WE BUILD AND TEST IDEAS FOR

Consumer Insight at the Energy Systems Catapult

HOME TRUTHS®

Discover what people really value with bespoke research

SERVICE DESIGN

Build appealing propositions with our experienced players

DIARY STUDIES

Discover how consumers use your product or service

FAIR FUTURES®

Harness innovation to reduce vulnerability to fuel poverty and design smarter consumer protection

DIGITAL PROTOTYPING

UX/UI excellence from a team of proven heavyweights

LIVING LAB

See beyond what people say to understand what they do in smart homes around the UK

Trial Services

Living Lab

Soft launch your product or service to check it works before opening your gates to the public. Includes 100 highly instrumented homes and a suite of modelling tools.

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Projects

Is there room for flexibility with EV charging?

As renewable energy generation grows, matching available electricity supply to consumers’ demands gets harder.
We looked at how Electric vehicles could help to balance the grid by testing DSR with domestic EV users. Can this fit into people’s lives? Or will they reject it if it takes away their control?

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Research Services

Segmentation

People are different, especially when it comes to energy. They want different things and do different things to get what they want. Segmentation puts similar people into groups.

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Research Services

See beyond what people say

We’ve done various studies to understand how life shapes energy use. We use sensors to see beyond what people say to what they do, and models to relate behaviour to energy use.

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Projects

The delight of better control

People often find their heating controls confusing and hard to use. Most put up with problems like drafts or damp. We knew people liked better control. BEIS wanted to find out how they actually used it, so we used our Living Lab of 100 homes to find out.

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Projects

How can we help businesses cut carbon emissions?

If we are to reach net zero carbon emissions, businesses will have to play their part.

We set out to understand what businesses are trying to achieve through energy management and what their key needs are to determine what an energy management solution might look like and how demand-side response (DSR) could be part of this solution.

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Projects

Sprinting to Net Zero

We conducted a bespoke four-day design sprint with Big Clean Switch to help them design, build and test a digital platform that allows energy customers to make informed choices about their home energy improvements.

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Projects

Will customers buy Heat as a Service?

When it comes to heating, people care more about their experience than how it’s delivered. They want to control how much they spend on their comfort, but don’t know how. If they could buy their Heating as a Service, then they choose how much to spend on their plan.

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Design Services

Discovery Workshops

Kick-start innovation with design thinking. Map out how your customers experience your product or service. Then use simple exercises to structure your creativity.

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Design Services

Prototyping

Turn your concept into a prototype you can get feedback on. Our service designers and UX professionals can help you apply leading-edge digital tools to qualify and de-risk your idea.

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Like an agency, but not.

TRUSTED, INDEPENDENT, NOT-FOR-PROFIT

We succeed when you succeed: leverage our unique position

CREDIBLE FUTUREGAZERS

We are helping shape the policy landscape for the next 25 years

HYPER-CONNECTED

Matchmakers for government and entrepreneurs

WHOLE-SYSTEM MODELLING

Use Catapult modelling tools to validate propositions across the wider energy system

WE OFFER SUPPORT

We collaborate with innovators to deliver projects that move towards decarbonisation goals

WHO ARE WE?

The Energy Systems Catapult is a not-for-profit set up by government to help the energy sector innovate. PeopleLab is home to our Consumer Insight team. 

Find out more about the rest of the Catapult here then get us involved.

Invite us to your Hackathons and Design Sprints…

…it’s free!

WE CAN BRING OUR

Come and see us for a friendly

chat over a cuppa.

 

Cannon House, 18 The Priory Queensway

Birmingham B4 6BS8

We love small print. Said nobody, ever.