Ensuring energy security
21 November 2023
Electrification is the only scalable option1 for decarbonising heat in our 28 million UK homes2 . This will mean an increase in total electricity consumption – The equivalent of 16% of 2020's total electricity consumption will be needed for heating alone by 20353 .
How can we deliver this low carbon heat whilst ensuring energy security and protecting the developing capacity within our electricity grid?
The answer: Build energy flexibility into low carbon heating choice.
Flexible appliances and a flexible energy system can cut bills for householders and cut costs of grid upgrades. Increasing demand side response (DSR) capability while decarbonising home heating will enable peak avoidance and maximise the use of abundant renewable energy. This could help reduce expensive curtailment of generation and decouple energy consumption from heat demand. Flexibility from electric heat has the potential to save 10-14% of peak demand by 2050.
We should now focus on offering consumers a broader range of technology choices to decarbonise optimally, whilst enabling the DSR that’s necessary for a flexible secure grid.
Although there are still market barriers to overcome, we already have the most critical enabler in place – technology options for consumers to benefit from.
