title: Consumer Response and Behaviour - Solution Scenarios Report (WA5 WP5.5)
Creators: name: Energy Endeavours Consortium
Publisher: name: ETI
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: Smart Systems and Heat
subject: ENERGY EFFICIENCY (Residential and commercial)
subject: OTHER CROSS-CUTTING TECHNOLOGIES or RESEARCH (Other Supporting Data)

description: The delivery of consumer energy requirements is a key focus of the Smart Systems and Heat Programme.The Consumer Response and Behavior Project will identify consumer requirements and predict consumer response to Smart Energy System proposals, providing a consumer focus for the other Work Areas. This project involved thousands of respondents providing insight into consumer requirements for heat and energy services, both now and in the future. Particular focus was given to identifying the behaviour that leads people to consume energy - in particular heat and hot water. This £3m project was led by PRP Architects, experts in the built environment. It involved a consortium of academia and industry - UCL Energy Institute,Frontier Economics, the Technology Partnership, the Peabody Trust, National Centre for Social Research and Hitachi Europe<br><br>Work Package 5.5 concerns the initial creation of smart energy concepts (solution scenarios) to be tested with consumers in forthcoming consumer research.These concepts are based on previous Work Area 5 project work including qualitative workshops, in-home interviews and literature review. For the purpose of this Work Package, a solution scenario is defined as a technology or integrated system of technologies that meets one or more consumer needs and the supporting value chain elements that enable that technology or system to deliver a positive consumer experience.Therefore, a solution scenario concept could include consideration of:Financial supportData or IT infrastructurePhysical infrastructureSupply chainLegislationEducation, training and skillsEnabling products and toolsOther stakeholdersThe consortium created the following six concepts:Healthy Home HEMSRemote Zone HEMSDesigner RetrofitSmarter Secondary HeatingComplete ComfortCommunity Retrofit PathwaysEach solution scenario revealed elements that should be tested as part of forthcoming concept development work, unique to that solution scenario. However, a number of recurring themes emerged for multiple concepts that could be considered across these, and potentially other, concept:Payment - Who pays for the service (capital costs, ongoing costs, etc.) and what funding mechanisms would best suit the concept from a customer and commercial perspectives?Data Management and Protection - What data is essential for the delivery of the concept? Who needs to access and manipulate this data and how will this data be protected?Trust - How can customers be inspired to trust the concept interms of the technologies themselves, the parties responsible for delivering the concept and in the advice they receive throughout?Communication Channels - How will information be conveyed to the customer? From first contact through the life and usage of the system? Who willThe messenger be? How willThe concept be marketed?Cross-Tenure Appeal - How might the concept appeal to different tenures? What about to different customer types? What is the market size for the concept?This report was prepared for the ETI by the consortium that delivered the project in 2013 and whose contents may be out of date and may not represent current thinking.