E.ON Next and Northern Powergrid collaboration named Best Flexible Storage Project

E.ON Next and Northern Powergrid have been recognised at the Utility Week Flex Awards, winning the award for Best Flexible Storage Project for their pioneering battery flexibility initiative, Empower Flex (also known as Battery Boost). The award celebrates innovative projects helping to accelerate the UK’s transition to a smarter, lower-carbon energy system.

The partnership between E.ON Next and Northern Powergrid is designed to make clean energy technologies more accessible to households, particularly those at risk of fuel poverty. Households in Crowle and Starbeck were given free home batteries and insulation upgrades, enabling them to store cheaper off-peak electricity and reduce energy bills while also supporting flexibility in their local electricity grids.

Early results from the project have been highly encouraging, with some participating households saving almost £500 a year on electricity bills. The initiative demonstrates how battery storage, flexibility services and energy efficiency can work together to deliver both customer savings and wider system benefits.

Davide Turi, Flexibility Innovation Lead at E.ON Next said: “This award is recognition of the success of these projects in our efforts to make the energy transition fairer and more accessible. This approach can be scaled nationwide to make energy more affordable for customers, and provide flexible support for power grids grappling with the increasing demand for electricity on our networks.”

The project builds on E.ON Next’s wider work exploring how flexible energy solutions can support vulnerable households, lower costs and help unlock a more sustainable energy future for everyone. It establishes a strong foundation for the targeted deployment of residential batteries this year, while supporting ongoing regulatory and commercial engagement to develop a more robust and commercially viable model for DSO flexibility.