FAQs Archive - Smart Energy Research Lab

Q: How will my 2025 participant survey data be handled

The survey has been reviewed by and received ethics clearance from the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and Environment Departmental Research Ethics Committee (reference 748331). Survey responses will be anonymised on collection by assigning a unique ID for each participant. Personal information collected in this survey will be handled in accordance with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulations (2018), transferred and stored securely, and will only be used for research purposes. If you have a concern about any aspect of the survey that cannot be resolved by contacting the project helpdesk, you may make a formal complaint to the University of Oxford Central University Research Ethics Committee (CUREC) at the University of Oxford ( curec@admin.ox.ac.uk ).

Q: 2025 participant survey

All SERL participants are being invited to complete a new contextual survey about their household and energy use for 2025. This survey is to update information gathered in the original SERL survey when participants signed up in 2019 to 2021.

Q: What location data is available in the SERL dataset

The SERL dataset includes ‘Region in GB’, ‘Lower Super Output Area in GB (LSOA)’ and ‘Grid cell for linking to climate data’. For more detail see ‘SERL Participant Summary Documentation’ in the Smart Meter data: Technical Documentation Please contact info@serl.ac.uk if you require any further information.

Q: Where can I find detailed information on SERL data?

See the relevant UK Data Service page for detailed technical documentation of SERL smart meter and contextual data.

Q: What if I want to make a formal complaint? (SENS)

If you feel that your initial complaint has not been handled to your satisfaction then you can contact the Chair of the UCL Research Ethics Committee, which has been involved in approving UCL’s role in this project, at ethics@ucl.ac.uk , or you can contact Ipsos MORI at compliance@ipsos.com . If you have any questions about data protection, or if you would like to contact someone about your rights, you can contact UCL’s Data Protection Officer at data-protection@ucl.ac.uk or Ipsos MORI at compliance@ipsos.com . If you remain unsatisfied, you have the right to lodge a formal complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Full details may be accessed on the complaints section of the ICO's website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

Q: What if I have a query or something goes wrong? (SENS)

Neither Ipsos MORI nor UCL are responsible for the trial products and services. If you have any queries, or wish to make a complaint about how Ipsos MORI or UCL processes your data for this project, you can contact them on compliance@ipsos.com or sens@serl.ac.uk

Q: Data Protection Privacy Notice (SENS)

Please note that this DPPN relates specifically to SENS project participants. For the Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) participants' DPPN please see https://serl.ac.uk/data-governance/data-privacy-public-notice/ According to data protection legislation, Ipsos MORI and UCL are Data Controllers for the evaluation of your smart meter data. UK Data Archive and CGI are Data Processors acting on behalf of UCL. The categories of personal data processed by Ipsos MORI and UCL include: your name, address, email address, telephone number, smart meter data and Energy Performance Certificate information. If you give your consent to share this data, Ipsos MORI will use that consent as their lawful basis for processing the data. Since UCL is a public authority, their lawful basis for processing this data is performance of a task in the public interest. UCL and Ipsos MORI will only process your personal data as long as required for the purposes of this project. They will keep your data secure, store your contact details separately from data used for research, and minimise the processing of personal data wherever possible, in accordance with data protection legislation. Your personal data will be securely deleted once the project finishes (planned for Summer 2021). Further information about your rights, and how Ipsos MORI and UCL use participant information, is available at: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/privacy-data-protection https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/ucl-general-research-participant-privacy-notice

Q: What if I want to withdraw from the trial? (SENS)

You can do this by contacting the project lead organisation (see the letter you received for details) or sens@serl.ac.uk . You do not need to give a reason to do so and you can withdraw at any time. If you withdraw from the trial, all parties including Ipsos MORI and UCL will delete any identifying information held relating to you. Any data retained will be anonymised so that it cannot be used to identify you.

Q: Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential? (SENS)

Your participation in the trial will be kept strictly confidential. UCL and Ipsos MORI commit to safeguarding your privacy.

Q: What will happen to the results of the evaluation? (SENS)

The results of the evaluation will be published on the www.gov.uk website and may also be published through reports or publications such as academic books, journals, and at conferences. Individuals and households will not be identified in any publication.