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You’ve got the power

Jordan Brompton, co-founder of myenergi, reveals how to slash bills and emissions by turning your home into a virtual power plant
Jordan Brompton, myenergi co-founder

This article first appeared in our International Women’s Day issue of My Green Pod Magazine, published 08 March 2024. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox

At COP28, world leaders agreed to triple renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030.

The first target, according to energy thinktank Ember, is not only achievable but also perfectly possible – provided the world increases its renewables deployment by 17% each year (from 500GW in 2023 to 1.5TW in 2030).

While supply to the grid will take up a significant proportion of this targeted extra renewable energy capacity, another important factor is the rise of domestic electricity generation.

Self-generated wattage literally puts the power in the hands of the consumer, allowing adopters to take control of their own energy generation and consumption while heavily reducing grid reliance and unlocking additional capacity.

Here comes the sun

Generating renewable energy via solar is increasingly being seen as a simple and cost-effective way to reduce reliance on the grid, decentralise electricity supply, cut utility bills and protect against energy market volatility.

In fact, over the past few years the adoption of solar has accelerated at incredible speed.

According to data from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme there was a boom in installations last year, with a 62% jump in new installs compared with 2022.

The prospect of slashing energy bills and lowering carbon emissions certainly makes self-generated green energy attractive.

However, the great disadvantage of any microgeneration tech is that it can be unpredictable and ‘lumpy’.

Optimum generation is reliant on certain weather conditions, and peak generation periods are during the day when most users are likely to be away from the home at work.

As a result, the average consumption rate for self-generated power stands at just 45% in the UK, with some users reducing their reliance on mains energy by less than 25%.

Rather than making full use of self-generated solar energy in the home, electricity is exported to the grid at times of high generation and low use, and then typically bought back (at a higher price) when it’s needed most.

More power to you

We founded myenergi to help households take complete control of their self-generated renewable energy using our eco-smart devices.

Take zappi, for example – the world’s first solar-compatible electric vehicle (EV) charger. It can harness 100% renewable energy from microgeneration tech such as solar and charge your EV at zero cost.

Home is where the heat is

But what about one of the most energy-intensive – yet crucial – functions of your home: heating?

We’re increasingly switching traditional gas boilers for greener and more efficient heat pumps.

Alongside solar PV, 2023 was also another record-breaking year for heat pump installations.

We saw a significant rise in adoption in 2023, propelled in part by the UK government’s £7,500 grant to encourage its target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028.

As the popularity of both microgeneration tech and energy-efficient heating rises, so too does demand for smart tech that synchronises the devices that generate, store and use electricity.

Heat your home the smart way

Our power diverter, eddi, is proving hugely popular with homeowners for linking solar arrays and heat pumps.

When solar PV is generating low volumes, eddi will automatically ‘trickle charge’ a heat pump or water heater; once panels reach a higher load, eddi will divert full power to the appliance, reducing reliance on the grid.

Eddi can even be configured to send energy to up to two heating appliances in sequence, automatically switching between devices for greatest efficiency.

By making intelligent decisions every second, eddi helps homeowners maximise the value of self-generated renewables.

At times when more energy is generated than required, myenergi’s domestic storage battery, libbi, captures this surplus electricity for discharge as and when needed.

With the introduction of VAT cuts to energy storage and power diverters in the UK from February this year, we’re expecting the popularity of devices like eddi to soar.

Virtual power plants

While most microgeneration, power diversion tech and storage can work autonomously, myenergi products can also work as part of a connected ecosystem.

Users with a suite of products can choose how to generate electricity plus where and when to use it – whether to heat the home, charge an EV, store for later or anything between.

As we move towards a more decentralised, decarbonised and distributed energy system, environmentally and cost-conscious consumers will play an increasingly vital role as they take further control of their energy generation and use.

Eco-smart devices will quickly become valuable energy assets, and British homes will become small-scale virtual power plants offering crucial, flexible grid support – significantly raising energy security while simultaneously lowering emissions.

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