The Future of Utilities Podcast

What is the fundamental problem with how water companies currently approach infrastructure solutions?

Water companies are investing billions in massive grey infrastructure—giant tunnels, new reservoirs, treatment plants—but they're solving the wrong problem at the source . The real issue isn't the scale of supply or delivery; it's that homes and buildings are designed to shed rain away instead of capturing and using it where it lands. Because 97% of rain never enters the public water cycle and is managed as a drainage problem rather than a resource, companies waste enormous resources and capital building infrastructure to handle water that shouldn't need central processing at all.

The fundamental misalignment is this: water companies point to showcase projects like the Thames Tideway Tunnel as proof of their commitment, yet as Matt Wilden explains in the episode , these massive capital projects address symptoms, not root causes. The symptom is overflow and scarcity; the root cause is that our buildings are built without any rainwater management infrastructure.

Where the Real Problem Begins—And Where Solutions Are Missing

Consider the physics: enough rain lands on an average roof to supply all non-potable water demands (toilets, washing, irrigation) for an entire year. Yet almost no homes are designed to capture it. Instead, that water is routed into combined sewers, which in heavy rain events overflow untreated into rivers—creating the CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) crisis that water companies then must spend billions to manage with tunnels and treatment upgrades.

This reveals a cascading policy and design failure . Building regulations, water company economics, and regulatory frameworks all reward centralized solutions. A new reservoir or tunnel costs millions upfront (CAPEX), earns regulatory approval, and generates media coverage of tangible infrastructure. By contrast, requiring developers to install rainwater harvesting systems in new homes is invisible, cheaper per unit, solves the problem at source, and generates no headlines for water company executives. The incentive structure points the wrong way.

A point detailed extensively in this podcast is that water companies have been talking about this problem using impenetrable technical jargon—CSOs, pre-pipe solutions, catchment-based management, integrated water management. The language itself, though precise, becomes a barrier that prevents government, media, and the public from understanding why the current approach fails. Until water companies reframe the narrative around simple, tangible truths (rain falls on your roof; we need to use it there), policy and regulation will continue to fund the wrong solutions.

"We talk gibberish and then we talk in complicated language. No wonder we're not making progress."

Matt Wilden — Infrastructure Development Director at Wessex Water. Wilden's work focuses on educating and influencing policy, regulation, economic incentives, and technical guidance related to rainwater management. He is actively working with government on changing regulatory frameworks and will be speaking about policy change at upcoming industry events.

The climate change dimension adds urgency: the trajectory from 50 years ago to 50 years into the future shows massive differences in water availability and rainfall patterns, yet infrastructure planning remains locked in a centralized, supply-side mindset. Without shifting how homes are built and how rain is managed locally, water companies will continue to chase an impossible goal of meeting demand with increasingly expensive grey infrastructure while ignoring a free, renewable resource falling on every roof.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that solutions exist and are proven elsewhere. Germany, Belgium, and Australia have embedded rainwater capture into building codes and water policy. The infrastructure cost per person is a fraction of what the Thames Tideway Tunnel or large new reservoirs demand—yet Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) policy and water company regulation have not yet aligned to make this shift. Wilden's argument in the episode is that this is not a technical problem—it's a narrative and policy problem. Water companies know what to do; they lack the regulatory incentive and the clear communication to do it.

Why do water companies use complex technical language that prevents public understanding of water issues?

Water companies rely on acronyms and technical jargon—CSOs, amps, pre-pipe solutions, catchment, holistic, integrated—that create an impenetrable barrier between water professionals and the public . This barrier doesn't just confuse consumers; it prevents media from covering the issues meaningfully and erodes the already fragile relationship between utilities and the communities they serve.

When infrastructure professionals speak only to themselves, the real problem gets buried under layers of terminology. As Matt Wilden of Wessex Water explains , the water sector has developed a habit of obscuring rather than clarifying the core challenges facing the industry.

The Communication Trap: Why Jargon Defeats Coverage

Journalists and media outlets face a straightforward calculus: if a story requires decoding acronyms and technical specifications just to understand the basic problem, it's not worth covering. Media avoids the subject entirely because it reads as inaccessible corporate detail , not as a public issue worth their audience's attention.

This creates a vicious cycle. Water companies point to their major infrastructure projects—the Thames Tideway Tunnel, new reservoirs—expecting public credit. But the real problem that affects every household remains invisible, wrapped in language that locks out the very people most affected by poor rainwater management and sewage overflows. When the industry speaks only in CSOs and operational costs, consumers see not a shared challenge but a technical problem that's "someone else's responsibility."

As discussed in this episode , the distrust between water companies and the public amplifies the damage. Consumers already suspect water utilities of greenwashing and poor management; opaque language only confirms that suspicion rather than building confidence in solutions.

A Simple Narrative Can Shift Everything

The path forward requires abandoning jargon in favor of a unified, simple story . Instead of discussing pre-pipe solutions or integrated catchment management, water professionals must reframe the conversation around how homes are built and how rain should be managed where it falls—language a homeowner understands immediately.

Wilden has made this shift a core focus of his work at Wessex Water, advocating for plain-language communication that puts the actual problem—not the technical fix—at the centre. This approach does more than improve press coverage; it fundamentally changes who feels responsible and who sees themselves as part of the solution. When a homeowner understands that rain landing on their roof is a resource they're currently wasting, not an abstract problem measured in cubic metres and overflow percentages , engagement becomes possible.

"We talk gibberish and then we talk in complicated language. No wonder we're not making progress."

Matt Wilden — Infrastructure Development Director at Wessex Water, focused on educating and influencing policy, regulation, economic incentives, and technical guidance on rainwater management. His work includes advising government on regulatory frameworks and championing clearer communication between water utilities and the public.

What role will domestic batteries play in the future energy system over the next 10 years?

Domestic batteries will work alongside renewable energy sources to stabilize grids that depend on unpredictable power generation. The future energy system will combine large-scale batteries paired with hundreds of thousands of distributed batteries in homes , transforming them from passive consumers into active participants that shift demand away from peak times and reduce reliance on gas power plants.

Today's energy systems are engineered to handle the highest peak demand in any given area—a design that drives infrastructure costs and emissions. When peak demand hits between 4 and 7 in the afternoon, utilities typically fire up gas power plants to meet the load. Batteries break this pattern by shifting electricity consumption to off-peak hours, when energy is cheaper and cleaner, allowing homes to store power and release it strategically.

Renewable energy introduces a fundamental challenge: wind and solar are inherently unpredictable. A battery paired with these sources creates a buffer, capturing excess generation when conditions are favorable and releasing stored energy when demand spikes. As Davide Turi explains in the episode , this shift delivers dual benefits: immediate savings for households through time-of-use tariffs, and system-wide emissions reductions by cutting unnecessary gas generation.

"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, EON. Davide works to identify solutions that solve energy system challenges while lowering customer bills. He leads domestic battery pilot programs targeting fuel-poor households and collaborates with distribution system operators to optimize grid flexibility.

