Smart meters cut costs for Sheffield customers
Switch2 Energy, which specialises in smart metering for community heating has won the Association for Decentralised Energy’s customer-engagement award for its smart-metering partnership with Sheffield City Council. The company’s smart-metering technology is helping to dramatically cut customer bills across over 6000 homes connected to the districting heat network.
On average, residents are saving 38% on their annual heating bills since the meters were introduced, and annual heating bills are predicted to be reduced by a total of £1.4 million.
Residents used to pay a set amount, irrespective of how much energy they used. It was in 2013 that the council appointed Switch2 to roll out pay-as-you-go smart prepayment metering across thousands of unmetered properties connected to its city-wide district heat network.
One challenge was to educate and reassure residents of the potential costs and environmental savings they could make by using G6 pay-as-you-go metering and to educate them on how to use the technology and maximise their savings.
Residents can pay for heat via the Internet or smartphone app or at a PayPoint location. A graphical display shows residents how much energy they are using, helping them to monitor and reduce consumption.
