E.ON Next win Utility Week Flex Award for Coventry Battery Pilot

On May 20, we were delighted to learn that E.ON Next has won the 2025 Utility Week Flexibility Inclusion Award for our ongoing Battery Pilot in Coventry. 

The judges for the annual awards chose the battery pilot from a shortlist of seven energy suppliers and a wide range of initiatives, making this the second year running that E.ON has received an award from a leading utility news outlet after being named Diversity and Inclusion champion in 2024. 

“It’s an incredible accolade to have E.ON Next‘s innovative work in Coventry recognised with this award,” said Chris Norbury, CEO of E.ON UK.  

“The challenges posed by the energy transition are going to need collaborative approaches and creative solutions, and we couldn’t be more pleased that the fruits of our ongoing Strategic Energy Partnership with Coventry City Council are getting this kind of positive attention.” 

The Flex Awards are intended to celebrate the industry innovators demonstrating their dedication to bringing more flexibility to the energy sector, and given the vital role that energy flexibility will play in the push for net zero, it’s progress our industry can follow. 

As more and bigger renewable generation assets come online, the UK is going to need increased flexible storage capacity and smarter options to support consumers to capture and harness the supply of wind and solar power. 

At the same time, suppliers, regulators, and the Government will need to find ways to make this new, flexible approach to energy work for consumers – especially those who are financially vulnerable. 

That’s where E.ON Next’s Battery Pilot is working to meet a very specific need: bringing financially vulnerable customers into the energy transition by making smart, flexible and sustainable energy work for them. 

We estimate that a domestic battery system – costing roughly £3,000 to supply and install – could save the average UK household between £250 and £300 each year by making it possible to buy, store, and use electricity in line with changes in its price on the market. 

Over a standard system’s 20-year lifespan, that means up to £6,000 in savings, which is not only considerably more than the initial supply and installation cost, but could potentially also provide more in savings than vulnerable customers might receive through the existing Warm Home Discount scheme. 

This means that by taking an innovative approach to helping vulnerable customers that simultaneously allows them to use energy more flexibly, adds to the UK’s total decentralised storage capacity, and supports more renewable generation, we can bring energy flexibility to the UK while actively helping our customers. 

With the pilot in Coventry now well underway, it’s fantastic news that a leading outlet in the energy sector has given this vote of confidence to the work E.ON Next are doing, and will continue to do, to make new energy work.