Flexibility at scale requires simplicity in user experience. For domestic batteries to become mainstream, householders must not be asked to actively manage charging and discharging schedules. The technology itself must handle the complexity , operating behind the scenes while users enjoy lower bills and warmer homes. This plug-and-play approach removes behavioral barriers that would otherwise limit adoption.

The scale required is significant: at least 3.7 gigawatts in local distribution areas alone are projected to need flexibility solutions over the next decade. Grid operators, energy suppliers, and hardware manufacturers must align around standardized time-of-use pricing and flexibility services. The episode explores how pilots like Your Next Smart Saver tariff are testing this transition at scale , demonstrating both cost and carbon savings before full rollout.

What remains unresolved is how to ensure fuel-poor households benefit equally. The conversation also addresses practical barriers like installation complexity and housing typology challenges , revealing why distribution system operators and policymakers must move in tandem for this transformation to reach every home.

Domestic batteries absorb renewable energy's unpredictability, stabilizing grids that would otherwise need backup gas generation during peak demand (4–7 pm).

Shifting household consumption away from peak hours through battery storage delivers immediate household savings and reduces system-wide CO₂ emissions.

User experience simplicity is essential—batteries must operate automatically without requiring householders to actively manage charging schedules.

At least 3.7 gigawatts of local grid flexibility will be required over the next decade, necessitating hundreds of thousands of distributed home batteries paired with large-scale storage.

What regulatory or policy support is needed to scale domestic battery adoption across the energy system?

Two key policy levers unlock battery scale: longer-term flexibility contracts between energy suppliers and distribution system operators that enable confident residential investment, and integration of batteries into government warm-up plans to directly lower customer bills and tackle fuel poverty. Together, these measures distribute batteries across the country while improving grid stability and energy security.

The current energy system faces mounting pressure from electrification across all sectors, coupled with the challenge of managing renewable energy's intermittency. During peak demand periods between 4 and 7 in the afternoon, gas power plants are typically activated to meet spikes, generating unnecessary carbon emissions. As discussed in this episode with Davide Turi , domestic batteries address both challenges by shifting demand away from peak times and storing renewable energy for later use.

Flexibility contracts: the foundation for investor confidence

Longer-term flexibility agreements with distribution system operators are essential to encourage large-scale residential battery deployment. These contracts establish predictable, multi-year arrangements that allow energy suppliers to invest confidently in battery programmes without facing short-term policy uncertainty.

Such contracts clarify the rules of engagement: how batteries will be compensated for their services, how many megawatts of flexibility capacity the grid operator needs, and over what timeframe. This stability transforms batteries from a speculative venture into a predictable business model. Distribution system operators benefit from lower infrastructure costs—avoiding the need to upgrade local networks to meet peak demand—while consumers gain access to batteries with clear savings guarantees.

Government warm-up plans: batteries as a poverty-relief tool

A second critical lever is embedding batteries explicitly in government warm-up or energy support plans aimed at reducing fuel poverty. Rather than treating batteries as a luxury upgrade, positioning them as a core measure in household energy assistance programmes creates immediate political will and dedicated funding.

When batteries are listed alongside insulation, heat pumps, and boiler upgrades as part of state-backed energy poverty initiatives, it accelerates deployment and delivers direct, measurable relief. Households avoid the false choice between heating and eating; they gain bill savings of £150 to £250 annually through time-of-use tariff alignment, with even higher savings in grid-constrained areas. This approach also multiplies the social impact: as Davide Turi explains in the episode , EON's pilots focus precisely on fuel-poor customers to ensure they understand and benefit from battery technology.

"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, EON. At EON, Turi identifies solutions to energy system challenges while reducing customer bills. He leads the design and deployment of domestic battery pilots for fuel-poor households and collaborates with distribution system operators to optimize grid flexibility and cost savings.

Interestingly, the episode also reveals that installing a residential battery takes just half a day and requires minimal structural changes to a home—a detail that underscores how practical battery deployment already is when regulatory support is in place .

System-wide benefits of policy alignment

When regulatory frameworks align flexibility contracts with fuel poverty initiatives, the grid gains measurable resilience. At least 3.7 gigawatts of local distribution capacity across the UK would otherwise require costly infrastructure upgrades; batteries defer or eliminate this need. Simultaneously, households escape energy poverty, and carbon emissions drop as gas peaking plants run fewer hours.

The policy gap is not technical or economic—it is institutional. As Turi notes in the podcast , the tools already exist; what is needed is coordinated regulation that makes battery deployment a predictable path for suppliers and an accessible right for vulnerable customers.

Longer-term flexibility contracts between energy suppliers and distribution system operators create the investor confidence needed to scale residential batteries across the country.

Including batteries in government warm-up plans and fuel poverty programmes ensures equitable access and delivers direct bill savings to vulnerable households.

Batteries reduce peak demand pressure and defer costly grid infrastructure upgrades while allowing renewable energy to be stored and used when needed most.

Combined regulatory support for flexibility contracting and social policy integration unlocks both energy security and fuel poverty relief simultaneously.

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 .

How difficult is it to install a domestic battery in a home?

Installation takes just half a day with no major changes required to your home systems. An engineer screws a few holes in the wall, runs a cable, and you can start saving the next day—no app setup, no complex configuration needed.

The simplicity of battery installation is one of the core reasons energy suppliers like EON are aggressively expanding domestic battery programs. Unlike major home upgrades that require contractors and downtime, a battery installation is a straightforward, non-invasive process.

As Davide Turi explains in the episode , the design philosophy behind modern domestic batteries prioritizes user convenience. The installer handles all the technical work, so homeowners don't face a steep learning curve or require specialized knowledge to operate the system once it's in place.

Immediate savings without behavioral change required

The real advantage of this quick installation window is that you begin capturing financial benefits immediately after setup. The battery automatically aligns with time-of-use tariffs—charging during off-peak, low-cost hours and discharging when rates are highest—without requiring you to adjust daily routines.

This automated approach removes one of the biggest barriers to battery adoption: the burden of changing how people use energy. The device does the optimization work for you. Discussed at length in this podcast episode , this "set and forget" model is why batteries are considered one of the fastest, easiest ways to make homes active participants in the energy grid.

"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, EON. Davide leads EON's strategy for solving energy system challenges while reducing customer bills. He designs and pilots domestic battery programs targeting fuel-poor households and collaborates with distribution system operators to maximize grid flexibility through distributed energy resources.

A fascinating detail worth exploring further is how EON's Your Next Smart Saver tariff specifically pairs with battery systems to optimize charging windows, a topic covered in depth in the full conversation .

What financial savings can consumers expect from installing a domestic battery?

Domestic battery owners aligned with time-of-use tariffs save between £250 and £150 per year by charging at night when electricity is cheaper and discharging during peak evening hours. In regions where electricity grid constraints exist, pilot programs have demonstrated guaranteed savings of around £480 per year for participating customers.

How the savings work: Peak-shifting strategy

The financial benefit hinges on a straightforward mechanism: batteries store energy at low-cost periods and release it when prices spike. Night charging during off-peak hours paired with evening discharge aligns perfectly with how modern time-of-use tariffs are structured—the battery does the arbitrage automatically.

