Clean, fair, affordable: why the energy system needs to change – and fast

From extreme weather to rising bills, the pressure on our ageing energy system is mounting. What’s clear is this: the future depends not just on switching to cleaner energy, but on redesigning the system around it – making it smarter, more affordable and more inclusive.

Yes, we need cleaner energy. But what we also need is smarter systems, new ways to share power, and financial models that make the transition not just possible, but fair.

So, we’re putting those solutions in place today – scaling up technologies and models that deliver impact where it matters most. Whether you rent a flat in the city, run a business or live in a rural community, we’re working to make sustainable energy a more practical reality.

First-of-its-kind battery pilot

As part of our mission to deliver fairer bills through innovation, we’ve launched a pioneering battery storage trial in Coventry – a project so impactful it’s been featured in the UK Government’s Clean Flexibility Roadmap. It tackles one of the sector’s biggest challenges: making smart, flexible energy accessible to those who need it most.

The Coventry Affordability Trial is a first-of-its-kind approach, combining financial support, energy efficiency upgrades and new low-carbon tech to help fuel-poor households – particularly vulnerable families and older residents. At its heart is a fully funded home battery system, installed at no cost and paired with a time-of-use tariff. This lets customers store cheap electricity for use when demand – and prices – are highest.

But it goes beyond tech. The trial simplifies support by bundling debt relief, white goods replacement, insulation, battery and time of use tariff into one joined-up offer – easing immediate pressure while future-proofing homes for the long term.

Rooftop solar for all

Rooftop solar has long been the most visible symbol of the clean energy movement – but only if you owned the roof. Millions of flat-dwellers have been pretty much left out of the solar revolution. Until now.

Thanks to our partnership with cleantech innovators Allume Energy, we’re changing that story. Their award-winning SolShare technology – the first of its kind – connects multiple flats to a single rooftop solar system, delivering each household its fair share of clean, low-cost energy exactly when it’s needed most.

With a £4 million investment into Allume, we’re helping scale up this solution in the UK and beyond – unlocking solar savings for those who’ve been excluded for too long.

Community energy models

Another way we’re opening doors is through energy-sharing communities – projects where households and organisations club together to generate and use their own local, renewable energy.

The idea is, we install solar panels on community buildings, schools or shared spaces – and any surplus power gets shared with the nearby community at a discount. That means lower bills, reduced reliance on the grid (and less need for investment in nationwide infrastructure), and more resilient local energy systems.

A new kind of home: energy-as-a-service

Let’s face it, the energy transition has too often felt like something only the better off can afford. But that’s changing.

We’re piloting Next Gen Home, a UK-first, energy-as-a-service model that bundles everything a modern low-carbon home needs: solar panels, heat pumps, EV chargers and home batteries – all in one simple package, with fixed monthly payments over 10 years. Those taking part in the 12-month trial also receive a 90% reduction on the cost of installed assets - making it easier than ever to embrace clean tech at home.

Flexible energy, fairer bills

Clean energy doesn’t just depend on how we generate electricity, it’s also about how we use and manage it.

Our ageing grid was built for a mostly one-way flow of power, not the self-generating and sharing opportunities in today’s homes, businesses and renewables. So, we’re rethinking the system from the inside out – making it more flexible, more responsive, and better able to balance supply and demand in real time.

Like Uskmouth, once a coal-fired power station, the site is now being reborn as a large-scale battery storage site in partnership with Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. The two battery units on-site will deliver a combined 230MW of capacity – helping to store energy when it's abundant and release it into the grid when it's most needed.

We’re also investing in new infrastructure to make clean connections quicker and smarter. With Ofgem granting E.ON a distribution licence, our new Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) will open the door to faster rollouts of connected, low-carbon developments across the UK.

Building a better system – together

A future where clean energy is affordable, accessible, and abundant isn’t just possible, it’s already taking shape.

We’re proving the energy system doesn’t need to be slow, complicated or exclusive. It can be local, digital, fair – and fast. That’s the transformation we’re building every day, with our partners, our customers and our communities.