Untapped data offers homes chance to boost energy security – SmartCitiesWorld

Better use of untapped data generated by smart meters could deliver near-term cuts in bills and household emissions for more than 13 million British homes while at the same time increasing energy security, research indicates.

According to independent research and industry analysis, making the most of data from smart meters can unlock energy savings of around 20 per on the average bill, the equivalent of around £400 a year.

Home energy management

But Cambridge-based smart energy specialist Green Energy Options (Geo), which has provided more than 7.5 million in-home display units (IHDs) for the smart meter roll-out, reckons the time is right to replace them with newly developed home energy management systems, which can deliver bigger savings for consumers.

At the start of the smart meter roll-out in the UK, IHDs provided helpful information about consumption to allow consumers to make informed choices about their energy use. Technology has moved on and, while older IHDs are still useful, the next generation has evolved to become much more capable home energy management systems (Hems) that make better use of smart meter data to learn about an individual household’s energy use and then automate energy efficiency measures, Geo reports.

“Advances in technology mean we can make better use of the data that smart meters provide to deliver an energy revolution in the home”

In addition to heating savings, a home’s Hems can deliver savings on electricity by automating energy savings across the various systems and appliances that consume energy. Again, this is possible by making better use of the smart meter’s data. According to Geo, Hems understand when the home can use energy more efficiently and when it can avoid using more expensive energy.

It can then coordinate the devices in the home to make savings without the consumer needing to change their behaviour. For example, running white goods off-peak when energy is cheapest. While the smart meter roll-out has always had this as a goal, it’s only now that the low-cost, high-capability technology to realise its full potential for every home has become available, Geo claims.

Original Source: https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/resilience/untapped-data-offers-homes-chance-to-boost-energy-security