verv: advanced home electricity analytics

Project Information

verv

Grant agreement ID: 783006

DOI

10.3030/783006

Project closed

EC signature date 27 July 2017

Start date 1 August 2017

End date 31 December 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

GREEN RUNNING LIMITED
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - verv (verv: advanced home electricity analytics)

Reporting period: 2017-08-01 to 2017-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Households account for 19.6% of EU emissions. Inefficient usage fuels import dependence and the the EU is losing €1bn/day on volatile energy imports. 10.8% of EU households are in fuel poverty, struggling to afford their energy. Optimising consumption mitigates against these ills, key to which is high granularity, real time, disaggregated data. Yet less than 5% of EU residents have any form of smart energy solution and therefore lack the tools for tackling inefficiency. Existing B2C business models have failed to find a sufficiently compelling proposition to stimulate uptake. By delivering benefits to multiple stakeholders (clients and residents), Verv collates disparate value points to create a stacked revenue model that results in the most advanced and affordable system on the market.

Having successfully launched in the UK, this project investigated the opportunity to take the Verv proposition to Europe. The overall objectives of the project were to:

- Assess and prioritise the most appealing European markets for entry
- Clearly define customer segments and corresponding value propositions in these markets
- Research and refine market entry strategy to expand Verv internationally
- Refine technology offering and produce development roadmap
- Develop understanding of supply chain and working capital requirements

The ultimate aim of this project is to create a plan for Green Running to plan international expansion for its Verv proposition. In doing so, it will contribute to improving household energy efficiency by providing customers with access to unparalled data, and in turn help to reduce the EU's carbon emissions and remain within its climate change comittments.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

To achieve these objectives, the following work streams were undertaken:

Project Management: Overall co-ordination of the project and creation of interim and final deliverables: Activities included project reporting and resource management

Market Study: Segmentation and quantification of the addressable market. Activities: synthesis of existing research; customer research on strategy for Verv and perceived barriers; interviews with experts; assessment of regulatory landscape for analytic appliances and data management, policy incentives, current and pending, map of stakeholder landscape, analysis of national electricity pricing structures, customer segmentation

Customer Proposition: Develop, test and refine propositions for each target market segment. Activities: customer interviews testing Verv proposition, customer interviews, interviews with partners

Supply Chain Engagement: engage with supply chain partners to understand and de-risk the supply chain. Activities: review of component options and interviews with each supply group, identify market partners, component sourcing options adequate for high volume production

Technology Development: Roadmap refined, cost reduction milestones to underpin further development defined, IPR. Activities: component specifications defined for each development path explored; additional features evaluated, network standard compliance extended, patent search and filing

Implementation Plan: Objective is to create an integrated commercial and technology development plan. Activities: identification of the main technical, commercial and legal risks, and preparation for the subsequent Phase 2 SME instrument, including compilation of application and match funding secured.

Results of the project include:

- Prioritised 3 European markets for entry (Italy, France, Germany) and gathered valuable intelligence on each market
- Producesd propositions for target customer groups: utilities, appliance servicers, property managers, social landlords.
- Engaged with supply chain partners, component providers and data storage providers (AWS).
- Generated a system development roadmap and define cost reductions for future development of the technology.
- Defined and engage a series of potential clients for trial participation (e.g. utilities, appliance maintenance providers)
- Created an integrated commercial and systems development plan, including identification of the main technical and commercial risks, and prepare for securing public and private sector funding for the subsequent Phase II stage

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The expected impact of this Phase 1 Feasibility Study is the expansion of Green Running into the identified target markets of Italy, France and Germany. This will initially be underpinned by application for the Phase 2 H2020 SME Instrument, whereby trials will be undertaken in selected European markets, with the hope that this will then facilitate further investment in order to pursue the expansion strategy outlined. Green Running will seek to ensure that it's product remains beyond state of the art, through continuing extensive customer proposition testing and incorporating this into product development/design, as well as incorporating cutting-edge features that add significant capability to the Very product, in terms of household energy monitoring and data sales.

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