Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Marine Cornelis
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Energ’Ethic is a podcast exploring the human, institutional, and ethical dimensions of the energy transition. Hosted by Marine Cornelis, Energ’Ethic brings together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, city practitioners, researchers, and civil society voices to examine what makes energy transitions succeed—or fail—in the real world. Beyond technology and targets, the podcast focuses on trust, power, consumer rights, digitalisation, and energy justice. Each conversation connects policy and market design with lived experience, unpacking how decisions taken in boardrooms and institutions translate into everyday realities for people and communities. Energ’Ethic is not about slogans or quick fixes. It is a space for rigorous, grounded conversations about resilience, legitimacy, and the social conditions required for lasting climate and energy strategies. Listen to Energ’Ethic to: Hear first-hand perspectives from those shaping energy and climate policy from the inside Understand how governance, regulation, and technology affect consumers and communities Explore energy and climate justice through practical, experience-based insights Energ’Ethic speaks to an engaged audience of decision-makers and practitioners working at the intersection of policy, markets, cities, and society. Organisations can partner with Energ’Ethic to support high-quality dialogue and reach a thoughtful, policy-literate audience committed to a fair and resilient energy transition. Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

  1. She's Already Leading the Project. Why Isn't the System Designed Around Her?

    MAR 10

    She's Already Leading the Project. Why Isn't the System Designed Around Her?

    Women are already the primary decision-makers in household renovation and low-carbon upgrades. They manage timelines, handle budgets, research materials, anticipate health impacts, and carry the cognitive load of the entire process. The retrofit system, however, is not designed around them. In this episode, Marine Cornelis speaks with Ellora Coupe, founder of Her Own Space, about the structural gap between where retrofit happens and how it is designed. The conversation examines why trust, not technology, is the real barrier to household action, why peer-based learning models fill a gap that institutional tools cannot, and what it would take for funding and policy frameworks to account for the full complexity of human-centred change. This is a conversation about why retrofit moves slowly when it ignores who is already leading the work. 1. Trust as missing infrastructure. Retrofit faces a systemic trust deficit — not a communications problem, but a structural one. Households distrust contractors, product recommendations, and institutional schemes. Ellora argues that this trust erosion is the most underestimated obstacle to transition at scale. 2. The patronising design gap Women approaching retrofit are routinely not taken seriously as technical interlocutors. This is not incidental. It generates an invisible friction cost — eroded confidence, delayed decisions, abandoned projects — that no current scheme measures. 3. Community as a governance model Her Own Space is not a peer support forum, but a response to a specific governance failure: the loss of learning between individual retrofit journeys, and the incapacity of one-size-fits-all programmes to accommodate property diversity, budget variation, and different life stages. The community model absorbs complexity that institutional tools can't hold. 4. Sequencing without a single entry point Rather than prescribing a starting point, Her Own Space deliberately removes sequencing pressure. Members enter at any stage and learn across the full continuum of a retrofit journey. This challenges the design logic of most public-facing programmes, which rely on a single message reaching everyone at the same moment. 5. The early adopter argument — and what it means for policy Research cited in this episode suggests women adopt technology faster than men when it performs reliably, and abandon it faster when it does not. Designing for resilience is not the same as designing for uptake. 6. The agility gap in retrofit funding Innovation funding models are built around static, deliverable-defined outcomes. They can't accommodate iterative, community-embedded forms of innovation. Ellora argues this is a structural bias, and Her Own Space's membership model exists partly to avoid it.Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    44 min
  2. Solar Is Easy. Neighbours Are Not.

    FEB 24

    Solar Is Easy. Neighbours Are Not.

    I installed balcony solar panels at home. They work. They reduce my electricity bill. They also revealed something structural. Solar is technically simple. Scaling it is not. In Vilnius, I explored what happens when decentralised energy meets multi-apartment governance. In Central and Eastern Europe, 60% of people live in multi-family buildings. These buildings concentrate energy poverty, fragmented ownership, tight budgets and collective decision-making. Technology is progressing: Panels are lighter. Batteries are modular. Sodium-ion storage is emerging as a lower-cost option. Lithuania already counts 170,000 consumer-generators, with 12% of electricity production in 2025 coming from consumers. And yet, every time solar approaches a multi-family building, coordination begins. Who carries liability?Who guarantees mounting safety?Who stays present when after-sales disappears? This episode explores: Why 50% neighbour approval for shared solar is a relational threshold, not a technical one How standards on power limits, mounting systems and documentation reduce uncertainty Why flexibility policy collapses without visibility and information symmetry How the revised EPBD and the upcoming Citizens Energy Package will depend on building-level coordination Multi-family buildings are the proving ground. If decentralised energy depends on exceptional motivation, scaling will fragment.If governance absorbs friction, trust accumulates. From plug and play to trust and repair, this is the real work of the energy transition. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    24 min
  3. The Modernisation Fund: A Structural Blind Spot in EU Climate Policy

