Published: March 2025
Speaker: John Rathbone (Rathco Engineering)
Format: Video
Duration: ~50 minutes
Why We Recommend It?
This video is one of the clearest and most thoughtful explainers on renewable energy systems for buildings. Whether you’re working in climate, energy, or buildings—especially if you’re a non-technical stakeholder—these 50 minutes will boost your confidence in discussing heat pumps, geo-exchange, solar, and more. It connects the dots between technologies, explains trade-offs and complementarities, and delivers complex ideas in plain, practical language. With a refreshing mix of technical clarity and real-world insight, it explores the key systems that can decarbonize space heating and domestic hot water—while also addressing human biases, cost considerations, and system sizing. A must-watch foundational resource for anyone navigating the “how” of transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Key Takeaways
- Space heating and domestic hot water are the largest emission sources in buildings—and must be prioritized in decarbonization plans.
- Feasibility studies should consider technical, financial, and organizational (people) factors to ensure successful adoption.
- Air-source and geo-exchange heat pumps, wastewater heat recovery, district energy, and biomass are all viable technologies—each with trade-offs depending on site conditions.
- Understanding heat transfer fundamentals (e.g., how heat pumps work) is crucial to selecting and optimizing systems.
- Technologies must be right-sized to the building and context—there’s no one-size-fits-all.
Next Steps & Related Reading...
- Want real-world inspiration? Explore our Case Studies to see these technologies in action.
- Worried about high costs? Visit our Funding & Financing section to discover grants, rebates, and incentive programs that can help.
- Interested in a specific topic? Contact us to suggest new resources or request an event—we’d love to hear from you.