The UK Government yesterday (4 May) launched a new programme offering up to £800,000 to help bring forward demand-side flexibility in the smaller non-domestic energy market.
The Non-Domestic Smarter Tariff Comparison Innovation Programme aims to support projects identifying, developing and testing customer-data lead solutions to provide energy tariff comparisons, supporting advice and recommendations for smaller non-domestic energy consumers.
Potential applicants include:
- Energy suppliers
- Energy management service providers
- Smart energy technology innovators
- Flexibility providers
The programme will consist of two phases.
Phase 1 will offer up to £250,000 in funding for feasibility studies, proposals for design and prototype testing.
Phase 2 will give up to £550,000 for the development and testing of these prototypes to near ready/ready for commercialisation and market.
Applicants must fill and submit a registration form by 2pm on 31 May 2023 to be considered.
“Delivering the benefits of demand side flexibility in the smaller non-domestic market will require a step-change in the tools available for consumers or third-party intermediaries, including services that help consumers understand whether they could benefit from time-of-use tariffs, wider smart tariffs and other flexibility products,” stated the government’s notice for the scheme.
“This programme will address this by developing and testing products that leverage smart meter data to provide tariff comparisons, while also addressing wider consumer engagement barriers in the non-domestic market.”
The programme forms part of the Flexibility Innovation Programme which sits within the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and aims to enable widespread electricity system flexibility using smart technologies and markets.