Current smart meter options do not realise enough savings and require too much interaction for consumers to ever truly engage with

(24/02/2010)

Smart meters have been estimated by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) as being able to reduce energy usage by two to three per cent, and bills by just £28 a year. Smart meters only monitor what energy is being used in a household, with any further savings dependent on consumers significantly changing their behaviour based on that monitoring.

PassivSystems believes that current smart meter options do not realise enough savings and require too much interaction for consumers to ever truly engage with. PassivSystems has called for government and the energy industry to think beyond smart meters and to put consumer needs at the heart of smart energy solutions.

This call to action follows the showcase of PassivEnergy, its home energy management product, at the world’s biggest consumer electronics show, CES. PassivSystems was one of ten UK firms selected by UK Trade & Investment to be part of an exhibition of Britain’s best new technologies and PassivEnergy was singled out as one of the hottest productsacross the entire show.

“The fact PassivEnergy was highlighted by the world’s consumer press amongst the thousands of other gadgets, shows that there is a belief that consumers are starting to see the benefit of home energy management systems,” said Colin Calder, CEO, PassivSystems. “The solution that puts the consumer at its heart will be embraced which is why smart metering on its own will struggle.”

“People’s lives have never been busier, so who has time to deal with data about their energy consumption on a daily basis?” said Colin Calder. “Consumers need a complete system that makes life easier by having a genuine impact on bills and adapting to fit their busy lifestyles. PassivEnergy can meet that demand, reducing energy bills by up to 28 per cent and improving home comfort levels without people significantly changing their habits.”

PassivEnergy works using sensors and actuators that connect to a home’s heating, hot water and electrical appliances and manages the devices via an online account. It also has an innovative ‘Adaptive Occupancy Control’ function to optimise energy use, which will learn how people live their lives and automatically adjusts and controls energy consumption accordingly. Crucially, it does this without people having to drastically adjust their behaviour.

PassivEnergy will be launched in April 2010 with installation costs easily recouped within the first year’s use. In addition, if utility and service firms are involved any upfront cost to the consumer may be entirely waived.

“Technology permeates so many areas of our lives, yet energy has remained relatively untouched,” continued Colin Calder. “Many houses in the UK have heating systems that go back decades and decades and these systems simply aren’t fit for purpose. Consumers have embraced the benefits of digitisation in nearly every other area of their lives and we believe they are now ready to do so with the management of their household energy. It just requires the energy industry to put consumer needs at the forefront of any solution."

Related categories:  Electricity suppliers   Metering