For Southend the key activities are:-

• Identifying opportunities and encouraging development through a well-evidenced local plan that supports Southend’s increased new homes targets and net zero ambitions.

• Developing evidence to identify areas where local energy system development can support more cost-effective decarbonisation, using local area planning to identify areas where housing types and gas consumption make REMeDY a more effective solution – this could be as much as a third of Southend.

• Actively engaging on smart local energy solutions with the project teams leading on local authority-driven development and redevelopments.

National actions

Nationally, the capability and capacity to help local communities (including local authorities) understand where REMeDY solutions would be most beneficial needs to be developed. This includes local area energy planning that integrates with the national system so that the benefits of these solutions are recognised in policy and spatial planning.

Building the energy storage inherent in REMeDY systems would lead to a low carbon energy system at a lower cost. The long-term investment signals are not strong, but the investment in these systems is a long-term commitment. REMeDY was able to develop a case for commercial investment in new developments but regulatory changes to support longer term investment in these technologies, through zoning or mechanisms to reduce long term investment risk, might accelerate deployment.

REMeDY set out to explore a scalable commercial proposition. The full benefits of optimising domestic heat and power were not explored because the current regulatory framework, developed to address the power of large monopolies, limits the ability to develop a fully integrated solution. As heat regulation develops, new regulations that support integrated local heat and power at scale could unlock further value for customers.