In this episode we're talking about
Zero Bills Homes, so we welcome back
Nigel Banks, this time accompanied by his Octopus colleague
Emma Fletcher*.
We're not directly
talking Fabric Fifth again but the concept is central to the Octopus zero bills strategy i.e. prioritising decarbonising energy use and reducing the cost of energy use rather than focusing on reducing energy demand through fabric measures. As before, basic fabric standards are required in order to make the proposition financially viable.
As you might imagine, Jeff was keen to dig into the technical and performance side, so Nigel explains what’s going on in the standard and what they know about how well it’s functioning and Emma fills us in on how it's shaping up to evolve into a building standard in its own right.
We're particularly keen because—although we might be sceptical, which we discuss—the action that Octopus is initiating will raise standards and will shape expectations that will influence the whole residential construction sector, and could go some way to catalysing the bridging of the skills gap.
*She, too, works at Octopus Energy—she is not an actual octopus.
Notes from the show
**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.
- Follow us on the Zero Ambitions LinkedIn page (we still don't have a proper website)
- Jeff and Dan about Zero Ambitions Partners (the consultancy) for help with positioning and communications strategy, customer/user research and engagement strategy, carbon calculations and EPDs – we're up to all sorts
- Subscribe and advertise with Passive House Plus (UK edition here too)
- Check Lloyd Alter's Substack: Carbon Upfront
- Join ACAN
- Join the AECB
- Join the IGBC
- Check out Her Retrofit Space, the renovation and retrofit platform for women
**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).