Co-designing a just transition to the smart, flexible energy future
A Talk by Harriet Pugh , Hannah Zafiropoulos and Tom Crawford
About this Talk
This session will explore how a co-design approach, focused on inclusion, has helped improve decision-making and drive innovation in the Inclusive Smart Solutions programme, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and led by the Energy Systems Catapult, Carbon Trust and TPXimpact. The programme aims to design products and services that meet the needs of households who may be left behind in a smart, flexible energy future. We’ll show how a design-first approach that prioritises partnerships and includes people with experience of the needs we’re designing for, can ensure we’re developing the right solutions to build a just transition to net zero.
Shifting our energy use to times when it is greener and cheaper or ‘energy flexibility’ is key to achieving net zero. Amid cost of living pressures, rising fuel poverty and a growing digital divide, there is cause for concern that some people may be priced out or unable to access the technology they need to benefit from a smart, flexible future.
Tackling these kinds of challenges requires the expertise and collaboration of stakeholders who can take action at different levels (government, companies, infrastructure organisations) and those with the practical and technical skills to deliver the inclusive products and services we need to meet people’s needs and help shift behaviour (researchers, designers, developers). Crucially, we also need the perspectives of those with experience of the circumstances we’re designing for (eg fuel poverty).
In this session, we’ll share the co-design approach we took and the lessons learned from recruiting and training a cohort of low income households to play an active role in the design process, working alongside energy specialists, innovation managers and designers to make decisions about the future of four smart, flexible energy products and services.
We’ll highlight real examples from the programme stories of companies who were willing to change course based on workshops with households to create more practical solutions that meet real needs.