Supporting consumers in vulnerable situations
Resilient Energy Futures for NHS
This project delivers an evidence-based assessment of resilient energy futures for NHS as the health service transitions toward its Net Zero target. The work combines national-level analysis with site-specific audits to develop replicable methodology for assessing healthcare estates provide NHS Boards and SGN with clear prioritised roadmaps for maintaining clinical resilience while reducing carbon emissions.
Scottish NHS sites are used as a case studies as it operates 14 territorial Health Boards with complex estates that currently depend on gas for heating hot water and essential clinical services. The project addresses a critical planning challenge faced by all gas networks: healthcare estates currently depend on gas for heating hot water and essential clinical services as electrification and alternative heating solutions are deployed unevenly there is significant uncertainty around how quickly gas demand will decline where it will remain critical and how network resilience can be maintained during the transition. Working with Energy Systems Catapult Jacobs and Aiming for Zero the project will deliver GIS mapping of priority sites site-level audits techno-economic modelling and Board-specific implementation roadmaps providing SGN NHS Scotland and other networks with the evidence base required for coordinated cost-effective decarbonisation planning.
Open Maps
This project has enormous potential to benefit all customers in vulnerable situations as it will provide accurate assessment of communities and all interested parties to provide suitable support to the area. This will enable GDN DNO Electricity transmission and Gas transmission partners such as community groups to specifically target areas with relevant support this will allow project partners to accurately provide information which will be bespoke to the specific needs of the area such as Carbon Monoxide awareness Priority Services Register messaging increasing awareness and registrations.
It will allow GDN’s or other service providers to enlist support for VCMA BAU or NIA projects directly addressing the needs of communities rather than adopting a broad-brush approach which has been the traditional approach. This system will present itself as the very foundation for future years projects and investments specifically as we progress through the energy system transition which will help address the very real and ever-changing needs of communities and vulnerable customers groups by putting data at the front and centre of future decision making for GDN’s and partners.
SHINE Non-Electric Boiler
Power outages are a regular occurrence in Great Britian with average annual customer minutes lost in Great Britain range between 31.57 minutes 51.4 minutes depending on the Distribution Network Operator License Area (Statista 2021). This is of course not evenly distributed with outages varying from a few minutes up to more than a week in more extreme circumstances. Similarly single outages can affect a single property or several thousand properties depending on the cause. This project will aim to develop a low-cost user-friendly solution whereby customers in vulnerable situations will still be able to use their gas heated boiler as well as LPG and oil heated boilers in the event of a power outage.
Finding the Hidden Vulnerable
This innovation project proposal is centred on trialling the development of a predictive model to identify customers in vulnerable situations whose heat comes from Cadent delivered gas that are missing out on the protections that the Priority Service Register (PSR) brings because they are “hidden” behind a non-domestic supply contract. The aim of the predictive model would be to aid Cadent to find these customers so that it can be ensured that they receive the support that they need in the event of an interruption to supply.
Assessing Energy Impacts via Thermal Analysis
The project aims to use a vehicle-mounted thermal camera and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect heat loss from homes on a city-wide scale. The data will be used to assess the condition of a property regarding its ability to retain heat and provide tailored recommendations addressing insulation problems. This critical first step allows for better targeting of necessary retrofits and offers a scientifically measured alternative or complementary approach to traditional EPC.
Wireless Methane Odorant Detector
This project aims to improve natural gas leak detection for over 3.5 million people with acute smell disorders e.g. anosmia. Traditional methane sensors require high power limiting placement. The legally required odorant (80% tert-butyl mercaptan and 20% dimethyl sulphide) will continue as the UK transitions to hydrogen or blends necessitating re-calibration of detectors.
Our solution is an odorant-based gas detector using a custom ultra-low power electrochemical sensor to measure TBM. These sensors operate for over 10 years on a sealed lithium-ion battery detecting TBM from 20-30ppb (below our smell threshold) up to 1500ppb (20% of the Lower Explosion Level) ensuring early warning of gas leaks.
With no natural sources of TBM false positives are eliminated. The Sensor is ‘hydrogen ready’ maintaining consistent odorant levels during the transition to hydrogen or blends accurately notifying of gas leakage without reconfiguration.
Rethinking Communication for Digital Exclusion
Problem Digital exclusion remains a significant challenge across the UK preventing many individuals—particularly those in vulnerable circumstances—from accessing critical information and services. As energy networks increasingly rely on digital channels for communication those without internet access digital skills or confidence in using online tools face barriers in receiving important updates such as emergency notifications and service disruptions. Current communication strategies while effective for digitally engaged users fail to reach those who are excluded due to economic geographic or personal barriers. This project seeks to bridge this gap by rethinking communication strategies to ensure all consumers regardless of digital access receive the information they need in a timely and accessible manner. Project Aims & Key Objectives Building upon the learnings from the previous Digital Exclusion project (NIA_CAD0088) this project aims to develop new inclusive communication strategies that enhance engagement with digitally excluded individuals. The research project will determine what new approaches may be able to be adopted by energy networks to aid consumers who could otherwise be left vulnerable due to being digitally excluded. By adopting a human-centred approach the project will:
- Understand how digitally excluded individuals currently access information and navigate daily life.
- Identify barriers in existing energy network communication strategies.
- Co-design and test new approaches that improve information delivery and engagement for those excluded from digital channels.
- Provide recommendations for scalable long-term improvements in energy communication infrastructure. Project Outputs The project will deliver the following tangible outputs across the following stages: Stage 0 – Outreach
- Identification of priority demographics which are most affected by digital exclusion.
- Engagement with several digital inclusion hubs to identify and introduce stakeholders to the project.
