Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | NIA_NGGD0072 | |
| Title | Project Futurewave - Phase 3 (Pilot) | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas) 75%; Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts) 25%; |
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| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | SOCIAL SCIENCES (Business and Management Studies) 25%; SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology) 50%; PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics) 25%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 50%; Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 25%; Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Other sociological economical and environmental impact of energy) 25%; |
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| Principal Investigator |
Project Contact No email address given Wales and West Utilities |
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| Award Type | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Funding Source | Ofgem | |
| Start Date | 01 February 2016 | |
| End Date | 01 February 2017 | |
| Duration | 12 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £1,709,678 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Technical Consultancy | |
| Region | Wales | |
| Programme | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Project Contact , Wales and West Utilities (99.994%) |
| Other Investigator | Project Contact , Scottish and Southern Energy plc (0.001%) Project Contact , SP Energy Networks (0.001%) Project Contact , Northern Gas Networks (0.001%) Project Contact , Cadent Gas (0.001%) Project Contact , Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) (0.001%) Project Contact , Radical Company (0.001%) |
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| Web Site | http://www.smarternetworks.org/project/NIA_NGGD0072 |
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| Objectives | 1. Define and build the minimum viable product required for each trial. 2. Validate and determine the viability of the commercial model through live data observed in trials including;What penetration are we likely to achieve in year one for “ Source It#8221; and “ Build It#8221; users?What rate of completion rate we are likely to achieve?What the average project value is?What level of “ Fund it” support is required3. Define user acquisition tactics for “Build it#8221;and “Source it#8221;users. 4. Develop the final product ready for commercial launch. 5. Outline the commercial launch plan. Success for this Phase 03 is to test and prove or improve upon the product, user acquisition and commercial model hypotheses so we can define the best route to commercialisation. We will have validated or improved upon;The assumptions behind the commercial model for the pilot year, which include;1% of off-gas homeowners in the defined target community use the platform. 10% of these users will make contact with “Build it#8221;suppliers in their area with the desire to complete a home energy improvement through the platform. The average value of projects considered is £2,425. In order to achieve this we will have defined;Who our users are and why they use the platform. What the best marketing / referral channels are. Which platform tools are critical to improve completion rates through the platform for customers and installers. The best ways to build community engagement and retain users. | |
| Abstract | Energy customers in the UK have limited options for how they generate, access and consume energy, as well as the price they pay. From a customer’s point of view the energy market is fragmented and "too confusing". There are different sources of funding, installations and advice, but no central point that makes it easy for a customer to take action. In addition, people are increasingly cautious due to a history of bad experiences, shifting government policy and high prices. This lack of trust, combined with a difficult-to-navigate category, creates high barriers to action. Today the onus is always on the individual to research, understand, select and act. This results in inertia. Moreover, the cost of energy and access to different sources in rural areas is adding to the issue of fuel poverty. Any model to resolve these issues has to engage customers in their energy, help inform them about better options available to them, and inspire them to take action. Phase 01 of Project Futurewave was a feasibility study leading to the development of a collaborative approach for the Networks to collectively identify, design and develop future pilot projects that deliver valuable proof of concepts for the industry. This led to the concept of a digital platform to facilitate a collaborative approach. Background to the digital platform: With the heightened pressures on the energy industry to demonstrate value to its customers, there is a renewed focus on satisfying their needs. Networks cannot meet the challenge alone. By understanding their pain points and their challenges, the energy industry is aligning to seek opportunities to redeploy its assets and resources to create dynamic solutions for customers. Today’s UK energy sector is made up of disconnected players and networks, who actually need one another, leaving an unaddressed gap - between customer needs and their solutions, between technologies and markets, between capital and projects. The digital platform activates the creation, design and development of new customer centric energy initiatives with a new level of efficiency and speed. The platform is designed to close three unaddressed gaps in the energy market and give stakeholders a new way to engage. Phase 02 of Project saw the development of a prototype digital platform, business case and user validation. This has given the partner networks confidence to progress to Phase 03 - The pilot stage. Phase 03 seeks to develop and pilot the digital platform with UK communities representative of our core target audience. Over the course of this phase customers in select communities will be able to engage with the platform and start activating otherwise inaccessible energy projects either in communities or as individuals. This Phase 03 of work is focused on piloting the platform to refine the product, the business model and the user engagement strategy; as well as to build the basis for the platform to achieve a successful commercial launch. Taking the existing investment case for the platform (including commercial, strategic and operational requirements, risks assessment, and organisational design), we will test the defined hypotheses through lean and agile methods. This approach will ensure constant validation and measurement of any business assumptions and build a "continuous delivery" ethic, maximising productivity and velocity of the delivery team whilst ensuring the focus is in the right areas. Aswith the previous phase the project will follow a Define, Develop and Deliver method however unlike the previous phase, these phases will gradually be condensed into fortnightly design and development "sprints" of components of the Futurewave platform. Taking this approach ensures the delivery team can be focused on specific user and business requirements and ensure the design, code and underlying architecture is always being tested to ensure its robustness and maximum quality. This method also allows for the team to adapt, change and revisit any requirement changes (e. g. market changes, new legislation or new user requirements) at any point in the delivery cycle. We are proposing a staged approach to the project;Stage 1 - Defining the business, user and technical requirements for trialDefine and gain alignment on the core business goals, dependencies, architecture and infrastructure. Develop, define and articulate the basic technical architecture for the launch of the minimal viable product. Define product trials, and communities to engage in trials. Stage 2 - Developing the Minimum viable product and user engagementOn definition of trial communities we will start to sign up ‘Build it & Source it’ users to the platform for stage 3. Build the correct framework for all future design and development phases. Based on the above requirements, develop the minimum viable product for the first trial. As part of the above, we will co-ordinate regular user testing sessions with key stakeholders to ensure that as progress is being made each component is being thoroughly tested with real end users. These sessions will also be used to help validate relevant components of the business model. Stage 3 - Product trials and business model evolutionWe will launch each component defined in stage 1 into a live community to run tests specifically designed to validate our business model and assumptions. As the first component goes live the team will measure its success against the defined metrics and tweak the live component to improve the product based on user activity and feedback. As we measure each live component and optimise its delivery we will update the business model and roadmap for delivery.Note : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above | |
| Publications | (none) |
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| Final Report | (none) |
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| Added to Database | 29/10/18 | |
