Last year, Delta-ee’s Heat Insight Service established its first Customer Panel – a representative sample of up to 1,000 private homeowners. The aim was to provide answers to the questions that heating manufacturers, energy suppliers and policy makers have for their customers. This helps them to improve engagement and understand their target market in more detail.

 Delta-ee is excited to be taking part in a ground-breaking innovation project for Wales & West Utilities and Western Power Distribution. The Flexible Residential Energy Demand Optimisation and Management  (FREEDOM) project has overseen the installation of 75 hybrid air source heat pumps, in combination with hybrid control panels in homes in South Wales. 

The project, managed by PassivSystems, is the largest-scale demonstration trial of hybrid heating systems ever undertaken in the UK. The ultimate aim is to influence the course of UK heat policy. In particular the study will:

Much like the man of steel himself being confused for what he’s not, heating manufacturers are increasingly being confused for what they used to be (see: boiler manufacturers). That is, they’re increasingly moving away from their traditional manufacture-only role as a result of the broader energy market shift towards distributed energy. As I’ve said before, this shift is resulting in large disruptions in the energy market, with many firms being forced to reconsider their existing business models and re-evaluate their likely future opportunities for value creation. Incumbent heating manufacturers are no different; with their core markets under threat by new entrants they are increasingly searching for a hero to save them. Alas, in the absence of superman, they’ll probably have to save themselves.