Guests: Ingo Leusbrock Head of department "Cities and Networks" at AEE Institute For Sustainable Technologie a Non-profit research institute in Gleisdorf, Austria https://www.aee-intec.at/index.php?lang=en
Research and demonstration on renewable energy and energy and resource efficiency with strong focus on the thermal.
This includes district heating and cooling, but also spatial energy planning, Positive Energy Districts. With main projects / contribution:
- ThermaFLEX, national flagship project with 27 partners on concept development and demonstration of "flexibility measures" in district heating
- Participant in IEA DHC and IEA EBC annexes / tasks in this field
David Watson: Director of the Heat Trust, an independent, not for profit consumer champion for customers on heat networks. David has worked in energy policy for over 20 years and was most recently the Director of group strategy at Centrica where he worked on decarbonisation of heat policy/strategy https://www.heattrust.org/the-scheme
Paul Hull: Managing Director of https://www.thecommerciagroup.co.uk/ an award winning commercial and domestic heating company. Paul is one of Nathan's favourite commercial heating engineers. He is also the campaign director of https://www.gssh.co.uk/ which promotes gas safety in the UK
01.40 Are solar thermal heat networks popular in the UK
02.24 The role heat networks can play in the decarbonisation of heat
04.00 how renewable technology has been installed but is not being used
05.55 Protecting the customer and regulation and policy
06.45 Austrian heat networks and the work Are Intech does, 3,500 district heating systems all over Austria
10.40 Solar Heat networks in Europe
12.50 how solar thermal got a bad name and is not being talked about
13.45 Heat network providers, customer assurance, customer protection and the work the Heat Trust do
16:28 Kensa’s district heat system
17:45 Hybrid heat networks. But not perhaps biomass. Easy user controls
20:00 Hydrogen’s role in heat and hydrogen ready. Hydrogen networks
23:30 Quality management programmes, spacial energy planning and support from Europe to help the UK with SolarHeat heat networks, spacial energy planning
26:50 Redeveloped heat networks and retrofit heat networks. National energy policy and strategy devolving to regional, local level design making. Starting with energy efficiency.
29:00 Ageing district heating systems
29: 30 Demineralised water VDI2035 for district heating systems to protect corrosion
1 Listener
Community Energy Projects, Energy Hubs & Local Area Energy Plans
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
02/17/21 • 51 min
Local Area Energy Plans are something this seasons sponsors Energy Systems Catapult are keen to promote. Different parts of the country will require different stratagies to decarbonise heat, distribute power and organise transport. In the episode Nathan talks to community hero John Talylor who is involved with Greater South East Energy Hub, one of the five energy hubs across the country. Energy Hubs are made up of local enterprise partnerships such as New Anglia in Nathan's region.
John discusses what funding is available to local communities (e.g. Rural Community Energy Fund) and who can access it.
John knows his stuff, he really does and it was great for Nathan to learn more about how regional energy stratagies are in a way the more localised version of the National Carbon budgets the CCC work on.
A few local projects such as Swaffham Prior which is looking at having a heat network are discussed as well as UK Power Network and their work on future energy scenarios.
Great episode.
Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky
Big Heat Pumps - Talking to Dave Pearson from Star Renewable Energy
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
09/18/21 • 68 min
Big heat pumps powering district heat networks is the topic of conversation. Nathan chats with a well known figure from the vapour compression industry Dave Pearson, the Group Sustainable Development Director from Star Renewable Energy.
Star Renewable Energy, based in Glasgow, Scotland is responsible for the world’s largest 90°C natural heat pump for district heating based in Drammen, Norway.
Star uses ammonia, a naturally occurring refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential for their heat pumps. They have just built the water source heat pump for the Clyde Bank district heating system run by West Dunbartonshire Council.
As well as chatting big heat pumps Nathan speaks to Dave about his business model idea for decarbonising domestic heat.
At the end of this episode Nathan speaks with Jayesh about transitioning to heat pumps for the Optimized Retrofit Bulletin
Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky
Protons for Breakfast - Flow Temp and HTC Measurements
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
04/23/22 • 64 min
Is Transitioning from a Gas Engineer to Heat Pump Engineer Challenging?
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
12/18/22 • 67 min
Heating Industry Diversity
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
08/04/22 • 40 min
Nathan is a big supporter of diversity within the heating industry and this special episode is the first ever BetaTalk podcast takeover e.g. Nathan is not in it.
The episode has been hosted by three remarkable women who are involved in plumbing and heating: Sovey, Leah and Rhiannon. They interviewed one of Nathan's friends Andy who has been involved in the industry for quite some time.
A fun packed episode with all kinds of interesting stuff
Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky
Gas Safety Week 2019 with Gas Safety Super Heroes and the Gas Safe Register
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
09/19/19 • 54 min
Gas Safety Week raises awareness within the heating industry and Nathan has been joined by Paul Hull from the Gas Safety Super Heroes and Rob Howard from Gas Safe to discuss the various topics surrounding gas safety.
