It all started when…
The technology caught up with Homegrown energy, being created, stored & consumed within the home.
In a small UK town, homeowners, apartment dwellers, and the local council were feeling the squeeze from rising energy prices. Winter loomed, and heating costs for their homes were soaring. Struggling to afford both warmth and basic living expenses, many low-income residents faced the difficult prospect of fuel poverty. The council, concerned with both residents’ well-being and the pressure on the local energy grid, began to search for a sustainable solution.
The Transformation Begins
That year, the town council introduced a homegrown energy initiative. The goal? To make every home, flat, and building in town as energy-efficient and self-sustaining as possible. With new technologies, this transformation promised to deliver energy savings from day one—and the council offered 0% financing to make it accessible to everyone.
Homeowners and renters alike quickly began signing up, excited by the prospect of lower energy bills. Among them were Lily and her three children, who lived in a small apartment managed by a housing association, and David, a retired schoolteacher who owned his cottage but had been struggling to cover heating costs each winter.
Installing the New System
Each home was equipped with an energy-efficient heat pump, which could provide both heating and cooling by using natural heat from the air outside. A heat battery was also installed, storing excess heat from the heat pump so residents could draw on it even during the coldest nights.
On rooftops, solar PVT panels appeared, capturing the sun's energy to generate both electricity and heat. To make the most of the renewable energy produced, each home was fitted with an electricity battery to store excess power for nighttime use or cloudy days. With half-hourly rate tariffs integrated into each system, the town’s energy management system helped residents use electricity when it was cheapest.
Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS)
Each residence was also connected to a home energy management system (HEMS), which allowed residents to track their energy usage in real time. HEMS automatically shifted high-energy activities, like running dishwashers or heating water, to times when grid rates were lowest. The system even sent alerts if someone tried to use too much grid power during peak hours, gently reminding them to prioritise stored energy instead.
For Lily’s housing association, this new technology allowed them to track energy consumption across units, helping them manage the building’s overall energy use and costs efficiently. David found that HEMS helped him save more than he had ever expected. With the push of a button, he could see when to run his appliances for the lowest rates, keeping more money in his pocket each month.
Energy-as-a-Service: Affordable from Day One
For residents concerned about upfront costs, the council’s Energy-as-a-Service model proved to be a game-changer. Through a financing plan with 0% interest, the installation and maintenance costs were spread out over time. This meant that from day one, the savings on energy bills were greater than the payments, giving residents instant financial relief.
With these changes, families like Lily’s could finally afford both warmth and essentials, no longer facing the impossible choices of fuel poverty. The local housing association reported that they were saving significantly on operational costs, and David noticed that his winter bills had dropped by nearly half.
Benefits for the Community and the Nation
The town quickly saw the benefits ripple out beyond individual homes. By generating and storing their own renewable energy, residents reduced demand on the national grid. The council found that during peak hours, the town’s grid load was far lower than it had been in years, easing pressure on the wider UK grid and reducing the risk of blackouts.
On a national level, this model also began to attract attention as a blueprint for other councils. With the entire town drawing less from the grid, the community contributed to lower overall energy demand and helped the UK reach its renewable energy goals more quickly.
A New Era of Energy Independence
In the following years, other towns adopted similar homegrown energy solutions, creating a new era of energy independence for communities. Lily’s children grew up learning how to track energy use and appreciate the benefits of renewable power, while David enjoyed his retirement without the stress of high bills.
By combining heat pumps, solar PVT panels, heat batteries, and home energy management systems with flexible financing, this small UK town demonstrated the power of homegrown energy to reduce costs, empower low-income households, and transform a community’s environmental impact. And with more money in residents' pockets and cleaner air to breathe, the benefits reached beyond energy savings to create a healthier, more sustainable world.