Energy monitoring and technology field trials

The Energy Saving Trust has an established reputation for developing and delivering a portfolio of high-quality projects to monitor the in-situ performance of energy efficiency and low carbon technologies in the UK.

Our expertise has been gained from practical experience of developing and managing technical field trials for the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem, UK Government departments Defra and DECC, and UK government bodies the Technology Strategy Board and the Energy Technologies Institute, as well as private sector clients.

We have developed and managed more than 20 monitoring projects and field trials, leveraging more than £8 million from the public and private sectors, to evaluate the performance of low-carbon technologies and energy efficient measures when installed in real people’s homes – not just in simulated or laboratory situations - including:

• domestic wind turbines
• heat pumps
• solar thermal systems
• condensing boilers
• advanced heating controls
• LED lighting in communal areas of social housing.

These projects mean we can advise consumers on how technologies perform in real situations and which technology may be the most appropriate for their individual circumstances.

The results have also been used to establish benchmark carbon and energy savings in energy supplier schemes such as the Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance obligations (EESoP), Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT); and to feed into models such as the BRE Domestic Energy Model (BREDEM); meaning hundreds of thousands of UK households have benefited from improved advice and information.

To get an overview of the monitoring projects we have undertaken during the past 13 years and read our plans for the future, download our Energy Monitoring Brochure.

Future plans

The Energy Saving Trust has ambitious plans to expand its portfolio of energy monitoring projects and diversify the technology area we work with during the next 1-3 years. We are also expanding our client base and intend to work much more closely with industry, including manufacturers, installers and distributors of technology, as well as the energy suppliers, to evaluate innovative new-to-market products. We are proactively identifying future technologies that will be relevant to the UK domestic market and reactively responding to the requirements of our clients.

We are exploring opportunities to undertake monitoring and field trials of the following technologies:

• Smart Home Energy Management (SHEM)
• Micro CHP
• Solid Wall Insulation

Why work with us?

We have worked with a wide variety of stakeholders, including energy suppliers, government, trade bodies, individual manufacturers and installers to deliver our portfolio of monitoring projects and field trials. The financial and technical support provided by both the public and private sector has been paramount to the successful delivery of these important projects.

The Energy Saving Trust has over 15 years worth of experience helping consumers, and we have earned the trust of Government and industry alike. Through our local advice centres and website we engage with over one million people every year. This means that we can provide excellent customer service and personalised independent and impartial advice not only to households participating in monitoring projects, but householders across the country.

We have developed extremely good working relationships with a wide spectrum of UK-based and international manufacturers and installers of low carbon technologies and energy efficiency measures.