FairHeat is delighted to announce that Lucy Sherburn, Consulting Engineer at FairHeat, has been awarded the Rising Star Award at the Decentralised Energy Awards 2023.
The Rising Star Award is the only individual accolade presented at this year’s awards ceremony and recognises individuals who demonstrate exceptional talent, vision, and drive in their respective fields, making a significant impact in a relatively short period. The judges were particularly impressed by Lucy’s outstanding commitment and passion for her work, along with her remarkable contributions to FairHeat, various projects, and the wider heat network sector.
Lucy’s role at FairHeat involves working on the design and operation of new-build heat networks to deliver cost and energy-saving improvements. In just three years, she has worked on over 25 heat network projects and has excelled in every engagement. She has grown from a fresh, keen Graduate Engineer to an experienced Consulting Engineer who is now championing heat networks.
During her graduate programme at FairHeat, Lucy completed many high-standard research projects that have contributed to and changed the company’s processes. For example, she carried out a review of optimal plate heat exchanger sizing for heat networks, which is now used as a standard in FairHeat’s design guidance.
In 2021, Lucy was awarded the CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Award, recognising her innovative thinking, hard work and skills as a graduate engineer. Through this opportunity, Lucy attended the ASHRAE winter conference in Las Vegas, where she presented on inspiring future generations into the industry. She was also invited to present at ASHRAE Building Decarbonisation conference in Athens on how hybrid heat networks can help decarbonise dense urban environments.
Lucy is an active member of the industry, contributing her time, experience, and knowledge to various technical and networking groups, including CIBSE YEPG committee member (webmaster), BESA National Conference, and STEM Ambassador. She manages to combine strong technical ability with excellent communication skills, making her a valuable asset to the industry.
Although she is still relatively new in her career, Lucy has had an impact across an impressively diverse range of projects, from managing complex delivery projects to taking the lead on developing technical standards in certain key areas, through to providing support to industry initiatives, such as the BESA HIU Test Regime. Her engagement with the wider industry has also been impressive, as a champion for heat networks, young engineers, and women engineers.
In 2022, FairHeat was appointed by DESNZ as ‘Technical Author’ for the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) working to develop a technical quality assurance scheme for heat networks, which will form part of regulatory requirements in the future. Lucy is part of the delivery team, leading on the technical stream of the project, which is determining the technical requirements and performance indicators in relation to the network and work done designing, building, commissioning, operating, and maintaining the network.
As a rising star within FairHeat and the wider engineering community, Lucy serves as an inspiration and role model, particularly for young engineers and women in the industry. Her determination, dedication, and unwavering commitment to a sustainable future underscore her exemplary leadership. FairHeat is immensely proud of Lucy’s well-deserved recognition and extends heartfelt congratulations on her exceptional achievement.
