Christmas Gift

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/christmas-gift-maxine-frerk/

Friday was Christmas Jumper Day in the UK so it seems an opportune moment to offer a gift of some provocative reading for the festive season. Some of you may have heard me talking about “smart jumpers” or “personal heating systems” as I try to prompt a more consumer centred discussion on the future of heat. And generally people have looked at me like I have had one too many glasses of mulled wine.

To try to take this idea forward I commissioned a short note from a millennial, recently graduated from UCL with a degree in bio-medical engineering, which you can read here.

The essence of his argument is that if we are looking out to 2050 we need to remember that a lot can change in that time. 31 years ago the world wide web didn’t exist. With Google investing heavily in wearable technology and the US government funding a whole stream of innovation projects on expanding the comfortable temperature range in buildings - as well as an interest from the military - there is a real possibility that smart clothing could be a significant factor in the demand for heating in 31 years time. Nanotechnology in particular could be transformative.

Of course many people today are suffering from living in cold homes with real detriments to their health. But could smart solutions even support a healthier heating environment? It’s possible they could.

I’m certainly not suggesting that we don’t need to keep exploring the infrastructure routes to provision of heat – hydrogen, electrification, district heating – and improving the thermal efficiency of our homes. But we should be creative in looking for solutions and to recognise that if all we can offer is a more costly and/or less effective infrastructure option, people will vote with their jumpers (smart or Christmas according to taste).

Enjoy.