A2EP presents Alan Pears AM with a Lifetime Achievement Award

27 August 2025

With a room full of energy industry leaders our Australian Renewable Heat Conference, it was our pleasure to present industry legend (and A2EP Technical Innovation Advisor), Alan Pears AM, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Award recognises Alan's extraordinary contribution to decarbonisation and energy productivity across his career, particularly his work advising industry and teaching the energy leaders of tomorrow.

Here is Jarrod Leak's speech as he presented the Award to Alan:

"Every movement has its pioneers. People who not only see the world differently, but

who help the rest of us to see it too.

In the world of energy efficiency and renewable heat, there has been one voice that,

for decades, has consistently challenged the status quo. A voice that has said: 'Don’t

settle for 5 or 10 per cent improvements when the fundamentals can deliver 50 per

cent savings.'

This individual has a rare gift. When they walk onto a site, they don’t just see

equipment and processes — they see possibilities. They ask the questions others

overlook, and they reframe problems in ways that make the solutions seem obvious

in hindsight.

Their influence has been profound. They played a pivotal role in shaping some of

Australia’s most successful energy programs — NABERS, appliance energy rating

schemes and the Energy Efficiency Opportunities program among them.

Programs that have saved businesses billions of dollars while slashing emissions.

They have written extensively — articles, papers, and analyses — that continue to

reach tens of thousands of readers through The Conversation, Ecolibrium and

Renew Economy. Their words have guided industry, influenced governments, and

educated generations of students and researchers.

And I can speak personally here. Back in 2019, … I still thought fossil gas might be a

sensible transition fuel. But a 5 minute chat along a Melbourne street with this

individual shifted my thinking and inspired me to move to A2EP. That’s the kind of

impact they have: not by lecturing, but by guiding — opening doors to new ways of

seeing the problem and its solution.

They have been a mentor and guide to governments, to industry associations, to

consultants, to manufacturers, to building owners, to students and researchers —

and especially to us at A2EP. Their fingerprints are on the policies, the practices, and

even the mindsets that underpin Australia’s progress in energy productivity.

So tonight, it is our honour to celebrate a lifetime of contribution. A lifetime of

persistence, insight, and leadership.

Please join me in recognising the godfather of energy efficiency in Australia — Alan

Pears AM — as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award."

Congratulations Alan!