5 Minutes with Bean Beanland

Having attended last year’s Installer Show, Collingwood’s Head of Building Products, Mark Goldsmith, was fascinated to listen to a panel session including the Heat Pump Federation’s Director of Growth & External Affairs, Bean Beanland.

Given Bean’s authority in the HVAC industry, Mark was eager to sit down and learn more about his work and views on the industry.

Here’s what they discussed:

Mark: You and Evan Davis have been presenting the Happy Heat Pump Podcast for some time now, Bean. With this proving to be extremely popular, you’ve decided to build in live, community events, primarily aimed at consumers. What gave you both the idea to do this and what are you hoping these events provide the public?

Bean: Actually, the live community events came first. These started very soon after we launched the Federation, initially as Internet sessions during the COVID-19 lock down. The growth in demand is very marked this year, with engagements running at twice the rate of this time last year, and most are now in-person events. We’re finding that the hunger amongst consumers for a genuine grown-up conversation on the energy transition is enormous. The transition topic is very much the main course, with a side salad of heat pump chat. We appreciate that the audiences are self-selecting, so don’t represent the whole of society, but knowledge and improved understanding is making a difference to their ability to make informed decisions. The podcast very much supports this consumer engagement programme, being aimed at homeowners, rather than at industry. Thus far, the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Evan has a genuine interest in the whole energy transition, and is concerned that the majority of consumers know very little about the core decarbonisation technologies. The podcast is our contribution to bettering that understanding.

Mark: Over the coming months the Heat Pump Federation is exploring the viability of, and educating both consumers and the commercial world about carbon credits for heat. As a snapshot, can you see a massive benefit to them in the adoption of heat pumps?

Bean: We’ve long harboured a desire to establish whether carbon credits for building decarbonisation in the UK can stand up to scrutiny. It seems to me that verifying whether a fossil fuel has been removed from 45 Arcadia Avenue is rather easier than establishing whether ten trees have been planted in the Amazon, and it seems that several entities that are active in this area now agree. The value of each individual carbon credit is likely to be modest but, for some consumers, it could make the difference in terms of financial viability, especially whilst government persists in maintaining an unhelpfully high spark gap here in the UK (the ration between gas and electricity prices). However, for those willing and able to, not only take decarbonising actions in their own homes, but to also support the future activities of others, by contributing to preparing the workforce of the future, I believe that our concept of an educational trust could be an enormous force for good.

Mark: I’ve been privy to one global manufacture’s forecast for growth from increased UK adoption of heat pumps. Awareness and growth are clearly not in question, but what’s your opinion on the UKs readiness in relation to policies and regulations?

Bean: The reality is that we are not yet at a point when awareness and growth can be taken for granted. Heat pump sales in the UK are growing, not fast enough yet, but at a rate of 43% year on year, on average, for the last four years. However, sales in some parts of Europe are in reverse. There are many political reasons for this, but we must learn those lessons fast, to ensure that we do not follow a backward trend. Indeed, we need rather more than 43% growth between now and 2028, if we are to close in on the current government aspiration for 600,000 dwellings to be decarbonised per annum. The current government has come out of the blocks very quickly on macro-energy policy, particularly in terms of decarbonising electricity generation. The appointment of the talismanic Chris Stark to lead on zero carbon generation by 2030 is a clear statement of intent. However, on heat, particularly domestic heat, the messaging has been mixed, leaving consumers confused at best. Hydrogen remains on the table, in the face of overwhelming UK and off-shore research that says valuable green hydrogen must be prioritised for industrial decarbonisation, and there is no clear and unequivocal statement from No.10, that the electrification of heat is the chosen pathway. Statements around “not telling people what to do in their own homes” are unhelpful. Homeowners and landlords need absolute clarity, coupled to robust and meaningful advice, and to realistic timescales to respond and react. This takes us back to the Federation providing forums for the required grown-up conversations.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Government is making baby-steps progress and the wider decarbonisation sector is doing a great deal to help itself. At the political level, various players are working on mechanisms to resolve the spark gap in a way that does not leave people behind and disadvantaged, and initiatives are in place to provide opportunities to “try before you buy”, where consumers can visit existing heat pump installations, see and hear, and learn from those who have already taken the energy transition.  On the presentational front, the heat pump sector is learning from the EV market, in highlighting the improvements in heating lived experience and comfort, rather than headlining with the climate change message.

Mark: Although a longstanding issue within the wider building product industry, HVAC, and heat pumps in particular, are being hit hard by a lack of skilled workers. What is the Federation’s take on this, and have you witnessed any innovative approaches to tackling the issue?

Bean: Every industrial and built environment sector in the UK is suffering from a lack of skills. This is a direct result of deindustrialisation policies that have been prevalent for decades. It may be possible to export the manufacture of goods (although I think that this has been proven to be a severe mistake), but all the work required to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, and to decarbonise them, has to be done here, on-shore. Others in the sector are putting in a great deal of effort to improve training and to repurpose the existing fossil fuel workforce, and the new Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship is a tangible attempt to tackle the short term pipeline for skills. The Federation is concentrating its efforts on pipelining the pipeline; that is, growing the base from primary school learning. The apprentice who does their first piece of work in 2035, be it in respect of generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, EV chargers, PV, batteries, insulation, heat networks or heat pumps, is currently in Primary education. We simply must engage with children at this age and, critically, we can no longer afford to walk away from girls when encouraging children down the pathway towards an on-the-tools career. In my own sector, jobs in heat no longer involve smelly oil and gas, heat is now “digital, not dirty”. It’s also imperative that we talk to parents to reassure them that roles in the low carbon sector are not only emotionally rewarding and great for society, they also have the potential to be extremely well paid. We must recognise that aspiration can no longer be restricted to a university education. It is essential that the current review of the national curriculum recognises the duty of education to prepare the workforce that society needs in the future. It is a very happy coincidence that what society needs can also serve our young people extremely well.

Mark: From what I heard at last year’s Installer Show, there is far more collaboration between manufacturers across the whole building product market. For example, HVAC are now partnering with insulation and fenestration manufacturers in making complete solutions. What’s your view on this and how is the federation coordinating such activity?

Bean: It is true that we need a much more holistic approach to energy efficiency and decarbonisation. The ability to advise homeowners and landlords in such an approach is a particular, and all too rare, skill set. However, in bundling up a range of interventions for any given building, we must recognise that specific expertise remains a core component. Correct selection and deployment of insulation is essential. There is, sadly, plenty of evidence where this has not happened. In my world, heat pump expertise is a must. Ours is not yet a commoditised product, and may not be during the transitional period. But this is not new. We have been through great energy transitions before, and have come out the other side. By concentrating on delivering the best possible outcomes and by taking the opportunities that the transition presents to deliver some serious social good, we will not only come out the other side, but can do so in a way that leaves us all with warmer and more efficient homes.

The Happy Heat Pump Podcast is available via all the usual podcast platforms including their YouTube channel, Apple and Spotify.

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