Making residential energy flexibility both invisible AND invaluable.

How we’re working with E.ON Next to help more UK households access smarter, cleaner energy living.

Summary

E.ON Next Gen Home is a UK pilot that demonstrates how an “Energy-as-a-Service” model can remove the biggest barrier to household participation in the clean energy transition: upfront cost. The project bundles low-carbon technologies, installation, smart energy management, ongoing support and a household energy allowance into a single, fixed monthly bill. 

Delivered with carefully selected partners and tested through a controlled pilot in the Midlands, E.ON Next Gen Home is showing how integrated, intelligently optimised home energy systems can lower bills, reduce emissions and build customer trust. 

The first phase has generated valuable technical, commercial and customer insights, providing a robust foundation for enabling more UK households to take part in a flexible, future-ready energy system.

“If customers love it, we can really spread our wings and fly.”

Zac Curtis, Innovation Lead, E.ON Next

What E.ON’s customers were saying

E.ON knew there were a lot of people in the UK keen to be part of the clean energy transition. Reading about the unstoppable growth in rooftop solar, hearing about the wonders of heat pumps. Thinking about an (increasingly affordable) EV as their next car. Caring deeply about the environment – and about lowering their household bills.

But the barrier was the upfront investment. While solar panels will pay back, the upfront installation cost is prohibitive for many. And even with heat pump grants, there is still significant outlay to get one up and running at home. An EV charger can set you back £1,000 – that’s a material expense on top of the car itself.

A 2024 survey by Accenture indicated that 78% of consumers across Europe are not yet actively participating in the energy transition – and expense is the top reason for holding back. Closer to home, E.ON’s own customer surveys confirmed this.

E.ON wanted to pull together a package that could strip away these barriers, and present customers with a simple solution they could buy into, that would tick all the boxes. By removing the need for a large initial investment, they’d be making sustainable upgrades achievable for more households across the UK.

“Energy-as-a-Service”; with the emphasis on service

So E.ON set out to package up devices, installation, ongoing support, smart energy optimization and a household energy “allowance” into one fixed monthly bill. There’s a precedent here; it’s exactly how people have been buying their top of the range phones and bundled mobile services for years.

It takes a brave household to sign up to a new initiative; E.ON found early adopters in the Midlands. Understandably, they’ve had a lot of questions from the start – and the logistical challenges of installing and connecting residential hardware should never be underestimated. 

“Making the whole process as easy as possible is very important. There are lots of challenges and homeowners are all on their own.”

Chris, E.ON Next Gen Home customer

Making sure there was a cross-functional, cross-partnership team on hand – who would be responsive, transparent, knowledgeable and reassuring –  has been a key factor in successfully progressing from idea to install and beyond.

E.ON also knew a pilot stage was critical. A controlled environment facilitated testing, learning, and refining every aspect of the proposition. Ironing out the wrinkles, gathering invaluable data, and ensuring a robust and seamless mass market launch in time. It’s about getting it right, not just getting it out there; households are placing a huge amount of trust in E.ON and their partners.

Picking the partners

E.ON looked for industry leaders who would share their commitment to quality and reliability, as well as be ready to roll up their sleeves and get involved.

• Podero for intelligent, price-based device scheduling optimization
• SolarEdge for inverters and robust, efficient batteries
• Vaillant for reliable and high-performance heat pumps
• Myenergi Zappi for smart and convenient EV chargers

Home energy management was a key inclusion, ensuring both the household and E.ON could get the best out of a fully optimized, typically multi-device setup. We wanted the Next Gen Home to be as future-ready as possible, with innovations that actually work together, not just sit side-by-side. 

In the short term, choosing Podero meant autonomous, smart scheduling of multiple device types, to deliver on user preferences, but with cheaper, greener electricity. Longer term, Podero’s trading integrations will enable E.ON’s Next Gen Home households to participate in a future of flexible demand trading, adding even more value to the proposition – for everyone. 

A Day in the Life of an EaaS household

Pete now lives in a house with rooftop solar, a heat pump and a wall charger for his EV, all running on Podero’s intelligent, price-based optimization.

Every evening, Podero pulls the day-ahead spot electricity prices and the PV production forecast for the next day, and creates an estimate of what the household will consume at which time, including Pete’s user preference settings for his car and heating / hot water. 

Then it builds a control schedule to maximize the economic return, by strategically deciding:

• if the weather forecast is looking promising, when to charge the battery, export to grid, or even curtail (if day-ahead prices are negative)
• when to shift EV charging to ensure enough charge is achieved by Pete’s deadline, but timed for economically optimised periods (including charging from the battery)
• when to switch on/off the heat pump to buffer heat and keep the temperature where it needs to be / have hot water ready as per Pete’s timings (based on pre-tested understanding of heat storage limits etc.)

Here’s how it would play out on a sunny spring weekday:

All of this is controlled via Podero’s AP; fully automated, price-driven, and optimized for return.

It’s been so nice coming home to a warm, cosy house. It’s been a doddle to manage and monitor it… we just forget about it.”

Chris, E.ON Next Gen Home customer

Key learnings for launching EaaS

We’re excited for what E.ON’s Next Gen Home initiative can unlock – bringing more customers along for the clean energy transition. But the team is also learning a huge amount about what it takes to deliver a bundled energy product, which will be taken into Phase 2 of the initiative in 2026.

1. Customers are keen, but they want good visibility and understanding of the whole proposition; they need to feel they can trust it
2. Early stages need to involve a lot of practical test-and-learn activity rather than too much over-thinking; it is key to try things, learn and iterate from one installation to the next
3. The financial model will be challenging, but done right, it’s still possible to offer bespoke pricing per customer, particularly with Podero’s more advanced trading mechanisms in place
4. Be ready for complexity. Don’t let it put you off.
5. Keep up regular communications across stakeholders, partners, suppliers and customers. This has to be a highly collaborative effort.

“We’re really excited about going forward, knowing that we’re sustainable, that all the kit being put in is future-proofed…that we’re going to be saving money. I’m excited for the feeling of not being worried about the thermostat.”

Meg, E.ON Next Gen Home customer

Watch this space for more in 2026!