Energy
HOW YOUR DISPLAY
AFFECTS WHAT YOU PAY
Smart meter
displays could be
key to changing
consumer behaviour
S
cotland is committed to ambitious
climate change targets, for
example renewable sources
are to meet 50 per cent of our heat,
transport and electricity needs by
2030. One way to achieve this goal is
to be smarter about the energy we use.
A roll-out of smart meters is supposed
to herald a revolution in energy
consumption habits. But are these
meters up to the task? Will access
to data influence our behaviour?
Researchers from the Scottish Energy
Centre attempted to answer these
questions by installing smart energy
devices in Scottish homes and the
results of the study were clear: over
a 37-month period the device resulted
in reductions of 27 per cent in gas
consumption and 21 per cent in
electricity consumption compared to
households without a smart meter.
21%
27%
CONSUMPTION WHEN
SMART DEVICE INSTALLED
Interested
in this project?
Dr Jon Stinson
The smart home revolution
Utility companies are rolling out smart
meters – 53 million in the UK by 2020
– but how the information is displayed
on these meters is crucial.
The Scottish Energy Centre’s research
evaluated the effectiveness of the
user interface on smart meters
by monitoring changes in gas and
electricity consumption behaviour
before and after device installation.
Dr Jon Stinson, from the research
team, wanted to get to the bottom of
an important problem: “We wanted to
engage with occupants and understand
their needs and expectations. Is simply
providing data enough? Does it prompt
change in behaviour and lead to new
energy saving habits?”
Jon and the team pin-pointed the need
for further research on how meters
display energy consumption. The smart
meters they tested appear to be
particularly effective because of the
straightforward way they visualise data.
What’s next for smart
energy technology?
How information is displayed
is therefore as important as the
installation of a smart device in the
first instance. By developing exactly
how this data is presented, even
more radical and sustained behaviour
change might be possible. Could
connected mobile apps, for example,
encourage lower energy consumption?
Jon says: “Smart technology is worthless
unless it can help us understand
exactly how energy is being used and
incentivise us to lower – and keep low
– both our utility bills and carbon
footprint. Truly smart technology should
result in smart outcomes: reaching
climate change goals through better
interface design could well be one.”
School of Engineering
& the Built Environment
[email protected]
Find out more on these stories at
www.napier.ac.uk/impact
25