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Thousands of Oldham residents have seen their energy bills reduce by an average 30 per cent per home since Oldham Council and First Choice Homes Oldham delivered one of the UK’s first intelligent metering packages - allowing customers to pay for what they actually use rather than a fixed charge.
The technology has been installed in more than 2,000 Oldham households by sustainable energy solutions business ENER-G Switch2 (www.energ.co.uk).
This means residents have affordable and controllable warmth while creating environmental benefits through greater energy efficiency and carbon savings. First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), the council’s arm’s length management organisation, outsourced its entire meter operation services to ENER-G Switch2.
This intelligent heat metering system and time and temperature controls allow tenants direct control over their heating and domestic hot water consumption. As a result, fuel bills for more than 1,700 households managed by FCHO have been cut by up to 60 per cent, with some monthly bills falling from more than £60 to below £25.
Figures also show that nine in ten of households are paying less than the previous weekly charge for heat and hot water, with 63 per cent cutting their weekly payments by half or more.
One resident, Leslie Jagger, has seen his monthly fixed charge bill fall from £64 a month to an average of £24 a month. "The new system means that I pay only for what I use. I'm in control,” said Mr Jagger, adding: “All I have to do is use the simple control board. It's a fantastic improvement on the old fixed charge system.”
Latest figures show almost four million UK households are living in fuel poverty, a figure that could be dramatically cut by using technology to control and monitor heat use in individual homes.
Traditionally, social landlords have installed gas-fired, communal heating and hot water systems for sheltered and multi-storey schemes. This meant residents could have unlimited heating for flat-rate weekly payments. However, rising energy costs have pushed up the weekly charge, driving more and more elderly and vulnerable tenants into fuel poverty.
The residents of an entire block now pay only for the energy used and not the energy available. Residents can also lower the temperature, especially in summer, instead of opening windows to cool down.
ENER-G Switch2 has used an innovative new Fixed Area Radio Network to collect meter readings as and when required, removing the need to enter a resident's property. The company is also responsible for the maintenance of internal systems including the radiators and domestic hot water cylinders.
"It was clear right away that the ENER-G Switch2 systems would result in reduced fuel costs for the vast majority of tenants but, critically, it would also introduce real fairness,” said Martin Latham, Heating Services Manager at FCHO, which provides maintenance services to more than 13,000 council residents in Oldham.
“There is no getting away from the fact that the old fixed charge system did nothing to encourage tenants to manage their consumption sensibly and there was no benefit for those tenants who did. The smart systems have changed all that and introduced real tenant incentives.
“The added bonus for FCHO is that we can now better manage the efficiency of our communal energy schemes thus also drastically reducing carbon emissions.”
David Fairbrother, Business Development Manager at ENER-G Switch2, commented: “We believe it is inequitable for residents to pay a flat rate charge for heat consumed. With differing lifestyles and occupancy levels, no two homes will ever have the same consumption. The needs of the more vulnerable members of society must be a priority.”
He added: “The inability to adequately heat homes at an affordable cost leads to lower temperatures in the home with adverse effects on health. Inability to afford fuel bills means people have to make choices between warmth and other essentials.”
For more information contact:
Zita Pálosi, Marketing Services Manager
ENER-G
ENER-G House, Daniel Adamson Road, Salford, Manchester M50 1DT
T: 0161 745 7450 F: 0161 745 7457 E: marketing@energ.co.uk W: www.energ.co.uk
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