Smart Systems and Heat Phase 2 (SSH2) was a £9.8m grant from the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme to fund activity by the Energy Systems Catapult (ESC). The programme was set up to develop evidence on how to facilitate the take up of low-carbon heating technologies across the UK through the development of new digitally enabled services. The total funding was approximately split 70/20/10 between the three activities of the programme: the research and development winter trial, business modelling, and local engagement. Winning Moves was commissioned to carry out an interim and final evaluation of the programme.
The aim of SSH2 was to deliver a test bed with local authorities and industrial partners to understand the needs and desires of discerning energy consumers, in order to develop and evaluate examples of potential new service offerings, as well as to understand the related policy implications.
Overall, the intended outputs of SSH2 were delivered and there is evidence of the good pace and quality with which these outputs were delivered. In the longer term it is anticipated that the programme will result in one or more pathways to deliver heat decarbonisation being identified and tested. The first step towards this is demonstrating that Heat as a Service approaches and / or alternative pathways to deliver heat decarbonisation are technically achievable, commercially viable, desirable for consumers and supported by decarbonisation policy. Next steps include investment in decarbonisation of domestic heat, government policy to support the decarbonisation of domestic heat and a regulatory landscape that supports decarbonisation of domestic heat.
Winning Moves led the evaluation and our full, published report is available here: