On Thursday 5 February, the University of Southampton hosted a high-profile delegation from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) at Boldrewood Innovation Campus. The event, organised by Public Policy| Southampton, brought together researchers from across the University with senior figures from the UK's energy regulator for a full-day programme of presentations, discussion, and knowledge exchange. The day began with opening remarks from Professor Mark Spearing, Vice-President for Research and Enterprise, who welcomed the Ofgem team and set the tone for a day dedicated to building relationships between academic expertise and energy policy. Professor Spearing emphasised the University's commitment to translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact.
Henry Green, Deputy Director at Ofgem, delivered the regulator's opening presentation. He outlined Ofgem's evolving priorities in a rapidly changing energy landscape, touching on the challenges of public engagement, consumer protection, and the strategic deployment of government funding. His remarks made clear that Ofgem is actively seeking external research insights to inform its decision-making.
Spotlight Session One: Cutting Edge Technological Innovation Around Heat Pumps, Electric Vehicles, Electricity Networks, and Smart Energy Technology
The first spotlight session opened with Professor Andy Cruden, Principle Investigator on the FEVER Project, whose work on electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure has helped define the practical challenges of large-scale EV adoption, Professor Cruden spoke about the strategic considerations behind EV charging networks, specifically the dynamics of location, power output, and consumer behaviour. With trials at Marwell Zoo, where visitors typically spend several hours on-site, the trial demonstrated that lower-voltage, slower charging points can be installed at significantly reduced cost with no detriment to the user experience, since batteries still reach full charge within the visitor's dwell time. Professor Patrick James, Professor of Energy and Buildings, followed with a presentation on energy use across scales, from individual dwellings to neighbourhoods, cities, and regions. His work explores the complex interplay between built environment design, occupant behaviour, and energy demand, providing a holistic view of how buildings can be designed and retrofitted to support the net-zero transition.
Spotlight Session 2: Public Attitudes and Experience of the Energy System. Applications of AI in the Energy Sector
Professor AbuBakr Bahaj, Professor of Sustainable Energy and Head of the Energy & Climate Change division at the University, discussed embedding energy flexibility in air source heat pumps - a technology increasingly central to the UK's decarbonisation strategy.
His presentation addressed the technical and behavioural dimensions of heat pump deployment, including the infrastructure requirements needed to support widespread adoption in both urban and rural settings.
Dr. Stephanie Gauthier then presented her research on energy and artificial intelligence, focusing on occupant behaviour and thermal comfort in buildings. Her work uses AI to model how people actually use energy in their homes and workplaces, data that can inform smarter building design, more accurate energy forecasting, and more effective interventions to reduce consumption without compromising comfort.
The session concluded with a presentation from Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, Head of the Water and Environmental Engineering Group and a Professor of Environmental Engineering. His talk explored enhanced energy generation through innovative technology transfer, with a particular focus on the PEEPOWER system: a groundbreaking technology that generates electricity from wastewater through microbial fuel cells. The system has already been deployed at public events and festivals, turning sanitation infrastructure into a distributed energy source.
Professor Lindsay Marie-Armstrong, Professor within Engineering and Physical Sciences and Deputy Director of the Sustainability and Resilience Institute (SRI), spoke about the Solent Industrial Decarbonisation Cluster, including opportunities with CO2 storage -with the Solent region being identified as a critical location to explore.
National Infrastructure Laboratory Tour After lunch, attendees went on a tour of the National Infrastructure Laboratory led by Dr Andrew Robinson, Principal Enterprise Fellow and facility Manager. The lab is home to some of the University’s most advanced infrastructure testing and simulation equipment, and the tour gave Ofgem delegates a direct view of the research capabilities, and the collaborative opportunities available at Southampton.
Spotlight Session 3: Spotlight Session 3: Resilience in the energy sector, including cyber security and climate resilience
Professor Craig Hutton, Director of the Sustainability and Resilience Institute, gave the Ofgem delegation an overview of SRI, and its current work relating to Energy. He also covered biases and disparity for households, including the costs of heat pumps. He also covered realistic social dynamics and influences surrounding energy. Luke Nicholas, PhD researcher on AI for Sustainable Energy and Buildings, spoke about energy demand in buildings. Dr Philip Turner, Research Fellow, Energy and Climate Change Division, then provided an overview of the energy breakdown of universities, in addition to the sustainability rankings of Universities in the UK.
By facilitating these connections, the University ensures that Southampton's research informs the decisions that shape the UK's energy future. Public Policy|Southampton is committed to providing further knowledge exchange opportunities for University of
Southampton academics and policymakers. If you have a research area you would like to discuss with the team, please contact publicpolicy@soton.ac.uk