At Solar & Storage Live in Birmingham, Solar&StorageXtra spoke to several representatives from UK-based consumer organisation Which?.
Jenny King, Head of Home Energy, discussed Which?’s new home energy planning service and its future, and the organisation’s role in the wider energy conversation.
Interview with Jenny King, Head of Home Energy, Which?
“People don’t know… how to find installers that they can trust. It feels like Which? has a really important role to play in that.”
Xtra: What role do you see Which? playing in the larger conversation about energy independence in the UK?
Jenny: We’ve seen that homeowners are increasingly wanting to make their homes more energy efficient and invest in renewables.
That’s because they want to bring down their energy bills, or they just want a more comfortable home, or because they have green motivations, but there’s an awful lot of confusion.
People don’t know what the right things to do are, they don’t know how to find installers that they can trust. It feels like Which? has a really important role to play in that.
We’re known for independent, impartial advice. We review products, we can make independent recommendations, we can give evidence-based and expert-led advice, and we can recommend traders who you can trust to do a good job.
Xtra: How does Which?’s home energy tool help homeowners make informed decisions about solar and energy storage solutions?
Jenny: The home energy planning service tries to take people from the initial research stages through to getting work done in their homes. Afterwards, it guides them through optimising for an energy-efficient home on an ongoing basis.
It’s free and easy to use. You put in your address and then it pulls together information about your home and your priorities to help you build a home improvement plan.
You can then check if you’re eligible for any grants, you can get advice on ways to pay and go through to trusty trader to find a local installer who can do the work for you.
Xtra: How do you plan to develop the new home energy tool following early feedback?
Jenny: We developed plans for the tool with 200 Which? members, which was a great exercise, and the feedback was really positive on the whole.
People found it (the tool) useful, but they also made some really good improvement suggestions that have meant that when we launch it (30/09/2024), we are launching it knowing that it satisfies users’ needs.
Missed out on Solar & Storage Live, or want to come back for more? Don’t miss the London edition from 2-3 April 2025 – or find a Solar & Storage Live event closer to home.
