What's it all about?

It’s all about..saving money

Around 4 million UK householders spend more than 10% of their income on energy bills. On average, they spend between 2.7 and 8.4 per cent on gas and electricity and 0.5 to 3 per cent on water.

However, all of these bills are received retrospectively, long after the householder can have an impact on controlling or managing them through modifying their behaviour. In this way, a disconnect has been established in the minds of many consumers between action and cost.

It’s all about…changing behaviour

The practical application of low-carbon technology is rare and householders lack a clear basis for directly relating their lifestyle choices to their energy bills.

One reason for this is human behaviour. Energy meters tend to be installed in inconvenient places, which discourages people from looking at them; energy consumption is measured in units that are unfamiliar to most people; households have no or limited access to real-time or personalised energy cost information.

In addition, the influence of non-bill payers, such as children, on energy consumption is often ignored and there is limited education available on sustainable low carbon choices that fit with personal lifestyle preferences.

It’s all about…saving the planet

There are three priorities in UK climate and energy policies: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, specifically CO2 by 80% by 2050; decreasing fossil fuel consumption especially in domestic properties; and decreasing reliance on imported energy.

Buildings account for 40% of the total non-transport energy consumption both in UK and EU, therefore a reduction of energy consumption in houses will make a significant contribution towards meeting these targets.

It’s all about…Smarter Households

The Smarter Households project will present the householder with real-time energy consumption data; improve their ability to intelligently manage energy consumption and subsequent bills; and offer multiform education packages for various age groups to establish low carbon lifestyles.