Answer extracted from The Future of Utilities Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What policy framework would unlock battery adoption at scale across the grid?
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.
Key takeaways
- 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.
See also
How can domestic batteries be made accessible to fuel-poor households and people in condensed housing?
EON is actively running pilots targeting fuel-poor customers to ensure they understand the opportunity to save money and improve their living conditions. These programmes remove barriers to access and demonstrate real savings.
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 customers can begin using the battery immediately.
What financial savings can consumers expect from installing a domestic battery?
According to pilot programmes, customers can save between £250 and £150 per year on average by aligning their battery with a time-of-use tariff. In grid-constrained areas, guaranteed savings reach £480 per year.