Increasing demand for electricity as a result of major energy users from transport to heating migrating to electricity will lead to an inevitable stress on supply and distribution. Is it right that designers are now designing all-electric heating systems. We will need to continue to ‘green the grid’ if we are to meet our carbon targets, especially with reduced reliance on nuclear power. Should we be looking to non-fossil fuel alternatives for heating buildings and in particular continuing to use our existing gas distribution system? What is the future of the electricity grid? On the one hand there is a movement which proposes that we meet our carbon targets by moving to more localised systems and reducing our dependence on the grid. Others feel that a more global grid system might be the answer.

We invite you to come and join our discussion about what built environment professionals need to know, and how they need to plan for the future. We have assembled a panel of experts to look at the issues from a number of perspectives.

Alasdair Young, BuroHappold Engineering (chairing)

Panelists:

Bob Lowe - UCL Energy Institute

Richard McGibbon, Senior Development Manager, Berkeley Homes

Bill Watts - Max Fordham

Adriana Rodriguez- Vattenfall

Tom Whipple - Science Editor, The Times