Smart Energy GB Campaign
Our Commercial Director, Aimee Konieczny was one of six Brits chosen to front a national campaign showcasing the nation’s home-grown energy generation effort. The campaign was run by Smart Energy GB in conjunction with TV presenter, Julia Bradbury to highlight the innovative ways that they were generating their own electricity. We caught up with Aimee to find out a bit more about the campaign and the importance of being more energy efficient both in the home and in your business.
What is the Smart Energy GB Campaign and what are their objectives?
The campaign is run by Smart Energy GB, who are a not-for-profit organisation tasked with helping people in Great Britain to understand Smart Meters and the benefits they bring. Their website says: “While our job is to spread the message to everyone, we have a particular duty to make sure low-income, vulnerable and prepay customers benefit from smart meters.
They aim to:
- Grow consumer awareness and understanding
- Build consumer confidence in smart meters
- Assist more vulnerable consumers to realise the benefits of smart meters
- Reach out to support small businesses, where cost-effective
How did you come to be involved in the campaign?
I became involved after a LinkedIn connection (Graeme Cooper from National Grid) posted about working with a media agency (H&K Strategies Energy + Industrials | Hill+Knowlton Strategies (hkstrategies.com) to improve uptake on Smart Meters in hard to reach demographics. The idea was to promote self-generation as a way of utilising Smart Meter data to make better choices. I was chosen alongside five other people to support the national campaign focussing on the “green and pleasant land” in Great Britain, titled Energy By Everyone.
I had several Teams call and interviews to understand suitability and then filming in my home went ahead in early November. Julia Bradbury was the interviewer and we discussed the benefits of solar, generating your own power and how data from the Smart Meter helps in the transition to a more renewables based power system.
After the piece was published, I was interviewed by BBC Radio Norfolk for a feature on renewables and the Daily Mail (The families who’ve become smart meter addicts as energy bills soar | This is Money) with a focus on being a “voice of reason” regarding Smart Meters and solar generation.
What inspired you to turn to renewable energy at your home?
We live in a 1960s bungalow with a lovely large south facing roof, making it perfect for solar panels. We went through a couple of winters to assess the annual cost of running our all-electric heating (no gas in rural Norfolk, no central heating for oil and the electric radiators are less than 10 years old) before taking the plunge. I knew I wanted to get an EV as my next car, and being able to charge it for free at home was very appealing. Our EV charger works automatically with the solar panels, meaning I can leave the car plugged in and it will only charge when there is sufficient sunshine.
We try and make our household impact as low as possible. We’ve improved insulation, fixed the drafts, lagged pipes and carpeted nearly every room. We’re conscious of our environmental impact, for example our food miles and sustainability of cleaning products we use. Getting solar panels felt like a great next step.
Has it changed the way you live; do you notice yourself watching the meter?
We don’t avidly watch our in-home display, but it is helpful to see when the solar panels are generating enough to put an extra load of washing on! Timing energy intensive appliances like the washing machine, dishwasher or oven to only be on when the sun is shining is made so much easier with our in-home display. Having instant access to our usage makes implementing changes so much easier. We’re able to immediately see the impact of turning appliances on or off, and the display makes us think more efficiently about using power in our home.
Why you should consider solar PV for your business
Soaring energy prices and volatile markets, have pushed many businesses to look at different energy efficient options, specifically solar PV as an energy-efficient alternative to cut their bills. Investing in solar could help your business protect a significant portion of its energy usage from increasing costs.
If you’re looking to boost your businesses green initiatives, demonstrate your Corporate Social Responsibility or simply reduce your carbon footprint – solar might be a good option for you.
To help you make up your mind and understand if it could be beneficial to your business, get in touch with our Head of Sustainability, Oliver Denison who will be happy to talk you through the benefits and options for your business.
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