Learnings

Outcomes

During this year of delivery, the project progressed from initial research and concept design into a fully specified solution. All planned work packages were completed, and engagement with emergency services expanded significantly, with 78 individuals from 29 organisations across police, fire and ambulance services contributing to the testing and refinement of the proposed tool. This work has resulted in a clear, user‑validated digital journey that will support emergency services in electrifying their estates, while enabling UK Power Networks to better anticipate and plan for future demand. 
 
The following key outcome areas have been identified as most relevant to the emergency services and reflect the substantial progress made this year. 
 
Outcome 1: A fully defined and validated planning journey for emergency services 
Over the past year, the project delivered a complete end‑to‑end planning journey, captured in five functionalities centred around user needs These were developed into clickable wireframes and tested with a wide range of emergency services. The resulting design reflects how organisations assess capacity, plan electrification and sequence investment, and is now in the process of being developed and built. 
 
Outcome 2: EPIC 1 – Improved visibility of current headroom and site readiness 
The project delivered a user‑friendly process for entering site details, MPANs and smart meter data, enabling services to understand their current headroom and existing load position. Stakeholders welcomed this clear, consistent way of determining whether their sites are capable of accommodating additional load. This outcome provides the essential first step for making informed electrification decisions and avoiding speculative applications. 
 
Outcome 3: EPIC 2 – Scenario modelling and load management options 
This year’s work delivered detailed modelling functionality that allows users to test EV charging demand, heating electrification, PV, battery storage and smart charging. Stakeholders also validated the importance of providing indicative cost and timescale ranges for different upgrade pathways, noting their value for internal funding approvals. This outcome equips emergency services with the clarity they need to review options before submitting applications. 
 
Outcome 4: EPIC 3 – Estate‑wide visibility across complex portfolios 
The estate dashboard developed this year enables emergency services to view their entire estate in one place, identify capacity issues and understand the impact of their decarbonisation plans. Many stakeholders noted that this feature replaces manual spreadsheets and fragmented data sources, improving coordination and transparency across large, multi‑site organisations. 
 
Outcome 5: EPIC 4 – Long‑term road mapping to support phased investment 
The road mapping view provides a timeline‑based approach to sequencing upgrades, comparing investment options and planning dependencies across sites. This supports emergency services in developing multi‑year electrification programmes aligned with operational requirements and funding cycles. Stakeholders highlighted its value for structuring business cases and reducing repeated, reactive connection requests. 
 
Outcome 6: EPIC 5 – Incorporation of resilience considerations into electrification plans 
A key feature developed this year is the resilience view, which identifies primary and secondary substations and shows single points of failure across an estate. Emergency services identified resilience as integral to ensuring operational continuity as their fleets and buildings become increasingly reliant on electricity. This outcome ensures that resilience planning is embedded in electrification decision‑making. 
 
Outcome 7: A technical specification and the onboarding of a delivery partner 
The project produced a comprehensive technical specification covering functional requirements, data structures, modelling logic, security considerations and integration points. This specification was approved through internal governance processes and used to procure and onboard Field Dynamics, who will deliver the MVP followed by the full BAU tool. This marks the formal transition from the innovation phase into controlled delivery. 
 
Outcome 8: Strong sector validation and readiness for adoption 
Feedback from user testing was consistently positive, with emergency services expressing clear demand for the tool and a desire to begin using it as soon as possible. Many noted that even a minimal version would significantly improve their ability to plan, track and communicate their electrification needs. This widespread validation provides a firm foundation for successful uptake once the MVP is launched.

Lessons Learnt

There are a number of potential lessons that can be learnt from running the project so far: 
 
Iterative, collaborative design supports quicker acceptance and stronger solutions 
This year reaffirmed that maintaining consistent user engagement throughout the design process improves both the quality and credibility of the final solution. Many stakeholders expressed enthusiasm at seeing earlier inputs reflected in the wireframes and were more willing to dedicate time when they could see tangible progress. 
Maintaining this iterative co‑design approach into MVP build and operational rollout will be essential to ensuring long‑term adoption and continued trust. 
 
Understanding the time commitment and the need for interactive engagement 
A key learning this year has been the significant amount of time required to engage emergency service stakeholders meaningfully. While the project initially explored surveys and unguided feedback as low‑effort engagement routes, these proved largely ineffective. Despite making interactive wireframes available for a period of time, survey responses were not forthcoming. This reinforced that emergency services typically do not have the spare time to provide written feedback and are far more responsive in guided, live sessions where questions can be explored in real time. 
 
As a result, the most valuable insights came from structured, facilitated discussions – either in person or through interactive walkthroughs – rather than passive engagement. Future projects should allocate more time for facilitated sessions and assume minimal response to survey‑based or open‑link testing unless accompanied by live guidance. 
 
Growing emphasis on resilience in planning conversations 
While resilience was not expected to be a priority at the beginning of the project, repeated engagement demonstrated that it has become increasingly central to emergency service decision‑making. Stakeholders have begun thinking more seriously about single points of failure, operational continuity and how to prioritise investment based on resilience benefits. 
 
The lesson is that resilience considerations must be built into planning tools and conversations earlier than initially anticipated. Even if some organisations are still focused on electrifying their fleet, resilience will quickly follow as a key requirement – the tool is well‑positioned to support this shift. 
 
Data availability continues to be a limiting factor 
Data availability challenges persisted this year, especially around MPAN‑linked information, contractual capacity, half‑hourly consumption data and peak demand. Only sites with CT‑metered supplies can provide half‑hourly data, meaning many smaller stations will not have it. This reinforced that the tool must be designed to work with variable data completeness, uploads of smart meter data, or using assumptions and fallbacks where necessary. 
 
The lesson for future projects is to plan for data limitations from the outset, communicate clearly to partners what is required, and allow sufficient lead‑time for internal approval processes involving data, procurement and legal teams.