This is more than consumer benefit. As Davide Turi explains in the episode , shifting demand away from the typical 4-to-7 p.m. peak window means electricity grid operators activate fewer gas power plants, reducing both infrastructure strain and carbon emissions. The customer saves money while the grid becomes more efficient.

Why distribution-constrained zones yield higher savings

EON's pilot data shows significantly higher savings in areas where distribution system operators face capacity constraints . These regions value flexible demand more heavily and reward it with stronger tariff incentives. The £480 figure represents guaranteed returns in these high-constraint zones—a compelling case for early adoption in vulnerable communities.

The practical appeal is immediate: installation takes half a day, requires no behavioral change from the homeowner, and the battery handles all the optimization work behind the scenes. As discussed in the full conversation with Turi , customers benefit without having to think about when to use their appliances.

"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, focused on solving energy system challenges while lowering customer bills. Turi designs and pilots domestic battery programs for fuel-poor households and works with distribution system operators to optimize grid flexibility and reduce peak demand pressure.

For deeper insight into how batteries reshape grid stability and why certain tariff structures unlock these specific savings levels, the full episode covers EON's pilot methodology and customer experience findings .

Standard annual savings: £150 to £250 per year through time-of-use tariff alignment alone.

Constrained-zone savings: Up to £480 per year guaranteed in areas with distribution capacity challenges.

Installation impact: Takes half a day with zero ongoing behavioral changes required from homeowners.

Grid benefit: Peak-demand shifting reduces gas power plant activation and lowers carbon emissions during high-demand windows (4–7 p.m.).

How can domestic batteries help stabilize electricity grids and reduce peak demand constraints?

Domestic batteries shift electricity demand away from peak hours—typically 4 to 7 p.m.—by charging at night when prices are lower and discharging in the evening when demand is highest. This reduces the need to activate gas power plants during peak times, cutting CO₂ emissions and avoiding billions in grid infrastructure upgrades . Analysis from EON shows at least 3.7 gigawatts of local distribution constraints that battery deployment can help optimize.

Energy grids are engineered to handle the highest peak demand in any given area. Without demand flexibility, this means building enough capacity to cover those peak hours, even when most of the day requires far less power. As Davide Turi explains in the episode , batteries fundamentally change this equation.

Shifting demand and cutting fossil fuel use

The mechanism is straightforward: a domestic battery charges during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper and often when renewable generation is high. Then, when demand peaks in the late afternoon and early evening—precisely when gas power plants are fired up to meet supply—the battery discharges to meet household demand instead.

This demand shift directly reduces fossil fuel activation . Because renewable energy sources like solar are unpredictable, the grid must maintain backup capacity in the form of gas plants. When batteries absorb demand during peak hours, fewer of these plants need to operate, cutting both fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The economics work both ways: customers pay less for electricity charged at night rates, while the grid avoids expensive and polluting peak-hour generation.

For the broader energy system, as discussed in this episode , this flexibility opens up massive capital savings.

Avoiding hundreds of billions in grid infrastructure

Distribution system operators across the UK face a growing challenge: local constraints in their networks where demand exceeds infrastructure capacity. Solving this traditionally means expensive upgrades—new cables, transformers, substations—all capital-intensive work that takes years. EON's analysis identifies at least 3.7 gigawatts of constraint capacity scattered across local distribution areas, representing billions of pounds in potential infrastructure investment.

Batteries offer a faster, cheaper alternative. Instead of upgrading cables and transformers, deploying domestic batteries in constraint zones allows households to store power during low-demand periods and use it during peak times, effectively raising the network's usable capacity without physical infrastructure expansion. This is particularly important as electrification accelerates—more electric vehicles and heat pumps will push peak demand higher, making constraint problems worse without flexible assets like batteries.

A practical detail often overlooked: the podcast explores how installation timescales for these systems align with commercial deployment, allowing rapid scale-up compared to years-long infrastructure projects.

"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 focuses on identifying solutions to energy system challenges while reducing customer bills. His work includes designing and piloting domestic battery programs for fuel-poor households and coordinating with distribution system operators to unlock grid flexibility and defer costly infrastructure upgrades.

Why is social media an unreliable source for understanding overall customer sentiment in utilities?

Social media platforms amplify only the loudest voices — the most satisfied and most dissatisfied customers speak up, while the bulk of reasonably content customers stay silent , creating a distorted picture of true sentiment. Utilities should replace social listening with brand tracking surveys conducted twice yearly and segment-based experiments to capture the real voice of the middle majority.

The problem runs deeper than simple selection bias. When utilities rely on Twitter complaints or Facebook praise, they mistake visibility for representativeness. A customer frustrated by a billing error will post; a customer who pays their bill on time and uses water responsibly will not. This creates a false narrative where the organization appears to satisfy nobody or everybody, depending on which thread you read.

As Arminak Antonian explains in The Future of Utilities Podcast , the antidote is systematic measurement through surveys and controlled testing . Brand tracking—conducted at regular intervals like twice yearly—reveals how interventions actually shift attitudes on key issues such as water consumption habits or environmental commitment. This removes guesswork and replaces anecdotal social media incidents with statistically meaningful data.

Segment-based experiments complement surveys by testing interventions on specific customer groups before rolling them out organization-wide. This approach grounds decision-making in evidence rather than in the reactive tail-chasing that social media triggers. The result is a utilities organization that knows what its customers truly think and what actually moves their behavior.

"Awareness raising alone is not really going to do the job because it assumes a rational model of the customer."

Arminak Antonian — Head of Behavioral Economics at Thames Water. Antonian comes from an academic background, having served as an economics professor at Cardiff Business School and previously as a professor of economics in China. He has conducted extensive research and interventions with the Armenian government and the UN across multiple Central Asian countries, working on behavioral challenges from health screening uptake to tax compliance and environmental consumption reduction.

The disconnect between social media sentiment and true customer behavior has real consequences. A utility that responds primarily to social complaints will chase impossible goals while ignoring the genuine levers of change. In the episode, Antonian shares how Thames Water tested 400,000 smart-metered households with different messaging approaches—some emphasizing environmental impact, others highlighting financial savings—to discover which truly motivated adoption of water-efficient practices. This data-driven discipline is the opposite of social media management.

Moving beyond social media requires acceptance of a harder truth: customer sentiment is not a feeling to be read off a screen, but a measurable phenomenon that emerges from systematic inquiry . Surveys, experiments, and behavioral testing reveal patterns invisible to social listening tools. They tell the utility what the middle 80 percent actually think and do, not just what the 10 percent of loudest voices proclaim.

What does a large-scale behavioral experiment on water audit adoption reveal about customer motivations?

Money is the strongest motivator for water audit adoption , followed by environmental concerns, according to Thames Water's test of 400,000 smart-metered households. The utility is now moving beyond one-size-fits-all messaging to test whether tailored segment-specific communication performs better than bulk emails.

