MACC Update for Installers: Why Heating Controls Are a Smart Sell

Drayton by Schneider Electric has updated its Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) analysis to show how our heating controls stack up against other energy efficiency measures. This helps you explain to customers why controls are now proven to be one of the most cost-effective ways to cut carbon and reduce bills.

What is MACC?

MACC stands for Marginal Abatement Cost Curve. In simple terms, it shows which energy-saving methods provide the greatest carbon reduction for the lowest setup cost. We used this to compare Drayton’s bestselling heating controls with other popular options, loft and wall insulation.

A negative MACC, as shown on the graphs below, means these measures save money, because the energy bill savings over a products lifetime are greater than its upfront cost. The more negative the value, the more money it saves per tonne of carbon saved. Higher setup costs reduce the cost-effectiveness, and so reduce the negative MACC.

Key Findings for UK Homes

Our updated MACC shows that heating controls deliver fast payback and high carbon savings, outperforming traditional fabric measures like loft or solid wall insulation.

• Full smart heating system (1 channel Hub, smart room thermostat, and 7 smart radiator thermostats)
  • Saves the most CO₂ over its lifetime at 6.4 tonnes.
  • Marginal abatement cost: -£252 per tonne CO₂e saved.
    
     
• Wiser thermostat Kit 1 (1 channel Hub, smart room thermostat)
  • Saves 3.6 tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime.
  • Marginal abatement cost: -£268 per tonne CO₂e saved.
    
     
• Auto-balancing TRVs:
  • Saves 5.9 tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime, almost 2 tonnes more than standard TRVs.
  • Marginal abatement cost: -£272 per tonne CO₂e saved.
    
     
• Standard TRVs:
  • Saves 4 tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime.
  • Marginal abatement cost: -£295 per tonne CO₂e saved.
    
     
• Drayton Digistat RF901 Programmable thermostat:
  • Saves 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime.
  • Marginal abatement cost: £275 per tonne CO₂e saved.

Bottom line: All these options cut emissions and reduce bills quickly, making them easy to recommend.

Why This Matters for Your Business

• Quick installs, minimal disruption – easier than insulation jobs.
• Immediate customer benefits – lower bills and better control.
• Strong upsell potential – adding auto-balancing TRVs boosts savings.
• Supports Net Zero goals – customers increasingly want low-carbon solutions.

Installer Tip

When explaining MACC to customers, focus on:

• Cost-effectiveness
• Carbon savings
• Ease and speed of installation

Data assumptions:

Gas Price forecast and emissions sourced from DESNZ. Available at Green Book supplementary guidance: valuation of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for appraisal - GOV.UK.

Annual gas consumption of a 3 bedroom dwelling: 10648 kWh. Source: National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework (NEED): consumption data tables 2025 - GOV.UK

Boiler Efficiency: 86%. Source: Methodology report – UK, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland carbon budget advice

Proportion of gas used for space and water heating: 76%. Source: ECUK_2024_End_Use_tables.xlsx

Climate Change Committee’s updated MAC assumptions for solid wall and loft insulation. Source: https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/MACC-Energy-End-Use-Final-Report-v3.2.pdf