The adoption of heat pumps with smart heating controls is expected to play a critical role in the decarbonisation of heat in the UK. This technology can contribute to the electrification of space heating demand and adapt it to the variable generation of low-carbon electricity sources. The potential benefits of the technology and the difficulties that people encounter when operating it have been widely studied. However, its impact on the thermal comfort of occupants has been frequently overlooked.
Using concepts from Science and Technology Studies (STS), this research aims to compare the way how developers of the technology design thermal comfort and how users experience it, to try to reconcile the needs of households and the needs of the energy system. So far, the research has explored the problems that people encounter when using this technology through the experience of first-line support workers.