Testing three messaging strategies at scale

Thames Water divided 400,000 customers into experimental groups and sent different email approaches promoting online water audit calculators. Each email variant emphasized a different psychological driver: financial savings, environmental impact, or responsibility to future generations.

The results were clear: financial messaging outperformed all other approaches in driving customer completion of the audit. Environmental messaging came second, while appeals to future generations proved least effective at moving customers to action.

From bulk messaging to segment-specific targeting

Rather than treating this experiment as a final answer, Arminak Antonian and his behavioral economics team at Thames Water recognized an opportunity to refine the approach further. As detailed in this episode of The Future of Utilities Podcast , the company has now developed hybrid messaging that combines both financial and environmental motives into single communications.

The team is currently testing whether customers respond better when messaging is tailored specifically to their segment than when everyone receives the same generic bulk email. This represents a shift from broadcast campaigns toward precision targeting based on behavioral evidence.

"Awareness raising alone is not really going to do the job because it assumes a rational model of the customer."

Arminak Antonian — Head of Behavioral Economics at Thames Water. Antonian brings academic expertise from his tenure as an economics professor at Cardiff Business School and previous position at a Chinese university. He has designed and implemented behavioral interventions for governments and international organizations across Central Asia and Eastern Europe, tackling challenges from health screenings to tax compliance and plastic waste reduction.

Antonian's point underscores why traditional awareness campaigns—which assume customers will rationally weigh information and make optimal decisions—often fail in practice. Real human behavior is shaped by countless non-rational factors: form complexity, habit, competing priorities, and unconscious biases. A 400,000-customer test provides the statistical power to move beyond assumptions and reveal what actually works.

What makes this behavioral economics approach distinct is the rigor of testing. Rather than guessing which message will resonate, Thames Water systematically measures completion rates across different segments. This data-driven methodology is explored further in the conversation with Antonian , where he explains how behavioral science can address the three main categories of water-saving interventions: technology adoption, audit utilization, and behavioral nudges.

Financial savings messages drive the highest completion rates for water audits, outperforming environmental and intergenerational appeals.

Thames Water tested messaging effectiveness across 400,000 smart-metered households to identify the strongest behavioral levers.

Hybrid messaging combining financial and environmental motives is now being tested to determine if segment-specific communication outperforms generic bulk emails.

Traditional awareness-raising campaigns assume rational customer behavior and often fail—behavioral science reveals what actually motivates real people.

What are the three categories of demand-side interventions that behavioral science can address in the water sector?

Interventions using technology such as smart meters and water-efficient appliances; interventions using audits whether online or offline to identify water…

What role do smart meters and data analytics play in designing targeted customer interventions?

Smart meters give utilities real-time visibility into individual customer behavior , allowing them to detect specific issues like water leaks and send personalized notifications that prompt action. Rather than broadcasting generic awareness messages, data-driven utilities can tailor interventions to match each customer's exact situation, creating a more responsive and customer-centric experience.

The shift from blanket awareness campaigns to precision interventions represents a fundamental change in how utilities engage their customers. As Arminak Antonian explains in the episode , traditional awareness raising assumes a rational customer who will absorb information and act accordingly—but human behavior is far more complex. Data analytics removes the guesswork.

From Bulk Messaging to Precision Targeting

Smart meter technology captures granular consumption patterns that reveal what is actually happening in a home. When the system detects abnormal water flow—a hallmark of a leak—utilities can immediately send a notification to that specific household rather than hoping a generic water-saving tip reaches them. The customer receives actionable intelligence at the moment they need it, dramatically raising the likelihood they will investigate and fix the problem.

This shift is discussed in detail in Thames Water's behavioral interventions , where the utility tested this approach across 400,000 smart-metered households, dividing them into experimental groups to measure response rates to targeted email campaigns and water audit tools.

"Awareness raising alone is not really going to do the job because it assumes a rational model of the customer."

Arminak Antonian — Head of Behavioral Economics at Thames Water. Antonian holds a doctorate in economics and has served as a professor at Cardiff Business School and previously in China. His research focuses on designing behavioral interventions to solve real-world problems, including work with the Armenian government and the United Nations on challenges ranging from health screening uptake to tax compliance and environmental behavior change across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The power of this approach lies in its simplicity: meet the customer where they are , with information they can immediately use. A household with a leak does not need a leaflet about water conservation; they need to know they have a problem and how to fix it. Data makes that distinction automatic.

Beyond leak detection, smart meter data reveals consumption patterns that shape intervention design. Some customers respond best to financial incentives—the promise of lower bills. Others prioritize environmental impact. By analyzing behavior at scale, utilities can segment their customer base and craft messages that resonate with each segment, rather than broadcasting a one-size-fits-all narrative.

Building a Customer-Centric Feedback Loop

The real innovation is the feedback loop. Traditional utilities deploy campaigns and hope they work; data-driven utilities test, measure, and refine continuously. Thames Water's behavioral economics team has operated on this principle since its formation roughly 2–3 years ago, running controlled experiments to identify which messages, channels, and timing drive the highest engagement.

This systematic testing extends to every lever—from the subject line of an email to the framing of a water audit calculator. The utility tracks impact through twice-yearly brand tracking surveys, ensuring that interventions are not only deployed but also genuinely shifting customer attitudes and behavior. Discover how these measurements inform future strategy in the full episode.

How can water utilities leverage behavioral science to improve customer engagement beyond traditional awareness campaigns?

Behavioral science interventions should be tailored to customers through focus groups, literature review, and rigorous testing. Awareness raising alone…

What are the key principles of behavioral economics and how do they differ from traditional economic assumptions?

Traditional economics assumes people act rationally to maximize their own benefit, but real decisions are shaped by psychological, social, and environmental factors that operate involuntarily . People abandon complex forms they need or keep using inefficient appliances despite financial incentives—behaviors that reveal decision-making is far more complex than pure rationality suggests.

The gap between theory and practice matters deeply. When you encounter a form so complicated that you give up filling it out, even though you genuinely need it, you're not making a rational choice—you're responding to friction in your environment. The same logic applies to everyday utility decisions: a household might continue using an outdated dishwasher, knowing a water-efficient model would save them money over time, yet the inertia of routine and the psychology of loss aversion prevent the switch.

As Arminak Antonian explains in The Future of Utilities Podcast , these behaviors are natural, not aberrations. Behavioral economics doesn't dismiss rationality—it acknowledges that human choice happens in a complex system where environmental cues and psychological defaults often override conscious deliberation .

Behavioral Economics: The study of how psychological, social, and environmental factors shape individual and organizational decision-making, moving beyond the assumption that people always act rationally. It combines insights from psychology and economics to explain why real-world behavior often diverges from traditional economic predictions.

Understanding this distinction is practical, not merely theoretical. A utility company that assumes customers will switch to efficient appliances simply because it saves money ignores the involuntary factors—habit, complexity, inertia—that actually govern behavior. Antonian's work at Thames Water demonstrates how behavioral science can redesign customer interactions to reduce friction and align incentives with human psychology rather than fighting it.

"Awareness raising alone is not really going to do the job because it assumes a rational model of the customer."

