Follow us:

@EnergySysCat

What do people want from (low carbon)

heat at home and how can we find out

Matthew Lipson

Head of Consumer Insight

ETI’s Smart System and Heat Programme

“Creating future-proof and economic local heating solutions for the UK”

Connecting together – the understanding of

consumer needs and behaviour with the development

and integration of technologies and new business

models into…

Delivering enhanced knowledge amongst industry

and public sector

Resulting in industry and investor confidence to

implement from 2020 which enables a UK heat

transition

The Energy Systems Catapult will deliver Phase

One of the SSH programme as a supplier to the

ETI following the transition of the SSH

programme team to the Catapult. From 2017 the

Catapult will be responsible for delivery of Phase

Two of the programme independently of the ETI.

ETI members

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Decarbonising heat is the most cost effective way

to tackle climate change in the UK, but

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Rapid change is possible

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

We must focus on tackling 3 key challenges

1. Improve low carbon heat experiences

2. Simplify installations

3. Enhance control

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

What have we done?

Partners

1) Literature

reviews

Built on evidence

in >670 papers on:

• Energy use

• Thermal comfort

• Decision science

2) Workshops

and co-creation

Found areas of

consensus and

contention through

all day workshops

with >150 people

Refined concepts

with >130 people

3) Sensor lead

interviews

Saw how home life

shapes energy use:

• Visited 30 homes

over 2 winters

• Used sensors

and models to

see beyond

what people say

4) Quantitative

surveys

Surveyed over

7,000 people and

3,500 homes to

segment:

• Energy purchase

• Energy use

• Boiler upgrades

5) Field trials in

real homes

Studied in detail the

experiences of 69

households living

with smart controls,

solid wall insulation,

district heating and

heat pumps

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Improve low carbon experiences

• Systems should allow people to use heat to

get clean and comfortable in diverse ways

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Simplify low carbon heating installations

• Design solutions that can be installed in a similar timeframe to replacing a gas boiler

• Encourage people to prepare their properties during renovations

• Enable people to consider thermal details when making renovation decisions

• Explain what solutions will work in each area

Location limits what solutions will be available in any area

and many homes will need modifying to make sure solutions work well

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Enhance control

• Public concern over heating bills conceals private confusion over what heat costs

• People hold very different views on how they think heat should be used

• Controls should help people get the heat experiences they want

• Improved controls could prove key to unlocking deeper decarbonisation

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

We need to tackle three consumer challenges

to decarbonising heating

Make low carbon heating easy to control

Make low carbon heat systems simple to install

Improve low carbon heating experiences

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Energy services could be the

key to unlocking solutions

(Icon by Uyen at Noun Project)

What is an energy service?

© 2017 Energy Systems Catapult

I want to warm

the rooms I choose…

…to the temperatures I like…

…when I am home.

For a fixed monthly price!

Last year I spent

• £1,380 on

• 14,983kWh of gas and

• 4,125kWh of electricity.

Next year, I’ve no idea

• How much fuel I need

• What it will cost, or

• What experience I will get.

Services that can be decarbonised

© 2017 Energy Systems Catapult

Services could make interests compatible

© 2017 Energy Systems Catapult

Policy

makers

Consumers

Citizens

Businesses

A ‘living lab’ to help others create solutions

Retailers use data to design

low carbon energy services

Data on customer

preferences and

building

characteristics

Governments use insight to

improve policies

Vendors use data and open

architecture to improve and

integrate low carbon products

Panel of real homes

to test ideas and

trial solutions with

Many

Many

Many© 2017 Energy

Systems Catapult

Could energy services put consumers at

the heart of the energy system?

• Could energy services reveal what consumers need from the energy system?

• Can policy-makers design energy service markets to decarbonise at least cost?

• Could energy services help providers delight their customers?

• Could consumers’ choices help vendors improve and sell low carbon products?

• Living Labs offer a unique route to find out

Thank you

Matthew.Lipson@es.catapult.org.uk

@matthewlipson

Follow us:

@EnergySysCat

es.catapult.org.uk

Contact us:

info@es.catapult.org.ukInterested? We would like to hear from you

SSH has developed a platform to enable new

energy services, and trialled it in 30 homes

Individual room

temperature and

humidity sensors

Individual radiator

surface temperature

sensors

Water pipe

sensors

Central boiler

controller

Individual radiator

controllers

Utility flow

meters

30 homes kitted out to “connected homes of the

2020’s” level of data and control

Choice of service indicates the needs;

e.g. more comfort, drying clothes, etc

Cost information reveals what they

are willing to pay

On Demand vs. Scheduled Use

Discomfort feedback

Room Priorities

Time to Warm

• Takes a long time to warm (5-8am)

• Target temperature not reached on time

• Use secondary heat to raise temperature at 8am

• Takes a long time to warm (5-8am)

• Target temperature not reached on time

• Use secondary heat to raise temperature at 8am

1Radiator is operating at maximum power output

2Room is heating, but very slowly

3Secondary heating is used as a workaround

User eXperience to elicit needs and

advanced data analytics

Participatory design of

service concepts

© 2017 Energy Systems Catapult

© 2017 Energy Technologies Institute LLP

Problem: limited foresight

© 2017 Energy Systems Catapult

1. ”I want…

- few hours

- medium temperatures

- some rooms”

2. [But I do]

- more hours

- maximum temperatures

- all rooms

- with open windows

3. “I’m so annoyed with

my supplier, they are a

nightmare”

4. “But you never knew

what you needed…”

The ‘living lab’ also enables design of services

to increase productivity of fuel poverty spending

The UK spends a lot on tackling fuel poverty…

But it is costly to find the right people…

Lost productivity

‘One size fits all’ solutions only partly meet needs…

Quality of outcome is variable…

So impact is low

The ‘living lab’ also enables design of services

to increase productivity of fuel poverty spending

The UK spends a lot on tackling fuel poverty…

But it is costly to find the right people…

Lost productivity

‘One size fits all’ solutions only partly meet needs…

Quality of outcome is variable…

So impact is low

Data could improve targeting

of interventions such as fabric

efficiency improvement

The ‘living lab’ also enables design of services

to increase productivity of fuel poverty spending

The UK spends a lot on tackling fuel poverty…

But it is costly to find the right people…

Lost productivity

‘One size fits all’ solutions only partly meet needs…

Quality of outcome is variable…

So impact is low

Data could enable tailoring of interventions,

to significantly reduce the cost of expensive

'one size fits all' solutions that only partially

meet a particular customer's needs

The ‘living lab’ also enables design of services

to increase productivity of fuel poverty spending

The UK spends a lot on tackling fuel poverty…

But it is costly to find the right people…

Lost productivity

‘One size fits all’ solutions only partly meet needs…

Quality of outcome is variable…

So impact is low

Actual performance could be

measured to enable 'payment on

results' type business models:

incentivise productivity, quality

and long-term relationships with

vulnerable consumers