Topics Discussed
- What happens on your first gas safe inspection
- Personal CO alarms
- Training issues, problems and ACS
- Could manufactures play a larger role in gas safety
- Regardthecard
BetaTalk Revision H&S 3(a) Ladders and Step ladders
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
09/11/19 • 8 min
Ladder and Step Ladder safety and common exam questions
RAG vs. Hallucinations: The Truth About AI in the Trades
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
05/14/25 • 50 min
Episode Description: Host Nathan dives into the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence and its potential impact on the plumbing and heating industry. Joining him are Barrie and Amrit from Lorefuly, experts in leveraging technology for the trades.
Key Discussion Points:
- The Hallucination Hazard: The trio discusses the crucial issue of Large Language Model (LLM) "hallucinations" – where AI systems confidently present inaccurate or fabricated information. This raises serious concerns about relying solely on unverified AI content.
- RAG to the Rescue: The Power of Accurate Data: Barrie and Amrit explain the concept of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and its importance in ensuring AI provides reliable and trustworthy information. By grounding AI responses in curated and accurate data, RAG offers a pathway to creating genuinely useful resources for professionals in the field.
- Lorefuly & BetaTeach at the Installer Show 2025: Exciting news! Lorefuly and BetaTeach will be showcasing their AI-powered solutions at the Installer Show 2025 at the NEC. Find out how they are harnessing AI to benefit plumbers and heating engineers.
- OEM Opportunities: Heating appliance manufacturers can get involved in this innovative initiative! Learn how OEMs can contribute their expertise and data to create valuable AI-driven tools for installers.
- Pre-Show Webinars: Stay informed! Nathan, Barrie, and Amrit announce upcoming webinars (first one here: https://tinyurl.com/BetaTalk-AI designed to provide more details on how OEMs can participate and the benefits of getting involved.
Mentioned:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Hallucination (in AI)
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
- Lorefuly
- BetaTeach
- Installer Show 2025 (NEC)
- Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky
Heat Pumps and Solar Heat - The Challenges and Complexities of Installing Low Carbon Technologies
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast
07/03/20 • 31 min
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify and iTunes and find this episode also on the BetaTeach Youtube Channel. Please leave a good review to help others interested in these essential topics find us through search engines.
Heat Pump podcasts I imagine a few and far between. This one likes to meet the engineers installing heat pumps, solar thermal systems etc. to see and understand the challenges which they face. Engineers are at the front line of installing renewable technology and have different vantage points to other cohorts interested in reducing CO2 emissions and reaching net zero targets.
- 01:25 Ken discusses how consumers are becoming more aware of the low carbon and renewable technologies available to them
- 02:49 Leia from Your Energy Your Way chats about the RHI and whole house retrofit and the cost of a heat pump
- 04:10 Rob from Solarflair education of heating engineers
- 05:30 Nathan mentions how the gas industry has trained engineers and how high efficiency boilers are not efficient if on inefficient heating systems
- 07:06 Leia - changing radiators for heat pump systems and the importance of rom by room heat loss calculations
- 08:23 wet heating systems and how many radiators are oversized and perfect for low temp heating systems
- 10:00 fabric first and the second law of thermodynamics
- 10:35 heat pumps matching heat loss and insulation requirements. Hybrid and bivalent heating systems
- 11:35 High temp heat pumps and MCS rules
- 12:09 MCS accreditation and the struggle with DNO form filling
- 14:00 DNO District Network Operators and Energy Network Association
- 16:46 Concerns with overload and amps. AC and DC and Substations
- 19:44 A 12kW heat pump does not require a 12kW electrical supply
- 21:06 COP goes down in the winter, low temp heating systems and heat calculations
- 24:11 Solar heat and solar thermal hybrid heating systems. Glycol stagnation and refract testing
- 26: 35 Integration of solar thermal with buffer tank and buffer size
- 29:30 Airing cupboard and roof space for heat pumps and how solar thermal is more efficient than PV with small roof space
Learn more about heat pump heating by following
Nathan on Linkedin, Twitter and BlueSky
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FAQ
How many episodes does BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast have?
BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast currently has 161 episodes available.
What topics does BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast cover?
The podcast is about News, Plumbing, Energy, Tech News, Climate Change, Podcasts, Technology and Sustainability.
What is the most popular episode on BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast?
The episode title 'District Heating, Heat Networks, Solar Heat Networks part 1' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast?
The average episode length on BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast is 53 minutes.
How often are episodes of BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast released?
Episodes of BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast are typically released every 11 days, 3 hours.
When was the first episode of BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast?
The first episode of BetaTalk - The Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Heating Podcast was released on Aug 12, 2019.
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