WEBVTT 00:00:06.830 --> 00:00:10.490 This is the Decarbonisation Dialogue, a podcast 00:00:10.490 --> 00:00:13.689 from Salix. Welcome to Delivering on Climate 00:00:13.689 --> 00:00:16.429 Change, our collective challenge. I am Hannah 00:00:16.429 --> 00:00:18.670 Walker and I believe that the best way to communicate 00:00:18.670 --> 00:00:21.050 a message is by being passionate about what you 00:00:21.050 --> 00:00:23.530 are talking about. Through that passion, I believe 00:00:23.530 --> 00:00:26.269 you take people with you and create action using 00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:28.710 your influence to make change and make a difference. 00:00:29.269 --> 00:00:32.850 Our task today is to get all of us to net zero. 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:37.380 Welcome to my guests today, and that is Josh 00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:41.840 Steele and Stan Thomas. Josh Steele is Chair 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:47.259 of the Young Engineers Network, and Stan is Deputy 00:00:47.259 --> 00:00:50.340 Chair of the Young Engineers Network. The network 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:52.700 is for those in the first 10 years of their career. 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:55.460 It is designed to support engineers, helping 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:57.960 them progress and develop their careers, as well 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:00.320 as enabling them to come together and influence 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.280 the growth of the sector. It also provides a 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:06.099 platform for new thinking, novel ideas to design 00:01:06.099 --> 00:01:09.420 and knowledge. Thank you very much to Stan and 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:13.420 Josh for joining me today. Good to see you. I'm 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:15.840 going to start with both of you, actually, because 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:17.739 it would be lovely to understand a little bit 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:20.620 about your careers, how you've got to be where 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:22.680 you are. And then I'd love to talk more about 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:25.239 the Young Engineers Network. So we'll start with 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:27.829 Josh. That's superb. Well, firstly, thank you 00:01:27.829 --> 00:01:30.269 very much for having us on. Yeah, we're really 00:01:30.269 --> 00:01:33.170 excited to dive into this with you. So, yeah, 00:01:33.230 --> 00:01:36.310 my career started, obviously, leaving college, 00:01:36.349 --> 00:01:39.290 as most people did, without really understanding 00:01:39.290 --> 00:01:43.250 what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. And 00:01:43.250 --> 00:01:48.090 I was introduced to a family friend who was doing 00:01:48.090 --> 00:01:50.909 domestic installation. I was house bashing, as 00:01:50.909 --> 00:01:53.769 we used to call it. And I started my apprenticeship 00:01:53.769 --> 00:01:56.569 there. So I did a four year apprenticeship qualifying 00:01:56.569 --> 00:02:00.109 as an electrician. Now, through through that 00:02:00.109 --> 00:02:04.689 period, I found myself into the building management 00:02:04.689 --> 00:02:08.469 systems world. My father had been in the industry 00:02:08.469 --> 00:02:12.349 for some time. And, yeah, I found myself as a 00:02:12.349 --> 00:02:15.750 BMS electrical installer and progressed really 00:02:15.750 --> 00:02:19.069 through through the ranks. you know, promoted 00:02:19.069 --> 00:02:22.430 into commissioning and software writing. And 00:02:22.430 --> 00:02:24.870 then, you know, I did about eight years on the 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:27.150 tools in total. And I thought, oh, there must 00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:31.210 be an easier way of making some money. So I now 00:02:31.210 --> 00:02:34.789 find myself in the world of sales. And so, yeah, 00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:36.430 I've been doing that for a couple of years now. 00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:39.370 And yes, that's a brief, brief history on myself. 00:02:40.180 --> 00:02:42.680 Superb. So that work that you were doing early 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:45.180 on as an electrician and, as you say, developing 00:02:45.180 --> 00:02:47.580 the building management systems has really informed 00:02:47.580 --> 00:02:49.840 your ability to talk to your clients and your 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:53.379 audience, I guess. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, it's 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:55.460 been so beneficial to have the technical knowledge 00:02:55.460 --> 00:02:57.340 that, you know, the systems that I've worked 00:02:57.340 --> 00:02:59.780 on for so long, you know, to be able to sit in 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:02.159 front of a client and discuss it with them and 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:05.159 use my engineering understanding of it as well 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:07.819 to, you know, portray it in a way that they can 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:11.240 understand. And, yeah, it's been super, super 00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:13.419 beneficial for me, really. Superb. And I'd certainly 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:15.340 like to talk about that later because one thing 00:03:15.340 --> 00:03:17.240 we come across, I'm not an engineer by background 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:20.060 or I don't have a technical background, but there's 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:22.800 all those acronyms. You slipped into the BMS 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:26.340 and I do know what that means, but it took me 00:03:26.340 --> 00:03:29.900 a while. So, Stan, would you like to talk about, 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:31.680 tell us a little bit about yourself? Thank you. 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:36.439 Yes. Yeah. So I came into the industry about. 