I started working life as a mechanical engineer and refrigeration engineer. My interest in heat pumps stemmed from work at the Centre for Alternative Technology in 1980’s. At that time I started manufacturing one-off heat pump systems. When the first UK grants started (Clear Skies), I was inspector for BRE who administrated the first scheme. More info at heatpumps.co.uk I am keen to support community projects and am happy to work in schemes where funding is limited.

Tell us about one or more experience of your work with Renew…

I helped Hermon Community Centre who had an air source heat pump system installed. The basic equipment was reasonably good, but some of the details of the system were not configured correctly. To understand how the system was performing, I fitted an Open-Source internet monitoring system (openenergymonitor.org).

What is your vision of your region in 2050?

We live in a very energy-wasteful society. There seem to be a lot of companies promoting add-on green fixes in a bid to save energy. In my view, this is not always the best approach. I am interested in fine-tuning our existing systems and believe that a great deal can be saved by good maintenance and good housekeeping coupled with modifications where necessary. It’s nice to keep things simple if possible, and we need a long-term view.