The UK’s home heating landscape is dominated by gas boilers, which are responsible for around 14% of our national carbon emissions.

To decarbonise the UK and reach net zero, households will need to transition to low-carbon alternatives such as heat pumps – but without intelligent design and rollout, the electrification of heat can increase the demand on the grid, particularly at peak times, costing billions in future upgrade costs over the coming decades.

In an upcoming report from Nesta and the Centre for Net Zero, the results are explored from a pilot project designed to test the potential of automation in unlocking heat pump flexibility, shifting electricity demand away from peak times.