Research and analysis

Smart Energy Savings (SENS) Competition: evaluation

Independent evaluation of the impacts of innovative feedback products and services that used smart meter data on household energy consumption.

From:
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Published
9 June 2023

Documents

Smart Energy Savings Competition (SENS): overall impact evaluation report

PDF, 2.4 MB, 92 pages

SENS Smart Energy - Smart Thermostat (SEN-ST): trial level evaluation report

PDF, 1.15 MB, 63 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

SENS Energy Saver app: trial level evaluation report

PDF, 1.45 MB, 62 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

SENS Smart Local Energy Markets with Smart Meters: trial level evaluation report

PDF, 1.12 MB, 65 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

SENS More Effective and Efficient Thermal comfort with Smart meter data (MEETS): trial level evaluation report

PDF, 1.03 MB, 57 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

SENS Intelligent Digital Energy Advisory (IDEAS): trial level evaluation report

PDF, 1.41 MB, 47 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Smart Energy Savings Competition (SENS): technical report

PDF, 729 KB, 126 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This independent evaluation of the Smart Energy Savings Competition (SENS) was led by Ipsos in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, the University of Edinburgh and Manchester Metropolitan University.

SENS provided up to £6.25 million to support the development, trialling and evaluation of innovative feedback products and services that used smart meter data to help households reduce their energy consumption.

SENS was launched in 2019, with trials concluding at the end of March 2022 (extended by one year due to COVID-19 impacts).

The competition objectives were to :

  • identify innovative products and services using smart meter data that could deliver energy savings in homes, in excess of those currently identified in the smart meter impact assessment, for either the Great Britain population or specific groups within it
  • ensure that solutions were attractive and valued by consumers and were easily available (using existing technologies and delivery channels or cost-effective new hardware)
  • support the development of a domestic market for energy management products and services, securing investment from technology providers, energy suppliers, and third parties

Phase 1 (June 2019 to December 2019)

Following a competed application process, 8 projects were selected and provided (matched) grant funding for Phase 1 to develop their products and / or services ahead of potential household trials in Phase 2.

Phase 2 (January 2020 to end March 2022)

Following a stage-gate review process, 5 projects that had reached a suitable development stage were provided with matched grant funding and taken through to Phase 2, to trial and evaluate their innovative products and / or services through large scale household trials.

The competition leads for the 5 Phase 2 projects were:

  • Green Energy Options (GEO) Limited
  • GenGame Limited
  • Energy Local Community Interest Company (CIC)
  • Lightbulb ES Limited
  • Eliq Limited

We appointed Ipsos to:

  • work with projects to develop a trial of their product
  • lead a robust evaluation, overall, and for each of the products trialled to identify the impact on household energy consumption
  • implement a package of wider research (with projects and domestic customers participating in the trial)

Separately, the department awarded a grant to the Smart Energy Research Laboratory (SERL) based at University College London, for the secure collection and provision of energy consumption data from trial households (with customer consent) to Ipsos for their analyses.

Published 9 June 2023