The ultimate accolade for any word must be gaining the title of word of the year. Akin to a rock star being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the honour is bestowed by various self-appointed defenders of language in various countries. It started in 1990 with the American Dialect Society and in time washed up on these shores where it was adopted by various well-read types including, for the past 20 years, the Oxford University Press. Reflecting the sign of the times, chav, omnishambles, selfie and vax have all made the grade and, on more than one occasion, climate related words that have come to ..read more

The cost of heating a rural property can be very expensive and with net zero targets in place, farmers and landowners are increasingly turning to renewable energy solutions. The UK farming industry has always been very forward-thinking (it has had to evolve to survive) and this can now be matched in their heating/cooling and hot water needs. Poultry farms are a good example. They are mainly off the gas grid and rely on LPG and oil, both of which are expensive (and prone to fluctuate depending on events happening across the world – the war in Ukraine being an example) and they use a lot of carb ..read more

When Georgia Topham-Venables said she was going to do something completely different by pursuing a career in the renewable energy sector, her family described it as a “fad”. That’s not surprising because it’s only in recent years that renewable energy has really come to people’s attention as we realise that we can no longer live in a carbon-heated world. Getting in early as certainly helped Georgia though and her experience is one of the many reasons why we were pleased to attract her to Go Geothermal as a Key Account Manager in the South region. The completely different job was a Dental Nurse ..read more

Sarah Sparks has worked in the heating industry her entire career, which makes her ideal for her new role as a Key Account Manager at Go Geothermal. She joined Wolseley, the UK’s largest trade specialist in plumbing and heating, after leaving university with a degree in French and Business. As a Key Account Manager, she worked with the company’s customers to meet their plumbing and heating needs and having a foreign language qualification even took her abroad to work. From Wolseley, Sarah joined Geberit, a European market leader in bathroom products, where she worked on the commercial team. Bu ..read more

Go Geothermal has made two new sales-related appointments to support its commercial growth strategy. Sarah Sparks and Georgia Topham-Venables have joined the company as Key Account Managers. They join the current eight-strong (soon to become 10) sales team led by Commercial Director Darran Burrage, who joined the company from Worcester Bosch in October 2023. Both Sarah and Georgia are experienced sales professionals who were already working in the renewable energy and heating sector. Sarah, who is covering a region which includes Dorset, Oxfordshire, and Sussex, has joined Go Geothermal from W ..read more

Scotland is laying the foundations for a greener future by ensuring all new build homes use climate friendly heating systems. From April 2024 legislation comes into force prohibiting the use of direct emission heating systems – known as polluting systems – such as oil and gas boilers, and bioenergy. Instead, new homes will need to use clean heating systems such as heat pumps and heat networks. The new standard will also apply to building conversions if there is currently a polluting heating system in the building being converted or if it is ‘reasonably practicable’ to install a clean heating s ..read more

Go Geothermal will make its Podcast debut in January having been part of a roundtable discussion on renewable energy and the workforce of the future. One of our Directors, Tim Williams, and our Operations Manager Kevin Donovan-Ritch, are taking part in Teesside University International Business School’s Master of Business Podcast series. On 30th November, the pair were interviewed by Podcast Host Dr Noel Dennis (Associate Dean) alongside Mark Bracknell, from Theo James Recruitment, Chris Blakelock, from Renewable Energy Network, Lucie Burton, from Teesside University Business School, and Dr Ma ..read more

The introduction of the Government’s Clean Heat Market Mechanism, which will effectively fine gas and boiler manufacturers who don’t do enough help the switch to heat pump technology, has been greeted with dismay by some traditionalists. That’s to be expected, they are following the pattern of the Change Curve – a model based on studies by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the 1960s. Originally designed to help with the grieving process, the change curve has since been developed to understand people’s reaction to significant upheaval. The curve has three stages, the first covers shock and ..read more

A new partnership with a leading North-East training and apprenticeship provider is helping Go Geothermal identify the possible employees of the future. We recently teamed up with Optimum Skills to offer work experience placements for young people aged 16-18 undertaking a Digital Skills Traineeship at the training company’s head office at Newton Aycliffe. As part of their course, the young people spend the first six weeks undertaking classroom-based learning in digital skills, covering everything from marketing basics, content creation, marketing strategies and website creation. They then spen ..read more

The logical argument for swapping fossil fuel powered boilers for solar panels, heat pumps and other green home energy devices has long been won. After all, who wouldn’t want affordable, sustainable power that doesn’t leave the UK at the mercy of a foreign power supplier? Or pose an existential threat to the human race? The practical side of the argument, ensuring homes can actually afford the switch to replacing oil, gas and coal, is a challenge that is gradually being overcome. Subsidies now on offer for heat pumps for example can make them cost neutral. It’s projected that within 20 years t ..read more