Chirpy Heat brings sector leading knowledge and experience

Chirpy came in to being from our direct experience of trying to tackle communal heating from inside housing providers.  Between us we have over 50 years experience of coming up with the solutions to make communal scheme deliver on their promises and to create heating systems that are financially viable, deliver great service and provide affordable and reliable heat for customers. 

This means we understand the opportunities and the limitations that exist for housing providers – the financial constraints, the challenges of getting internal buy in and delivery, and of course meeting the needs of customers and the wider corporate objectives.

Above all we come from the perspective of the housing provider and ensure that our approach and solutions reflect the needs of the client.  The Chirpy team includes experts on the technical issues, schemes and asset management, procurement, scheme finances and staff and customer engagement.

Meet the Team

Will Routh

Director and Co-Founder

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Will has worked in social housing sustainability for 15 years, including 10 years as Head of Sustainability at large social housing provider where he was responsible for direct management of heat network portfolio of over 4000 properties

In 2019, he co-founded Chirpy Heat to provide independent and impartial advice to housing providers to deliver great heat networks and fulfil their promises to be low cost, low carbon and easy to manage. Over the last 3 years they have advised over 50 housing providers with over 2,000 heat networks, representing more than 65,000 properties, helping clients with every type of management issue they have on heat networks ranging from compliance, cost, customers, contracts, capability and carbon.

His wider work in the sector includes co-founding The Heat Network, a best practice sharing and lobbying group heat networks in social housing, co-creating The Heat Exchanger mentoring programme to help improve skills, professionalism and learning in the developing heat network sector and he is currently an advisory group member for BEIS’ Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) programme.

Rachael Mills

Director and Co-Founder

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Rachael has worked in the sustainability sector for over twenty-five years.  She co-founded SE2 in 2004, a small consultancy that brings together stakeholders to develop policies, strategies, guidance and practices to transform and decarbonise our energy system.

Through 2016-2019, Rachael worked within the Sustainability Team at Southern Housing, specifically focused on improving their new and existing communal heating schemes and processes, including efficiency analysis, tariff setting, customer communications and internal stakeholder liaison.

For a number of years, Rachael has also been closely linked into the heating sector through her work with the Association for Decentralised Energy (for whom she is also a Non-Exec Director), HNDU, HNIP, and various local authority networks.

Nicholas Doyle

Director and Co-Founder

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Nicholas is a Director and Co-founder of Chirpy Heat. He has worked in housing for over thirty years and has been responsible for a wide range of award-winning housing, energy and environmental initiatives nationally and internationally that includes new developments, existing communities, corporate action and national research.

Previously he was a Project Director at Places for People, one of the UK’s largest property management and development companies and a non-executive Director of Viridian Solar, the National Communities Resource Centre and is currently a Non-Executive Director Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association.

He has a passion for making housing the best it can be for both providers and customers. A key part of this is driving improvement in the development and management of heat networks so that they deliver on their promise of providing low cost, low carbon and reliable heating.

Josh Davis

Head of Operations

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As Chirpy Heat’s Head of Operations, Josh oversees our heat network consultancy, data insights and technical departments, ensuring that projects are delivered in a timely manner and to a high standard.

His organisation-wide view enables Josh to see all aspects of heat network management and how everything interlinks, allowing him to identify the key stakeholders and resources required to deliver great projects that exceed client expectations. 

Through his previous experiences of directly managing heat networks at One Manchester and supporting EON’s customers with utility queries, Josh has crucial sector knowledge, knows what good looks like and how to deliver it, and shares this knowledge and insight with the rest of the Chirpy Heat team.

Chris D'Arcy

Consultant

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Chris joined the Chirpy heat team in 2021, bringing a wealth of knowledge of the energy and housing sectors.  He has proven experience of managing all aspects of communal utilities and heat networks for Southern Housing, with particular focus on tariffs, budgeting and procurement strategies.

Chris is a Prince2 qualified project manager and has taken numerous projects to successful completion. He is passionate about sustainability and the role that heat networks have in this industry and is an integral part of the team.

Lisa Dubinina

Project Officer

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Lisa is a highly skilled professional who joined the Chirpy Heat team in 2021. With a degree in Economics and proficiency in multiple languages, Lisa is a dynamic addition to our team.

Having previously worked for leading energy companies such as E.ON and Robin Hood Energy, she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our heat network consultancy.  She plays a crucial role in the development and delivery of all data-driven services, including Heat Manager and Heat Mark.

Her analytical and methodical approach, combined with her industry knowledge, enables her to provide comprehensive solutions to our clients’ needs.

Charlotte Button

Consultant

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Charlotte joined the Chirpy Team in 2022 and holds a degree in Environmental Conservation. Bringing her customer service experience to the team, she is highly client focused, making sure we keep our sights on the two main things that matter when it comes to heat networks: the people and the planet. 

She has supported housing providers to develop strategic approaches for their heat network portfolios, has generated transparent and comparable heat tariffs for customers and organisations, ensuring that heat network operational costs are fully recovered, and is the Midland’s joint co-ordinator for the thriving District Divas group.

Charlotte is passionate about the natural environment and understands that the actions we take now can lead to positive impacts on the environment down the line, and that heat networks will play a pivotal role in this.

Alistair Moore

Associate

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Alistair is a CIBSE Certified Heat Network Consultant and has worked in the heating industry for the last fifteen years.

He is passionate about creating fit for purpose low carbon energy efficient heat networks that help reduce fuel poverty.

His involvement encompasses the whole heat network process with a particular focus on correct design, installation, commissioning, and operation of heat networks.

Alistair also sits on the CIBSE West Midlands committee with an emphasis on training.

Lucy Christie

Office Manager

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Lucy joined the team in 2021 to support the business administration function for our growing team. She is a graduate in Industrial Management and has a supply chain background, having worked for Thorntons and Boots before making the switch to work with consultancy firms in office management.

Lucy is a knowledgable office professional and plays a key part in ensuring the office runs smoothly, overseeing the day-to-day activities and delivering vital support to the team. She is passionate about wildlife and conservation.

Hunter Beaumont-Orr

Technical Consultant

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Joining us from Adecoe, Hunter is a certified Retrofit Coordinator and Domestic Energy Assessor. He has experience in providing energy efficiency advice and technical assessments in a variety of domestic settings. Using his understanding of building physics, low carbon measures, government strategies, and retrofit standards in the UK, Hunter has undertaken and produced several Net-Zero carbon pathways for social housing clients.

He now joins Chirpy Heat as a Technical Consultant, where he will advise on heat network optimisation and decarbonisation for clients, ensuring our clients and their customer’s heat networks operate efficiently, and minimise waste energy, carbon, and money. He is a huge asset to the team.

Mike Tisdell

Trainee Technical Consultant

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Mike joined the Chirpy Team in 2023. With a professional background in policy and research, Mike brings an analytical approach to the team, ensuring we provide clients with robust and meaningful insights into the performance of their heat networks.

Mike has been a board member at Phoenix Community Housing in South-East London since 2019, and has a working understanding of the Social Housing sector and its governance.

Passionate about sustainability and decarbonisation, he looks to ensure heat networks can deliver affordable and sustainable heating.