Smart Energy Action Plans All Set for Rollout As National Grid President Visits Delivery Partner
Innovative smart energy action plans set to be rolled out this winter were a key focus when our President Cordi O’Hara paid a visit to long-standing partner organisation, the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE).
The visit reinforces our ongoing pledge to support customers in vulnerable situations across our distribution network and ensure no one is left behind in the smart energy transition. This commitment is underpinned by a range of customer support schemes and research projects in partnership with CSE, including rolling out the smart energy action plans trialled last year.
Ms O’Hara had the opportunity to meet members of CSE’s senior leadership team and talked to some of the advisors delivering bespoke advice to customers on issues like fuel poverty and smart energy opportunities, helping people to navigate the often-complex landscape of local and national support.
She said: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. Last year, our programme of fuel poverty support delivered more than £15.2 million of direct financial benefits for customers who needed it most, but we recognise that there is always more to do.
“We are committed to providing ongoing and meaningful support to customers in vulnerable situations and to ensuring that they can access the benefits of the transition to a low carbon energy system. Our partnership with CSE is key to delivering these objectives and to making sure that we can continue to be at the centre of a clean, fair and affordable energy future for all of our customers.”
National Grid and CSE partnership schemes include:
• Power Up
A long-running ‘one stop shop’ service that provides customers with fuel poverty support. The scheme brings together a huge variety of partner agencies to deliver one-to-one services for customers referred through National Grid’s Priority Services Register. (The register provides additional support and information to customers who may find it more difficult to cope in the event of a power cut, often because they are elderly, unwell or medically dependent on electricity). In 2022/23, Power Up CSE supported 2,539 customers to make £1,125,370 in energy savings.
• Smart Energy Action Plan Pilot
Launched last year, this scheme is piloting the delivery of tailored one-to-one customer advice around smart energy and low carbon transition, to provide customers with a bespoke plan, helping them to participate in the opportunities available to them. In 2022/23, 162 customers received energy advice and support with their energy plans.
• Smart and Fair?
Research programme co-funded with SSEN to understand what ‘no one left behind in the energy transition’ means in practice for customers. Phase one led to the development of a customer capability lens and smart offer profiling tools. Phase two includes the development of our Smart Energy Action Plans pilot and a Smart energy choices tool (co-funded with Northern Powergrid).