When you hear about half-billion-pound heat network projects, you probably think: carbon savings, right?

But what if I told you these massive energy infrastructure schemes are also creating apprenticeships, building local supply chains, and bringing serious inward investment to cities?

Kit Gillibrand from Hermetica Black has spent over a decade turning complex energy projects into reality – from Madagascar to Manchester. And he's got a powerful message: the best energy infrastructure projects don't just decarbonize cities, they transform them.

In this conversation, Kit explains how places like Greater Manchester are using long-term energy contracts to develop local skills, why removing government grants might actually force better decisions, and how energy infrastructure is becoming the foundation for development rather than a cost on top of it.

If you've ever wondered how these enormous projects actually get financed, built, and delivered – or why they're about so much more than just saving carbon – this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to Carbon Clarity – wherever you get your podcasts.

Things mentioned in the show:

Find Kit on LinkedIn, here.

Find Hermetica Black, here.

The Spark Gap - the difference in cost / kWh of gas and electricity. Useful article from the EcoExperts here.

The HMT Green Book - guidance for evaluating project from .Gov. Explanation provided by Thornton & Lowe here.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) - info from the Government here.

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

We talk about sustainability strategies all day long... but why do so few of them actually work on the ground?

I sat down with Mark Hingston from Cushman & Wakefield to explore one of the industry's biggest challenges: the gap between what we say we'll do and what actually happens in asset management.

We dive into:

• ✓ Why corporate sustainability plans fail at the operational level
• ✓ The criticality of data driving institutional investment decisions
• ✓ How embodied carbon is reshaping property portfolios
• ✓ Whether apprenticeships could solve our engineering skills crisis
• ✓ The surprising lessons sustainability can learn from health & safety

If you've ever wondered why your organisation's net zero commitments aren't translating into real change, this conversation will resonate.

The Strategy-Reality Gap: Mark Hingston on What's Really Happening in Asset Management is out now.

🎧 Listen to Carbon Clarity - wherever you get your podcasts.

#Sustainability #AssetManagement #RealEstate #NetZero #CarbonClarity

Things mentioned in the show:

GRESB - International framework used by investors to evaluate and benchmark real estate assets. Find out more here.

UKGBC Whole Life Net Zero Carbon Roadmap - valuable study looking at what needs to happen to meet our Net Zero goals. Find it here.

NABERS UK - Energy rating scheme that was hugely successful in Australia where it was developed, now being used in the UK. Administered by the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Here.

TCFDs - Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Now replaced by the ISSB's IFRS1 & 2, the TCFDs remain important for UK -based companies. Find out about future plans in the UK here and the replacement requirements, here.

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

Following a busy summer and various happenings at the Hut22 HQ, I'm flying solo in this episode of Carbon Clarity!

Instead of a guest, I'm bringing you three book recommendations, all of which made me think differently about climate change.

If you want to know which books to read to make you think differently too, check out the episode!

Things mentioned in the show:

• There is no planet B, by Mike Berners-Lee
• Entangled Life, by Merlin Sheldrake
• Regenesis, by George Monbiot

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

In one possible transition to low carbon heat we might spend millions on individual heat pumps for every home and building... but what if there's a smarter way to heat entire areas of our towns and cities?

In this episode, I'm talking to Andrew Cripps from Vital Energy about heat networks - the technology that's been quietly heating more of our cities than you might realise for decades, and could be the key to decarbonising homes and other buildings.

In this fascinating conversation, we explore how one energy centre can heat 10s, 100s, or even 1000s of buildings, why your terrace house might be perfect for a heat network, how data centres could warm your home, and why this relatively old solution might just be the future.

From campus systems to city-wide networks - Andrew reveals how we could transform the way Britain heats its buildings.

Ready to discover the heating revolution hiding in plain sight? Check out the episode now.

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

We spend weeks perfecting tender documents for projects we might not even win, but how much time do we spend learning from the buildings we actually build? Spoiler alert: almost none.

In this wide-ranging conversation, I discuss with Joe-Jack Williams from Bywater how the construction industry has developed a serious case of selective blindness when it comes to post-occupancy evaluation – and why it's such a missed opportunity.

But that's just one of the things we talk about!

