2. Eliminating mental barriers to shift to solar energy
Transitioning to solar power is a critical goal for the UK as the country aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. While governments often provide financial incentives, such as the UK's zero VAT on solar panel installation to encourage shifting to solar energy, psychological and mental barriers still prevent widespread adoption despite well-documented benefits.
The process of installing solar panels often appears complicated to many, and the initial cost can be intimidating despite the potential for long-term savings. Calculating the return on investment (ROI) often exceeds many people’s capabilities and comfort level. The status quo bias—the tendency to stick with what's familiar—is a powerful force that hinders good decisions.
LLM-based assistants that help make good decisions on switching to solar
The San Francisco-based Wattbot is a Large language model (LLM)-based AI assistant that breaks down mental barriers and makes solar energy more accessible and attainable for people, supporting them in making a challenging yet one-time decision to adopt a new technology that significantly reduces their carbon emissions for many years to come.
AI assistants that use LLMs can mimic a natural conversation with the user, just like they were discussing their needs and concerns with a human advisor. Wattbot’s system provides personalised guidance, analyzes users' electricity bills, historic consumption patterns, home location, roof orientation, and weather data to accurately predict solar energy production during the year, and calculate the return on investment (ROI) for solar panel installation.
The software can also handle simple, rule-based calculations, minimizing errors, simplifying complex pricing models, aiding users in exploring financial options and savings, and streamlining decision-making.