Power outages pose a life-critical risk to vulnerable people. With around 4,000 deaths attributable to extreme cold each year in the UK (UK Health Security Agency), cold homes are a major contributing factor to excess winter mortality. The Switch for Heating in No Energy (SHINE) project was initiated to address this challenge by providing a reliable backup power source for domestic boilers, to enable central heating and hot water in power outages. The project has successfully progressed from concept to a proven, safe, and value-positive solution, significantly de-risking the technical and regulatory challenges of such an intervention.
This project has advanced the practical application of domestic energy storage by developing and physically testing a prototype that is fully compliant with the latest UK safety standards, including the critical new fire safety specification, PAS 63100:2024. Through laboratory and in-situ testing, and direct engagement with vulnerable consumers via a lived experience panel, we have demonstrated the sys
tem’s reliability and validated a safety-first, user-centred design. Furthermore, a Cost-Benefit Analysis confirms the solution’s viability, yielding a positive Net Present Value of £1,150 per unit and identifying a priority market of over 20,000 high-risk households (to make a total NPV of £22m).
The project has successfully established the technical feasibility and strategic value of the SHINE concept. The next logical phase is to transition from a proven prototype to a scalable, cost-effective product. To achieve this, we recommend seeking innovation funding to support cost-down engineering and to deploy the next-generation units in a larger, controlled real-world trial. This will validate the operational model and provide the final evidence base required for a full-scale rollout to protect vulnerable customers across the network.
May 2023 to September 2025
Simon O'Loughlin