Alongside some great insights to the use of timber in construction, Bywater's speciality, Joe-Jack takes us through challenges such as the tender-focused culture that leaves little time for actual learning, the moisture management issues that are critical for timber projects and how it all comes back to insurance! We explore why engaging insurers early unlocks timber construction potential, how moving beyond risk-transfer approaches could improve collaboration, and why the novation process creates genuine dilemmas for design teams trying to serve both contractors and clients effectively.

But here's the thing – Joe-Jack isn't just identifying challenges. He's armed with solutions. We discuss how targeted investment in trades training could transform our low-carbon transition, why post-occupancy evaluation builds better buildings AND better client relationships, and how moving beyond "standard" approaches isn't just beneficial – it's essential for meeting our embodied carbon targets.

Ready to cure construction's amnesia? This episode might just change how you think about what happens after handover.

Listen now and discover why the buildings we never revisit hold the keys to construction's future.

Things mentioned in the show:

POE / BPE: Post-Occupancy Evaluation / Building Performance Evaluation. Rigorous process of qualitative and quantitative assessment of building performance once it has been substantially occupied for a period (typically 12 months)

NABERS: CIBSE Website (CIBSE administer NABERS in the UK)

UKNZCBS: UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard. Standard developed through extensive industry collaboration setting out standards for energy and embodied carbon performance of new build and major refurbishment schemes. Currently in pilot.

EPDs: Environmental Product Declaration. Declaration from manufacturers setting out the impact of specific products impact across a range of environmental metrics.

BREEAM: Environmental impact rating system for non-domestic buildings and communities administered by the BRE. BRE also administer HQM, a similar standard for dwellings. BREEAM website.

CIBSE: Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

Novation: The practice of formally transferring members of a construction project design team between clients - typically from the land owner / developer / etc to the main contractor. Usually happens prior to development of the detailed design. More on Freeths website.

RIBA: Royal Insti

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

We all know we need to cut carbon emissions... but what about the carbon that's already out there?

I recently sat down with Garrett Boudinot, founder of Vy-Carb, and he shared a really powerful perspective. He says it's not just about fixing the leaky tap – it's also about mopping up all the water that's already spilled!

Mitigation, reducing our emissions, is absolutely non-negotiable, but if we're serious about hitting our climate targets, we have to think about actively removing and storing carbon too.

Garrett explains both carbon capture and storage, what options are available and the limitations of the technologies out there. He also does a great job of explaining the chemistry of carbon in the ocean so even I can understand it!

From rocks to reactors, and permanence to policy – this one’s packed with insight and impact. If you want to understand why mitigation alone won’t cut it – check out this episode of Carbon Clarity.

Don't forget to like, leave a review, subscribe and share!

Things mentioned on the show:

Garrett Boudinot: Find out more about our guest here.

VyCarb: Technology solution to accelerate natural processes for long-term carbon storage. Find out more on their website here and LinkedIn here.

AtDepth: Research group providing data for evidence-based ocean-focused decision making. Read about their work here.

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

What do electric vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, and satellites all have in common?

They rely on a complex, often invisible web of elements – rare earths and critical minerals – pulled from the ground, refined across borders, and essential to our transition to a net-zero carbon future.

But here’s the catch – the term “critical” isn’t as clear-cut as it sounds. It depends on who you ask, where you’re standing, and what you need.

In this episode, we dig deep into the world of critical minerals:

• What makes a mineral critical?
• Who decides?
• And just how secure are the global supply chains we’re relying on to power a cleaner world?

We’re joined by Gavin Mudd, Director of the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre at the British Geological Survey – a leading voice in the field, and someone who’s been tracking the geology, the politics, and the pressure points for decades.

This is more than a conversation about rocks – it’s about geopolitics, sustainability, and the race for resources in the 21st century.

Things mentioned in the episode:

Gavin’s LinkedIn page: LinkedIn

Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre: CMIC Website

British Geological Survey: BGS Website

Interactive periodic table: Periodic Table - Ptable - Properties - State at - °C

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

In this episode, I'm joined by the incredible Brian Eversham, CEO of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire WIldlife Trust and absolute nature guru!

We discuss the critical state of nature in the UK in the context of being one of the most nature depleted places on the planet. We talk about the specific impacts of climate change and how agriculture is a major factor in wildlife decline but could also be a big part of saving it, and Brian tells me about the incredible work the Trust is doing, from the Great Fens project to the reintroduction of beavers.

This episode is packed full of eye-opening information and fascinating insights from a naturalist with more experience than you could shake a native stick at. You don't want to miss it!

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet