Achievements

SmarterUK is the champion for smart infrastructure deployment in the UK, and the economic and societal benefits that smart infrastructure solutions can deliver to UK PLC and its citizens. These solutions encompass the innovative application of technology to traditional economic infrastructure in order to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and resilience, and deliver better performance. It is not just about the technology, but also what it enables – from mobility as a service, to facilitating decarbonisation, and next-day switching of energy providers.

Develop networks

• We bring together members, companies and stakeholders across relevant infrastructure areas to circulate knowledge and make connections across industries. We share events and opportunities, and host conferences, roundtables and briefings.

  Outcome: Throughout 2019, SmarterUK has brought together members and stakeholders at a variety of events and conferences. Working towards building a National Digital Twin has been a particular focus for our programme – with a January conference, campaign week, podcast, workshop and a collaboration with Costain to launch a unique funding opportunity. Further events included an SME engagement event in October, addressing the need to enhance the development, deployment and commercialisation of Digital Twins in the UK’s infrastructure.

  Our Smart Energy & Utilities workstream addressed the challenge of boosting resilience and ensuring long-term supply in the water sector through a series of events with our members and key stakeholders in the water sector. After an April Water Innovation Workshop – Riding the Wave of Innovation – SmarterUK partnered with Dell and Intel for a Tech Surf demo day in July, incorporating case studies, “speed dating” technology showcases and networking.

  In Transport, 2019 included another successful Future of Mobility Services conference in November, gathering together the leading innovators, technologists and service providers to explore the potential of our digitally-enabled future of mobility. Cross-programme activity included smaller-scale briefings with Government stakeholders and regulators, which connected transport and mobility members with leaders in energy to facilitate the successful deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in a robust energy system. Finally, we played a prominent role in the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, helping shape policy for future changes in the energy and automotive industries as plug-in vehicle use increases. We also organised a roundtable with the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) to discuss the regulatory approach and key objectives for smart charging of EVs and data use.

Develop markets

• We champion smart infrastructure and its deployment to ensure our members’ products and services are utilised in a buoyant and growing market. We also shape policy and regulatory developments through thought leadership, communications and strategy.

  Outcome: Innovation emerged as a central theme in SmarterUK’s work in 2019, and particularly our policy recommendations to HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). In April, our response to the National Infrastructure Council’s Future of Regulation call for evidence underscored the centrality of innovation, arguing that if it is to play a major role in future markets, and be adopted at scale, regulators must ensure that it is achieved at the lowest cost to consumers. The BEIS Select Committee on Energy Efficiency included our recommendation in its final report, in which we highlighted the necessity of a long-term view and ambition for investment in energy efficiency, should the UK meet the Clean Growth Plan’s target of all UK homes Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rated C by 2030.

  SmarterUK participated in the Energy Data Taskforce, which set out five key recommendations to modernise the UK energy system, which were endorsed by the UK Government in its October Environment Bill. The taskforce based its strategy around two key principles: filling in the data gaps which requires new and better-quality data, and maximising its value by embedding the presumption that data is open.

  In Mobility, the UK Government’s Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy set out its vision of the benefits it wants to see from innovative new mobility services, the principles that it will judge these services against, and an ambitious regulatory review. The Strategy echoed many of the findings techUK published in its 2018 report, including a wide-ranging regulatory review into micromobility vehicles. We also contributed to Digital Vision for Mobility – a report by Atos that revealed the impact of digital across transport and logistics, and how citizens, industry and the environment will stand to benefit.

  Finally, a major 2019 highlight for the SmarterUK programme was the launch of our report – The State of the Connected Home – in June. The report’s key findings included an unprecedented awareness of the “smart home” by consumers, with strong confidence and brand recognition, but barriers to adoption remain – namely cost. We also found that the increase in smart home device usage will allow the wider energy, automobile, and connectivity providers to further innovate and work with Government to tackle key environmental challenges. To further champion the report’s findings, we facilitated a Connected Home campaign week, with blogs, commentary, press and a podcast.

Reduce cost and risk

• Addressing the security, privacy and resilience challenges facing smart infrastructure as it deploys technology in new systems, and improves existing ones.

  Outcome: 2019 saw a new cross-programme group on Climate Strategy and Resilience launch at techUK, addressing three key areas of focus: enabling the tech sector to become energy efficient and low-carbon; highlight the opportunities from a tech-enabled transition to a net-zero carbon economy and the regulatory and innovation framework needed to deliver it; and highlight the role of technology in supporting a climate-resilient economy and supporting the sector to take the necessary steps to adapt, and be resilient to, a changing climate. SmarterUK’s involvement in the new group and council has provided an input from the energy, water and heat sectors, as well as the innovation in transport and mobility industries to tackle the climate crisis through decarbonisation.

  SmarterUK has built fruitful networks with both the British Energy Efficiency Federation (BEEF) – a forum for consultation with existing industry associations in the energy efficiency sector – and the British Standards Institution (BSI) and its Energy Smart Appliances (ESA) Programme, formulated with BEIS and OLEV. The ESA programme is designed to facilitate the uptake of safe, secure and interoperable ESAs, including electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints, for the active management of demand on the electricity network.

For more information or to get involved, please contact:

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  Teodora Kaneva

  Programme Manager | SmarterUK
  T 020 7331 2016
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