Answer extracted from the The Future of Utilities Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How can domestic batteries be made accessible to fuel-poor households and people in condensed housing?
EON is running targeted pilot programs to help fuel-poor customers understand how batteries can save them money while avoiding the difficult choice between heating and eating. Batteries can be installed as standalone solutions without requiring air source heat pumps or major home modifications, making them accessible to residents in tower blocks and densely populated housing.
Pilots designed around real fuel poverty challenges
The energy company's approach recognizes a critical barrier: fuel-poor households often lack the confidence or information needed to adopt new technology. EON's pilots actively educate customers about the immediate financial opportunity batteries represent, removing the perception that adoption requires a complete home overhaul.
As Davide Turi explains in the episode, the company is also advocating for policy support. They hope government will consider including battery installations in broader fuel poverty interventions, similar to how other energy efficiency measures receive public backing.
Standalone systems for renters and tower block residents
The technical breakthrough here is independence from other major installations. A battery does not require air source heat pumps, solar panels, or structural modifications to existing systems. This matters enormously for condensed housing where landlord approval, building regulations, or space constraints would otherwise block adoption.
Installation itself is minimal—the process takes just half a day with no major alterations needed, which further reduces the friction for fuel-poor households already stretched by installation costs and disruption risk.
"The fastest entry point is really getting a battery installed and let the battery do the hard work and eventually no need for changing your behavior."
Davide Turi — Opportunities Manager for Energy System Challenges at EON. Turi leads EON's effort to identify solutions that both solve grid challenges and lower customer bills. He is actively designing and piloting domestic battery programs specifically targeting fuel-poor customers and collaborating with distribution system operators to unlock grid flexibility benefits.
The insight embedded in that quote is powerful: no behavioral change is required. Fuel-poor households are already struggling with tight budgets and tight schedules. A battery works invisibly in the background, automatically capturing time-of-use savings and grid services, which removes a major adoption friction point.
The full episode also covers the mechanics of how batteries reduce peak demand, the specific savings figures from pilot zones, and the broader policy case for including batteries in fuel poverty support—details that you'll find explored in depth in the podcast.
See also
How difficult is it to install a domestic battery in a home?
Installation takes half a day with no major changes required to home systems. An engineer simply screws a few holes in the wall, runs a cable, and the battery is ready to operate.
What financial savings can consumers expect from installing a domestic battery?
Customers can save between £250 and £150 per year on average by aligning their battery with a time-of-use tariff, with pilot programs showing guaranteed savings of £480 per year in constraint zones.
How can domestic batteries help stabilize electricity grids and reduce peak demand constraints?
Batteries help spread demand away from peak times by charging at night during lower-priced periods and discharging in the evening when energy is more expensive, reducing reliance on gas power plants.