Improving energy affordability

1. Improving energy affordability A project between De-Montfort University and emh homes

2. The project • To monitor gas and electricity consumption, temperature, CO2 and Humidity levels • To understand how tenants use energy • Develop a methodology to identify the most suitable interventions. • Test technology to prove its effectiveness. • Compare house archetypes alongside user groups • To make energy consumption affordable

3. What has been done • 160 properties selected • Represents 22 property types that are most common across the group • 3 user groups identified based upon how people interface with controls • Technology applied from the commercial sector – existing technology • Time delays in procurement and overcoming issues on monitoring gas

4. Gas Monitoring • A pulse is required, not always available • Many tenants have pre-payment meters – a pulse exists, but not able to monitor • Smart meters – Pulse available but permission to access it must come from the tenant and the operator • Solution – install secondary meters with a pulse after the meter and monitor that. Not always easy

5. Results • To early to give accurate results

6. Current • All properties now have monitors • Data is coming in for analysis • Short timescales on gas monitoring, difficult to get accurate comparisons as yet • Electric only properties starting to show interesting results • Looking to extend the project by at least 12 months

7. Andy Stephenson andy@deepgreensolutions.co.uk