Navigating the Network: How to improve the consumer journey when installing low carbon technology
The UK Government’s recently published Warm Homes Plan offers a significant opportunity for consumers. If delivered effectively, it could help millions of households lower their energy bills and cut carbon emissions through installing low carbon technologies (LCTs) such as heat pumps, solar panels, and battery storage. Energy networks - both electricity and gas - have an important role in ensuring the uptake of LCTs works well for consumers.
Today, nearly all homes in the UK are connected to the electricity grid, and around 85% of homes are connected to the gas grid. Government policy direction and independent advisers suggest that most consumers are likely to move to electrified heat sources such as heat pumps. If this occurs, the expectation is that many of these consumers would then disconnect from the gas grid. The number of heat pump installations has been slowly increasing: over 210,000 retrofit heat pump installations have taken place between 2018 and 2025, with nearly 52,000 installations in 2025 alone - a 7% increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, there have been over 2 million solar PV installations since 2009 and there are estimated to be around 1 million home EV chargers in the UK.
When LCTs are installed, there may be multiple touchpoints between the consumer and their energy networks. Electricity distribution networks (Distribution Network Operators or DNOs) may need to grant permission for the LCT installation and sometimes have to complete work at the consumers home. If the consumer is on the gas network and chooses to remove their gas disconnection, they may have to contact their gas distribution network (GDN).
This report explores this consumer journey and the types of interactions consumers can have with electricity and gas networks during the installation of LCTs. Based on qualitative research with consumers, interviews with installers, and analysis of Citizens Advice data, we found that:
Interactions with DNOs are often "invisible" to consumers. There is often no direct consumer interaction and consumers are largely unaware of who their DNO is and the role they would have in the process of LCT installation.
However, where consumers do have interactions with DNOs they can often find this process confusing, particularly when tasked with administrative tasks such as ‘self-surveys’, which can be barriers for vulnerable individuals.
There are significant pain points in the consumer journey, including variable wait times for connection permissions, high and poorly communicated costs for work carried out by the DNO, and post-installation voltage issues that disrupt LCT operation.
The gas disconnection process lacks transparency, leaving many consumers unaware of their options or facing unexpected costs and disruption.
To improve the consumer experience, we recommend that Ofgem and energy networks should work together to:
Improve clarity on connection charges: DNOs should ensure consumers understand how connection charges are calculated, providing a transparent breakdown of costs for all necessary work at the property, communicated clearly at the survey stage.
Improve the standards consumers can expect from their DNO: Ofgem should review Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSoPs) to protect consumers from poor performance, and proceed with incorporating qualitative measures like customer experience into the "smaller connections" incentive.
Implement proactive unlooping: DNOs should develop proactive unlooping strategies in ED3, supported by consistent standards, to streamline the process and avoid the pitfalls of reactive unlooping.
Enhance voltage management: Ofgem should amend GSoPs to require DNOs to resolve voltage fluctuations outside statutory limits within a specific timeframe, and, along with DESNZ, hold DNOs accountable through monitoring, reporting, and appropriate incentives in the ED3 DSO framework.
Provide clear guidance on gas disconnections: Ofgem should mandate that GDNs and energy suppliers provide standardised, clear, information to consumers on gas disconnection options, ensuring consumers can easily access plain-language explanations of processes, providers, and potential costs.