DNO Stakeholder Engagement Best Practice Sharing

Customer-Led Network Revolution

Low Carbon Case Study

19th June 2014

2

CLNR is assessing the potential for network technology and customer flexibility solutions

Trialling smart grid technologies on selected urban and rural networks

Active customer participation to minimise electricity costs

through flexibility

National smart meter data

3

An industry-wide collaboration and strong consortium

•UK’s largest energy supplier and leader in smart meter deployment

• Leads on the

customer recruitment and engagement activities

• Researches

customers’ attitudes and energy-related behaviour

• Engineering consultancy with extensive experience working with the electricity industry, including smart grids

• Creates practical

outputs to implement new solutions

• The distribution network operator for Yorkshire and Northeast, with 3.9 million domestic and business customers

•Operates the

electricity network on which the CLNR trials are taking place

• Delivers end-to-end

monitoring and analysis

• Internationally recognised academic institutions

4

Over 12,000 customers recruited

Equipment installed in almost 1,500 homes and business

Over 900 customers actively participating

in flexibility trials

Secured £2.8 million R&D grant from DECC to install 375 new heat pumps

One of the largest studies of consumer energy practices ever recorded

Less than 3% customer drop out rate

We’ve achieved a lot so far …

5

Stakeholder

LO summary reports

Detailed learning outputs

Level 3: Both academic and CLNR publications

Level 2: A suite of LO specific reports authored by experts in the field.

Covers key learning and impact making findings relevant to stakeholders

Level 1: Project closedown report plus a suite of targeted, stakeholder documents;

DNO, suppliers, industry, advocates etc.

• Uploaded to CLNR project website

• Key learning docs will be flagged and a decision taken on any comms required

• Printed and digital versions with links • Uploaded to CLNR project website • PR campaign based on key messages • Email and social media campaigns • Final reports would be informed

by a series of stakeholder consultations throughout 2014

• Printed and digital versions with links to related documents and reports • Uploaded to CLNR project website • PR, email and social media campaigns • Closedown report submitted Dec 2014,

stakeholder consultation required • Project closedown event 2015

…but there’s a lot more we still need to deliver and share

6

Who are our key audiences for CLNR?

DNO

Energy Industry

Internal Policy and

Regulation Academics

The Public

Targeted communication & dissemination of learning through appropriate channels

7

The communications machine

8

Tactics and channels for knowledge sharing

9

Keeping the multi-organisation CLNR team informed • Using Office 365 to encourage

relationships and maintain effective communications between the multi-organisational CLNR team

• Enables the production and concurrent editing of reports and documents

• Sharing notable achievements and news via project announcements

• Capturing additional learning from the team via through ‘news snippets’

• Communications & dissemination library provides a valuable reference and resource for project partners

10

Keeping our internal organisation informed • Prior notification on the release of any new

project learning and reports

• Staff briefs enable us to deliver high level messaging about the project to the entire organisation

• Site visits and specialist training for operational staff on the new network equipment they will encounter in the field

• Safety and operational conferences

• Training the smart grid experts of the future

• Programme of lunchtime briefings open to employees from across the business

• User groups and workshops for staff involved in the development of key deliverables, and who will lead the transition into business as usual

11

Sharing the learning with our industry colleagues • CLNR project library creates a learning legacy

• Project reports, briefing notes and datasets

• Project videos capture the lessons learned during the installation and commissioning of new network technology

• Knowledge sharing events and forums; regional, national and DNO audiences

• Industry user groups, conferences and events

• 900+ segmented CLNR mailing list subscribers, priority updates on release of new learning, monthly email bulletins and newsletters

• Sharing the knowledge, tools and recommendations for the benefit all DNO’s

• Comprehensive, targeted suite of project closedown documents

12

Use of social media • Launched CLNR YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter

channels in January 2013

• Enables increased visibility, reach and engagement with relevant stakeholders

• YouTube has 28 project videos to date, creating a useful online reference and resource

• Getting to the ‘so what’ in 140 characters isn’t always that easy!