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:39.199 A year ago now, so literally exactly a year, 00:03:39.240 --> 00:03:43.879 about five days ago. And I came from a small 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:47.080 gardening, sort of did a bit of gardening and 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.680 bar work and lots of hospitality work. So working 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:52.800 with a lot of people, didn't really know what 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:55.900 I wanted to do at the university, which was studying 00:03:55.900 --> 00:03:58.460 business and environment. So sort of integrating 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:01.759 businesses and sustainable management resources, 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:07.300 sustainable social practices. And this job came 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:12.500 up from a company that I've been working with. 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:14.639 And it was in building management systems. I 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:16.500 didn't know what it was exactly the same as you. 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:19.860 And learned a little bit more about it and sort 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:22.800 of understand it in a way that. I think of it 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:25.319 as a person and you've got eyes and ears and 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.560 touch and you can sense everything. And basically, 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:31.879 how do you use sensors in a building to intelligently 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:37.420 communicate changes of temperature, CO2, humidity 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:40.300 to help the comfort of an individual? I found 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:42.420 it extremely interesting. And when you realise 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:46.660 it can be paired with sustainability and using 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:51.300 less energy in drastic amounts, I... sort of 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.540 delve straight in and now specialise in the wireless 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:57.279 technology of LoRaWAN. So that's wirelessly communicating 00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:02.600 of data to save on installation costs and labour 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:06.300 hours. Superb. So it's interesting when you talk 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:09.420 about those sensors, which is so important when 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:12.279 you work, when we work, we go into projects in 00:05:12.279 --> 00:05:14.959 hospitals and schools, that controlling of that 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:17.680 temperature is vital, especially in hospitals 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:20.699 to the recovery of patients. and in schools to 00:05:20.699 --> 00:05:22.579 help children just get on with their learning. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:28.319 Certainly. Yeah, we see it a lot. And the CO2 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:32.199 levels as well and the air quality. So as soon 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:36.060 as you get parts per million of CO2 above 1 ,000, 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:40.120 which the average person wouldn't understand 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:42.540 too well, I suppose, unless you're on something 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:44.759 like an aeroplane or a confined space and you 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:47.019 start feeling a bit tired in a classroom. I know 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:48.720 it used to happen to me all the time. And it 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:50.360 wasn't because I've been sleeping the night before 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:52.680 because I've been on Instagram reels or something. 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:54.899 It was more that there wasn't actually enough 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:56.920 oxygen in the room and there's too much carbon 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.060 dioxide. So I think stuff like that is extremely 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:02.000 important to people's health, whether they realise 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:04.100 it or not. The research is coming out now and 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:06.439 it's quite outstanding. Fantastic. Thank you 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.300 very much. So both of you, you've got a different 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:13.060 background and experience, but you are. both 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.360 now heavily involved in the Young Engineers Network. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:17.680 I explained a little bit about that at the beginning. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:20.360 But would you be able to talk me through what 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:23.899 your role is at the Young Engineers Network? 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:26.220 Because we've got a chair and we've got a deputy 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:29.360 chair here. Josh, would you like to start? Yeah, 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:31.720 absolutely. So, yeah, first and foremost, the 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:35.079 BCIA is the Building Controls Industry Association, 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.160 which essentially is the governing body for the 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:43.639 BMS world. A few years back in 2022, they set 00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:46.920 up a young engineers network that was predominantly 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:51.639 aged for people aged under the age of 35. And 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:55.040 it's young people coming into the industry. And 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:59.579 I actually attended the first event and I went 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:02.319 by myself. I was nervous. I didn't know anybody. 