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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_WPD_059
Title	Project Vulnerability and Energy Networks, Identification and Consumption Evaluation (VENICE)
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Demographics) 30%; Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 70%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Systems Analysis related to energy R&D 30%; Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 70%;
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Western Power Distribution (WPD) - South West
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 July 2021
End Date	31 March 2023
Duration	ENA months
Total Grant Value	£1,475,984
Industrial Sectors	Power
Region	South West
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (WPD) - South West (99.997%)
	Other Investigator	Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (WPD) - East Midlands (0.001%) Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (WPD) - South Wales (0.001%) Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (WPD) - South West (99.997%) Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (WPD) - West Midlands (0.001%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (0.000%)
Web Site	https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA_WPD_059
Objectives	The project will look at three different aspects of the energy challenge and the low carbon transition. Firstly it will look at the pandemic and how this has impacted on energy consumption and how changing behaviours may “stick” in order to inform our future planning approaches. The second will look at how it could be possible to predict if a customer has become vulnerable through their energy usage patterns and do this using exist known patterns for customers with vulnerabilities. The third will take a local community where poverty is high and develop new business models for those customers to keep them engaged and provide benefits to the distribution network. It will use insights from the other two work streams as well. The project consists of three work streams that look at the problem through different but aligned lenses. The first is being led by Frontier Economics and this will look at the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on energy networks and how behavioral changes may further impact networks in the future in order to inform network planning.The second work package will be led by Frazer Nash Consultancy and will look at the challenge of not clearly understanding how to identify, at a granular level, those citizens who require additional support from network operators and energy companies. A substantial amount of work has been done to identify vulnerability at a regional and Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) level, but not at a household level. This project aims to understand power usage at a household level, by identifying and leveraging underlying trends in smart meter data which predict the likelihood of vulnerability, for example, lower energy usage at the end of month could indicate a lower income household. The third work package will be led by Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN) a community energy initiative in the South West and this is looking at the challenge of meeting Net Zero in a fuel poor community. It will explore community schemes and business models to suit vulnerable consumers and benefit the distribution network. Objectives are:To measure the impact of the recent pandemic on networks and in particular persistence of behavioral changes in the future to inform network planning.Model vulnerability in order to be able to predict if a customer has become vulnerable so that DNOs can improve the identification of vulnerable customers and be able to offer more support to the people that need it.Using a community energy scheme determine the right approaches needed to engage the fuel poor in this transition. This will be done via new business models and schemes to attract them to Net Zero while benefitting the ED network.
Abstract	VENICE is a customer oriented project, the benefits align to those customers who might be left behind under the energy transition, they align to effective network management post the ongoing global pandemic and ensuring value for money for customers and they align to social value. These are real matters that affect many of our customers now and are expected to affect many more in the coming years. The key issue for WPD is that there is no viable way in which to highlight and address vulnerability today.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	14/10/22