Good sources for following the NetZero/Decarbonisation issues 

My “go-to” decarbonising social housing sources

Recently Dave O’Connor,  a tenant of Powys Council attended TPAS Cymru’s The Ultimate Introduction to Low Energy Housing. After the event, Dave wrote to me asking where I got my online news and what chat discussions I followed.

The following is the bulk of my email reply to him, and I thought I would share it here as blog post for those interested in following decarbonisation discussions.

Before I get started, let me just say there are so many forums, social media platforms and individuals that I respect out there it’s impossible to list them all, but here are some of my main sources:

Real user experience:  On Reddit, there is a good heatpump forum called /heatpumps where people chat about their heatpumps, swap tips and advice and you get to see how real people get on with them (worldwide). It can get a bit techie at times, but it’s worth a look.

Global news and reports:  The person I follow for up to date Global/Euro NetZero stats, reports and consequently interesting comments section is Dr Jan Rosenow

I personally choose to follow him on the Mastodon platform and not Twitter because I find that the Mastodon platform has fewer trolls and therefore you can have more rational discussions than on Twitter,  but you can also find him on Twitter.  

Also on Mastodon you can follow hashtags like Heatpumps etc which I have a saved selection to see what people are discussing.

NetZero Housing

1. Someone I have great respect for in NetZero housing is Tania Jennings of Ealing Council - I follow her via LinkedIn

She is fascinating to follow and because she is well respected her posts usually have lots of engagement and discussion which can bring valuable insight to the post content.

2. For updates on new suppliers, product development and news I follow Sustainable Energy Centre (in Newport).  Kassie Williams and Eve Bruten have built something really special in Newport and social media is a good place to follow updates in the supply chain.  

Decarb developments in Wales, there are some great sources of quality information – my top picks are:

1. For what’s happening in Welsh housing, at Government level, then you need to follow Malcolm. His posts are topical and really valuable if you want to know what’s going on in Wales. Malcolm Davies, Welsh Govt Decarbonisation Division

2. For wider society decarbonisation/climate change in Wales the following 2 are worth following, not just because they post interesting and topical content but they both attract good, varied engagement and insight in the comments sections which helps bring different perspectives to issues:

i. Lee Waters MS, Deputy Minister for Climate Change

ii. Gareth Clubb  (someone I respect on environmental issues in Wales)

For inspiring video/podcast content – Everything Electric Show - this my favourite Youtube channel that features a variety of topics such as housing, new home heating, electric cars etc. It is run by Robert Llewelyn (of 90s TV show Red Dwarf fame), and the channel is entertaining and features a lot of new ideas for housing.  

As with other influencers above, the golden insight is often in comment sections! 

They have done a feature in Wales with Sero project in Tonyrefail that is worth watching

They are some great discussions to be had – this is where I learnt about heat batteries and one particular podcast by Everything Electric Show (signposted to me by Lee Waters MS on LinkedIn) blew me away and made me re-evaluate Hydrogen and the significant challenges it faces as ever being an option as a home energy source. I’d recommend this one as well worth a listen/watch….How Clean is Hydrogen, Actually? With Prof. David Cebon

What about TikTok ?

There is a lot of concern about this Chinese tech firm’s approach to privacy and data protection, but that algorithm knows my kink is NetZero housing and they serve me good content on my FYP!!

I do follow ASTECTherm and Intrared Heating Ireland for radiant heating, and AllenHart999 for heatpumps, but in reality, the TikTok algorithm via the FYP page serves me relevant NetZero content from a wide range of sources (incl. Housing providers) but to be honest, I find the comments sections just as interesting as the content!

Finally, 4 ways on how TPAS Cymru can help you stay up to date:

1. We have some excellent training for members on the challenge of NetZero housing – aimed at staff, tenants and new board members. The feedback so far from attendees has been very positive. Get in touch to find out the next training dates.  

2. Get in touch with Hannah our NetZero Engagement Lead. She has lots of resources and insight into how others are approaching the housing challenge and how to engage tenants. Hannah also runs a regular calendar of events, visits and shares useful social media content.    

3. Housing staff – join our dedicated NetZero Facebook page  

4. And of course, follow us on social media – our Youtube and TikTok channels particularly have some great NetZero content.

So – what/who have I missed?  Who do you follow? Do you have any tips? Let me know!

David Wilton, CEO, TPAS Cymru