The UK Government has announced that it’s introducing new standards to make energy smart appliances—from electric vehicle (EV) chargers to heat pumps—smarter for consumers.

As part of the set of regulations, a new framework will introduce requirements for heat pumps (and also appliances like heat batteries and storage heaters) to be sold smart-ready, in line with regulations that already apply to EV chargers.

This means that heat pump users will get the choice to activate smart functionality on their device, enabling them to shift their electricity usage in response to price signals to times when it’s less costly for the energy system, such as overnight.

Additionally, the government will ensure that a range of appliances including EV smart charge points, battery energy storage systems, and heat pumps are able to operate across different tariffs.

This means that such devices will no longer be tied to one energy supplier, helping to encourage competition and allow people to shop around for new, potentially better deals regardless of the device they possess.

These measures form part of the government’s Clean Power Action Plan, which sets out pro-consumer reforms to help UK households benefit from lower energy bills amid rising costs.

The government noted that lowering peak electricity demand would ultimately minimise the electricity infrastructure that needs to be built in the UK, and could contribute to saving £40 to £50 billion between now and 2050.

It also highlighted that increased consumer-led flexibility can help to deliver the Clean Energy Mission, by enabling Britain to make the most of its renewable electricity at times of high generation or low demand, reducing the need for expensive fossil-fuelled power.

Speaking on the new standards, energy minister Michael Shanks said: “From EV chargers to heat pumps, smart appliances can do the hard work for consumers by automatically using energy when the price is low.

“We want to put more money in people’s pockets as part of Our Plan for Change by making it easier for people to benefit from cheaper off-peak tariffs in their home.

“These new standards will also bring a common-sense approach to smart appliances by ensuring different brands and models can operate across different energy suppliers, allowing consumers to shop around for the best deals.”

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The new standards out of the UK Government shortly follows the publication of The Scottish Climate Survey: official statistics around what Scottish citizens think about climate-related issues, such as climate change, transport, and home energy.

It found that a third of households (33%) were finding it difficult to afford their energy bills whilst four in ten (42%) were having to cut back on essential spending, such as on food, to spend more on energy bills.

Almost half of Scots (44%) believed that reaching net zero by 2045 would improve their quality of life, compared to just 1 in 10 who think it’d make it worse.