Where’s the value in renewable heat?
Most renewable heat conversations start with a technology question: heat pump, biomass, biogas, or electrify the whole boiler?
It’s the wrong starting point. The full value won’t be captured if you don’t align four things that companies often treat separately: the business case, the funding available, the delivery partner, and the revised strategy on how you buy and use energy.
The market is moving faster than the models
Batteries connected to the wholesale market can no longer be ignored – they are affecting project decisions on C&I sites. They’re starting to change how the wholesale market sets prices, and that has direct implications for the assumptions behind ETES, e-boiler, heat pump and broader electrification projects. If your business case still runs on a historically stable electricity price, it’s worth asking how confident you really are in that number.
Certificates can be a certain income stream, not a footnote
Income from Environmental Certificate markets can shift a business case significantly. Whilst they introduce some complexity, treating them as an afterthought – something to check once a project is already committed – is too late. Which certificates matter right now, which schemes and methods are right for you, and how much are they worth are exactly the kind of detail that’s needed to make the business case work.
The bill isn’t as fixed as it looks
All three major components of an energy bill can be changed materially following an energy transition project.
For large energy users, environmental and network charges on the bill can be treated as a fixed cost of doing business. They’re not always. Some of what shows up on the bill is more negotiable, more controllable, or more sensitive to how and when you use energy than it first appears.
Network charges have historically been stable. But in support of the energy transition, there are new tariffs that support large flexible electrical loads. These can change the future bill structure and save money while helping you to decarbonise.
Energy prices are volatile, and energy contracts are becoming more flexible. Getting a new retail supply contract that aligns with the new equipment, the revised network tariff, and new way to buy environmental certificates will set your project up for success.
Connect the case, not just the technology
We’ve seen people struggle to strongly connect the engineering assessment with the funding, certificates and energy market knowledge. This is lost value.
That’s the thread running through our stand this year: one team, every option, the real numbers. Compare every pathway. Connect engineering, funding and certificates, and market knowledge. Capture the value that’s usually left on the table.
