SHIELD is an ambitious initiative designed to make the transition to Net Zero more accessible for low-income residents, including those in social housing and other tenures who may not be able to afford to heat their homes or access low carbon technologies (LCTs). The project uses innovative solutions — such as distributed data centres for heating, along with solar panels and battery storage — to intelligently balance energy supply and demand.
What is the project about?
The current approach to decarbonising heat and energy in homes often excludes vulnerable and low-income households. For many, the upfront costs and ongoing expenses of low carbon technologies are simply unaffordable. SHIELD aims to change that — offering a scalable, innovative solution that helps lower energy bills for those most in need, while supporting the transition to Net Zero.
In the Beta Phase, we’re building on insights from the first two phases of SHIELD to deliver a pioneering Social Energy Services Company (Social ESCo) model. This model provides access to solar PV and battery storage for affordable electricity, and uses distributed data centres to deliver low-cost domestic heating.
Early results — based on current household energy performance and modelling — show that SHIELD’s approach could reduce energy costs by 20–40% or more, and cut carbon emissions by over 90%.
The ultimate goal of the SHIELD project is to reduce fuel poverty across the UK and improve the quality of life for people who are struggling to afford their energy bills.
How we’re doing it
During the Beta Phase, SHIELD will conduct a phased trial across up to 300 households to evaluate how a suite of low carbon technologies (LCTs) can reduce energy costs and carbon emissions — while ensuring homes stay warm and comfortable.
The trial will test a combination of innovative technologies and business models, including:
Solar PV and battery storage to supply affordable, renewable electricity
Thermify’s HeatHub, which uses waste heat from distributed cloud computing to provide low-cost heating
Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading as part of a smart local energy system (SLES)
A pioneering Social Energy Services Company (Social ESCo) model that sells unused electricity and grid services to help recover the initial costs of LCT installations
In parallel, the project will assess alternative LCT options — such as heat pumps and rooftop wind turbines — to identify ways to further boost SHIELD’s efficiency. As deployment begins, we’ll also explore how the commercial model can evolve to incorporate services like Distribution System Operator (DSO) flexibility and expanded P2P supply arrangements.
By developing and refining these innovations, SHIELD aims to cut energy bills and accelerate decarbonisation for fuel-poor households. After the trial concludes, insights from household feedback and performance data will inform large-scale rollout — with a long-term goal of delivering over 100,000 solutions per year by 2030.
What makes it innovative
SHIELD is innovative because of its funding model and the technologies which it uses.
The project will partner with an Energy Services Company (ESCo) which will use external funding to provide the electricity generation and heating technology to residents at zero upfront cost. This funding will be paid back using earnings made by the ESCo by also using the technologies to provide flexibility to the electricity network. This is a new kind of funding model which specifically benefits those in low-income households who would struggle to afford the upfront costs of expensive equipment.
SHIELD will also use an innovative new heating technology called the HeatHub. The HeatHub is installed in people’s homes and is used by other businesses for cloud data processing. This data processing generates waste heat and is captured in a heat storage device to be later used in the home at the point it is required.
What we’re learning
During first two phases of the project, we worked closely with our partners, local support organisations and tenants to better understand their concerns and have deployed the SHIELD pilot in two homes. Key learnings from the project so far include:
Our survey of Eastlight Community Homes’ tenants during the Discovery Phase indicated that tenants are very concerned about the cost of energy, and many were also interested in the low-carbon energy system being developed by the SHIELD project
Modelling during the Alpha Phase has confirmed that the suite of technologies deployed through SHIELD can reduce energy costs by as much as 40% for households and reduce the carbon emissions of homes by over 90%.
Engagement throughout the project has highlighted the importance of fully-funded ‘Pay as You Use’ business models for delivering Net Zero and ensuring a just transition.
For the Beta Phase of the project, we will build on these insights to complete a phased trial in up to 300 households to evaluate the performance of a suite of technologies in reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.
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