• But now our followers are starting to disseminate on our behalf

13

The network revolution website • Responsive across all

platforms

• Users can search, filter and share reports and learning from our project library

• Flexible CMS system

• Link to reports, related documents & videos

• Improved accessibility with Recite

14

Engaging customers in the low carbon agenda

15

22 trials covering range of different customers, low carbon technologies and demand side response propositions

16

Recruitment campaign

Phone/ f2f recruitment

Welcome pack

Smart meter/ DPI

Tariff switch

Monitoring/ intervention equipment

Low Carbon Technology

Start of trial vouchers

In-life comms

Broadband/

GSM

50,000+

engaged

12,000+

monitored

Recruiting 12,000 customers required a complex yet flexible approach

17

Quality communications were key to maintaining customer engagement and trial participation

Less than 3% customer drop out rate

18

99% Above standard

Time of Use Tariff

• Smart meter + IHD

• 2020 cost profile

• -4% day rate

• +99% peak rate

• -31% off-peak rate

• 16p standing charge

Restricted Hours

• Smart appliance automation • Time of Use tariff • Simulated CAD • Customer override

Within Premises Balancing

• Automatic balancing uses excess generation to heat hot water

• Manual balancing IHD provides real time info on generation, consumption and export

Direct Load Control

• Appliance automation • Up to 15 interruptions • Up to 4 hour events • 1 interruption per day • Up to 10 consecutive days • Customer override • DNO > supplier > appliance >

customer control

Trialling 4 types of DSR with domestic & SME customers

19

• Contracted DSR: 2 MWh

• DSR type: CHP generation

• Availability: 3pm - 6pm weekdays

• Response time: 15 minutes

• Contracted DSR: 0.75 MWh

• DSR type: Load reduction

• Availability: 3pm -7pm weekdays

• Response time: 20 minutes

• Contracted DSR: 0.8 MWh

• DSR type: Diesel generation

• Availability: 3pm - 7pm weekdays

• Response time: 20 minutes

DSR with industrial and commercial customers

Example 1: Mining company Example 2: Refrigeration Example 3: Web-Hosting

• High appetite for involvement: 12,000 customers taking part in monitoring trials (ca. 1% opt-out) and ca. 900 customers actively participating in flexibility trials (ca. 10% opt-in)

• Our customers told us: their overwhelming motivation for signing up was the opportunity to save money on their energy bills through simple behavioural changes

• Time of Use tariffs proved particularly attractive: the trial was oversubscribed, interim results show a notable peak shift and overall consumption reduction

• Electrically-heated water was not suitable for demand response: customers were already on cheap night-rate tariffs

• Solar PV customers are highly interested in energy practices: producing insights into how to engage with customers with low carbon technologies

• Electric vehicles were hard to find: but by seeking new routes to trial participants we were able to recruit 150 EV owners to take part in the project

• Restricted hours and direct control were a tough sell: the lack of an existing residential/SME market meant enabling technology was limited and constraining (e.g. heat pumps and washer/drier appliances)

Our customer trials produced some interesting early insights

21

But we had to adapt our trials as we went along to reflect what we were learning about our customers

300+ rent-a-roof customers removed Backfilled through a successful community based recruitment scheme

Abandoned electric hot water DSR <1% heated water during peak hours

1/3+ customers on E7 were on gas

Limited knowledge about electric hot water usage in the UK Re-designed trials to better understand usage of electric heating

22

Market conditions meant we had to find new routes to trial participants

Delays to RHI meant social housing became a critical recruitment channel for heat pumps 16 social landlords, 3,000 properties, 375 new installs

Partnership with Charge you Car Ltd gave a new route to Northeast EV owners 150 electric vehicle owners recruited to take part in CLNR trials

Learning from our trials informed thinking on other LCNF projects My Electric Avenue creating community clusters of EV users

23

Delivering insights into consumer energy practices & attitudes

One of the largest qualitative studies ever recorded 1250 domestic and 150 SME online surveys

250 in-home, in-depth interviews with customers

Insights into consumers’ energy practices and attitudes Use of smart meters and in-home energy displays, low carbon technologies and incentives (Time of Use) and interventions (direct control) as well as providing insights into levels of customer flexibility

We’re sharing our findings, but there’s still more to come At academic and industry conferences, publishing interim reports and analysis

Durham University & NEA Are collecting and analysing all of the data

24

Conclusions

• Gained important knowledge about how to engage with customers as well as how to achieve our primary learning objectives

• There is a need to work with trusted partners

• Be flexible and able to adapt to unforseen circumstances