Negotiating thermal comfort in the provision of smart heating

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The adoption of heat pumps with smart heating controls (SHC) for direct load control (DLC) is expected to play a critical role in the decarbonisation of heat in the UK. It could successfully contribute to electrify the heating demand and to adapt it to the variable generation of low-carbon electricity sources. This technology requires users to communicate their minimum temperature preferences for each time of the day and optimises the operation of the heat pump to achieve them while reducing the electricity demand at peak times. That approach implicitly assumes that users know their temperature preferences, that these are non-negotiable requirements and that users' necessities can be communicated in these terms. However, we know little about the user's demands, their willingness to reconfigure them or how to gauge them subjectively and objectively and translate them into heating system actions. Using concepts from Science and Technology Studies (STS), this PhD aims to study the parameters influencing heating requirements, how they relate to key physical environmental variables and explore options to reconcile the needs of the users and the electricity system. It aims to establish the groundwork for human-centred heating controls, designed for households in relevant terms that are meaningful to them.