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.889 I sat in the corner. I was quiet and, you know, 00:07:05.910 --> 00:07:07.990 started engaging in some small conversations 00:07:07.990 --> 00:07:10.389 with people. And, you know, there was some light, 00:07:10.449 --> 00:07:12.970 you know, education pieces and some presentations. 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:15.990 And, you know, it was followed by a social networking 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:19.350 event after. And I walked away from it thinking, 00:07:19.589 --> 00:07:23.370 wow, what a great, you know, initiative that 00:07:23.370 --> 00:07:26.110 this is to bring in like -minded people together 00:07:26.110 --> 00:07:29.449 in an environment where, you know, you're free 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:32.089 from the everyday pressures of, you know, the 00:07:32.089 --> 00:07:35.209 construction industries. And, yeah, from that 00:07:35.209 --> 00:07:37.550 kind of day, I started volunteering, you know, 00:07:37.569 --> 00:07:40.050 helping out, getting involved and kind of casting 00:07:40.050 --> 00:07:43.829 some ideas around. And, yeah, recently got elected 00:07:43.829 --> 00:07:46.629 as the chairman. And, yeah, I have to say I'm 00:07:46.629 --> 00:07:49.089 absolutely thrilled and chuffed to bits and, 00:07:49.110 --> 00:07:52.709 you know, wear that with great honour. You know, 00:07:52.709 --> 00:07:54.829 being able to work in such a great leadership 00:07:54.829 --> 00:07:58.009 team, you know, myself and Stan might hold the, 00:07:58.009 --> 00:08:00.449 you know, chair and vice chair positions, but 00:08:00.449 --> 00:08:03.509 the leadership team between us. you know is great 00:08:03.509 --> 00:08:06.290 you know we've got such a good strong team putting 00:08:06.290 --> 00:08:09.089 together events for you know young engineers 00:08:09.089 --> 00:08:12.529 to come together we like to add elements of training 00:08:12.529 --> 00:08:16.550 um and you know as i say in an unpressured environment 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:18.730 where you can voice opinions you know talk to 00:08:18.730 --> 00:08:21.550 each other and you know without the fear of being 00:08:21.550 --> 00:08:24.290 judged and you know it can be a scary place when 00:08:24.290 --> 00:08:26.430 you're walking into a room full of people you 00:08:26.430 --> 00:08:29.329 don't know but you know it is such a great initiative 00:08:29.329 --> 00:08:31.910 and one i think You know, we'll do our industry 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:35.129 very, very well. And Stan, how did you come to 00:08:35.129 --> 00:08:40.049 be involved? I have sort of been on the outskirts 00:08:40.049 --> 00:08:42.950 of the Young Engineers Network. I'm in the south 00:08:42.950 --> 00:08:47.269 and Josh was the south lead for the Young Engineers 00:08:47.269 --> 00:08:48.929 Network. I got introduced to Josh, immediately 00:08:48.929 --> 00:08:51.690 got along at the first event, got speaking about 00:08:51.690 --> 00:08:56.070 it. And I love what it stands for. And as soon 00:08:56.070 --> 00:08:57.730 as I saw it, same as Josh, I just thought, what 00:08:57.730 --> 00:08:59.649 a brilliant thing to be able to do. You're creating 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:03.110 a safe space, which I think is especially important 00:09:03.110 --> 00:09:05.509 in this day and age. I think one of our key aims 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:09.090 this year is to get a grip on the mental health 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:11.909 of the Young Engineers Network and sort of promote 00:09:11.909 --> 00:09:15.830 in some of the events. Just, I suppose, as Josh 00:09:15.830 --> 00:09:17.429 was saying, the ability to speak without being 00:09:17.429 --> 00:09:20.169 judged. about not only things in the industry. 00:09:20.289 --> 00:09:22.330 It's very important that people should learn. 00:09:22.549 --> 00:09:24.110 And we have those technical sessions and those 00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:26.350 workshops. But you also develop friendships and 00:09:26.350 --> 00:09:28.730 connections that you'll be able to speak to outside 00:09:28.730 --> 00:09:32.490 of your current friendship groups or your family. 00:09:32.570 --> 00:09:35.250 You've got people that are slightly disconnected 00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:37.389 from you, I suppose, as such. And I think we 00:09:37.389 --> 00:09:40.409 should definitely take advantage of that. But 00:09:40.409 --> 00:09:43.490 it's also, I suppose, on another level, more 00:09:43.490 --> 00:09:47.019 towards this podcast is... encouraging innovation 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:49.740 of these young people we've got young people 00:09:49.740 --> 00:09:52.899 now that are willing to change that have grown 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:56.299 up in an era of change and and the industry is 00:09:56.299 --> 00:10:01.019 is uh is is a wide range of ages but the younger 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:04.940 generation can really innovate change and learn 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:06.919 about this net zero stuff whereas people that 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.299 have been stuck in practices for for a long while 00:10:09.299 --> 00:10:11.759 may be slightly more hesitant to to this change 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:13.259 so i think that's really where the young engineers 00:10:13.259 --> 00:10:16.490 network's going to come in and uh and really 00:10:16.490 --> 00:10:18.590 helped the industry to the best. Superb. Thank 00:10:18.590 --> 00:10:20.889 you. Now, taking the conversation back to that 00:10:20.889 --> 00:10:23.909 net zero, that climate change that we are so 00:10:23.909 --> 00:10:26.769 heavily involved in at Salix, we work very closely, 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:29.090 obviously, with governments across the UK, as 00:10:29.090 --> 00:10:31.330 well as public sector housing associations with 00:10:31.330 --> 00:10:34.570 other organisations within housing to drive this 00:10:34.570 --> 00:10:37.889 agenda and to meet these very challenging net 00:10:37.889 --> 00:10:41.350 zero targets that we have and that we read about. 