The BIG Energy Summit 2026

 

 

Date - Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 February 2026
Venue - Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, Hill St, Birmingham B5 4EW

Click here to view the agenda 

The BIG Energy Summit in partnership with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero is back for 2026, taking place at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre.

The BIG Energy Summit has grown to be an important event in the energy diary over the last few years. It is the only energy seminar focusing solely on the local government sector and is designed specifically for local authorities with content designed specifically for that audience. There will be a range of senior councillors and officers in attendance who will provide the chance for networking and sharing of experience and expertise.

This year’s BIG Energy Summit is titled ”Local energy, local climate, local action”. Clearly, elements of the energy, climate change and sustainability agenda are dependent upon global and national policies and decisions but local action remains the basis of our focus. Announcements and decisions on onshore wind projects, planning changes and discussions on targets were made when the current administration came into power and each have local consequences. The recent Warm Homes Plan is another example. These are the kind of prompts that can bring renewed vigour to the work of local authority officers and councillors. As with all areas of local government, there will be some who are at the vanguard of change whilst most will be behind the leaders in their journey. This is where the benefits of networking emerge. Sharing and learning makes for efficient use of experience and expertise. Hearing how others tackled a problem you have helps to shape your thinking, makes you more informed and potentially avoids making a mistake. Sharing and learning is at the centre of what APSE does and the reasons for it are obvious. It is an ideal approach in the normal run of activity and even more so when the agenda is as wide and dynamic as ours is.

Presentations

Great British Energy – questions and answers
Helen Seagrave, Director of Local Energy, Great British Energy

An update on the Local Net Zero Hubs
Jack Hayhoe, Head of Net Zero Programmes, Midlands Net Zero Hub

Investing in local authorities
Justin Olosunde, Senior Finance & Investment Manager, West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and South West Net Zero Hub.

Investing in local authorities
Mark Whitworth, Sustainability and Climate Change Service Manager, Sheffield City Council

Investing in local authorities
Dominic Brown, Net Zero Project Manager, York & North Yorkshire CA

Developing street lighting – meeting the challenge
Karl Rourke, Street Lighting Service Manager, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Securing internal support for Net Zero
Chris Moon, Assistant Director - Environment, Sustainability & Culture, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

Working with the wider community
Jos Holmes, Climate Change Strategy Manager, North Yorkshire Council

The importance of local leadership: experience from Dorset
Steven Ford, Corporate Director SPS, People and Workforce, Dorset Council

‘Modelling net zero interventions’
David Trousdale, Principal Advisor – Climate Change, Newcastle City Council

Financing Net Zero
Alexandra Snelling-Day, Local Net Zero Accelerator - Programme Lead, Greater South East Net Zero Hub

How to decarbonise blocks of flats
Alan Barber and Nonso Obuekwe, APSE Energy associates

Why understanding the energy trilemma is more important than ever
Andrew Donald, Business Development Manager, Equity Energies

The challenge that is fleet decarbonisation
Dean Mahoney, Business Development Manager, Dynamon

Energy advice for the hard to treat and the hard to reach
Shaun Bennett, Director of Property, Derby Homes

De-Risking Solar Investments: Portfolio and Data-Driven Approaches
Dani Jackson, Low Carbon Pathways Manager, NE&YNZH

Delivering Projects by Delivering Careers
Harry Baross, Hull and East Yorkshire Project Manager, NE&YNZH

Insights from place-based innovation: Case studies from Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living programme
Poppy Maltby, Associate Director, Regen

Heat networks - the reality in Cardif
Gareth Harcombe, Head of the Climate Emergency Response and Managing Director of Cardiff Heat Network, Cardiff City Council

Community Energy – seeing is believing
Hayley Ash, Senior Project Manager, SWNZH

Benefitting from BMS
Neil Grant, Senior Energy Officer, and David Thornton, Building Services Engineer, South Ayrshire Council

The Solar Roadmap: Opportunities for the Public Sector
Andy Tanner - Solar Service Lead & Andy Morgan - Associate Director of Carbon & Frameworks, LASER

Heat Network Zoning: Unlocking the potential of low-carbon district heating
Ella Sanders, Heat Network Engagement Lead - NWNZH & Thiru Annamalai, Principal Heat Network Zoning Officer - MNZH

Local Authorities and the Seventh Carbon Budget
Dr Sandra Bogelein, Lead Analyst – People and Net Zero, Climate Change Committee and Louise Marix-Evans, Seventh carbon budget and local authorities report author