Arminak Antonian — Head of Behavioral Economics at Thames Water. An economist by training, Antonian held academic positions at Cardiff Business School and as a professor of economics in China. He has worked extensively with governments and the UN across multiple countries, including Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Croatia, applying behavioral science to real-world challenges ranging from health screening uptake to tax compliance and environmental consumption patterns.

The implications extend beyond water efficiency. If telling people "save money by switching" doesn't work, what does? Antonian's research at Thames Water has tested multiple intervention strategies with thousands of customer households, discovering that financial framing consistently outperforms environmental messaging in driving measurable behavior change. The episode explores specific A/B testing methodologies and the role of choice architecture in shifting customer decisions.

Moving Beyond Awareness into Action

Traditional campaigns assume the customer is a decision-maker sitting down to weigh pros and cons. In reality, most behavior is automatic. A person scrolling through a lengthy online form experiences cognitive overload and abandons it—not because the form lacks merit, but because the environment defeated the intention. Behavioral economics calls this the difference between intent and execution , and it's where most interventions fail.

The solution isn't more information. It's removing barriers, simplifying choice, and designing the decision context itself. This is why Thames Water's behavioral team exists: to observe why customers do or don't act, then redesign the system to make the desired behavior the path of least resistance. For utilities facing climate stress and rising demand, this approach offers a measurable alternative to hoping awareness translates into action.

Rational choice theory breaks down in practice because psychological and environmental factors operate involuntarily, outside conscious deliberation.

People abandon forms and maintain inefficient habits not from irrationality but from friction, inertia, and the psychology of routine.

Awareness campaigns alone fail because they assume rational decision-making; behavioral interventions must redesign the choice environment itself.

Financial incentives and framing outperform environmental appeals in driving measurable behavior change in real-world testing.

What role should gas networks play in managing peak demand in future energy systems?

Gas networks do an incredible job today in managing real peaks in demand, and James Earl believes this capability should remain central to future energy…

How should policymakers balance decarbonization, affordability, and energy security in the energy transition?

James Earl explains that energy policy should not focus solely on decarbonization but rather on the trilemma of decarbonization, affordability, and security…

What is the current status of gas network decommissioning in the UK?

The UK gas network is still actively growing, not shrinking. Gas networks are connecting more new customers than they are disconnecting , which means the starting point for any decommissioning conversation is fundamentally different from where the industry operates today. Rushing to decommission this infrastructure would cause household bills to spike dramatically.

The network is expanding, not contracting

The first challenge in discussing gas network decommissioning is acknowledging the actual current state of the infrastructure. Rather than dismantling systems, the industry is still in a growth phase. This reality shapes every conversation about the future of gas in the UK energy system.

This expansion reflects genuine ongoing demand across households and businesses. The infrastructure was built to last decades, and removing it would require far more than a policy decision—it would require solving an enormous economic problem for existing customers. As James Earl explains in the episode , the networks currently achieve remarkable reliability standards designed to serve these growing customer bases reliably.

Why premature decommissioning would harm customers

The economic consequences of rushing decommissioning are substantial. When infrastructure is depreciated across millions of customers over decades, removing it before its natural lifecycle ends means spreading those costs across fewer remaining users—a direct path to higher bills.

This is why the conversation needs to start with a different framing: not "how fast can we decommission," but "how do we transition responsibly while keeping energy affordable." The gas networks serve critical functions today, especially during peak demand and extreme weather, and that reality must shape any realistic timeline for network evolution.

"It has a fundamental role to play across a lot of different end uses, whether that be in power generation when renewables output is low, or in industry that needs really high temperature processes."

James Earl — Chief Executive, Future Energy Networks. Earl leads the membership organisation representing the UK's gas networks, including National Gas and the four gas distribution networks in Great Britain, as well as Northern Irish Gas Networks. His perspective combines oversight of operational networks with deep insight into how gas and electricity sectors must work together in the evolving energy system.

The data centers seeking gas connections despite long electricity wait times offer a concrete example of why gas networks still matter in modern infrastructure. The episode explores how these facilities are being quoted up to 15 years for electricity connections , turning gas networks into a vital alternative for energy-intensive operations.

Gas networks are currently expanding with more new connections than disconnections, not contracting.

Premature decommissioning would force remaining customers to absorb infrastructure costs, driving bills sharply upward.

The starting point for any decommissioning discussion must account for the network's current growth trajectory and active role across multiple sectors.

Gas networks achieve 99.9999% reliability and are designed to handle extreme weather and peak demand, roles they still need to play during any energy transition.

Why are data centers increasingly connecting to gas networks instead of waiting for electricity connections?

Data centers are turning to gas networks because electricity infrastructure connections can take up to 15 years , a timescale that simply doesn't align with their operational needs. Gas networks remain an active growth area, currently connecting more new customers than they disconnect, making them a pragmatic alternative for data center power infrastructure.

The electricity infrastructure bottleneck

The fundamental challenge driving this shift is timing. Traditional electricity grid connections require extensive infrastructure planning, permitting, and construction—a process that can stretch over more than a decade. For data centers, which operate on much tighter deployment schedules, this timeline is prohibitive.

Gas networks, by contrast, already have established distribution infrastructure across the UK , with the capacity to onboard new large users more quickly. This doesn't mean gas is a permanent solution for data centers, but rather a practical bridge while electricity grids catch up to demand.

Gas networks remain operationally active

As explained in this episode , gas networks are currently adding more connections than they're losing. This resilience in network growth creates genuine capacity for new industrial consumers, including large power-intensive facilities like data centers.

This dynamic represents a strategic opportunity for gas operators to remain relevant as the energy system evolves. Rather than declining into legacy status, gas networks are being repositioned as a flexible, rapid-deployment option for time-sensitive infrastructure projects.

"It has a fundamental role to play across a lot of different end uses, whether that be in power generation when renewables output is low, or in industry that need really high temperature processes."

James Earl — Chief Executive, Future Energy Networks. Earl oversees the UK's entire gas network ecosystem, representing National Gas and four regional gas distribution networks across Great Britain, plus Northern Irish Gas Networks. His dual expertise in both gas and electricity infrastructure gives him unique insight into how these two energy vectors must coexist and complement one another as the energy transition accelerates.

The deeper context—how gas networks achieve their exceptional reliability and why they're engineered for peak demand scenarios—is explored further in the full episode , along with the role of green gases in this evolving picture.

Electricity grid connections face 15-year lead times, making them impractical for data center deployment schedules.

Gas networks are currently growing their customer base, not shrinking, creating available capacity for new industrial users.

Gas serves as a rapid-deployment alternative while electricity infrastructure expands to meet demand.

Data center demand represents a new growth vector for gas networks in the energy transition era.

How can green gases like biomethane complement renewable electricity in future energy systems?

Biomethane already represents 1% of gas use today and could potentially meet between a fifth and a sixth of future demand. Beyond biomethane, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage will be essential components of energy systems, working alongside renewables when wind and solar output is low or when industrial processes require very high temperatures.