00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:45.529 very often in the news every day. So we're looking 00:10:45.529 --> 00:10:48.929 at substantial changes and challenges as we face 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:52.009 climate change. Can you tell us about the critical 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:55.509 role that you think engineers play in developing 00:10:55.509 --> 00:10:58.690 solutions to climate change and net zero, but 00:10:58.690 --> 00:11:00.789 by designing the systems, we've touched upon 00:11:00.789 --> 00:11:03.429 that a little bit, Stan, but by designing the 00:11:03.429 --> 00:11:08.649 systems that reduce environmental impact? How 00:11:08.649 --> 00:11:12.620 important is it that engineers are on that? I 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:16.360 think it's extremely important that young engineers 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:18.460 are, I think the most important bit here is really 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.220 the education of these young engineers. And so 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:24.200 they're kept up to date with the latest and greatest 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:25.879 because there's things coming in the industry. 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:28.779 I mean, every month you've got a whole revelation. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:31.759 Now you're integrating AI and technology into 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:36.139 analytics platforms that will help you prevent. 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:39.549 all sorts it can help you prevent the failure 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:42.730 of devices it can improve your efficiency so 00:11:42.730 --> 00:11:45.250 i think really learning how that works is important 00:11:45.250 --> 00:11:48.169 for the young engineers um we've never had more 00:11:48.169 --> 00:11:52.070 tools and devices uh at disposal to allow us 00:11:52.070 --> 00:11:56.029 to design such efficient systems um so i think 00:11:56.029 --> 00:11:57.370 again that comes back to the young engineers 00:11:57.370 --> 00:12:00.409 network and and us training them on on these 00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:02.669 latest and greatest systems that we're seeing 00:12:02.669 --> 00:12:06.899 uh unveil sort of Left, right and centre. And 00:12:06.899 --> 00:12:10.639 you understand a lot of the technologies. Obviously, 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:12.799 there's a lot more to come and they're fast developing 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.500 and we're seeing that happen every day. But in 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:18.320 terms of admissions, do you think generally most 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:21.799 people understand emissions? Do you think people 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:25.639 understand carbon emissions and how we can manage 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:29.240 them and maybe how technology can be of use when 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:32.970 you talk to people in your work? You know, in 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:37.669 your wider circle and amongst the network. I 00:12:37.669 --> 00:12:41.350 think that's a bit of an interesting one. I think 00:12:41.350 --> 00:12:43.409 it always comes down to the education piece. 00:12:43.789 --> 00:12:47.129 I think, you know, most people don't understand 00:12:47.129 --> 00:12:50.409 the full dynamics of, you know, emissions and, 00:12:50.429 --> 00:12:52.870 you know, what impact it's having, where it's 00:12:52.870 --> 00:12:55.070 happening and stuff like that. I think the common, 00:12:55.149 --> 00:12:57.730 you know, concept is, you know, you look at cars, 00:12:57.830 --> 00:13:00.629 you know, cars produce emissions, you know, but. 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:04.179 You know, it far exceeds just cars on the road. 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:07.100 So going back to that education piece, you know, 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:09.740 there's a lot of buzzwords that we seem to be 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:12.519 flying around, you know, net zero decarbonisation, 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.759 all this sort of stuff. But, you know, I do think 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.299 it's important to really kind of get the ideas 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:24.000 across in a clear, simple way for people to understand. 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:28.039 And I think that's probably, you know. One of 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:30.179 the biggest challenges with it really is that 00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:33.019 education piece. The technology these days is, 00:13:33.059 --> 00:13:35.600 you know, forever progressing. You know, technology 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:38.200 is changing every day and it gives us the tools 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:41.360 to enhance our capabilities to manage these, 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.679 you know, emissions from, you know, being on 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.480 site and, you know, connecting to these different, 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:48.919 you know, innovations and everything like that. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:52.279 So, yeah, I think a lot of the understanding, 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:56.000 you know, comes down to education. And in your 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.820 work, Josh, because you've moved from being that 00:13:58.820 --> 00:14:01.639 electrician to knowing so much about the building 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:04.580 management systems into sales, do you find that 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:06.659 that's a large part of your work that you're 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:09.179 now talking to people about, not just how you 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:13.679 get a piece of technology implemented and designed, 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:17.320 but how it is energy efficient and how it can 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:20.720 contribute to that, to building a better planet? 