February 17, 2015

Keep the meter running: New technology freezing bills for 840 London homes

Overview:

• New ‘community metering' technology set to tackle fuel poverty, reducing fuel bills by 15% in 840 propertiesacross Westminster

• To install the technology, CityWest Homes, the leading provider of housing management services in Westminster, has linked with Energy Assets Group, the largest independent provider of industrial and commercial gas metering services in the UK and provider of advanced metering technology to the UK electricity sector

• Work started in January 2015, with Pimlico based Hide Tower the first to receive the meters.

Residents in the heart of UK's capital can soon save 15% on their bills, thanks to new technology.

Thanks to the £100,000 innovation award from the National Grid Energy Efficiency Innovation Award scheme, CityWest Homes has teamed up with utility metering giant Energy Assets to install the 'community meters' across 840 properties in eight Westminster tower blocks. These will access cheaper electricity without residents needing to cut back on comfort.

Work started in January 2015, with Hide Tower, in Pimlico estate, the first to receive a meter makeover. The 151 flats in the iconic 1960s block, will have new meters which are read half hourly, connected by Ethernet, so that bulk electricity may be bought as a single commercial load.

Residents are expected to save around 15% on their fuel bills, with further savings planned as the year goes on. ‘Community meters' will allow suppliers to provide beneficial tariffs to CityWest Homes - thereby reducing energy charges to residents.

CityWest Homes has also engaged Energy Assets to deploy their Z-LYNK load switching / energy control technology, which will remotely switch on storage heaters and hot water cylinders when electricity is at its cheapest.

Paul Harris, energy analyst at CityWest Homes, explained: "Electric heating tends to be more expensive, but we expect to change that. We will use new technologies to bulk buy electricity and to switch storage heaters on when electricity is in surplus. This will optimise the use of intermittent sources such as offshore wind and earn an income by helping to stabilise the grid. The end result will be to reduce the cost of heat to our residents."

Phil Bellamy-Lee, chief executive of Energy Assets, commented: "We are delighted to have worked with CityWest Homes to shape this innovative project over the last twelve months and look forward to bringing the benefits to its residents. Projects of this kind, developed and implemented by Energy Assets, can ultimately create a platform to deliver load balancing and deferment opportunities to network owners, with storage heating being one of the largest deferrable loads available in the UK.

"Energy Assets is dedicated to developing innovative technology which will provide benefit to the UK energy market and we are committed to providing solutions which can tackle relevant market issues and help keep the lights on." 

Ends

Media contacts 

 For CityWest Homes:

For Energy Assets:

Philip Colley, Harvest PR

Tel: 023 9244 9655 / 07785 306378/ philip.colley@harvestpr.co.uk/ @harvestprman