Unlocking Energy Flexibility: The Key to Decarbonising Smart Buildings
As the drive to decarbonise buildings accelerates, energy flexibility is emerging as a cornerstone for businesses seeking to reduce costs, enhance resilience, and meet sustainability targets. In our recent webinar, experts from SSE Energy Solutions, Evergen, Gridimp, and LVF Packaging shared practical insights and real-world experiences on how energy flexibility is transforming the way buildings interact with the grid and manage energy consumption.
What is Energy Flexibility?
Energy flexibility is the ability to adjust energy consumption in response to grid signals, price changes, or operational needs. Rather than simply matching generation to demand, the future lies in aligning demand with the availability of renewable generation. This shift is crucial as distributed assets—like solar panels, batteries, and smart controls—become more prevalent across the UK and Ireland.
Energy flexibility can be grouped into four main strategies:
Load Shifting
Moving energy use to times when renewable energy is abundant or electricity is cheaper.
Load Shedding
Temporarily reducing energy use during peak demand periods.
Energy Storage
Storing clean or cheap energy for later use, maximising the value of on-site renewables.
Smart Controls
Using automation and AI to optimise heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances for persistent savings.
Automation is key. Manual interventions and behavioural campaigns often lose effectiveness over time, but smart systems ensure persistent savings and operational reliability.
Why Does Energy Flexibility Matter?
Our panel highlighted several drivers for energy flexibility:
Energy Independence
Protecting against volatile gas prices and grid constraints.
Supporting Renewables
Integrating more intermittent generation like wind and solar.
Reducing Peak Demand
Lowering costs and carbon footprint by shifting usage away from peak times.
Grid Connection
Overcoming barriers to grid upgrades and enabling expansion or adoption of low-carbon technologies.
Large corporates increasingly want to be “100% green, 100% of the time,” optimising not just for cost but for carbon intensity on a half-hourly basis. Distributed energy resources and storage help maximise the value of renewables, especially as export rates vary between markets.
How Are Organisations Implementing Flexibility?
Evergen’s cloud-based platform manages thousands of residential and commercial assets, forecasting load, generation, and prices every five minutes. This enables real-time optimisation for EVs, heat pumps, batteries, and more.
Gridimp focuses on bespoke solutions for industrial and commercial users, integrating smart control layers above existing engineering controls. Their approach gives businesses agency to make real-time decisions, plan ahead, and participate in flexibility markets—without sacrificing operational needs.
Lessons from the Frontline: LDF Packaging’s Journey
Dan Coates from LDF Packaging shared his company’s decade-long journey, from installing solar and generators to adding battery storage. Their motivation was simple: cut energy bills. The process was challenging, especially integrating disparate systems and understanding flexible tariffs. Dan’s advice? “Have an end goal in mind and make everyone aware of your plan at every stage.”
Sizing and Optimising Your Solution
Start with your billing meter—the point where your energy supplier measures usage and cost. Analyse historical data to simulate the impact of different generation and storage sizes, factoring in price signals and weather forecasts. The right balance maximises return on investment and operational efficiency. Begin with low-cost interventions, like optimising HVAC through building management systems, then build up to larger investments in generation and storage.
Real-World Impact
GridIMP clients in hospitality and manufacturing have seen dramatic results:
- Hotels: Reduced daily energy spend from £275 to £27, with carbon emissions dropping from 177kg to less than 9kg per day.
- Manufacturers: Achieved 70–90% self-sufficiency in spring and summer, with four-year capex returns and significant carbon reductions.
The Future: Flexibility Markets and Simplification
New opportunities are emerging in local flexibility markets, capacity markets, and wholesale trading. Initiatives like P415 are democratising access, allowing consumers to trade energy directly without complex supplier arrangements. Local markets, such as DSO flexibility services, offer payments for reducing demand at peak times or using energy to relieve network constraints.
However, simplicity is vital. As Dan noted, the complexity of the process can slow adoption. A “one-stop shop” approach and better support for end users will accelerate the transition.
Conclusion
Energy flexibility is no longer a niche concept—it’s a strategic imperative for smart buildings. By embracing automation, data-driven optimisation, and new market opportunities, businesses can cut costs, boost resilience, and lead the way in decarbonisation.
Partners
We are grateful to panellists Adrian Hennelly, Dan Coates and Richard Ryan. Please visit their company's websites
Explore our Smart Buildings solutions or contact our team to find out how SSE Energy Solutions can help you unlock the full potential of your building.
