Decarbonisation Dialogue Scotland – a great day of learning and discussion

It was fantastic to see so many people at our Decarbonisation Dialogue Scotland event this week. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an engaging session.

During the online event, guest speakers Andrew Crighton, energy and sustainability manager at the City of Edinburgh Council, and Steven Harrison, senior project manager at Robert Gordon University, shared their experiences and insights.

With a focus on measurement and verification, data was at the heart of the discussion. Both speakers demonstrated a real passion for delivering public sector decarbonisation projects and improving the way we all use and experience buildings.

Key learning points:

• Data is critical – effective measurement and verification are essential for understanding building performance and demonstrating the impact of decarbonisation projects.
• Understand technology lifecycles – Andrew highlighted the importance of understanding how technologies perform over time to make sense of the data being collected.
• Welcome scrutiny – robust review and challenge of data should be seen as a positive process that helps improve project outcomes and build confidence in results. Be open to criticism.
• Learn from experience – Steven shared valuable lessons from delivering energy efficiency projects and discussed the challenges that arise after the initial, easier opportunities have been addressed.
• Think beyond the low-hanging fruit – long-term decarbonisation requires organisations to continue innovating and identifying new opportunities for improvement.
• Explore digital twins – both speakers discussed the growing role of digital twins in helping organisations better understand and optimise energy performance.

The session sparked plenty of thoughtful questions and discussion, making for a lively and interactive event. Thank you to our speakers as well as to our brilliant audience for your enthusiasm and engagement throughout.