Getting real about energy research and making heat pumps chic, with Mike Fell (UCL; pump:chic)

This week we're joined by Mike Fell, energy researcher at UCL, amongst many other things.

We've been following Mike's work for a while, (mainly because the pump:chic work is really interesting to us) and when we clocked he's co-authored this paper about realist approaches in energy research we saw an opportunity to bring him onto the podcast.

Realist approaches ask not just ‘what works?’, but ‘for whom does it work, under what circumstances, and why?', all good subjects for enquiry in any project.

It's much less academic than it might sound. We think it's a really valuable way of approaching research so we wanted to talk with Mike about how he's been using the approach and give us a chance to promote it all to our listeners.

We also want folk to check out all the other interesting things he's up to as well. Check the links below.


Notes from the show

• Realist approaches in energy research, by Mike Fell, Katy Roelich, and Lucie Middlemiss (this link should be fine but if anyone has any problems do let us know)
• The Baking Forecast Twitter account
• ShouldIBake.com
• The power of getting real(ist), a blog about the paper, for if you want to dip in quickly
• The pump:chic website 
• Mike's pump:chic glamour photography Instagram account
• Nathan Gambling's LinkedIn post that we mention
• Mike's blog about Airbnb: Peer-to-peer energy: what can we learn from more than a decade of Airbnb
• Mike's blog about energy access: How fair is flexibility?
• Mike's website for his art projects, like the Mechanical Choir that we mentioned

Retrofit Reimagined
If you're nearby Glasgow on 11 November, go!


**SOME SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION**
We don't actually earn anything from this, and it's quite a lot of work, so we have to promote the day jobs.

• Jeff, Alex, and Dan about websites, branding, and communications - [e-mail]; Everything is User Experience
• Follow us on the Zero Ambitions LinkedIn page
• Subscribe and advertise with Passive House Plus (UK edition here too)
• Check Lloyd's Substack: Carbon Upfront
• Join ACAN
• Join the AECB 
• Join the IGBC
• Check out Her Own Space, the renovation and retrofit platform for women (but not in a patronising way)

**END OF SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION**

What is Zero Ambitions Podcast?

Zero Ambitions is a consultancy and weekly podcast about sustainability and the built environment.

We find interesting and experienced guests who know what they're talking about, usually to discuss how we navigate the complexity of decarbonisation and sustainability in the built environment and its many related sectors.

The success of the podcast has seen it grow into a consultancy, Zero Ambitions Partners. The consultancy works with blue chip clients, public sector institutions, and niche-market innovators that operate in the built environment, advising about the development and delivery of sustainability strategy and how it should be communicated.

Hosted by Jeff Colley (Passive House Plus), Dan Hyde (Everything is User Experience) and Alex Blondin (Everything is User Experience).