The energy transition is not a simple swap from fossil fuels to electricity alone. The future energy system will be fundamentally 'multi-molecule' — a combination of different green gases and electrification working in partnership, rather than one technology replacing another outright.

Beyond biomethane: A portfolio of green solutions

Biomethane is already being injected into gas grids across the UK, but it is only one piece of a larger puzzle. As discussed in the episode , other green gases will play equally vital roles. Hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage (CCS) represent complementary technologies that address different parts of the energy challenge.

Power generation is where these green gases will prove most critical. When renewable electricity output drops — during cloudy days or still nights — gas-fired generation with green molecules becomes the backup. This is not a temporary measure; it is a structural role that green gases will play in balancing a renewable-heavy grid.

Industry presents an even more compelling case for green gases. Many industrial processes, from steelmaking to chemical production, require extremely high temperatures that electricity alone cannot efficiently provide. Green gases offer a direct path to decarbonizing these hard-to-electrify sectors without waiting for breakthrough technologies or complete industrial restructuring.

"It has a fundamental role to play across a lot of different end uses, whether that be in power generation when renewables output is low, or in industry that need really high temperature processes."

James Earl — Chief Executive, Future Energy Networks. Earl leads the membership organisation representing the UK's gas networks, including National Gas and the four gas distribution networks in Great Britain, as well as Northern Irish Gas Networks. His dual expertise in both gas and electricity infrastructure gives him unique insight into how these energy vectors must work together in the decarbonized energy system.

The scale of this opportunity is significant. If biomethane alone could supply a fifth to a sixth of current gas demand — and this is just one green gas option — the combined potential of hydrogen, biogas, and other solutions becomes increasingly clear. Green gases are not a niche play; they are core to meeting 2050 climate targets.

For a deeper dive into how gas networks contribute to overall energy resilience and the specific technical challenges of this transition, listen to the full episode , where James Earl also explains the 1-in-20 resilience standard that keeps UK gas networks running reliably even during extreme weather.

Biomethane currently accounts for 1% of gas use and has the potential to meet a fifth to a sixth of future demand in the UK.

Green gases including hydrogen and carbon capture and storage are essential for power generation when renewable output is low.

Industrial sectors requiring very high temperatures depend on green gases as their primary route to decarbonization.

The future energy system will be 'multi-molecule' — a combination of electrification and various green gases working in partnership, not a single-technology solution.

What reliability standard do gas networks achieve during extreme weather conditions?

Gas networks achieve 99.9999% reliability , meaning you can expect an interruption to your gas supply roughly once every 40 years. This exceptional resilience stems from their design to a 1 in 20 resilience standard, enabling them to handle the coldest weather conditions expected within a 20-year period.

Built to withstand the coldest winters

Gas networks are engineered specifically to manage extreme weather peaks and troughs. The 1 in 20 resilience standard ensures that infrastructure can cope with the worst cold conditions likely to occur over two decades. As explained in the episode on The Future of Utilities Podcast , this isn't theoretical design—it's put into practice regularly.

This design philosophy means gas networks don't just survive extreme weather; they're built for it. When winter temperatures plummet and demand surges, the infrastructure is already engineered to respond. The network's ability to handle these peaks and troughs makes it a critical component of energy security during seasonal stress.

"Gas networks are designed to deal with peaks and with particularly cold weather. They're designed to a resilience standard, which is called the 1 in 20 resilience standard, which means that they can cope with the coldest weather conditions that could possibly be expected in a 20-year period."

James Earl — Chief Executive, Future Energy Networks. Earl leads the membership organisation for the UK's gas networks, representing National Gas and the four gas distribution networks in Great Britain, as well as Northern Irish Gas Networks. His background spans both gas and electricity sectors, giving him deep insight into how the two energy vectors interact and support each other within the modern energy system.

A deeper dive into this conversation about future gas roles reveals how gas networks are also evolving to include green gases and biomethane as part of the broader energy transition—not just as a backup, but as a fundamental component of the energy mix.

Gas networks maintain 99.9999% reliability, with interruptions expected only once every 40 years on average.

The 1 in 20 resilience standard guarantees networks can handle the coldest weather in any 20-year period.

This design enables gas networks to manage both regular demand and extreme seasonal peaks effectively.

What is NISO's commitment to the development of flexibility markets?

Flexibility market development is core to NISO's mission, not a temporary initiative —the National Energy System Operator has embedded it into its vision and strategy. Beyond the well-known Power Responsive program, NISO runs two additional programs specifically designed to enable demand-side flexibility across its markets.

Jonathan Wisdom, who oversees the development and delivery of balancing services at NISO, emphasizes that this commitment goes far deeper than marketing language. The operator actively works to push flexibility forward across the entire energy system, recognizing that consumer participation in flexibility is essential to grid stability and decentralization.

Power Responsive and three dedicated programs

Power Responsive emerged around 10 to 11 years ago, but it has evolved significantly over recent years. As detailed in the episode , the program was redesigned following collaboration with Ofgem and the government, shifting from purely market engagement to direct consumer participation in the energy system.

NISO does not rely on Power Responsive alone. The operator maintains two other programs within its portfolio, all three focused on the same objective: lowering barriers to demand-side flexibility . This multi-program approach signals that NISO views flexibility enablement as a fundamental operational responsibility, not an optional initiative.

"We want to make sure that consumers have the opportunity to participate across our energy system and be really involved."

Jonathan Wisdom — Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery at NISO. Wisdom oversees how all market participants engage with NISO's balancing services and markets. His role centers on translating regulatory requirements and system needs into practical frameworks that enable both commercial and residential flexibility participation. His expertise spans the intersection of grid operations, market design, and consumer engagement in the modern energy transition.

The consistency of message and resource allocation across three separate programs reflects an institutional commitment that goes beyond the usual project lifecycle. Wisdom's conversation in the podcast also touches on how NISO is working to simplify the complexity that currently deters many consumers and businesses from entering flexibility markets, though the full breakdown of those barriers is explored in greater depth elsewhere in the series.

Flexibility market development is embedded in NISO's long-term mission and vision, not a temporary pilot or campaign.

NISO operates Power Responsive alongside two additional dedicated programs, all aimed at enabling demand-side flexibility.

Direct consumer engagement in the energy system is now central to how Power Responsive functions, following recent evolution and collaboration with regulators.

NISO's commitment reflects the growing recognition that decentralized, flexible loads are essential to balancing modern electricity grids.

What barriers exist for consumers and businesses to participate in flexibility markets?

The main obstacle is significant complexity in the market and industry structure that makes participation appear daunting from an outsider's perspective. NISO is actively working to simplify this complexity and remove operational barriers, aiming to make flexibility participation as straightforward as possible while accounting for the business realities that consumers and organizations face.

Complexity as the core barrier

Flexibility markets operate within intricate regulatory and technical frameworks that can overwhelm potential participants. The rules, settlement mechanisms, and technical requirements create a significant entry cost—not just financially, but in terms of understanding and operational overhead.

As Jonathan Wisdom explains in the episode , the goal is to make engagement feel accessible rather than prohibitive , especially for small and medium-sized participants who lack dedicated energy market expertise.

