Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) announced on 18 March 2025 that it is ready to trial a new "Community Smart Access" option to speed up electricity connections for new net zero housing estates1. The option uses Dynamic Load Averaging (DLA), developed with the Local Energy Markets Alliance (LEMA), and is to be trialled this year1.
SSEN said the option is designed to manage electricity demand locally while longer-term reinforcements to the electricity system are completed1. It is intended to support increased take-up of low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles, solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage in new-build housing developments1. SSEN said Community Smart Access is designed to let it procure and pay for flexibility services it knows it will need once a new housing estate is built, so construction can go ahead even in areas where the grid is more congested1.
"Community Smart Access gives us a new option to accelerate the connection of new housing, with customers benefiting from Low Carbon Technologies like heat pumps, EV chargers, rooftop solar panels and battery storage."
LEMA members Traxis Energy, ElectraLink and Gemserv collaborated with SSEN to turn the DLA concept into a proposition to be trialled this year, after which SSEN said it hopes it can be adopted more widely1. Simon Anderson, chief executive of LEMA, said DLA is "a crucial accelerator in the race to unlock congested grids and enable the development of much-needed all-electric homes", adding that amplifying flexibility is the way to minimise energy bills, maximise sustainability and enhance energy security1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced | 18 March 2025 |
| Option | Community Smart Access |
| Method | Dynamic Load Averaging |
| Developed with | Local Energy Markets Alliance (LEMA) |
| LEMA members named | Traxis Energy, ElectraLink, Gemserv |
| Trial timing | This year (2025) |
| Technologies supported | EVs, solar panels, heat pumps, battery storage |
Why it matters for households
For a household buying or moving into a new-build home, the connection arrangement behind the estate shapes what can be installed and when. SSEN's stated aim is to allow heat pumps, EV chargers, rooftop solar and battery storage to be deployed sooner than a conventional connection would allow, by managing demand locally rather than waiting for network reinforcement1. That matters for a home's energy independence because the ability to run heating and charging from electricity, and to generate and store some of it on site, depends on the connection having enough capacity. The electricity connection process is normally the point at which that capacity is fixed.
The approach also introduces flexibility procurement into new housing: SSEN said it would pay for flexibility services it expects a new estate to need1. How that is charged, and whether any cost reaches residents, has not been reported. SSEN operates across central southern England and the north of Scotland; the Scottish supply arrangements differ from those in England and Wales, and the announcement does not set out how the option would apply in each area1.
What happens next
SSEN said it will explore the proposal further through its Stakeholder Engagement events in 2025 and is keen for housing developers to register1. The trial is to take place this year, with wider adoption described only as a hope rather than a commitment1. No start date, location or number of homes covered by the trial has been reported.