84% of people willing to be more flexible in their energy use if it means lower bills
The energy sector is talking more and more about flexibility, and with good reason.
As the net zero transition ramps up, further electrifying the UK’s energy system and bringing more renewable power sources online, some of the ways that we use, store, buy, and sell energy will need to change, but without disruption – and ideally with benefits – to customers.
We can make significant progress by building more flexibility into the system at a large scale, for instance by installing more high-capacity batteries that can store and deploy renewable energy in line with supply and demand. But we can also make change by giving customers more control over their role in the energy market, empowering a new generation of ‘Flexsumers’.
Customers want more power over their power
Modern technologies such as solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, and smart meters are now advanced and compact enough that they can be integrated into the homes and lives of customers, bringing greater flexibility to the way they use energy.
For instance, a customer with solar panels and a battery (or an electric vehicle – essentially a battery on wheels), has the ability to generate power when the sun is shining, use it right away, store it for use later (when their energy costs might be higher), or even sell it back into the system. They are both a producer and a consumer, with the flexibility to switch roles as needed: a flexsumer.
We think that empowering more energy customers can only be a good thing, but wanted to know if the public agrees with us. That’s why we commissioned YouGov to survey a nationally representative sample of 2,000 people with questions on energy flexibility, and the results are telling.
A staggering 87% of people agree that “it’s good to give customers more control over their place in the energy market, for instance by helping them to buy electricity at off peak times, or to produce more of their own electricity at home.”
The poll also revealed a willingness among customers to be more flexible with their energy usage generally. 84% of people said they would be willing to be more flexible if it meant lower bills, while 61% said they would be willing to do so if it helps the UK achieve net zero.
In all cases it’s clear: people are ready for greater flexibility in the way they use energy.
Bringing more flexibility to the energy system
79% of people who answered our poll said they think it should be easier to generate and sell electricity from their homes using technologies such as solar panels, and we agree.
This is why we not only offer solar panels both commercially, and to more financially vulnerable consumers as part of the ECO4 scheme, but are also developing innovative new ways to bring flexibility to the energy system. For instance, as part of our ongoing partnership with Coventry City Council, we are currently running a pilot to install batteries in people’s homes at no upfront cost, demonstrating that greater flexibility can help save money on their bills and cut their carbon emissions.
We plan to keep developing new ways to empower our customers by offering greater flexibility. The Government can help by continuing to invest in new energy projects, creating more grants and guarantees for green financing, shifting the balance of existing levies from electricity to gas to encourage more renewables, and remaining open to fresh, innovative, and flexible approaches to making new energy work.
To find out more about the coming wave of “Flexsumerism” take a look at: New energy trend could make 2025 the year of the "Flexsumer"