Nesta

Visit A Heat Pump: booking now open 🎉 Curious about getting a heat pump? Interested to see one in real life? We’ve just launched a new service that connects people interested in getting a heat pump with local heat pump owners. 🔎 Find a heat pump near you 📅 Arrange a visit to see one in action 💬 Ask your questions to those who know best With only 250,000 heat pumps in the UK, many people don’t get the chance to see this green technology in real life. We want to make it easier for people to learn about heat pumps in a real-world setting so more people have confidence in low-carbon options for their homes. VisitAHeatPump.com #VisitAHeatPump

New data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero shows that UK electricity prices rose to levels higher than those in any other EU country whereas gas prices were among the lowest. Household consumers in the UK faced higher electricity prices in the second half of 2023 than those in any of the 27 EU countries – standing at £0.36 per kWh (all taxes and levies included). Gas prices were the 9th least expensive compared to 27 EU countries and the 2nd least expensive compared to the 14 countries that were members of the EU prior to 2004, standing at £0.08 per kWh. Demand was much lower too - due to higher bills and warmer weather. As electricity prices are coupled with volatile natural gas prices, the cost of electricity remains high even if household gas prices are lower. The high electricity-to-gas price ratio in the UK strains household budgets and slows down decarbonisation. The experience of other countries shows it doesn’t have to be this way. It's vital that the next UK government tackles the high price of electricity: https://lnkd.in/eX-Y-ZVd

Seismic choices await the next UK Government on net zero, according to major report from UK 2040 Options. The UK’s carbon emission targets are off track and urgent action is needed to accelerate the pace and breadth of decarbonisation. A new report from UK 2040 Options combines data, analysis and policy expertise from subject experts working on energy, climate and net zero policy. 🔵 The UK has slashed emissions by 50% since 1990 but is now off track to meet future targets 🔵 The UK must urgently expand the electricity grid, with demand expected to increase by 50% by 2035 🔵 The UK must increase its energy security to insulate it from future shocks - buying gas on the wholesale market during the energy crisis cost the UK economy £75 billion 🔵 A fundamental shift in the economics underpinning the energy sector is required, from high operational costs to high capital investment and lower running costs Read the fundamental facts on the UK transition to net zero: https://lnkd.in/e2J_5pC4 The next UK Government will need to make big choices to plan for and power the net zero transition, pay for it, deliver it, and protect vulnerable households along the way. 🟢 How managed or market-led an approach to take to planning and delivering the transition 🟢 How proactive and decisive to be about power generation, beyond renewables 🟢 How to fund the transition and capture benefits from industrial strategy 🟢 How to engage the public to build support and avoid blow-back 🟢 The shape and function of institutional reform needed - whether at the centre, through devolution, or outside government Read more about the choices facing the next UK Government: https://lnkd.in/eb4vWEgx

How can the next UK government save the NHS? Part of the answer lies in getting serious about primary prevention. The old saying is true- prevention is better than cure. But Britain is getting sicker. The average person is spending more years living with illness and things are projected to get worse. Research from The Health Foundation has said that by 2040 the number of working-age people living with illness will rise by 25%. Spending on health needs to increase, but that won’t be enough - we need to take prevention seriously. According to the Institute For Fiscal Studies, by halving the growth of chronic conditions we can save £200bn by 2040. Turning the tide on Britain’s health will require preventing illness from occurring in the first place - and should be critical to any plan to save the NHS. https://bit.ly/4eEUPjE

New report 📢 Clean heat: coordinating the switch street by street Relying on individual households switching to low-carbon heating won’t get us to net-zero at the pace required. How could a coordinated approach to switching homes to low-carbon heating work? Our report details our latest thinking on a blueprint for the coordinated switching of areas to low-carbon heat. Using insight from across the industry this maps out the groups involved - from householders to national planners - and their roles. It lays out the processes that would need to be in place to make this work. 👇 https://bit.ly/45Hk6Wg

This week we're at #InstallerShow2024, the UK's biggest event for heat, water, air and energy technology professionals, to talk about our sustainable future mission. Here's what we got up to at stand 54HH on our first day: 🏡 A live talk about our Visit a Heat Pump service 🤖 Unveiling our heat pump chatbot prototype 🔥 Discussing how to flex heat pump use to shift demand 🎲 Building a low carbon town with our stand visitors, using our interactive game We're at Installer Show until 27 June - come along to our stand for our upcoming talks on heat pump installer tips, findings from our heat pump engineer survey and more ➡️ installershow.com

NEW: UK heat pump installers are being held back by staff and skills shortages, slowing down the rate of heat pump adoption the UK needs to meet our carbon emission targets. Results of the UK’s largest survey of heat pump engineers have been released today, by Nesta, IMS Heat Pumps Limited's Emma Bohan, and Nathan Gambling, industry expert, host of the BetaTalk & BetaTeach podcast and director of Jouln. Here are our key findings ⬇️ 🧑🔧 Many heat pump businesses reported that a lack of trained engineers is preventing them from installing more heat pumps and growing their business. 81% of respondents with 6 or more staff reporting that they were likely or very likely to employ new staff in the next 12 months. 💰 Many heat pump engineers believe that high installation costs or cheaper alternatives are to blame for low customer demand, suggesting additional finance schemes for heat pump installations are needed. 🔧 Skills shortages are holding heat pump businesses back with many saying that the training of apprenticeships needs to be improved. 📝Installers reported that administrative tasks are a larger barrier to engineers than tasks relating to the physical installation of a heat pump Nesta research suggests around 37,000 engineers are needed by 2030 to install enough heat pumps to decarbonise homes and meet the UK’s net zero commitments. Our survey shows a dedicated heat pump workforce exists, but the sector needs better training to meet skills gaps and more financing to boost demand. Read the full results: https://bit.ly/3zeQNhP

NEW analysis by Nesta finds that 1 in 3 fast food meals in Great Britain contain more than double the number of recommended calories. Our first-of-its-kind research looked at the meals purchased from the ‘out of home’ sector and its impact on diets: 🍟 Researchers found that a fifth of all out of home meals bought – whether from fast food outlets, restaurants, cafes or sandwich counters – contain at least 1,300 kcal. 🥪 Three-fifths exceed the recommended level of 600 kcals per meal, including meal deals that have an average calorie content of 730 kcal. 🥡 Across Great Britain two-thirds of adults are living with excess weight. With approximately 60% of people purchasing out of home meals once a week, these calorie-dense meals are making it harder for people to lead healthier lives. Lauren Bowes Byatt, Deputy Director of Nesta’s health team said “we need to see new policies targeted at the out of home sector that make a meaningful difference to the excess calories we consume. Our work suggests this is possible without reducing the joy we take from food.” Read our full analysis and recommendations: https://bit.ly/3Vwqueq

How can we empower people to improve government performance? On Tuesday 23 July we will be joined by UCL Associate Professor Dan Honig to explore how empowerment-oriented management can cultivate a motivated government workforce. Dan will be joined by our Chief Practices Officer James Plunkett to discuss his latest book: Mission Driven Bureaucrats. This talk is part of Mission Public, an initiative from Nesta and a range of partners that is helping to define the techniques of mission-driven government. Interested in joining this free online event? 👉 Register to attend and receive event details and reminders straight to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4c6yk5l 📆 Tuesday 23 July, 12:00-13:00