Smart Metering Energy Efficiency Advice Project

Public Sector

Ipsos and Energy Saving Trust's work to develop and test the delivery of energy efficiency advice during smart meter installations ahead of the 2020 Smart Meter Rollout.

15 February 2017

Public opinion

By 2020 every home in Great Britain should have been offered a smart meter. As part of the Smart Meter Installation Code of Practice requires installers are required to provide consumers with energy efficiency advice. Ipsos and Energy Saving Trust were commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to:

Create, test and pilot an approach to delivering energy efficiency advice during the smart meter roll-out which leads householders to adopt energy efficient behaviours
Explore the most appropriate forms of advice delivery for different types of customer, including vulnerable consumers
Evaluate the piloted approach using feedback from customers and installers
Generate recommendations for energy suppliers, advice providers and other stakeholders based on findings from the study

Ipsos and Energy Saving Trust developed a range of materials to be shared with consumers when they have a smart meter installed, to complement verbal, personalised advice provided by the installer. The factsheets detail a range of methods of saving energy around the home, including use of lighting, heating, draft proofing, insulation and renewable energies. Materials have been tested and refined through the research conducted. The materials can be downloaded below.

Interviews with customers were conducted six to ten weeks after the installation of the smart meter. The interviews found early signs of impact, such as the changing of habitual behaviours. Using the in-home display (a device which shows real-time use of energy in the home) prompted many households to think more about their use of energy. For example, by using factsheets about lighting and observing the impact of lights on energy use through the in-home display, many participants were prompted to buy energy efficient lightbulbs. Following interviews with those who had smart meters installed and with the installers themselves, Ipsos and Energy Saving Trust developed a ‘toolkit’, shared with energy companies, to support the delivery of energy efficiency advice during smart meter installation.