ADViCE Knowledge Base

AI for Decarbonisation’s Virtual Centre of Excellence

Unlocking Domestic Decarbonisation

Unlocking Domestic Decarbonisation Webinar

The fourth webinar in the ADViCE webinar series focused on the challenge on using AI to support domestic decarbonisation, in particular for decarbonising home heating. This was one of the grand decarbonisation challenges as outlined in the project’s recent report.

Challenge Overview

This challenge relates to grand challenge 1 (GC1) Unlocking Domestic Decarbonisation. Decarbonising homes requires changes to both heating systems and consumer behaviours in every home in the UK. Engaging consumers in that process, financing it, and delivering it at pace are all major challenges

Webinar

The recording and further details of the event can be found below.

DomDecarbwebinar

  • Title: AI for Decarbonisation: Unlocking Domestic Decarbonisation

  • Presenter 1: Bill Jenkinson, Adviser - Building Decarbonisation, Energy Systems Catapult

  • Presenter 1 Bio: Bill is a dynamic, innovative, and strategic thinker who works in the Homes Platform of Energy Systems Catapult – he brings a wealth of experience and a proven of track record of advising and leading decision makers in the field of Domestic Low Carbon Solutions. Bill’s role in the homes team is setting the strategic thinking and detail at the beginning and during the conceptual thinking stage of product development.

  • Presenter 2: Simon Roberts, CEO, Heatio

  • Presenter 2 Bio: Simon Roberts is the CEO and co-founder of Heatio, a Clean Tech startup dedicated to revolutionising the renewable energy landscape. Heatio is at the forefront of developing innovative funding solutions, including Energy and Heat as a Service, to tackle the cost barriers associated with renewable energy technologies, making clean energy affordable.

  • Presenter 3: Laurence Oakes-Ash, CEO and Co-founder, City Science

  • Presenter 3 Bio: Laurence is an award-winning innovator and CEO of City Science. He has extensive experience delivering Local Area Energy Plans, net zero action plans and retrofit projects. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Laurence combines techno-economic modelling knowledge with financing and delivery expertise to help organisations develop plans through to implementation.

  • Date: 17th June 2024

  • Talk Description Without successfully decarbonising homes and domestic transport there is very little chance for successfully meeting the UK’ s Net Zero targets. Residential heating is responsible for more than 13% of greenhouse gas emissions each year . Decarbonising homes requires changes to both heating systems and consumer behaviours in every home in the UK. Engaging consumers in that process, financing it, and delivering it at pace are all major challenges. This webinar presented multiple perspectives on some of the challenges and systemic blockers to decarbonising heating, including, identifying routes and roadmaps for domestic consumers, designing and planning heating networks, and developing solutions and incentives for the public. It includes insights from those with direct, on-the-ground experience in installing low carbon heating systems, and from organisations applying AI solutions to help decarbonise homes

Relevant Sub Challenges

This grand challenge has several related sub-challenges (a full list of which can be found in here, or in the appendix of the challenge report. The main problems include:

  • Challenge 15: Customer Information and Guidance 
  • Challenge 16: Driving Energy Efficient Behaviours
  • Challenge 17: Abstracting Away Complexity for Consumers
  • Challenge 18: Supporting vulnerable customers
  • Challenge 62: Identifying and targeting optimal retrofit measures
  • Challenge 63: Retrofit designon 
  • Challenge 64: Retrofit approvals
  • Challenge 65: Retrofit installation and commissioning
  • Challenge 67: Measuring retrofit impact
  • Challenge 68: Standardised building performance ratings

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