Learnings

Outcomes

There are no available project outcomes to share at this stage. 

Lessons Learnt

During the first several months of the project, there have been some key learnings that will inform future projects.

Lessons about installation at customer property:

Gas meter removals – these need to be carried out by the energy company rather than the installer. If the installer is not from the energy company, the energy company will still need to arrange a visit with the customer to confirm the removal and collect the meter. The standing charge on the customer’s bill will only be removed once an engineer has completed their visit. To ensure prompt removal of the meter and the standing charge, any requests should come from the customer to their energy supplier. 
Meter tail upgrades – these need to be carried out by the customer’s energy supplier prior to the installation of the ZEB. Not all properties will require the upgrade and this is determined by the installer during the home survey stage. Two properties were identified as requiring meter tail upgrades before having a ZEB installed, only one is currently on the trial. 
Changing energy suppliers – the current energy crisis has made many customers more cautious about changing energy suppliers. For customers to join the trial, they must be on an Ovo Energy tariff. If customers are not already Ovo Energy customers, we require explicit instructions from them before onboarding them to make sure that they are aware of the tariff they are signing up for and any potential changes. This process usually takes two days. 
Customer understanding of existing heating systems is limited – understandably, many people do not know if their system is regular or system, combi or conventional. We have started asking simply whether they have a hot water tank during first-stage eligibility as this is naturally more widely known. 
Customers are often planning other heating/hot water upgrades – all three of our first customers were planning to change or have changed their hot water system (for efficiency, changing the location to free up space or to reduce the space taken entirely). Two of the properties above had considered purchasing heat pumps, but they weren’t viable given the customers’ plans or limitations around the use of their outside space. 
 

Lessons about marketing:

Marketing campaigns – for a trial with specific eligibility criteria, a targeted campaign would reduce the number of unsuitable candidates signing up to the trial. It would also reduce the time spent removing customers who are not eligible from the recruitment pot. This can allow for more surveys to take place earlier.