Helping vulnerable customers in Coventry with home energy upgrades

The Government and  E.ON UK share common goals. We both want to deliver a fast and effective energy transition, and we both want to make sure that vulnerable customers especially can afford to enjoy the benefits that will bring. With solar PV, electric vehicles, battery storage, heat pumps and smart meters capable of providing half-hourly readings we already have the technology to get us there, but our approaches aren’t always aligned with our aims. 

While we’re proud to support our more vulnerable customers through initiatives including a £92 million winter support package and the warm-home discount scheme, these often tackle the symptoms of fuel poverty without addressing the causes. 

Vulnerable energy consumers are often financially struggling and have little disposable income. While they may support the energy transition in principle, circumstances make it hard for them to prioritise it or upgrade to green technologies. There’s an irony to this, because as the transition progresses those same technologies that can drive us to net zero  could also deliver cheaper electricity to those who can access them. 

That’s why, as part of our 15-year partnership with Coventry City Council, we’re beginning an exciting new pilot that, implemented at scale, could align our shared goals of helping people out of fuel poverty and delivering on our net zero ambitions. One of the keys is battery storage. 

The economic case for putting more batteries in homes 

With more than 35 million smart meters now in UK homes, and the Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement set to begin rolling out in April 2025, there is an unprecedented opportunity for consumers in the UK to take advantage of innovations like Time-of-Use (ToU) tariffs. These provide cheaper electricity when supply outstrips demand due to the time of day or favourable weather conditions for renewables. 

Consumers with battery storage or an electric vehicle can take advantage of these tariffs by charging their devices when electricity is cheap and then using it when prices are higher. But this leaves out less affluent customers who can’t afford to install the technologies on their own. The good news is that there’s a strong economic case they shouldn’t have to. 

Paired with a Time-of-Use tariff, a domestic battery costing roughly £3,000 to install could save the average UK household between £250 and £300 a year. Over a battery’s 20-year lifespan, this adds up to between £5,000 and £6,000 in savings – roughly double what would be spent on the Warm Home Discount over the same period. 

If, for example, energy suppliers had the opportunity to redirect that yearly £150 into subscription fees for a battery that could be installed at no upfront cost to customers, this means we could provide up to twice as much financial support to vulnerable households while allowing them to play an important role in the energy transition. As an additional benefit, giving a greater number of consumers access to ToU tariffs would also help balance the grid, and ensure that the UK makes the most of its renewable energy generation. 

Bringing battery storage to Coventry 

As part of our 15-year partnership with Coventry City Council, we’ve already helped families with free energy efficiency improvements through the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) scheme, signed a contract to decarbonise four community-serving public buildings, paved the way for solar panels on schools and a new solar farm on the city’s outskirts, and installed new EV chargers across the city center. Now, we’re working to bring battery storage to Coventry and prove there’s a better way to help vulnerable customers. 

In recent weeks, we surveyed the first property for our upcoming pilot, and are well on the way to fitting it with a battery that will help the family living there make the most of ToU tariffs, save hundreds on their bills each year, and play their part in the energy transition. Working with Coventry City Council, we plan to install around 30 more batteries in the coming months, using this as an opportunity to learn and optimise our approach for a wider rollout. In the longer term, we look forward to working with the Government to bring battery storage and its benefits to vulnerable customers across the UK. 

To learn more about our partnership with Coventry City Council, take a look at: Coventry paves the way for other cities after first year of partnership with E.ON