NISO's Power Responsive approach: simplification as strategy

Power Responsive, NISO's program that has been active for around 10 to 11 years, is evolving specifically to address these barriers. The program now focuses directly on engaging consumers and helping them bring their flexibility to market in a more seamless way than ever before.

The program's mission is grounded in a practical principle: participation should align with each participant's operational realities . This means designing pathways that don't force consumers or businesses to fundamentally restructure their operations just to participate in the energy system, a detail further explored in this podcast episode .

NISO worked with Ofgem and the government to refine Power Responsive's evolution, ensuring that the program actively addresses market entry barriers. The current framework now engages directly with participants, removing unnecessary friction points and creating clearer pathways into flexibility markets.

"We want to make sure that consumers have the opportunity to participate across our energy system and be really involved."

Jonathan Wisdom — Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery at NISO, the National Energy System Operator. Wisdom oversees how parties participate in NISO's markets and leads the organization's demand-side flexibility strategy. His work focuses on engaging consumers and businesses across the entire energy system and removing structural barriers to their participation.

Beyond barriers, the conversation also covers how NISO has set ambitious targets—aiming to grow flexibility participation from around 200 megawatts currently to approximately 950 megawatts or 1 gigawatt by 2030, a target-setting approach that details the scale of change Power Responsive is driving .

How does flexibility help balance the modern energy system?

The energy system has fundamentally shifted from large centralized power plants to a world where decentralized loads must actively participate in the grid . Flexibility enables NISO to access the resources it needs to keep supply and demand in perfect balance at all times, turning consumers and distributed assets into essential partners rather than passive users.

From centralized generation to distributed participation

The traditional energy model relied on a handful of large power stations controlling generation to match demand. That system no longer works in a modern grid. Decentralized energy sources—solar panels, EV chargers, industrial processes, home batteries—now shape how electricity flows , and they must be coordinated, not ignored.

As Jonathan Wisdom explains in the episode , flexibility is what makes this new architecture possible. Without it, the grid operator has no levers to pull when demand spikes or generation drops unexpectedly. With it, NISO can call on hundreds of distributed resources to respond in real time.

Balancing supply and demand in real time

The core challenge for any grid operator is simple: every second, electricity generated must equal electricity consumed. A single major imbalance can trigger blackouts. Flexibility gives NISO immediate access to demand-side resources that can shift their consumption up or down on demand , filling gaps that generation alone cannot cover.

This is why the Power Responsive program, which has been operating for around 10 to 11 years, matters so much. The program engages consumers and businesses directly, helping them bring their flexibility to market and participate in the energy system like never before. Whether it's a factory pausing production for 15 minutes, an EV fleet charging strategically, or a home battery discharging at peak hours, each act of flexibility reinforces grid stability.

For more details on exactly what NISO is targeting—and how far they've come— this podcast dives deep into the specific megawatt targets and the roadmap to 2030 .

"We want to make sure that consumers have the opportunity to participate across our energy system and be really involved."

Jonathan Wisdom — Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery at NISO, the National Energy System Operator. Wisdom oversees how parties participate in NISO's markets and focuses on engaging consumers and distributed assets to provide demand-side flexibility across the grid.

What are the specific targets and goals for Power Responsive by 2030?

NISO published targets showing they currently have around 200 megawatts of flexibility participation in their market, and aim to grow that to approximately 950 megawatts or even a full gigawatt by 2030. This five-fold increase demonstrates how seriously the organization takes the development of flexibility markets as a cornerstone of future energy system stability.

From current capacity to gigawatt-scale ambition

The gap between today's 200 megawatts and the 2030 target represents a transformative scaling of demand-side flexibility . Jonathan Wisdom, Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery at NISO, explained that this growth trajectory reflects the organization's confidence in how the market can evolve.

As detailed in the episode , NISO's focus on flexibility comes from a fundamental understanding that stability in the electricity system no longer depends only on supply-side generation. Demand-side participation—from industrial actors, commercial users, and eventually household consumers—is becoming equally critical to keeping the grid balanced.

Why a gigawatt matters for energy security

A gigawatt of flexible capacity is substantial. To put this in perspective, 1,000 megawatts equals the power output of a large conventional power station . By 2030, NISO is betting that market mechanisms and consumer engagement will unlock this much flexibility from distributed sources—EVs, heat pumps, industrial demand response, battery storage, and other assets already connected to the grid.

This target, published at the end of last year, wasn't set arbitrarily. It reflects the scale of change required to manage a grid that is increasingly renewable and decentralized. The specific numbers signal a commitment detailed in this podcast conversation to move beyond small pilots into mainstream market operation.

"We want to make sure that consumers have the opportunity to participate across our energy system and be really involved."

Jonathan Wisdom — Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery, NISO. Wisdom oversees how parties participate in NISO's balancing services markets and is responsible for the evolution of Power Responsive as a vehicle for demand-side engagement. His role centers on making the energy system accessible to consumers and businesses who wish to offer flexibility.

To understand how this ambition unfolds across different customer segments—domestic users, industrial players, and aggregators— the full episode explores who Power Responsive is targeting and what specific partnerships are shaping this growth strategy.

NISO's 2030 target is 950 megawatts to 1 gigawatt of flexibility participation, a five-fold increase from today's 200 megawatts.

The target was formally published at the end of last year, signaling NISO's strategic priority on demand-side flexibility as essential to energy system stability.

Reaching gigawatt-scale flexibility requires coordinated engagement across domestic consumers, industrial and commercial actors, and aggregators.

This ambition reflects a fundamental shift: stability no longer relies only on traditional supply-side generation but on distributed, responsive demand.

Who does Power Responsive want to bring into the conversation and involve?

Power Responsive wants to work closely with domestic users through suppliers and aggregators, but especially with industrial and commercial actors who want to understand their energy use better and how their loads can offer flexibility. The program aims to help all consumer types—from cold storage and supermarkets to EV fleets—recognize the value their flexibility can represent to their organizations.

Building demand-side participation across all sectors

Power Responsive targets a diverse range of participants because flexibility exists at every scale of the energy system . The program recognizes that understanding energy consumption patterns is the first step for any organization to unlock flexibility potential.

For domestic users, Power Responsive works through existing supply chains— suppliers and aggregators act as intermediaries to help residential consumers participate. However, the real focus extends far beyond households. Industrial and commercial organizations often have significant untapped flexibility in their operations, whether in refrigeration systems, supermarket operations, or EV fleet charging schedules.

As discussed in the podcast episode , this inclusive approach means the program actively wants to involve organizations that may not initially realize their flexibility value. A cold storage facility or a fleet of electric vehicles represents real, measurable flexibility that can contribute to system stability—if operators understand how to measure and monetize it.

"We want to make sure that consumers have the opportunity to participate across our energy system and be really involved."

Jonathan Wisdom — Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery at NISO, the National Energy System Operator. Wisdom oversees how parties participate in NISO's markets and is responsible for driving demand-side flexibility and consumer engagement across the entire energy system.

