Smart meters are due for domestic roll-out by 2018 and 2020 for commercial. The basic premise is that energy isn’t going to get any cheaper in the near future and consumers; domestic and commercial are going to have to manage their energy consumption – why? Because we’re digging the hard stuff [oil, gas and coal] out of the ground and the alternatives are either hugely more expensive or dangerous [e.g. Fukushima]. To enable this to happen successfully requires that the consumer is engaged in the process with the result being that they will be able to see how much, when and at what cost energy is consumed.

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Chris Huhne, UK Energy Secretary, has recently dismissed reports that the UK has the highest energy costs across Europe, whilst acknowledging that prices are rising both in the short and long term. He went to advise both domestic and commercial/ business customers to search the market to find the very best prices available. Given the lack of competition between many suppliers at the moment, Torse strongly agrees with Mr Huhne’s idea to ensure your business is getting the best value.
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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.
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