Three-quarters of Brits need to get smarter
Approximately 37 million1 Brits are missing out on vital savings of up to 4% on their energy bills2 as they ignore the benefits of smart meters, according to new research from energy company, E.ON3, which marks the first anniversary of its Smart Metering Centre of Excellence.
The research provides an insight into the use of consumer technology in households, with over half (55%) of people citing its positive effect in providing more access to advice and information, followed by half (51%) of Brits who shrewdly use technology to manage their personal finances through online banking and smartphone apps.
Demonstrating an enthusiasm for using technology to gain a greater understanding into their daily habits, Brits use a range of apps and online portals to analyse their exercise, dietary and sleeping habits.
E.ON is calling for people to mirror the use of technology in their everyday lives and gain greater visibility into their energy use through smart meters so they can make positive behavioural changes and benefit from energy savings and cash savings.
Reflecting the interest in learning about daily habits, nearly two-thirds (59%) of people say that they would reduce their energy usage if they could visualise their consumption.
Currently, there is a lot of confusion around smart meters with just under two thirds (60%) of people claiming to know what a smart meter is, but in reality, less than half (45%) could correctly define its role of enabling two-way communications between an energy supplier and a household's electricity and gas meter.
Jean Fiddes, Head of Customer Learning for Smart Meters at E.ON, said: "Technology is playing an empowering role in our lives and our research highlights people are keen to extend this to their energy use. Smart meters allow consumers to easily visualise their energy consumption daily, weekly and monthly, meaning they have increased transparency into their daily energy habits, providing accurate bills and greater management of their finances."
With the government keen to install a smart meter into every UK home by 2019, E.ON has gained great momentum in installations so far and has fitted 100,000 smart meters across the country over the last 12 months. Its customers have provided positive feedback on their experiences with 86%4 stating that it has increased awareness of how much energy they're using in their home.
E.ON has committed to install a total of one million smart meters in the foundation period up to 2014 and opened its Smart Meter Centre of Excellence on 9 May 2011 to provide a dedicated contact point for customers with smart meters.
Fiddes added: "Our customers want more accurate bills, more innovative products and more control over their energy use. We've already gained a lot of momentum in smart metering and are working very hard to ensure that our customers who wish to receive the early benefits of smart metering are able to do so.
"Our customers want smart meters and those who now have them are extremely pleased with the technology, in terms of putting them in control of their energy use and bringing an end to estimated bills. In fact, take up amongst our customers has been so high that we're opening a second Smart Metering Centre of Excellence soon and we want to continue spreading the word about smart meters to help our customers make effective changes to their energy use."
1. 76% of people are unaware a smart meter can help them make a 4% saving on their energy bill. 76% of 49 million adults (sourced from ONS, 2009) = 37,240,000
2. Energy Demand Research project with 18,000 smart meter customers between 2007 and 2010 for E.ON, EDF, SSE and ScottishPower
3. Research carried out amongst 2,000 UK adults by OnePoll in April 2012
4. edigitalresearch in February 2012
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