SWAN 2015 Conference D McCombie 29 April 2015 pm session FINAL

Smart water and regulation

Duncan McCombieDirector Wales and Ireland

Energy Saving Trust

Regulation and a smart water network

• Water in the UK is a virtual monopoly• Regulation is the surrogate for the competitive

market• There to protect consumers:• but only looks at water• we don’t use water in isolation

• Unlike the work we do on energy – water is visible!

3At home with water28 April 2014

Water in the UK Energy in the UK

Household bills

Mortgag

e

Groceries

Credit a

nd loan

s

Car fuel

Commuting

Energ

y bills

Council tax

Car tax

and in

surance

TV su

bscription

Mobile phone

Water b

ills £-

£1,000

£2,000

£3,000

£4,000

£5,000 Cost of living

Annu

al co

st

£385

£1,320

Source: Skipton Financial Services 2013

Water is moving up customers’ agenda

Environment

Cost

Visibilit

y

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Water Energy Calculator - WEC

7

Flagship research in water-energy use behaviours…

• Phase 1: Analysis of domestic water device/behaviour dataset collected by Water Energy Calculator >86,000 households.

• Phase 2: In-home with householders. Qualitative interviews and water energy calculator survey (45 homes), and micro-component monitoring (58 homes).

Understand: how households can be best supported to use efficiently and cut water/energy impact

At Home With Water research

Hot water + electrical appliances = Energy bill

Only 8% of people are aware of the link between their water use and their

energy bill

Other (cold taps)22%

Garden1%

Car1%

Toilet22%

Shower25%

Bath8%

Dishwasher1%

Hand wash dishes4%

Washing machine9%

Bathroomhot tap

7%

Energy and water interface

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Taking action: showers

Average?7-8

minutes

“The house is so cold that my shower is the best bit of the day. I’m probably in there for 10 minutes, maybe longer, because I actually feel so relaxed.”

“I’m going to enjoy this a bit more if it’s stronger – the luxury of using a lot of water.”

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Dual-flush ?

Age

Taking action: toilets

“We can’t fit a dual flush to our old style toilet, and we can’t find a modern toilet that fits our bathroom.”

“I had no idea about the two buttons on the loo – I just push them both down.”

Barriers to action

Lifestyle compromise

Competing priorities

Imperfect solutions

Information gap

Physical constraints

Personal circumstance

Negative perceptions

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Identify barriers to actionLifestyle compromise – perceived impact on choices and enjoyment

Competing priorities – not highest on agenda, often overlooked

Imperfect solutions – kit doesn’t fit my home, or underperforms

Information gap – to identify relevant actions, and use efficiently

Physical constraints – tenancy, space constraints, construction

Personal circumstances – needs of age, health, culture, religion, occupancy

Negative perceptions – distrust in claimed benefits

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One size does not fit all

Flats - mansions Urban – rural Gardens – window boxes Metered – RV based charge Engaged – disengaged Large family – small family Regional differences Religion and ethnic differences

So can we use smart data to tailor and target advice?

What does smart data look like?

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Multiple large scale programmes

Add context to smaller scale monitoring projects

Data enabled advice and informationData can give consumers better understanding of their energy and water use and how to reduce it

BUT only if we can translate this into meaningful information

“I’ve got no idea how much my devices use. Bills are too complicated and not written in plain English – you’d need to be Stephen Hawking to understand them.”

Householder

Smart meter information can look like …Smart Meter Advice Project:

“We have been able to match [energy consumption] more accurately to house occupancy and set timers more accurately to reflect when we are in the property, when we will be leaving (switch off heating at least 30 mins before) etc.”

Householder

provides tailored energy use advice based on real energy consumption (hot water)

Smart Meter Advice ProjectCombine smart data with technical insight to provide bespoke advice

“It has helped us to continue our downward trend of annual energy use.”

“A useful resource that I can dip in and out off to keep track of different daily energy use and why this occurs.”

Evolving energy and water adviceTHEN

• We told customers nothing – but sent them a bill

• We began to engage with customers

• Made recommendations on broad segments and peoples homes

NOW

• Bills that reflect their usage

• Timely recommendations best for their household and how they interact with energy and water

• They have greater visibility, turning data into instant information that can inform behaviours

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Summary

• Water use not the forefront of everyone’s mind …• … but it is rising up their agenda• Householders need relevant timely information to

make informed decisions that suit their lives• Improved billing information = reduced complaints• Not just about fabric changes – about behaviour!• Partnerships and collaboration works better than

working alone