From Gas Grid to Net Zero: Could We Do It in a Decade?

One hundred years ago, the UK built a national electricity grid in a decade. Fifty years ago, it built a national gas network in a decade. What if we approached net zero the same way?

Both of those transitions started with a clear, time-bound goal: access for all homes within ten years. The destination was defined first. The policy, investment, infrastructure, skills and public engagement were worked backwards from there.

This session applies that logic to the built environment. What if the national objective was that within ten years, everyone should have access to a gas-free, climate-ready building?

Aaron Gillich examines what it would take. The research, the technology, the policy frameworks, the workforce, the finance, the data, and the delivery mechanisms.

The question is not whether a ten-year transition would be hard. It is how we match the pace and scale of what we have already done before, and what built environment professionals can do to enable it.

Format and timings

17:30 Arrival, registration and refreshments
18:00 Presentation
18:30 Q&A and open discussion
18:45 Networking
20:30 Close

This is a technical note discussion, so the second half is built around debate rather than a straight lecture. Come with questions.

Speaker

Aaron Gillich is Professor of Building Performance and Policy at London South Bank University. His research focuses on low-carbon heating, building performance, environmental sensing, and the transition from gas to clean energy. He leads collaborative research and innovation projects that connect engineering practice, policy and market transformation.

Venue

CIBSE HQ, 91-94 Saffron Hill, Farringdon, London EC1N 8QP. Nearest stations are Farringdon and Chancery Lane.

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