6 March 2025
Both of these energy experiments sound really useful. And I love that they’re grounded in experiment, rather than confidently assuming that they already know the answer. Do, test, learn, repeat.
“What if we separated flexible energy use from everyday consumption? Imagine your EV charging at times when energy is cheapest, using dynamic pricing, while the rest of your home stays on a straightforward, flat rate. This approach means you could take advantage of lower rates for EV charging without rearranging your daily schedule.
Energy Systems Catapult is studying whether it is feasible and desirable for households to have a second energy supplier that could be dedicated to specific assets, like EVs.”
Testing different billing propositions using the participant’s actual smart meter data will be interesting.
Start at home for newly trained heat pump installers, by Nesta:
“we are giving experienced plumbing and heating professionals, who have just undertaken heat pump training, a heat pump to install in their own home. Interviews with heat pump installers and industry experts reveal a gap between heat pump training and the ability of heating engineers to confidently incorporate heat pump installation into their commercial offer to householders. We want to understand whether doing their first heat pump installation in their own home means they have a more successful journey to offering heat pump installations in their business and career”
Everyone who’s done DIY or building work on their home knows that in the messy work of matter and atoms it’s always harder than you expect, so you’d guess that this second experiment will have a positive test result. But don’t guess, run the experiment.