From awareness to action

Power Responsive's engagement strategy goes beyond simply opening the door to participation. The program helps organizations understand the business case for their own flexibility—turning energy management from a cost center into a potential revenue stream or cost-saving opportunity.

For supermarkets, cold storage operators, and EV fleet managers, this means concrete guidance on measuring their flexibility, understanding its market value, and connecting with the right mechanisms to participate. The broader context, explored further in this episode , shows that Power Responsive is part of NISO's larger mission to evolve the energy system itself toward greater participation at scale.

Power Responsive engages domestic users through suppliers and aggregators while prioritizing industrial and commercial organizations seeking better energy understanding.

The program targets operators of cold storage, supermarkets, and EV fleets—sectors with significant untapped flexibility potential.

Power Responsive helps all participant types understand how their energy loads can offer measurable value to both their organizations and the wider energy system.

The inclusive approach recognizes that flexibility exists at every scale and aims to unlock participation across all market segments.

What is the Power Responsive program and what is its mission?

Power Responsive is NISO's program that engages consumers directly to participate in energy markets by bringing their flexibility to the grid. The program works with consumers, suppliers, and market participants to stabilize energy demand and keep supply and demand in balance across the energy system.

From market understanding to consumer participation

Power Responsive came to life around 10 to 11 years ago as NISO's initiative to understand what demand-side participation could look like in practice. The program started as a concept and has evolved significantly over time. As detailed in this episode , Power Responsive now engages directly with consumers, helping them bring their flexibility to market and participate in the energy system like never before.

NISO—the National Energy System Operator—recognizes that flexibility is a critical component of keeping the lights on today and planning tomorrow's energy system. Jonathan Wisdom, who oversees balancing services development at NISO, explains that the program has evolved into an entity focused on consumer engagement rather than just market research. This shift reflects a broader commitment to making energy participation accessible to everyday consumers.

The strategic focus: stabilizing demand through flexibility

The core mission of Power Responsive is straightforward: stabilize demand for energy and maintain balance between supply and consumption. In a system that must operate holistically, this requires working across multiple participants—not just utilities and suppliers, but consumers themselves.

Recent collaboration with Ofgem and the UK government has sharpened Power Responsive's direction. The program now sits at the intersection of policy support and practical consumer action, driving forward flexibility participation across NISO's markets. For a deeper dive into how this flexibility translates to real-world energy security, the full conversation explores specific use cases and market mechanisms that make consumer flexibility valuable to the grid.

"We want to make sure that consumers have the opportunity to participate across our energy system and be really involved."

Jonathan Wisdom — Head of Balancing Services Development and Delivery, NISO. Wisdom oversees how parties participate in NISO's markets and is responsible for designing the pathways through which consumers can engage with the electricity system. His work bridges policy, operations, and consumer engagement to build a more flexible, resilient energy network.

The conversation also touches on the scale of the challenge ahead: moving from current flexibility participation levels to targets of 950 megawatts or 1 gigawatt by 2030 represents a significant acceleration in consumer engagement. The episode goes deeper into how EV fleets, residential storage, and other consumer assets will be mobilized to meet these ambitions and keep the energy system balanced as demand patterns shift.

What role do female role models in senior leadership play in retaining women in utilities?

Visible female leaders in senior positions send a powerful signal that there is no ceiling to women's progress in utilities. Beyond individual inspiration, having leaders from diverse backgrounds fundamentally shifts organisational culture, creating workplaces where women from all walks of life can genuinely belong, advance, and thrive.

The presence of female role models operates on two distinct levels. First, it demonstrates tangible proof of possibility—when women see a female CEO or senior executive, especially one balancing motherhood with leadership, they understand that the path forward is real and achievable. This visibility removes the psychological barrier that often holds talented women back from pursuing advancement.

As highlighted in the episode , Business Stream's female CEO, who is also a mother, exemplifies this dynamic. Her presence at the organisation's senior level reassures other women that career progression and personal life aren't mutually exclusive—a message far more powerful than any diversity statement.

Reshaping culture through leadership diversity

Beyond role modelling, the second impact is cultural. When organisations recruit and promote leaders from varied backgrounds—different genders, ethnicities, experiences, and life paths—the entire culture shifts. Inclusive senior teams signal authenticity to every employee, especially those from underrepresented groups considering whether they truly belong.

This cultural transformation is what Karen Anderson explores in depth within the Women's Utilities Network context. Leadership diversity isn't a box-ticking exercise; it's a structural change that determines whether organisations become places where people from all backgrounds can join, stay, and advance with confidence.

The Women's Utilities Network, founded in 2018 by five influential female leaders who felt isolated in male-dominated meetings, has grown from a handful of mentors and mentees two years ago to a community of over 100 women and allies at their flagship events. This growth reflects the immediate impact of visible, connected female leadership in the utilities sector.

"Mentoring, for me, has given me a purpose. Seeing people build confidence, overcoming obstacles, they've set goals that they thought were impossible. Seeing them achieve those goals has been rewarding."

Karen Anderson — Executive Director of the Women's Utilities Network for just over two years. Anderson actively speaks at industry events, including the Future Utilities conference, where she engages with large audiences on gender diversity in the utilities sector. Her work amplifies female voices and creates mentoring pathways that directly address retention challenges.

How can experienced professionals avoid feeling phased out, and what role does mentoring play?

Sophia Goring suggests that experienced professionals who feel they are being sidelined should explore mentoring as an option, because it forces reflection…

What career advice does the Women's Utilities Network panel offer to young people entering the utilities industry?

Sophia Goring encourages young people to be open-minded about the range of roles that exist in utilities — beyond the perception of only fieldwork —…

Why is diversity of backgrounds and perspectives important for utilities companies?

Karen Anderson argues that a utilities workforce needs to reflect its diverse customer base, and if everyone in a team looks, thinks and acts the same, the…

What is the One Mentoring Programme and how does it help people find mentors?

The One Mentoring Programme is described as a portal that connects mentors and mentees across the utilities industry, including outside of one's own…

How does mentoring help with imposter syndrome in the workplace?

Naz Khanon acknowledges that imposter syndrome is something many people suffer with, and that mentoring helps by constantly checking, improving and…

What do mentors gain from mentoring relationships, beyond what mentees receive?

Both Naz Khanon and Sophia Goring emphasise that mentoring is a two-way relationship: mentors develop coaching skills, broaden their understanding through…

How did networking directly shape Sophia Goring's career path into sustainability?

Sophia Goring met a woman named Lindsay who worked for a social mobility charity called Career Ready while she was working in communications. That…

How has the Women's Utilities Network mentoring event grown over the years?

Two years ago, the Women's Utilities Network event at Future Utilities had only half a dozen to a dozen mentors and a few mentees standing in the reception…

How can professionals approach networking in a less daunting, more authentic way?

Sophia Goring advises going into networking with an open mind about potential value, without putting too much pressure on yourself, since some opportunities…

What is the Women's Utilities Network and how was it founded?

The Women's Utilities Network was formed in 2018 by five influential women in the utilities sector who realised they were often the only females in the room…