How we’re leading the drive for smarter, more sustainable UK homes

Chris Lovatt, Chief Operating Officer of E.ON UK Solutions, shares some of the ways in which E.ON is helping customers improve the sustainability of their homes.

Chris Lovatt

11/10/23

At E.ON, we’re leading the drive to bring smart energy solutions to our customers, helping to improve the sustainability of Britain’s homes. According to the ONS, around a quarter (26%) of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come how we heat our homes and domestic travel¹, so improving these areas are key to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Thinking smart

One of the easiest ways to start taking climate action is to install a smart meter – they can help you to save energy by giving you a better understanding of your energy use and where you could make savings. We’re pleased to say that more than five million of our E.ON Next customers are now benefitting from having a smart meter, helping them lower their energy use and spend and to improve our national energy infrastructure.

Ensuring your home is insulated

Insulation is another crucial step in making your home more sustainable; there’s no point heating your home if that heat is escaping through your walls or your roof.

We’ve already installed insulation in almost 40,000 homes since 2020, and right now, as part of our support for the Great British Insulation Scheme, many people are eligible for free or part-funded cavity wall insulation.

Plus, we also have a green homes grant finder to make it easier to find out if you’re eligible for any additional funding to improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Decarbonising home heating

We’ve helped around 2,000 households benefit from cleaner heating and lower energy bills in the form of air source heat pumps. These are a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to traditional gas boilers, oil or LPG. Up to four times more efficient than boilers² and powered by electricity, they absorb heat from outside to heat your home, working even through winter to ensure a warm and comfortable home.

If a heat pump isn’t right for you now, you can still reduce energy waste when heating your home and hot water by upgrading your old, inefficient boiler to a new boiler.

Generating power from the sun

Solar panels are the fastest growing renewable energy solution and we’ve installed solar panels on more than 16,000 customers’ homes.

Solar panels and batteries are a great way to reduce your home’s carbon footprint by enabling you to generating and storing your own source of renewable electricity, helping you to become more independent from the grid and even sell any excess electricity you generate back to the grid. Plus, you can even use solar panels to power your air source heat pump or charge your electric vehicle (EV).

Electrifying and decarbonising driving

Homes aren’t the only thing we’re helping to decarbonise; EVs are helping reduce air pollution and combat the climate crisis. The growing number of EVs vehicles means the demand for home EV chargers is also rising. We’ve installed over 2,000 chargers in homes across the UK, and provided over six million miles of convenient, sustainable charging since 2021.

The Power of Progress

Our commitment to a better energy future underpins the sustainable activities we deliver, which we’ve showcased in our new report, The Power of Progress.

We’re dedicated to making sustainability accessible for all and the report explores how we’re supporting customers in their homes, businesses and communities.

^{1. ONS, Climate change, families and households, UK: August 2022.}

^{2. Based on a Daikin heat pump installed by E.ON.}