Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, has a population of approximately 635,000 residents and covers 175 km². The city has a mix of historic and modern infrastructure, 9% (29,000) of its 330,000 homes rely on electric storage heating. As part of its mission to net-zero, Glasgow has prioritised housing decarbonisation and energy efficiency. An important intervention in this effort has been the Connected Response system, an innovative heating retrofit that reduces costs for tenants while cutting carbon emissions. The project offers an affordable, scalable, and data-driven solution that other cities can learn from.
Traditional electric storage heating was designed for an era when surplus electricity was available at night. However, these systems lack user control, leading to wasted heat in the morning and cold homes by evening. This inefficiency, combined with rigid tariff structures, has trapped many residents in high-cost heating cycles. The Connected Response system tackles these issues by introducing smart, demand-side energy management, with weather compensation and enhanced customer control. It allows residents to control heating based on actual need, rather than outdated time schedules. Using real-time weather forecasts, indoor temperature sensors, and dynamic tariff adjustments, the system ensures energy is used efficiently, by cutting waste, improving comfort, and reducing costs.
Deep dive into Connected Response housing retrofit initiative 2017-2024
Wheatley Group, Scotland’s largest social housing provider, developed the Connected Response initiative to improve heating efficiency in its homes. This initiative aligns with Glasgow’s climate neutrality ambitions by introducing demand-side management technology to optimise energy use and reduce costs for tenants. Traditionally, retrofitting efforts in social housing have focused on insulation and full-heating system replacements, but Connected Response demonstrates that intelligent energy management can be just as impactful. Instead of expensive, impractical heating system overhauls, this initiative retrofits existing electric storage heaters with advanced smart controls, allowing them to function in a more efficient, flexible, and cost-effective manner. The main objectives of the Connected Response project include:
- reducing energy demand in social housing through smart control solutions;
- enhancing heating efficiency while improving affordability for tenants;
- providing better temperature control and stability in homes; and
- improved customer satisfaction.
The project commenced in 2017 as a pilot and was later expanded in 2021–2024 with support from the Scottish Government under its Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund (SHNZHF). As of April 2025, around 8,000 homes have been retrofitted. The cost per installation was approximately £800 per home. Working closely with Scottish Power provided tenants with access to a tariff that better suited the operation of their heating system.
The implementation of Connected Response has led to measurable reductions in energy consumption, carbon emissions, and tenant costs.
The initiative’s success lies not only in cost savings and carbon reductions, but also in its ability to modernise heating systems without major infrastructure changes. By working within the existing electric heating framework, Connected Response ensures scalability, making it feasible for widespread adoption in other social housing with electric storage systems.
What were the key drivers of an effective implementation?
- Addressing the right challenge: The project was designed to tackle a specific and solvable problem - costly and difficult to control storage heating - where technical improvements could have an immediate and measurable impact. This focus ensured the solution was feasible, scalable, and directly beneficial to residents.
- Immediate financial benefits: One of the most significant advantages of Connected Response is its direct impact on household energy bills. Tenants have experienced a 15-20% reduction in heating costs, equating to an average saving of ÂŁ369 per home annually. These savings are especially important in the context of rising energy prices, making the system a highly welcomed solution among residents.
- Scalability and minimal infrastructure changes: Unlike deep retrofit programmes that require extensive insulation work or full heating replacements, Connected Response enhances existing electric storage heating systems. The installation process takes under an hour per home, allowing it to be deployed rapidly across thousands of properties without disruptive renovations or structural changes. This makes it a practical and scalable model for social housing providers.
- Proven impact on energy use and carbon reduction: The system has consistently demonstrated a 30% reduction in overall energy demand, helping to lower stress on the grid while cutting costs for tenants. In terms of climate impact, each participating household reduces its COâ‚‚ emissions by 1.05 tons per year. These reductions are achieved by preventing energy waste, optimising electricity use, and reducing reliance on peak-time high-carbon generation.
- Strong tenant engagement and support: A major factor in the project’s success has been direct engagement with tenants, ensuring residents understand how to use the system effectively. Many tenants were previously frustrated with storage heating inefficiencies, often resorting to opening windows to release excess heat or using expensive secondary heaters. Through education and support, tenants have gained control over their heating costs, increasing satisfaction and system adoption.
What challenges and barriers did the project encounter?
- Smart meter availability: Although the system functions without smart meters, access to real-time energy pricing and further optimisation requires their use. The limited rollout of smart meters in some homes has prevented full optimisation of cost savings.
- Tenant awareness and adaptation: Early feedback from tenants revealed uncertainty about how to use the new system effectively. Dedicated engagement efforts were needed to educate residents on the benefits of dynamic heating control.
- Scaling beyond social housing: The system has been successfully deployed in social housing, but adoption in private housing remains slow due to upfront costs, lack of awareness and often a lower level of repair and electrical circuit upgrade investment.
Lessons learned
- Tenant engagement is critical: Clear cost savings and control over heating drive adoption.
- Demand-side energy management: An effective, scalable solution for aging housing stock. Unlike costly heating replacements, Connected Response enhances existing infrastructure, making it a more practical option for cities with budget constraints.
- Regular resident engagement: Early feedback from tenants highlighted concerns about lack of control and high bills under traditional heating systems. Through effective communication and support, the project team ensured tenants understood how to use the system to their advantage, leading to high levels of satisfaction and adoption.
- Offer affordable solutions: One of the project’s major successes is that it delivers these benefits without requiring costly heating system replacements. By working within the existing electric heating framework, Connected Response ensures scalability, making it feasible for widespread adoption in other social housing estates facing similar energy challenges in Scotland.
The Connected Response initiative is a proven, cost-effective solution that enhances heating efficiency while directly supporting climate action and affordability goals. By eliminating heat waste, reducing carbon emissions, and enabling more effective use of renewable energy, Connected Response is placing Glasgow on the right track to climate-neutrality. For cities facing similar energy and housing challenges, Connected Response offers a scalable, replicable model - one that proves that smart heating technologies can drive climate neutrality, lower costs, and improve residents' comfort.