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:23.679 Is that part of your work? Yeah, absolutely. 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.279 We're finding all the time that, you know, when 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:28.340 we're going into, you know, these big project 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:30.879 tenders, you know, a lot of it is around sustainability, 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:34.620 energy management and, you know, being more eco 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:37.379 -friendly to the environment. You know, a lot 00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:39.480 of the stuff we're seeing now is around recycling. 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:42.399 A lot of building materials are being recycled. 00:14:43.139 --> 00:14:45.080 You know, we're looking at enhanced technologies 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:48.620 and analytic packages that, you know, once the, 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.500 you know. post -occupancies being completed. 00:14:51.820 --> 00:14:54.179 We're looking at analytics packages that are 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:57.000 monitoring the systems to see how well they are 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:59.000 performing against their design specifications. 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:03.220 We've got alarm routings that are able to tell 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:06.240 us when a piece of kit isn't operating in that 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:09.120 dynamic of what it should be and allows us to 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:12.759 go and investigate it before it really starts 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:15.320 to cause massive effects. So a lot of it is taking 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:18.779 the proactive effect rather than just waiting 00:15:18.779 --> 00:15:21.759 for something to you know happen a lot of this 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.539 technology is advancing now and giving us a lot 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:26.960 of tools to be able to monitor it not even you 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.139 know just through the construction stages but 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:32.139 you know post completion as well and do you find 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:34.659 that you're it's more of a nudge or do you think 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:37.500 people are coming to you with that sustainable 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:42.429 demand you know for their projects Oh, it's definitely 00:15:42.429 --> 00:15:45.110 coming heavily from above, from the developers 00:15:45.110 --> 00:15:47.409 of these big construction sites. You know, it 00:15:47.409 --> 00:15:50.289 really is at the forefront of their focus. And 00:15:50.289 --> 00:15:53.029 I think that has naturally filtered down, you 00:15:53.029 --> 00:15:54.970 know, through the different contractors and stuff 00:15:54.970 --> 00:15:57.509 like that. And it's making people think outside 00:15:57.509 --> 00:16:00.169 the box slightly and thinking, well, how can 00:16:00.169 --> 00:16:01.990 we innovate this? How can we improve it? How 00:16:01.990 --> 00:16:05.370 can we make it better? You know, I think that 00:16:05.370 --> 00:16:09.250 drive from above has definitely, you know, helped 00:16:09.250 --> 00:16:12.129 and it allows us to, you know, drive it forward 00:16:12.129 --> 00:16:14.409 you know with our clients and stuff as well so 00:16:14.409 --> 00:16:17.330 yeah i agree with that and stan with the people 00:16:17.330 --> 00:16:19.970 that you work with you know every day do you 00:16:19.970 --> 00:16:23.870 do is it is it is it more you suggesting or is 00:16:23.870 --> 00:16:26.870 it is it that kind of nudge or is it people demanding 00:16:26.870 --> 00:16:33.110 a sustainable approach yeah i suppose as a as 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:36.889 a sales manager myself it's i'm i i'm selling 00:16:36.889 --> 00:16:40.399 into system installers which are then completing 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.639 these intelligent systems for the end client 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:46.159 and i will it's a two -way street i will say 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.940 to them it's going to help with the compliance 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:52.240 and reporting all these new governmental policies 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:55.960 that are that are coming in um and you need to 00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:57.580 make sure the systems you're putting in a future 00:16:57.580 --> 00:17:00.019 proof because it's only going to get more strict 00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:03.200 and rightly so uh for the benefit of the planet 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:11.720 um and Yeah, I'd say they're coming back and 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:13.440 saying this is what we're looking for. The end 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:15.519 customer wants to be sustainable. They want to 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:18.019 be seen as sustainable. Their business is being 00:17:18.019 --> 00:17:20.299 pushed towards green, sustainable advertising 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:25.440 even. And I think it improves the sort of recognition 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:28.619 you get as a company for having these sustainable, 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:33.440 healthy, air quality buildings. That's what I'm 