Phase 1 started with a focus group and follow up semi structured interviews. The focus group was held in Morecambe Town Hall on 6 February 2026. In total, the session included residents from our four social homes (participation across a range of household circumstances):
- 1 single adult
- 2 adults
- 1 adult with 3 children
- 2 adults and 6 children
The aim of the focus group was to understand resident experiences of energy use in daily life, especially how people perceive and integrate solar PV and battery systems after installation. We also explored residents’ comfort priorities, their energy habits, what they found easy or difficult.
The session was structured to move from everyday experiences to future expectations:
- Introductions and an ice-breaker to set expectations and help participants feel comfortable sharing.
- Guided discussion prompts covering:
- everyday energy use habits (and strategies for saving energy)
- knowledge and awareness of solar panels and energy savings
- energy costs and energy bills (what feels manageable vs. too high)
- home comfort (warmth/coolth and “places/time” that are uncomfortable)
- barriers to saving energy and using new technologies
- Expectations and concerns about PV and the battery installation (including what residents hoped to gain or worried about).
- Visioning and reflection, using participants’ ideas to capture “hopes, concerns, and questions.”
A standout insight was that residents view energy decisions as tightly connected to comfort and health, not just saving money or reducing emissions. Technology was welcomed when it supported better lived-in conditions and helped residents feel informed about what is happening in their home. As one participant said: “My house is my safe place”. That emphasis on comfort helped shape the project’s direction: resident-facing education and handover materials need to be designed around everyday life, practical routines, and wellbeing, so that decarbonisation technologies deliver benefits residents can actually feel. Other participant said: “For me it’s having the heat but also having the fresh air”, strongly supports the insight that, for residents, energy use is not only about cost or emissions. It’s about balancing comfort and wellbeing in everyday life.
Mirian Calvo