Smart Metering Energy Efficiency Advice Project
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.
Factsheets and guides
- Zero cost ways of saving energy
- Keeping the heat in: a simple guide to wall insulation
- Powering your own home: a guide to using renewable energy in your home
- Loft insulation: do you have enough loft insulation?
- Keeping cosy and warm for less: how to set your heating for winter
- Draft proofing: it’s a breeze
- A buyers guide: choosing lighting for your home
- A buyers guide: choosing the best windows and glazing for your home
- A buyers guide: choosing energy-saving appliances
- A buyers guide: choosing the right boiler for you
- Toolkit: Supporting the delivery of energy efficiency advice to consumers during smart meter installations
Research findings and reports