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:35.059 seeing. I'm seeing a massive push for it. And 00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:36.700 it's only going to get more in the next year 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:39.380 or two. And is that push, do you think that push 00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:43.240 is important coming from a combination of factors, 00:17:43.460 --> 00:17:46.680 so government, private sector, us all working 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:50.839 together on that? I think so, yeah, yeah. It's 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:53.819 certainly important for the government getting 00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:56.039 involved with these grants and loans they're 00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:58.920 putting in. I think that's going to seriously 00:17:58.920 --> 00:18:02.859 help out because it does, in the end it comes 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:04.980 down to cost, it comes down to how much money 00:18:04.980 --> 00:18:09.289 can you put into it. into a building because 00:18:09.289 --> 00:18:12.130 you can get the latest and greatest technology, 00:18:12.549 --> 00:18:15.009 but it's making that work effectively for you 00:18:15.009 --> 00:18:17.269 and getting that return on investment as well. 00:18:17.369 --> 00:18:20.890 So it's if I put the money in, when do I see 00:18:20.890 --> 00:18:22.809 that money back is the question I'm being asked, 00:18:22.930 --> 00:18:26.170 because it does come down to it. It's easy to 00:18:26.170 --> 00:18:29.009 think about it as all good for the planet and 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:32.299 philanthropy. And I think that's great. At the 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:34.299 end of the day, we're speaking about large businesses 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:37.539 here in the private sector specifically, and 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:39.579 they need to see that they're going to get some 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:41.839 sort of return on their investment, whether that's 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:45.119 through improving the visibility of their brand 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.319 through being sustainable or whether that's through 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:51.140 saving heating emissions through applying smart 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:53.839 radiator valves and saving heating emissions 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:56.599 in areas that don't need them. Well, you've kind 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:58.400 of answered my next question because I was going 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:00.740 to ask, what is net zero and is it all about 00:19:00.740 --> 00:19:04.640 cost? And the nub of it is, I suppose, it's largely 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:06.880 about cost. Of course it is, because this is 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:10.119 expensive to do. But there is also the background 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:13.720 of being good for the environment and meeting 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:20.519 those challenges that we have. Yeah, yeah. And 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:23.559 I think it's a balance between how much the system's 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:27.519 going to cost and the sustainability side of 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:29.420 it, if you're going to get the most expensive 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:34.609 tools and equipment. Do you go for the, if you're 00:19:34.609 --> 00:19:37.609 going to spend £100 ,000 more, are you only going 00:19:37.609 --> 00:19:40.410 to get a marginal gain on the carbon emissions 00:19:40.410 --> 00:19:42.789 that maybe you could save elsewhere through creating 00:19:42.789 --> 00:19:47.349 cycling aid for your workers and you put the 00:19:47.349 --> 00:19:48.849 money towards something else that could maybe 00:19:48.849 --> 00:19:51.269 slash the emissions more in your business? So 00:19:51.269 --> 00:19:53.730 I think you've also got to be intelligent with 00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:57.109 where you are putting this money towards now. 00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:00.079 building management systems super and do you 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:01.839 find i mean question for either of you actually 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:03.960 do you find that when people coming to you at 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:05.440 the point they come to you and i appreciate you're 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:07.460 in the young engineers network but the point 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:10.359 when your clients come to you they're discussing 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:14.400 all their options it might not necessarily impact 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:16.319 what you can provide but they're looking at the 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:21.859 whole big picture i mean that's that's that's 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:23.819 a bit of an interesting one because i mean we're 00:20:23.819 --> 00:20:26.940 we're we're we're quite a niche market we're 00:20:26.940 --> 00:20:29.559 quite small in the grand scheme of the whole 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:33.359 construction site um albeit you know a lot of 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:36.099 the modern technologies fall within you know 00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:39.579 the building management systems um but when talking 00:20:39.579 --> 00:20:42.359 to clients and you know developers and stuff 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.779 like that we do always have the conversations 00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:48.359 on you know what what can we do what can we improve 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:51.220 and you know how do we further develop it and 