Bristol Energy has become the first energy supplier in the UK to trial selling ‘heat as a service’, offering households the chance to buy a tailored ‘Heat Plan’. 

The government-backed trial is being run by Energy Systems Catapult. Heat Plans provide consumers with room-by-room, hour-by-hour control over their heating. Using data collected via a smart heating control system, the energy provider can calculate a fixed monthly cost that is bespoke to the triallist’s home and lifestyle and does not fluctuate with the weather.

The approach provides a commercial incentive for energy providers to deliver comfort using as little energy (and carbon) as possible and could  provide a route-to-market for low carbon technology.

Energy Systems Catapult has been running detailed trials over the past two years with residents in a ‘Living Lab’ of 100 homes spread across the UK. Each property has been upgraded to smart home levels that are predicted to be common by the middle of 2020s. Now, Bristol Energy has partnered with Energy Systems Catapult to offer Living Lab trialists the chance to switch to a newly-designed Heat Plan.

Energy Systems Catapult consumer insight lead, Matt Lipson said: “Energy services create opportunities for entirely new business models and policy options.”

Energy Systems Catapult is also releasing initial findings from last winter’s simulated Heat Plan trials in the Living Lab where around  50% of residents ‘opted-in’ to a Heat Plan. More details