Swell Energy’s Post

With energy bills almost double what they were before the energy crisis, our latest research tells us that over half (56%) of Brits are more concerned about paying their energy bills this winter compared to last, and whilst 68% of them are thinking of more ways to improve their home energy efficiency, many say ‘it is too expensive to install’. That’s why we have increased our 2023 ECO and Great British Insulation Scheme spend by £103m to improve energy efficiency for households. Tackling the energy efficiency of people’s homes is the number one way we can help to reduce bills and we’re not choosing to stand still or wait. Our investment will benefit thousands of vulnerable customers by bringing down their bills and giving them warmer homes permanently, as soon as possible. Read more about our investment here:

Waste heat and UK data centres – two topics I see becoming inextricably linked in the coming years.   With senior commentators such as The Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, Lord Callanan, stating, “These innovative projects will help drive down #energy costs while demonstrating why the UK has led the way in cutting #carbon emissions,” do we need more government-led initiatives for sustainable modernisation, such as this?    Sarah Honan, Head of Policy at The Association for Decentralised Energy, has also said, “#heatnetworks are essential in decarbonising our homes and offices, factories and shops, and without them, the UK will not be able to build the truly resilient and flexible grid needed for the future.”   Surely now is the time to connect the dots – quite literally – and make sure that measures such as this become the standard as we build-out the data centres, industries, buildings, and grids of the future!   Read more in Energy Live News here - https://lnkd.in/esubhaQh

⚡ ⚡ NEW RAP REPORT ⚡ ⚡ How can we ensure flex-ability for all? 🌃 🌆     My new paper with Louise Sunderland  for The Regulatory Assistance Project  explores opportunities to make demand-side flexibility (#DSF) benefits available and attractive to lower income and vulnerable households in Europe. 🇪🇺 👍   Household flexibility is the ability of households to choose when they draw electricity from the grid, responding to financial incentives and often using equipment like heat pumps, batteries, EVs, and rooftop solar, alongside smart meters and energy efficiency measures. Flexibility is essential for the rapid, cost-effective integration of renewables and newly electrified loads into the grid. According to a study by smartEn Smart Energy Europe and DNV - Energy Systems (2022), households will hold the greatest demand flexibility potential in the EU by 2030, thanks to electric heating and EV smart charging. 🌡🚗     Energy market reforms, smart technologies and innovative retail offers are coming together to nudge households  to align electricity use  with the greenest, cheapest electricity available.  When  we use grid electricity will increasingly determine bills, rather than just how much. ⏰ 🌞🌛     Lower income and vulnerable households are usually last in line to access direct flexibility savings. Delivering an energy transition that truly leaves ‘no one behind’, means opening rewards up to all households, rather than focusing solely on the ability of more affluent flexible customers to reduce overall system cost. 💶 💶 💶     What does inclusive flexibility look like? 🤔     It’s not just about technology access but also how well household needs are seen and met. Inclusive flexibility:    ✅ Opens direct savings to those who need them most   ✅ Is easy and stress-free for households   ✅ Offers savings without sacrificing comfort or wellbeing   ✅ Works alongside price protections and social support     What policy actions are needed?🤓    Policy makers should proactively support inclusive flexibility innovation by:      💡 Ensuring schemes target flexibility in a way that meets household needs  💡 Prioritising low income homes for deployment of technologies and services  💡 Working with innovators to build a bridge to flexibility, with low risk retail offers.    For case studies and detail on how this can be done, read the full Flex-ability for All report !  https://lnkd.in/e7KbUarf #demandresponse #demandsideflexibility #demandflexibility #grids #EVs #EVsmartcharging #energyefficiency #heatpumps #solar #electrification #energymarkets #fitfor55 #EMD #energypoverty #energyjustice #FairFutures #EnergyInnovation Dr. Julia Hildermeier Jaap Burger Bram Claeys Dr Richard Lowes Jan Rosenow Duncan Gibb Monika Morawiecka Molly Webb Jaume Loffredo Kenny Cameron Alex Underwood Andreas Formosa Dominic Scott Deborah Bynum Erica Falkenstein

Back in 2020 I began asking: “How can super-cheap electricity at times when renewable generation is abundant reduce bills directly for people on low incomes or experiencing #energypoverty?” Since then, energy poverty across Europe increased 35% from 2021 to 2022 meaning we need to deploy all the strategies we have, and access all of the benefits possible for people struggling to access and afford adequate energy services. Also since then, demand-side flexibility has found its spotlight on the energy policy stage. As a response to the energy crisis, moving electricity demand away from times of peak use became a key tool to reduce gas use and imports of Russian gas. Widespread household demand-side flexibility is no longer an energy system feature of the future. It’s increasingly clear that when we use energy will join how much energy we use in defining our final bill. So, I’m chuffed to bits that we can now share this new paper that Sophie Yule-Bennett and i have been working on for the last few years. We offer explanations for why the ability to move household demand is important and proposals to make moving energy use easy and beneficial for all households.  I’d love to know your opinions, experiences or examples of pilots or case studies we missed. Thank you. #energypoverty #energyjustice #EnergyInnovation #energyefficiency

🚨 New RAP report out today! 🚨 Some #DemandSideFlexibility innovators are exploring ways to bring the direct cost-saving value of flex to low income and vulnerable households. A comprehensive policy strategy is required to support inclusive innovation, fostering flex-ability for all Europeans.    Key features are: - Priority deployment of energy efficiency, flex boosting techs and smart controls; - Flex schemes that see and meet household needs, alongside system needs; - Retail offers that provide opportunities to earn flex rewards, without price risk. More from Sophie Yule-Bennett and Louise Sunderland.

💡 #DemandSideFlexibility is not just for the rich! Kudos Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) for introducing #InclusiveFlexibility to ensure vulnerable households benefit from being flexible! A just, fair and clean #EnergyTransition allows every European to play an active role and benefit from it. Check out the new RAP report for more information 🔗 bit.ly/3HugICJ Our report mentioned 📑 https://shorturl.at/rDMPQ #DSF #DemandResponse

The federal and ACT governments have joined forces in a $35.2 million initiative to enhance energy efficiency and electrification in over 5,000 public homes. The upgrades, featuring insulation and electric stoves, promise reduced energy consumption and costs for residents. ACT is committed to meeting minimum energy efficiency standards for all public housing by 2026, aligning with its net-zero goals by 2045. The Albanese Government's Energy Price Relief Plan is also in play, aiming to help 57,000 ACT residents save an average of $327 on energy bills. These upgrades not only save money but also contribute to climate action by lowering greenhouse gas emissions. #energyefficiency #canberra #sustainability #climateaction

I appreciated reading The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)'s new report that really gets to how pitting energy equity against cost-effectiveness and scale of decarbonization is a false dichotomy. “The upfront price of electrifying can be prohibitive for low-income households, but the benefits of helping these homes go electric dwarf the costs,” said Lyla Fadali, senior researcher at ACEEE and lead author of the report. “If we don’t invest in energy upgrades in lower-income homes, we risk both higher energy costs and real impacts on human lives from air pollution and climate change, like having a family member hospitalized or a home being flooded.” This goes to show how important it is for public investment at all levels, including in the California state budget, to prioritize an equitable transition to cleaner and healthier sources of energy within our homes.

Albuquerque energy program aims to reduce energy usage, save money for low-income families

Here are some ideas on achieving an affordable energy transition in an article I co-wrote with Brian Wong at RAND. https://lnkd.in/eTfcRPQb