    FEB 10

    The Modernisation Fund: A Structural Blind Spot in EU Climate Policy

    The Modernisation Fund is often treated as a technical financing tool. In reality, it is one of the most structural instruments in EU climate policy. In this episode, Marine Cornelis speaks with Morgan Henley, campaigner at CEE Bankwatch, about how the Modernisation Fund shapes energy systems in Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on concrete examples from district heating, the conversation shows how funding design and governance choices lock in infrastructure pathways for decades. The episode examines why the Fund’s low political visibility enables priority drift, how limited scrutiny reinforces incumbent interests, and why these dynamics matter most in countries with constrained fiscal space. Rather than focusing on technologies, the discussion centres on power, accountability, and the long-term consequences of how climate money flows. This is a conversation about why climate credibility is built through governance, not announcements. Topics covered The Modernisation Fund as a structural EU instrument Governance gaps and low political visibility Priority drift and incumbent advantage District heating as a long-term system choice Why funding design determines transition outcomes CEE Bankwatch report on the Modernisation Fund (2026) Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    37 min
  4. Heat Pumps, Systems, and People: Why Clean Heating Needs Alignment

    JAN 27

    Heat Pumps, Systems, and People: Why Clean Heating Needs Alignment

    Europe has set ambitious targets for clean heating. Heat pumps are central to that strategy. Yet deployment continues to slow, especially in multi-apartment buildings and social housing. In this episode, Marine Cornelis explores why. Joined by Vladimir Gjorgievski and Louise Meister, the conversation moves beyond technology to examine how clean heating actually works in real buildings. Drawing on experiences from North Macedonia and Austria, the episode looks at: why heating and cooling must be planned together, how sector coupling translates into comfort, resilience, and bill stability, why upfront costs and risk allocation remain major barriers, and how business models and coordination determine success in collective housing. The discussion also reflects on lessons from contexts with limited gas infrastructure, the role of energy communities and flexibility, and what alignment means for EU and national policy frameworks. A grounded, systems-level conversation on scaling clean heating without shifting cost and risk onto residents. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    46 min
  5. Energy Customers Do Not Need More Explanations, Sean Layerle

    JAN 13

    Energy Customers Do Not Need More Explanations, Sean Layerle

    Why does the energy sector keep trying to explain, rather than designing better? In this episode of Energ’Ethic, Marine Cornelis speaks with Sean Layerle, Managing Partner at Baalbek Insights, about a stubborn reflex in the energy transition: the belief that low adoption can be fixed by better explanations. With 14 years in Silicon Valley and experience across five continents, Sean has worked at the forefront of digital energy products, demand-side management, and behavioural science, including roles at Opower and EnerNOC. Today, he supports energy and tech companies as electrification, flexibility and distributed energy resources accelerate. Together, they unpack why tech-first thinking persists, how behavioural biases quietly shape energy decisions, and why collecting more data rarely leads to better customer understanding. The conversation moves from early lessons in demand response to today’s challenge: designing digital products that align with real human motivations, not expert assumptions. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    44 min
  6. Stitching the Energy Transition in Cities - Eduardo Blanco

    12/16/2025

    Stitching the Energy Transition in Cities - Eduardo Blanco

    Cities are on the front line of the energy transition. They are also where energy poverty is most visible. In this episode of Energ’Ethic, Marine Cornelis talks with Dr Eduardo Blanco from Energy Cities, coordinator of the POWER UP project. The episode covers: Social energy players and new local business models Municipal leadership and public risk-taking Neighbourhood-scale solutions Concrete lessons from European pilot cities Eduardo explains why building fair energy systems looks less like engineering and more like embroidery. Slow, precise and deeply human. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    42 min
  7. Heat, Light, Silence: What I Needed to Say About Europe and Energy Vulnerability

