Smart Energy GB is an energy industry body that is campaigning for the roll out of smart meters across the UK. Roughly 50% of homes now have a smart meter in the UK, and Smart Energy GB is trying to get that percentage up as high as possible over the next few years. You may have seen their TV adverts containing “Albert Einstein”.

Dan Brooke, the CEO of Smart Energy GB was recently interviewed on The Spectator podcast. One of the topics of conversation was related to the role that Smart Meters can play in creating Energy Security for the UK. He sees electrification & net zero ambitions in alignment with energy security, noting that much of the additional energy generation capacity in the next decade in the UK will come from renewables, which are all ‘home grown’ sources of energy. The demand side of that equation will be enabled by Smart Meters.

Do we need to use less energy in order to secure our energy future? Apparently, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has indicated that our energy use should reduce by 15%. Clearly in an environment where energy prices are very high, consumers and businesses alike are price sensitive, and will look for ways to cut costs. “People report that they are switching off lights, switching off plugs, and these things are important and they do save you energy, but they don’t have nearly as much impact as more or less anything connected to your boiler (your heating and your hot water).”

Kate Andrews then asks the elephant in the room question: “Will using less energy directly correlate to a lower standard of living, or is it possible for people to keep their standard of living while using less energy?”

“Well…it depends….” Comes the answer from Dan Brooke. As much as we don’t necessarily want to “re-think” our relationship to energy, there will necessarily need to be some form of rearrangement to our affairs. Using a time of use electricity tariff, and then putting your washing machine on a delay timer to turn on during the night is one such example. The same outcome is achieved and for a small behavioural change we can save money.

The data provided by a smart meter is useful to the consumer, perhaps helping them to monitor or reduce their energy use. But there will always be a significant proportion of people that don’t use their in-home display – and put it straight in the kitchen drawer. But at a macro level, it is tremendously useful for the Electricity Supply Organisation, helping them to balance the grid.

“What about data security and privacy concerns?” asks Kate Andrews. All the data is anonymised, and is used to identify trends in the data. And the alternative to a smart meter is to have a stranger come to your home to read your electricity meter, and for a lot of people that can be highly intrusive, especially if their meter is in a cupboard under the stairs.

How do you cut through to people and communicate the benefits of smart meters? For some groups of people, the route to net zero really interests them, for others it is the ability to monitor their energy use and reduce their costs. For some vulnerable people the message isn’t so important as the messenger. If your carer or your loved one suggests to you that you should get a smart meter, that is likely to be more persuasive than any of the messages the Smart Energy GB campaign broadcasts directly. Therefore, the Smart Energy GB looks to connect with third party organisations involved with vulnerable groups to try to get their message out that way.

The benefits of smart meters for most consumers have yet to materialise, and for some perhaps they will never make much of a difference. But for the electricity network as a whole and for the majority of consumers, smart meters are an essential component on the journey through the Green Energy Transition.

Brimstone Energy