Fuel poverty is a topic of accelerating attention, with an increasing body of research. Heat as a Service (HaaS) is being explored as a solution to tackle fuel poverty and support the transition to low carbon heat. HaaS is a term which covers a range of services that enable people to achieve a warm home in a variety of ways. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence of HaaS been deployed effectively, and research work in this area is sparse, and further understanding is needed.

This PhD project aims to build from the available literature and previous work, by developing an assessment of existing evidence on HaaS, including policies, pilots, business models and research in the area, to identify challenges, barriers of adoption and potential good practice. It will also aim to co-create potential solutions to the effective deployment of HaaS in the UK, unlocking finance and support, improving access and affordability, helping to enable a just and equitable transition to low carbon heat.

Aims & objectives

• To review HaaS definitions and approaches; and to evaluate targets, scope and ambition of current and previous pilots and examples, analysing the learnings from them and the fit of these under a fast-changing policy landscape, cost of living pressures and the need to decarbonise heat.
• To assess the existing governance, ownership and financial barriers of adoption, while also assessing potential additional benefits of HaaS, such as flexibility provision to the energy system, and other health and wellbeing benefits.
• To calculate economically sustainable cost/tariff levels of HaaS and co-develop a framework of potential solutions and/or business models for HaaS in the UK, providing insight and responses to tackle fuel poverty and enable a just transition to low carbon heat.

Further information

The successful candidate will join a growing team of world-class researchers, academics and knowledge exchange professionals at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Energy Policy (CEP).
CEP investigates the economy-wide and societal outcomes of different pathways and actions to reach net zero.