    12/02/2025

    Heat, Light, Silence: What I Needed to Say About Europe and Energy Vulnerability

    This episode is a departure — in the best possible way. Instead of an interview, Energ' Ethic host Marine Cornelis takes listeners inside the speech she delivered in Besançon for the French Day against Energy Poverty. A space filled with people who meet energy vulnerability every day: social workers, housing professionals, energy advisers, local officials. People who understand the transition not as a strategy, but as the temperature inside a room, the state of a wall, the anxiety behind an energy bill. The speech is in French, Marine’s mother tongue, because some truths land differently when spoken in the language where they were first felt. In this reflection, Marine revisits ten years of European policy through the lens of the people these laws are meant to protect. She digs into what happens when efficiency outruns dignity, why energy vulnerability has nothing to do with a simplistic income line, and how equity reshapes the right to energy in a continent living through rising bills and increasingly hostile summers. You will hear stories from homes across Europe, observations from the frontlines, and a clear-eyed look at what rebuilding trust actually requires: proximity, responsibility, and the ability to confront vulnerability without looking away. This episode invites you to slow down.To feel the spaces where policy becomes life.To remember that energy justice is not decorative language — it is the condition for a society that holds. A different format for Energ’Ethic.And a necessary one. Listen to the full speech. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    48 min
  8. Better Buildings, Better Neighbourhoods, Better Lives - Erman Erogan

    11/18/2025

    Better Buildings, Better Neighbourhoods, Better Lives - Erman Erogan

    Erman Erogan, Policy and Campaign Officer at CAN Europe, joins Energ’Ethic to discuss the Build Better Lives campaign and Europe’s race to deliver affordable, energy-efficient homes. Europe’s homes tell a story — one of rising bills, cold rooms, and missed opportunities for fairness and comfort. But a new chapter is being written. The EU is reshaping its housing future through the Affordable Housing Dialogue, the first European Affordable Housing Plan, the Affordable Housing Initiative, and the New European Bauhaus, which reimagines places that are sustainable, beautiful and inclusive. At the heart of this transformation stands the Build Better Lives campaign, coordinated by CAN Europe. Bringing together over 95 organisations from across housing, social justice, youth, and climate movements, it calls for renovation that delivers affordable, energy-efficient, and people-centred homes. In this episode, Erman Erogan shares how renovation becomes powerful when it moves beyond walls — when it starts with people and spreads across neighbourhoods: “This is more than just adding a layer of insulation. This talks about your home, your comfort place, your relationship with your neighbours and your community.” Erman explains why district-level renovation can accelerate the energy transition and strengthen local trust. Drawing from cases across the EU, he shows how integrated planning can combine energy efficiency, affordability, and inclusion. “A good 40 percent of all waste generated in Europe is building waste. We need a culture shift that makes renovation the norm.” We discuss how circular construction, reuse of materials, and fair labour conditions can make the upcoming EU policies deliver lasting change. From Swedish projects that trained residents to German schemes that froze heating costs, the conversation reveals what equitable renovation looks like in practice. For Erman, success depends on aligning EU frameworks around ambition and justice. The goal: better buildings that create better neighbourhoods, and better neighbourhoods that sustain better lives. European Citizens' Initiative HouseEurope! Power to Renovation Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    44 min
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Energ’Ethic is a podcast exploring the human, institutional, and ethical dimensions of the energy transition. Hosted by Marine Cornelis, Energ’Ethic brings together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, city practitioners, researchers, and civil society voices to examine what makes energy transitions succeed—or fail—in the real world. Beyond technology and targets, the podcast focuses on trust, power, consumer rights, digitalisation, and energy justice. Each conversation connects policy and market design with lived experience, unpacking how decisions taken in boardrooms and institutions translate into everyday realities for people and communities. Energ’Ethic is not about slogans or quick fixes. It is a space for rigorous, grounded conversations about resilience, legitimacy, and the social conditions required for lasting climate and energy strategies. Listen to Energ’Ethic to: Hear first-hand perspectives from those shaping energy and climate policy from the inside Understand how governance, regulation, and technology affect consumers and communities Explore energy and climate justice through practical, experience-based insights Energ’Ethic speaks to an engaged audience of decision-makers and practitioners working at the intersection of policy, markets, cities, and society. Organisations can partner with Energ’Ethic to support high-quality dialogue and reach a thoughtful, policy-literate audience committed to a fair and resilient energy transition. Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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