UK Power Networks’ Distribution System Operator (DSO) is bringing heat pumps into its flexibility market.  
It says over 6,000 heat pumps are now integrated into its flexibility trading platform, Localflex, enabling them to actively respond to grid signals across London, the East and South East. In the same way electric vehicle owners can optimise charging at low-price periods, heat pump owners can pre-heat their homes when energy is abundant and reduce consumption during peak times. 
UK Power Networks said it has simplified payment rules and streamlined the process for registering, so approval is granted in a day.
UK Power Networks is also trialling flexibility from heat networks through its Heatropolis project. The four-year initiative is exploring how heat distribution systems can be designed to optimise the ways heat and electricity networks work together.
Alex Howard, head of Flexibility Markets at UK Power Networks, said: “Flexibility from heat pumps, storage heaters and heat networks will be vital as the UK transitions to clean affordable energy.”