A first-of-its-kind trial of a non-usage-based energy tariff designed to encourage the uptake of low-carbon technologies is due to take place this winter.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is backing the trial of the new Energy Sure tariff from smart energy company ivie, which is offering homes with low-carbon technologies, such as home heat pumps and electric vehicle (EV) chargers, the opportunity to test the new tariff.
The Energy Sure offering is a “subscription-style”, flat rate energy tariff that, unusually, is not dependent on usage; instead, users will choose a specific “bundle” of energy use for a fixed price dependent on their needs, such as heating up to and including a specific temperature, or energy equivalent to a set number of EV miles.
The company predicts that those who take part in the trial could save 27% on heat pump running costs, and as much as 60% on EV charging costs compared to regular tariffs at the current price cap.
Ivie has partnered with a number of firms to develop the tariff and prepare the trial; these include Homely, which provides optimization services for user heat pumps, and Tomato Energy, which assists in tariff provision services. Research support was provided by Energy Systems Catapult, with Cornwall Insight and Passiv contributing analysis and data modelling.
Stephane Lee-Favier, managing director of ivie, said that by providing clear pricing and savings up front, the tariff makes intelligent management of low-carbon technologies easy for consumers.
Read more: Current+
