The energy retail industry must be “ready to play its part” in supporting consumers in transitioning to new tech, a trial run by Warmworks Scotland has found.
Funded by SP Energy Networks’ (SPEN) Green Economy Fund, the trial – announced in November 2020 – saw Tesla Powerwall batteries installed in 133 homes owned by the Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership.
New smart meters were also installed, with bespoke advice also offered on how to use the new systems in a way that could increase bill savings.
With the £1.25 million project now closed, follow-up analysis work has revealed that some households saw their energy bills drop by over half as a result of a combination of the battery storage and being on what SPEN described as the ‘right tariff with the right supplier.’
Additionally, some homes reported times the batteries have given them protection from power cuts and kept medical equipment running in the event of power outages.
The project has therefore demonstrated the role that domestic battery storage can play in reducing energy bills, Ross Armstrong, managing director of Warmworks said, as well as providing information on the level of support required by customers to switch their energy supplier and get a smart meter installed.
The company is now aiming to widen access to the benefits the technology can offer to those struggling with the cost of energy bills.
“It is clear that it has tremendous potential and could play a key role in how we use our energy more wisely in the future, but its benefits must be equitably shared and accessible to all,” he said.
Other projects to have received funding from SPEN’s Green Economy Fund include Project Pace, a partnership between SPEN and the Scottish government. Sites for the electric vehicle (EV) charging hub project were selected through a Green Economy funded study, which was first set up in 2018.
