Karl Drage

CEO, Smart Renewable Heat

Karl leads the Kensa Group's activity around Advocacy of policy and new business models for heat and integrated energy systems. A Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers with 30 years experience in refrigeration technologies and their application. Having established a number of leading heat pump contracting businesses both in commercial and residential buildings he has overseen the installation of over 5,000 heat pumps, including some of the largest multi-megawatt ambient heat network systems in the UK, Europe, and the US. He was first introduced to a policy role as the inaugural chair of the Ground Source Heat Pump Association. Having set-up a number of successful ambient heat network ESCO funded vehicles he is keen to see private finance leveraged to enable the roll-out of the lowest carbon heating technologies and passionately believes that this is a significant route for the transition to net zero.