An innovative trial giving inner-city residents LED lightbulbs, eco-kettles, smart meters and energy advice, has won a national award.
UK Power Networks’ flagship research project to find ways to help people living in social housing save energy and money by using smart meters, won the Community Initiative award at the Energy Institute Awards.
‘Energywise’ saw electricity distributor UK Power Networks collaborate with an energy supplier and local organisations to deliver a tailored service to households with low incomes, and who were perhaps struggling with their energy bills.
Participants were also encouraged to engage in money-saving energy tariffs and shifting their energy use away from the evening peak period.
Engagement with the local community was crucial to Energywise’s success, so a team of dedicated field officers were recruited who understood cultures and languages where the trials ran in Tower Hamlets, London.
Ian Cameron, head of innovation at UK Power Networks, said: “Energywise was one of our core customer-focused projects aimed at ensuring that no customer is left behind in the low-carbon transition.
“We want to be a force for good within the diverse communities we serve, by helping to keep costs down, and delivering great customer service while ensuring we continue to enable the low carbon transition.”
Trial one of Energywise achieved a 5.2 per cent reduction in electricity use by participants during peak evening times, with trial two achieving an average annual rebate of £37 per participant.
