Energy Systems Catapult ‘Living Lab’

The UK Government funds a series of Catapult research centres. One of these is the Energy Systems Catapult which undertakes a wide range of energy-related research projects.

One of the ES Catapult initiatives is the Living Lab – several hundred real-life properties that have expressed an interest in hosting energy-related trials. I signed up Marsh Flatts Farm a few weeks ago and there will be an air quality monitoring trial starting soon (will post on that separately).

From what I’ve seen so far, equipment or software vendors typically use the lab to test innovative solutions and get real-world feedback before launching products on the UK market. Trial participants get a small financial incentive to test-install products, complete surveys and provide feedback.

There’s a particular interest in homes that have heat pumps, solar panels, batteries and electric car chargers.

More information and a sign-up link is here.