Project Plan – Rethinking Communication for Digital Exclusion
Stage 1 - Insight
- A comprehensive research report detailing the lived experiences of digitally excluded individuals.
- Analysis of existing communication strategies used by energy networks highlighting gaps and opportunities.
Stage 2 - Collaboration
- A series of co-design workshops engaging key stakeholders to generate and refine potential solutions.
- Prototype solutions tested in real-world settings with iterative refinement based on feedback.
Stage 3 - Impact
- A strategic roadmap for scaling successful solutions across the energy sector.
- A final report consolidating research insights prototype evaluations and recommended implementation strategies. Expected Benefits
- For digitally excluded consumers: More effective trusted and accessible communication methods ensuring they receive vital energy-related information.
- For energy networks: Improved customer engagement compliance with accessibility standards and enhanced reputation for supporting vulnerable groups.
- For wider stakeholders: Development of scalable best practices that can be applied beyond the energy sector to improve communication with digitally excluded populations. TRL
- Start TRL: 2 (Technology concept formulated)
- End TRL: 5 (Technology validated in a relevant environment)
Hybrid Heating | Project 10
The Cadent Hybrid Heating & Services Beyond the Meter (SBtM) project is a collaborative initiative between Cadent Gas and Guidehouse Europe aiming to trial a more integrated approach to delivering hybrid heating systems for vulnerable and fuel-poor households. The project seeks to bring together current approaches via schemes—such as Cadent’s own Services Beyond the Meter (SBtM) programme the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF)—into a single customer-focused pathway that combines appliance upgrades insulation heating system installations and tailored advice. Through a phased residential trial the project will coordinate the installation of hybrid heating technologies monitor impacts on customer bills and emissions and gather feedback from both consumers and industry stakeholders. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate the benefits of a joined-up approach to decarbonising home heating inform national policy and support Cadent’s role in achieving low-carbon heating targets while ensuring robust governance risk management and stakeholder engagement throughout the process.
LISTEN – Local Insights Supporting Transparent Energy Networks
The LISTEN (Local Insights Supporting Transparent Energy Networks) project aims to create a scalable data-led approach to understanding and building social consent for the energy transition. LISTEN integrates AI-driven tools place-based engagement and co-designed dashboards to help energy networks plan with communities not just for them.
The platform brings together four core elements:
- Regional Dashboards: Visualising insights by geography topic and demographics to inform planning and engagement strategies.
- Multi-Source Data Capture: Synthesising local news social media planning documents and community events for a holistic view of local feeling.
- Voice-Enabled Surveys: Capturing authentic community sentiment in people’s own words with AI sentiment analysis assessing tone confidence and emotion.
- Tailored Recommendations: Providing SGN and partners with actionable insights and engagement strategies aligned with Ofgem’s fairness and consumer-centric priorities.
Digital Inclusion in Rural & Vulnerable Communities Phase 1
Digital exclusion remains a significant and persistent challenge across the UK with approximately 10 million people unable to access online services due to a lack of internet connectivity digital skills or confidence. In rural and remote communities this challenge is compounded by poor infrastructure and geographic isolation. For households already identified as vulnerable the inability to receive timely communications from energy networks can have serious consequences.
Energy networks currently rely on a standard set of channels to communicate critical information such as planned outages safety alerts and emergency notifications. Letters go unread door-knocking is costly and slow SMS messages are widely distrusted and digital channels by definition exclude the very households that need the most support. No single channel reliably reaches digitally excluded consumers at speed. This gap represents both a safeguarding risk for customers and a significant compliance and reputational challenge for networks operating under Ofgem’s consumer vulnerability obligations.
This project proposes a fundamentally new approach: the Message Beacon is a low-cost physical internet-free device distributed to households to alert customers that an important energy network message is available to be read. The notification signal is received via Bluetooth or NFC from a nearby mobile asset (such as a van field engineer or bin lorry) and is represented on the Message Beacon using a flashing LED. The customer taps the Message Beacon with an NFC-enabled smart device to display the energy network message. No internet connection is required in the home and no digital literacy is assumed. The Message Beacon brings the message to the person rather than expecting the person to come to the channel.
This project aims to design and validate the Message Beacon concept establishing the foundational design user research and hardware groundwork that will enable a full real-world pilot in Phase 2.
Phase 1 will deliver four discrete tangible outputs each meaningful in its own right and each a direct input into the Phase 2 build:
- Front-of-House Initial Design: User journey maps covering how different household types will encounter and use the Beacon; initial design of the physical form factor LED notification NFC tap-to-read interaction and message display; first-round prototype tested with participants; all design decisions documented with rationale grounded in user research.
- Back-of-House Initial Design: Research with network comms teams on message types triggers and operational workflow; user journey maps for network staff; initial interface designs for message creation household management and read-receipt reporting; analytics framework for Phase 2 evaluation.
- Technical End-to-End Flow: Full system architecture from message creation through transmission to NFC tap and display in the home; hardware and software brief with security model; assessment of NFC BLE and battery architecture; basis for the Phase 2 development brief.
- Prototype Plan and Experimental Builds: Hardware technical diagrams; sourced components; initial experimental Beacon devices demonstrating the core NFC BLE and LED interaction; manufacturing and cost assessment for Phase 2 production run of 30–50 units.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
- Start TRL: 2 (Technology concept formulated)The Message Beacon has been identified through prior research as the strongest candidate solution but exists only as a concept. No integrated system design user-tested interface or functioning hardware has been produced.
- End TRL: 4 (Technology validated in laboratory environment)By the end of Phase 1 the core system architecture will have been designed and validated experimental Beacon hardware will have been built and tested and both the front-of-house and back-of-house interfaces will have been prototyped and tested with real users in controlled settings.