Currently, there are circa 2,000 properties across the UK that are ‘off-grid’, meaning they are without access to both electricity and gas mains/ grid connections. A range of socio-economic challenges are faced by people living ‘off-grid’, including being at greater risk of fuel poverty, and struggling to adequately heat their homes. Network Operators are seeking to better understand the realities and practicalities of decarbonizing off-grid properties and the likely impacts on occupants.
Objectives of the project are as follows:
Identify policy and regulatory frameworks within which decisions about the decarbonisation of off-grid communities will be made
Understand the nature of off-grid communities from a physical, social, cultural and infrastructural perspective
Review possible decarbonisation solutions for off-grid communities, considering technical, financial, social, cultural and geographical barriers
Benefits
Identify end users for the research
Fully understand the nature of the identified off-grid communities from a physical, social, cultural, economic and infrastructural perspective.
Detailed profiling of the off-grid stock within the geographical region to be considered, including occupants and the community context in which they operate, property types and current energy arrangements. To be completed ensuring that Stages 3&4 are evidence based and set firmly in context.
Establish a stakeholder panel to represent key stakeholders and provide insights into the needs, experiences and preferences of off-grid communities (government, regulators, DNOs, those representing end users).
Utilise the data generated to identify and assess all possible decarbonisation solutions for the case study communities, considering technical, financial, social, cultural and geographical factors. The options identified should take account of technical feasibility, cost, end user needs and lifestyles (present and future) and fairness to occupants, particularly more vulnerable households in or at risk of FP.
Identify potential decarbonisation solutions, consider whether there are any by-products, such as manure, that might be used as an asset in this context. As part of this assessment, any additional added value which could be leveraged by specific solutions for the community at large will be considered and presented, for example, H2 production from a farm has the potential to create a refuelling hub to facilitate H2 mobility.
Return to a representative sub-set (~10) of the 30 households living off grid in the case study locations to gain their feedback on the acceptability, practicability and affordability of the identified decarbonisation solutions.
Engage with the stakeholder panel to help inform a final assessment of the most viable and replicable options, taking account of occupant’s perspectives.
Use all data to generate recommendations identifying the most beneficial and fair solutions for different property types, their occupants and the wider communities in which they sit.
Aim to identify full system decarbonisation, for example, how do can domestic connections be linked to personal, societal and commercial requirements, including future reliance on for EV/H2 vehicles. It is acknowledged that these solutions may benefit more than one community and unlock further investments.
Assess the decarbonisation solutions explored for the case study communities, considering technical, financial, social, cultural, geographic and logistical factors. Wider replicability and likely timelines for deployment will also be considered.
Learnings
Outcomes
The project produced several key outputs, including a literature review, a report on qualitative findings from 24 off-grid households, and a full project report synthesizing the insights. An additional 4-page policy and practice brief is also being developed to distil the key takeaways for busy decision-makers.
The project outputs were well-received by the participating network companies, who found the insights very useful for informing their low carbon technology advice projects and broader decarbonization efforts. While specific quantitative performance data was not provided, the qualitative findings offered valuable customer-centric perspectives to complement the technical information.
The project did not appear to significantly change the TRL of the underlying methods used. However, it has identified opportunities for further research, such as expanding the scope to cover a broader range of property archetypes and estimating indicative costs for decarbonizing different building types. Pursuing these avenues could build upon the learnings generated through this initial project.
Lessons Learnt
Several important lessons emerged from this project. There has been a noticeable shift in public willingness to participate in research interviews post-COVID, presenting new challenges for engagement. The project highlighted the importance of a modular, step-by-step approach to home decarbonisation, as comprehensive retrofits often face resistance from homeowners. The research also underscored the value of positive framing around energy transition opportunities, moving away from language focused on cutbacks or limitations. Finally, the project demonstrated the effectiveness of combining customer-centric information with technical details to engage a broader audience, including both general stakeholders and engineers.
