You deserve control over your spend on energy
UK households already face some of the highest energy prices in Europe, so the recent price hike announcements from some of the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers will be cause for concern for millions...
UK households already face some of the highest energy prices in Europe, so the recent price hike announcements from some of the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers will be cause for concern for millions of customers.
In spite of warnings from Ofgem against the Big Six increasing their prices, coinciding in some cases with the end of a winter price freeze on tariffs, a number of tariffs look set to rise this spring and this has been met with condemnation from the government and Ofgem alike.
Already hitting the headlines is a 9.8% increase in energy prices for duel fuel customers by Npower, adding an average of £109 to customer bills. Furthermore, Npower’s standard tariff customers should expect a 15% increase in electricity prices and a 4.8% increase in gas prices from 16th March.
EDF energy have announced an 8.4% increase in electricity prices, while it was revealed this week that British Gas is expected to increase prices by 9% which could see bills increase by nearly £100 annually.
As a customer we cannot control what we are charged per kWh beyond switching tariffs (which we recommend is a simple and effective step in reducing energy costs). We can however control how many kWh’s we use, but the trouble is, few of us understand how many kWh’s we use on average – per day/month/year, let alone when and where we are using the most energy.
Voltaware was founded on this exact concept; giving back control to the customer through enabling understanding of kWh consumption at an appliance level, and indicating in real-time as to when electricity is (or isn’t) being used. Conscious energy-behaviour change has the fantastic benefit of more efficient use of energy too.
Providing customers with the tools, and the awareness of services which can help them protect themselves from soaring energy prices is important. Energy suppliers are far from unfamiliar with the concept of ‘Smart homes’ and home energy management devices and systems, for example, supplier-promoted smart thermostats are becoming more and more common place. However, such services in electricity are yet to reach a larger audience.
Right now the governments answer is smart meters, but with huge associated costs (relayed to the customer), delays in roll-outs and limited perceived functionality and insight for the end user on their energy use, it begs the question whether they’re actually going to help customers make any significant savings on their energy bills. As affordability and accessibility barriers are broken down, we see smarter and more innovative services in electricity monitoring making a more substantial difference to customers’ ability to reduce their energy spend on energy.