00:20:51.690 --> 00:20:53.630 you know i think that's where you know having 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:56.450 young engineers in in the industry at the forefront 00:20:56.450 --> 00:20:59.630 of these technologies and enhancing you know 00:20:59.630 --> 00:21:03.269 the modern day practice is is key um so yeah 00:21:03.269 --> 00:21:06.369 the conversations are always there and you know 00:21:06.369 --> 00:21:08.609 you've got to start somewhere right and it's 00:21:08.609 --> 00:21:11.349 a good position to be in to start and we're having 00:21:11.349 --> 00:21:14.410 these conversations now and now the conversations 00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:16.869 are flowing they seem to be developing we start 00:21:16.869 --> 00:21:20.289 hearing more and more about it and And once the 00:21:20.289 --> 00:21:23.170 word of mouth gets around, in a few years' time, 00:21:23.309 --> 00:21:27.069 I think we'll all be on it a lot more. So you're 00:21:27.069 --> 00:21:29.730 inspired by not just your work day to day, but 00:21:29.730 --> 00:21:31.670 your involvement with the young engineers because 00:21:31.670 --> 00:21:33.930 you're seeing a lot of that positive work and 00:21:33.930 --> 00:21:36.910 positive action happening. So does that mean 00:21:36.910 --> 00:21:40.150 you're feeling positive or good about the climate 00:21:40.150 --> 00:21:44.490 future? I think you can kind of look at it one 00:21:44.490 --> 00:21:47.069 of two ways. I think if we carry on heading the 00:21:47.069 --> 00:21:50.859 way we're heading, Without taking action, we 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:54.400 could be in some trouble. Looking on the brighter 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:57.359 side of it, and as I say, having these conversations, 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:00.539 as the conversations progress, there are lots 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:04.019 and lots of talented people coming into our industry 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:07.940 that are grown up with technology. Now, I like 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:10.859 to think I was kind of on the cutoff point. I 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:14.200 had it just before technology came in and kind 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:17.259 of had it learning the ropes of technology as 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:19.740 well. You know, a lot of these kids nowadays, 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:22.500 you know, they're on phones, they're on PlayStations, 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:25.559 Xbox, you know, computers and all that sort of 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:28.220 stuff. So they've kind of grown up with technology 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:31.279 and seen it, you know, progress and enhance. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:34.339 So what we have coming into our industry is a 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:37.859 lot of talented young people that are built up 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.740 with technology and they're coming up with these 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:43.180 ideas and visions. And, you know, it paints a 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:47.230 much brighter future for us. I generally believe 00:22:47.230 --> 00:22:49.569 that, you know, the young engineers are our future 00:22:49.569 --> 00:22:51.849 and, you know, they'll be the ones that deliver 00:22:51.849 --> 00:22:54.730 it for us. Superb. Thank you. Now, you're both 00:22:54.730 --> 00:22:58.690 obviously very young in your careers. Stan, what's 00:22:58.690 --> 00:23:01.009 next? What are the next steps for you and your 00:23:01.009 --> 00:23:03.470 work? And how do you see your career developing? 00:23:04.829 --> 00:23:07.769 Definitely. And just what can I make one quick 00:23:07.769 --> 00:23:10.549 point just about the previous? Just I just think 00:23:10.549 --> 00:23:12.849 a couple of key points for this getting to net 00:23:12.849 --> 00:23:17.269 zero with the young engineers is at. So three 00:23:17.269 --> 00:23:19.369 main points, I think. I think planning has got 00:23:19.369 --> 00:23:21.230 to be an extremely important part of the process. 00:23:21.430 --> 00:23:23.529 If you try and retrofit buildings with these 00:23:23.529 --> 00:23:26.970 new smart technologies, it costs a ridiculous 00:23:26.970 --> 00:23:29.329 amount more than if you were to build them with 00:23:29.329 --> 00:23:31.950 it in. That's my first point. Second point is 00:23:31.950 --> 00:23:34.589 communication. I think people in all different 00:23:34.589 --> 00:23:37.650 stages of this building, so from the grant to 00:23:37.650 --> 00:23:40.690 the planning, to the design, all the way to the 00:23:40.690 --> 00:23:42.789 commissioning, everyone needs to be communicating 00:23:42.789 --> 00:23:47.269 for that one goal of net zero. And another one 00:23:47.269 --> 00:23:49.630 is extremely complex. I think that's the other 00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:52.230 barrier we're going to have to come across. And 00:23:52.230 --> 00:23:55.650 it's creating easy to understand. I know we've 00:23:55.650 --> 00:23:57.470 got loads of acronyms at the start of this. We 00:23:57.470 --> 00:23:59.170 were talking about the BMS and you've got HVAC 00:23:59.170 --> 00:24:01.569 and all this. It's trying to break it down into 00:24:01.569 --> 00:24:05.930 easy, understandable practices that everyone 00:24:05.930 --> 00:24:10.670 can perform in the industry. And lastly. people 00:24:10.670 --> 00:24:13.130 don't like change and i think we're going to 00:24:13.130 --> 00:24:15.029 have to learn how to change and be flexible and 00:24:15.029 --> 00:24:18.069 that's where the young engineers come in um but 00:24:18.069 --> 00:24:20.349 but with regards to me and the sort of future 00:24:20.349 --> 00:24:24.049 um of my my career i'm sticking with the i'm 00:24:24.049 --> 00:24:25.990 in i'm in a brilliant company at the moment very 00:24:25.990 --> 00:24:28.730 happy about where i am and i love the fact i'm 00:24:28.730 --> 00:24:32.250 making a difference in energy efficiencies um 00:24:32.250 --> 00:24:36.009 no plans to move but um with regards to the young 00:24:36.009 --> 00:24:39.650 engineers network i'd I want to push it from 00:24:39.650 --> 00:24:41.309 strength to strength. And that's what me and 00:24:41.309 --> 00:24:42.890 Josh are doing this year. We've got a couple 00:24:42.890 --> 00:24:45.890 of plans to put in place. I think it's a really 00:24:45.890 --> 00:24:48.650 exciting time to be in the Young Engineers Network. 