Net-zero transition: ‘Make energy cool again’

Early engagement, improved information and action over words are all needed to bring about the meaningful change in consumer behaviour required for the UK to meet its net-zero target.

That was the message from a panel of utility sector experts speaking at the Utility Week Net Zero Strategy conference this week who discussed the important role of consumers in driving down emissions and how this should be communicated by utilities.

The panel from SSE, Scottish Water, UK Power Networks and water watchdog CCW, were united in saying consumers’ interest in and concern about climate change exceed their understanding of what actions they could or should take.

Tim Lord, senior fellow at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said over the past 10 years the UK’s emissions reductions have largely been achieved without requiring customers to do very much. Behavioural changes have accounted for just 13%, with the vast majority resulting from technological changes that have not significantly affected consumers’ lives.

Over the next 15 years, Lord said this proportion will need to rise to 59%: “That is a huge change, which will have massive implications for relationships with customers.”

Lord said the sector must step up to educate consumers about their vital role in the energy transition and how they can benefit.

He said work needs to be done to make low-carbon home improvements easier to understand, purchase and install as it is unreasonable to expect consumers to undertake them otherwise.

His sentiments were echoed by Chris Burchell, distribution managing director at SSE, who said operators have “a huge responsibility as we enter a crucial decade for the transition.”

He said flexibility can be “complicated and daunting” for customers and likewise needs to be made easier to understand, although he that not all customers will be interested in engaging.

Ian Cameron, head of innovation at UK Power Networks said the sector should try to “make energy cool again”. He said it should at least aim for interested, “but if we land on aware and informed then we’re doing well.”

Mike Keil, director of policy, research and campaigning at water watchdog CCW, said water consumers are similarly unaware about the part they can play in protecting the environment.

He noted that people often don’t connect how their actions impact waterways, or how the water sector contributes to emissions, because not a lot of effort has been taken to explain this.

“There’s a clear gap where people need help to understand their climate impact with practical steps to reduce their impact. If you spell that out, there will be lot more traction for people changing behaviour,” Keil said.

Gordon Reid, zero emissions manager at Scottish Water, said this should include talking to consumers about both the cost savings and carbon reductions that can be achieved by using less hot water. He said this would start a dialogue with billpayers, but one that requires early engagement.

Tim Lord added that utilities have a responsibility to be at the forefront of the low carbon transition as the sector will be spending hundreds of billions of pounds on infrastructure.

He said companies need to be more assertive, but guided by government policy. The Heat and Buildings Strategy has helped, but requires contextualising.

Cameron added that looking too far into the future could have a paralysing effect on companies and their customers and so it is better to focus on the immediate situation because “customers want to see what they need to do now and next, not at 2050.”