UK Power Networks has brought more than 6,000 heat pumps into Localflex, its flexibility trading platform, the electricity distribution network operator announced on 16 February 20261. The company's Distribution System Operator (DSO) is enabling the devices to respond to grid signals across London, the East and South East of England1.
Under the arrangement, households can pre-heat their homes when renewable energy is abundant and reduce consumption at peak times, in the same way that electric vehicle owners can shift charging to cheaper periods1. UK Power Networks said it has simplified payment rules and streamlined registration, cutting approval times to just a day1. The platform also coordinates with National Energy System Operator (NESO) service timelines, so participants can support their local electricity network while helping to balance supply and demand across Great Britain1.
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. We're working on making it easier for households and flexibility providers to get involved, cutting wait times, automating payments, and making it easier to participate in both local and national services without any hassle."
The company is separately trialling flexibility from heat networks through Heatropolis, a four-year innovation project running across three network archetypes, with King's Cross as the benchmark site1. It is exploring how heat distribution systems can be designed so that heat and electricity networks work together, and how heat networks can reduce costs and ease pressure on the grid as more households move to electric heating1. Octopus Energy is active in UK Power Networks' flexibility markets; its heat flexibility manager, TJ Root, said the innovation would help unlock the potential of flexible heating, with people able to save money and stay warm by using heat pumps smartly1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Heat pumps integrated | Over 6,000 |
| Platform | Localflex |
| Network areas | London, the East, South East |
| Approval time | One day |
| Heat network trial | Heatropolis, four years, three network archetypes |
| Benchmark site | King's Cross |
Why it matters for households
A heat pump that can be called on by the network is a different proposition from one that simply runs to a fixed schedule. Shifting heating to periods of abundant renewable generation, and away from peak demand, changes when a home draws power rather than how much warmth it gets. For a household, that is a route to lower running costs without changing comfort, and it reduces exposure to the most expensive hours on the wholesale market.
Flexibility payments also give a home with a heat pump a second income stream alongside the heating itself, which is a shift in how a property relates to the grid: from a passive consumer of electricity to a participant that the network pays. The same logic already applies to electric vehicles and batteries, and UK Power Networks' own announcement places heat pumps in that group1. The one-day approval time matters because it shortens the gap between deciding to take part and actually being paid.
The Heatropolis work points to a longer-term question for homes on heat networks rather than individual heat pumps: whether the heat supply itself can be scheduled to suit the electricity system. That has not been reported in detail beyond the trial's scope and sites1.
What happens next
Heatropolis is a four-year initiative, with King's Cross as its benchmark site1. No further dates for the heat pump integration or for changes to payment rules have been reported1.
For the network's area, connections and flexibility arrangements, see UK Power Networks: Area, Connections and Flexibility, and for how it differs from the transmission operator, UK Power Networks vs National Grid: who does what.
Sources1 cited
- Low-carbon heating meets smart networks to deliver energy flexibility | UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk