Utility Week

UtILItY WeeK | 4th - 10th November 2016 | 21 Operations & Assets pant household had an end-point monitor, which allowed the remote monitoring of electricity over time. NTVV invited partici- pants to a series of events where they were asked to review their energy behaviour and discuss ways of reducing or modifying energy consumption. This DFG allowed the DNO to try out sophisticated ways of present- ing information to consumers and under- stand their reactions to diff erent initiatives. Not all customers are the same A recurring theme in NTVV has been devel- oping the understanding that all customers are diff erent. Familiarity with each group is critical to understanding their attitudes to energy. NTVV conducted activities aimed at representative domestic households, social housing landlords, fuel poverty experts and commercial consumers, to name a few. Each of these groups has diff erent priorities, con- siderations and needs to be approached in a very diff erent way. Even within consumer groups, there can be a wide range of expec- tations and needs. The greater the degree of personalisation, the more the consumer will respond positively to communications. Among domestic consumers, interest in energy and sustainability matters tends to be low, except for a core group with a strong personal interest in the matter. Typical con- sumers have a number of diff erent priorities and energy is only one of them. Most agree in principle that they would like to save energy, both for environmental and economic rea- sons, but there are hurdles to them taking action. For example, while consumers would like to have high effi ciency appliances, they are o€ en unwilling to throw away household equipment that is still working perfectly well. For this reason, these customers are most open to buying low carbon technol- ogy when old appliances break down. NTVV found the greatest inertia among small business owners, such as shopkeepers, for whom implementation of low-carbon technology seems to be a very low priority. This may be due to their higher relative staff costs, the high proportion of rented prem- ises or that their high footfall makes energy effi ciency dif- fi cult. Professional estate managers for larger com- mercial properties, such as larger offi ce building or IT centres, were gen- erally more open to engagement, because these locations are better placed to benefi t from cost- saving technology, such as peak shi€ - ing thermal storage or automated demand response schemes. Interviews conducted with social hous- ing providers showed that they are active in promoting low carbon technology. However, these providers are fi rstly focused on ensur- ing aff ordability for their tenants. Their pri- orities coincide partly, but not completely, with those of DNOs. For example, most housing associations take a "fabric-fi rst" policy to improvements in their stock. This o€ en means improving insulation, which helps reduce consumption. In the past, they have tended to be less interested in thermal load-shi€ ing because they had relatively few properties which could benefi t from this, however as the smart grid evolves, so may this relationship may well follow suit. Communication is multi-sided In this series of fi ve articles, we have looked at how the NTVV project has worked to fi nd solutions to the challenges increasingly being faced by DNOs as we transition into a low-carbon future. We have looked at how improved monitoring technology and mod- elling techniques allow network operators to understand what is happening on the system. NTVV has also found new ways of making use of this information to operate the grid in a way that ensures reliable and cost- eff ective service. NTVV has shown that communication between DNOs and customers is not one- sided, or even two-sided. It is a conversa- tion with many stakeholders including local government, business, housing associations and non-governmental organisations which represent specifi c interests. The NTVV pro- ject was conducted in close co-operation with Bracknell Forest Council, local housing associations and technology providers so as to ensure that the needs and views of each stakeholder were considered when imple- menting low carbon technologies. All of this research has both highlighted and reinforced the impor- tance of understanding the central fi gure in the electric- ity network, the consumer. This article is the h and nal article in a series look- ing at how Scottish and Southern Electricity Net- works and the NTVV project have been exploring bet- ter ways of managing distribution networks. NTVV key points • NTVV is a Southern Electric Power Distri- bution (SEPD) project in partnership with other local, national and international businesses. • The £30 million project is part of wider UK programme funded by the Low Carbon Network Fund (LCNF) run by Ofgem. • SEPD provide the cables and substa- tions that deliver electricity to homes and businesses in the Thames Valley area that account for just over one-fi h of households' total electricity bill, and NTVV will allow SEPD to support a lower carbon, higher electricity-consuming future, at the lowest possible cost. • NTVV is based in Bracknell because the local network is due for major system upgrade before 2020. SEPD is seeking to identify more cost-eff ective solutions than traditional network reinforcement, which will require new and larger substations to be built and require disruptive works to dig up roads to lay more cables. • Bracknell and the Thames Valley is home to many large companies and the local network is typical of much of Britain's network, and therefore the lessons we learn can quickly be applied nationwide. equipment that is still working perfectly well. For this reason, these customers are most open to buying low carbon technol- a very low priority. This may be due to their higher relative staff costs, the high proportion of rented prem- ises or that their high footfall larger offi ce building or stakeholder were considered when imple- menting low carbon technologies. All of this research has both highlighted and reinforced the impor- This article is the h and nal article in a series look- ing at how Scottish Electricity Net- NTVV project have been ter ways of managing distribution renault's twizy electric vehicle

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