Smart Metering is in the news today and the BBC have produced an overview of how a smart meter works in addition to their discussion on how much you can save with a smart meter. Whilst these refer to the domestic market, there is significant relevance for the business market also.

It’s a familiar story; if you can’t measure it or see it, it can be hard to do anything about it. It seems unlikely that energy prices will reduce over time, and this combined with the focus on Carbon Reduction Commitment for all, should make this a very real issue for most businesses.

Empirical research suggests that simply monitoring consumption, improves awareness and typically consumption will fall. Thus at the most basic level smart metering will help. What Smart metering will do above and beyond the basics for business is provide, up to date accurate information about their consumption.

Benefits to Your Business

A typical benefit for many Torse group clients is accurate VAT billing, i.e. no estimates! The bane of many accounts departments. The amount of time and resource spent chasing up  billing queries with Electricity & Gas Suppliers would depress the hardiest Administrator.

For the future (that means starting now!) Smart Metering will facilitate energy

management. In practical terms this would mean for example, Torse or its clients receiving data flows up to the present day and then being able to evaluate the data, businesses will be able to compare similar sites and identify unusual variances, to compare consumption patterns to previous periods or templates (see Carbon Trust) and thus hopefully identify opportunities to make savings. Businesses ideally need reporting which is a call to action when there are variances from agreed energy consumption patterns. For most though, the message is still ‘TURN IT OFF’. It’s in everyone’s interest. Change people’s mindsets.