00:24:48.950 --> 00:24:51.349 So we're going to prioritise mental health by 00:24:51.349 --> 00:24:55.630 fostering an inclusive environment and supportive 00:24:55.630 --> 00:24:58.589 environment. And there's going to be other sort 00:24:58.589 --> 00:25:00.809 of volunteers, I suppose, if we can get them 00:25:00.809 --> 00:25:03.549 to help us out along the way with that alongside 00:25:03.549 --> 00:25:08.119 workshops. addressing work -life balance, resilience 00:25:08.119 --> 00:25:12.640 on the industry. And I suppose my last point 00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:16.079 would just be the young engineers, exactly as 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:17.920 Josh said, young engineers have got the power 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:19.839 in their hands to change this industry for the 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:25.259 better and to help the UK and the world reduce 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:29.059 their carbon emissions. So I think, yeah. I can't 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:30.900 wait to see what happens. Superb. Thank you. 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:32.559 We're hoping you're going to come back as well. 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:34.359 I'm going to go to Josh in a moment. We hope 00:25:34.359 --> 00:25:37.339 you come back and explain and tell me the progress 00:25:37.339 --> 00:25:39.380 you have made with all those fantastic plans. 00:25:39.940 --> 00:25:44.740 Josh, chair of the Young Engineers, I expect 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:47.019 you'll be mirroring a lot of what Stan has just 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:51.579 explained. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, 00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:54.720 the BCIA Young Engineers Network is generally 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.980 such a good... place to be and to be a part of 00:25:58.980 --> 00:26:02.220 it is something I'm really, really proud of. 00:26:02.819 --> 00:26:04.920 We've got some big plans for the year. We've 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:07.660 got quite a few events planned already. We've 00:26:07.660 --> 00:26:11.099 really started this year strong and we're excited 00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:14.339 to see what the future holds. We're two young 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:17.259 engineers ourselves. We haven't done this before. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:20.380 We're almost winging it as we go, but we're having 00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:22.759 great fun whilst doing it. We've built some great 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:25.619 relationships and we're learning along the way. 00:26:26.190 --> 00:26:28.490 You know, what it's doing for me and my own career 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:31.750 personally is superb. You know, I'm able to develop 00:26:31.750 --> 00:26:34.410 my own personal skills and, you know, I'm learning 00:26:34.410 --> 00:26:36.549 technical skills for the workshops and stuff 00:26:36.549 --> 00:26:39.410 that we're doing. And, yeah, it really is great. 00:26:39.490 --> 00:26:41.890 I would encourage everybody to, you know, look 00:26:41.890 --> 00:26:44.690 it up, get involved and, you know, come and join 00:26:44.690 --> 00:26:48.190 us because it is great. Thank you. Thank you 00:26:48.190 --> 00:26:51.450 so much for sharing that enthusiasm. And we're 00:26:51.450 --> 00:26:54.660 terribly excited. to watch you progress. Those 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:57.180 key elements that Stan mentioned as well a few 00:26:57.180 --> 00:26:59.880 moments ago about planning, communication and 00:26:59.880 --> 00:27:04.880 the complexities around the net zero are very 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.680 poignant to discuss. Thank you very much to both 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:12.000 of you for joining us today for our Salix decarbonisation 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:15.279 dialogue podcast. We hope you'll come back again. 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:18.160 There can be no doubt that climate change is 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:20.640 the biggest challenge of our time. Today, we 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:22.660 must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:25.460 global warming. Today, we must act for tomorrow, 00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:27.859 adjusting our lifestyles to current and future 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:30.460 impacts of climate change. Today, we must use 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:33.160 our collective wisdom to deliver on our climate 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:36.559 commitments. Today, we work for tomorrow's world. 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:39.960 Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and 00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:42.980 send any news or views to our podcast email, 00:27:43.099 --> 00:27:46.660 which is podcast at salixfinance .co .uk. But 00:27:46.660 --> 00:27:50.460 a big thanks once again to Josh and to Stan for 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:53.019 your time today and telling us all about the 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:55.700 Young Engineers Network. Thank you. Thank you 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:57.720 very much. Thanks for having us. Thank you. Thanks. 00:27:58.180 --> 00:28:00.740 You've been listening to the Decarbonisation 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:05.119 Dialogue, a podcast from Salix. For more information 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:08.539 about our work, and to find more content, please 00:28:08.539 --> 00:28:12.880 visit salixfinance .co .uk forward slash podcasts.