UTILITY WEEK | MAY 2021 |
5
KNOWLEDGE WORTH KEEPING
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Making a drama out
of decarbonising heat
The Archers is the world's longest-running drama series, although I've never
managed to get past the theme tune. But its origins lay in short-term propa-
ganda, as an e ort to in uence the post-war farming community to adopt more
up-to-date agricultural practices.
The idea has been picked up in a couple of recent conversations about
decarbonisation of heat, one of the strands of our Countdown to COP cov-
erage (see David Blackman's analysis, p20). There have been suggestions
that the topic should feature in EastEnders or Coronation Street as a way of
raising the proβ le of the debate.
Whether this suggestion prompts you to nod or shake your head prob-
ably indicates your view on a wider debate on consumer engagement
around net zero:
In the green corner are those who insist consumer buy-in is essential
for all areas of the transition and that individuals should be given agency
in tackling climate change. One of those taking this viewpoint is Octopus
Energy chief executive Greg Jackson, who told a Utility Week conference
recently: "You start talking boilers around the dinner table, you'll immedi-
ately β nd people talking about the problems they've had with gas boilers,
how much insurance they have to pay β people are hugely engaged around
the topic."
In the other green corner are the voices warning against the risk of
information overload. They advocate focusing e orts on making the transi-
tion so rewarding to the customer, and the process so painless, that choice
is rendered irrelevant. They insist going green should be the only choice.
At a recent roundtable hosted by Utility Week, one energy retailer
argued for mandating change in areas like decarbonisation of heat, stress-
ing that this had proved far more e ective than customer engagement in
examples as diverse as wearing seat belts and organ donation.
They added: "The fastest way to get things done is to assume that cus-
tomers won't change, set the default in the way you want it and educate
customers so they don't go against it."
Ultimately the goals of both sides are the same: to encourage consum-
ers to adopt greener ways of living. It just depends if you consider educa-
tion or engagement to be the primary method to do this.
Either way, it wouldn't hurt for the Queen Vic to get a heat pump or for
Emmerdale to be one of the β rst hydrogen villages.
Or perhaps it warrants a new show in itself, "And now on Radio 4, an
everyday story of hybrid boiler folk. Pam, pah, pum, pah, pum, pah, pah."
James Wallin, digital editor, jameswallin@fav-house.com
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Letter from the Editor
James Wallin
Verint:
No going back: the pandemic year
that shook up utility customer
services
https://bit.ly/3r26Wx8
COEUS:
How IT can help energy companies
meet their net zero targets
https://bit.ly/3ftTTRa
Vision:
How to fi x megaprojects (and all
capital projects that matter)
https://bit.ly/3qzY2Ha
COEUS