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Partner event

HeatFlex: The untapped potential of automated heat pump flexibility

In A sustainable future

19 Nov 2024 12:30 – 13:30

Online

Free

Nesta’s a sustainable future team has been working in partnership with Centre for Net Zero, investigating how automating heat pumps through smart thermostats can help shift energy demand away from peak times, without compromising home comfort.

As the UK transitions to low-carbon alternatives for domestic home heating, such as heat pumps, the demand for electricity will grow. This means that electricity capacity, transmission and distribution will need upgrading. Using heat pumps flexibly could help reduce household consumption during periods of peak demand, reducing the need for expensive upgrades to the grid. Reducing the grid’s reliance on fossil fuels at peak times could also cut carbon emissions.

However, there is limited real-world evidence on how to use heat pumps flexibly, including how much demand could be reduced, and the impact it could have on household occupants. The HeatFlex research project aims to address this need for evidence by generating insights on how to automate heat pump flexibility.

Join us online on Tuesday 19 November from 12:30-13:30 GMT, where the research team will share key findings from this trial – the practicalities, scalability, and user acceptance of automated heat pump flexibility, and consider how these insights could shape the future of energy in the UK.

We’ll hear from researchers from Nesta and the Centre for Net Zero, as well as experts from Smart Energy GB and Ofgem.

Why you should attend

This event is for those who work across the energy industry. You might work in policy, energy supply, manufacturing, regulation, academia or work for a consumer group.

This event offers a chance to explore both the opportunities and the challenges posed by automated heat pump flexibility -- with key takeaways on how to make heat pump automation a reliable solution for peak demand.

Andy Regan

He/him

Andy works within the Nesta Cymru team as mission manager for a sustainable future. Since joining Nesta in 2021 he has led a project on retrofit finance in partnership with the Development Bank of Wales, and our collaborative project with Centre for Net Zero on heat pump flexibility. Andy has a background in energy policy in roles at Ofgem and Citizens Advice - where he co-chaired the Fuel Poverty Coalition Cymru. He joined Nesta from the independent think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs, where he oversaw their policy and external affairs work. Outside work most of his interests revolve around music, including being guitarist in Welsh indie-pop band The School.

Oli Berry

He/him

Oli is a senior researcher for the sustainable future mission on secondment from the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT). Oli specialises in quantitative research, including impact evaluation design and quasi-experimental methods. During his two years at BIT as a research advisor in their Home Affairs & Education team Oli has designed, implemented, and analysed a number of field and online trials, including a randomised controlled trial involving 1,000 crime hotspots in London. Other projects include reducing household carbon emissions, improving sensitive document handling in the civil service and increasing handwashing in Bangladesh. Before working at BIT, Oli spent four years working as a management consultant, where he specialised in providing executive remuneration advice to global corporate firms. Oli has a MSc in Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics and a MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. In his Master’s dissertation, he explored whether social norms and social identity theory could help promote pro-environmental food choices.

Daniel Lopez-Garcia

He/him

Daniel is Research Manager at Centre for Net Zero, a non-profit, impact-driven energy research institute headquartered in London. Founded by renewable energy group Octopus Energy, CNZ operates autonomously, combining the roles of industry researcher, advanced modelling innovation startup, and research-to-policy conduit. At CNZ, Daniel manages and is responsible for supporting several research areas, spanning flexibility, energy markets, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar generation. Previously, Daniel worked at Aurora Energy Research in the UK and Accenture in Spain, where he contributed directly to the delivery of power market forecasts for several European countries, developed research about green hydrogen production and its viability, and helped create cloud solutions for customer relationship management. Daniel has also published literature about the development of solar energy technologies and holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Energy Futures at Imperial College London.

Marzia Zafar

She/her

Marzia Zafar is a global leader in energy transition and disruptive technologies, with more than 25 years in the electric and natural gas industry. Currently, Marzia is Ofgem’s Deputy Director with responsibility to encourage deployment of innovations to speed up the pace to digitalize and decentralize the energy system. Marzia also worked briefly with the World Energy Council where she was Director of Innovation and Insights for developing countries. Prior to joining Ofgem, Marzia worked for Kaluza Technologies as part of the executive leadership team across GTM Ops, fundraising, strategy, pricing and finance. She also led Kaluza's strategy on how to embed sustainability into its business ethos. Most of Marzia’s experience was shaped while in California where she spent over 20 years working for both the energy regulator, California Public Utilities Commission, as well as Sempra Energy Utilities.

Andrew Schein

He/him

Andrew is the Director of Trials and Analysis at Centre for Net Zero (CNZ). His team undertakes field trials and quasi-experimental analyses in collaboration with teams within the Octopus Energy Group and external partners. CNZ delivers pioneering research to make a fully sustainable energy system a reality. The Trials and Analysis team's research focuses on intelligent demand, decentralised energy, and technology adoption, to drive better policy outcomes and more accurate energy system modelling. Prior to this, Andrew worked at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), where he was a senior advisor in their Energy and Sustainability team. Andrew managed BIT's work with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy assessing energy suppliers’ estimate of the impact of smart meters. He also managed BIT’s partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland assessing the evidence of new energy-saving products’ impact on energy consumption, and works with energy and water companies to increase households’ resource efficiency. Before coming to BIT, Andrew was one of the first 20 employees at Bulb, at the time a fast-growing energy supplier start-up. Other previous experience includes work as a project manager at Feedback, an anti-food-waste environmental campaigning organisation, and helping start Toast, a social enterprise making beer from bread that would have otherwise been thrown away. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University, where he focused on environmental economics.

Sara Higham

She/her

Sara is the Director of Corporate Affairs at Smart Energy GB. She has worked in policy, public affairs and corporate affairs in several sectors and organisation types. This includes Parliament, trade and membership associations and a FTSE 250. She has worked in energy since 2017 across a range of energy issues including energy efficiency and building retrofit, price regulation, vulnerable customer support, decarbonisation strategy and smart meters.

Centre for Net Zero

Centre for Net Zero is an impact-driven research unit that delivers pioneering research to make the future energy system a reality.

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HeatFlex: The untapped potential of automated heat pump flexibility

About Nesta

HeatFlex: The untapped potential of automated heat pump flexibility

HeatFlex: The untapped potential of automated heat pump flexibility - 19 Nov 2024 12:30 – 13:30