HOMEFlex

HOMEFlex builds on experience and learnings from Flex Assure Compliance Scheme for I&C Flexibility Services Providers, the Centre for Sustainable Energy's Smart & Fair? Project, and the ADE's Heat Trust scheme. From this, it became clear that with the number of participants in the Domestic and Micro-Business Flexibility Market growing and therefore the potential of the domestic flexibility market increasing, it is vital that all parties involved are protected to build trust and encourage engagement in flexibility services.

In partnership with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) and funded by the NIA, HOMEFlex is focussed on ensuring transparency, inclusivity and respect between service aggregators and consumers. The project will define common standards of practice for companies delivering energy flexibility services to domestic and micro-business customers, encouraging good practice and accountability. The code of conduct will then act as a foundation and business case for a Compliance Scheme that will go hand in hand following the clear benefits of regulation in the domestic flexibility industry. This will furthermore increase communication between flexibility aggregators and consumers by streamlining a method of complaint and complaint resolution.

The basis of the code will be formed around research conducted by the Centre of Sustainable Energy (CSE) which will address the primary requirements of domestic flexibility service users to ensure the code addresses all worries and requirements. In turn this will lead to developing research into how this may be able to benefit those who can be considered as vulnerable.