Want a more local energy system that puts you in control? Come talk to us!

Help us bring you a brighter local energy infrastructure. Image credit: hanu_q, used via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 licence

Help us bring you a brighter local energy infrastructure. Image credit: hanu_q, used via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 licence

Thursday 14th March 16.30 to 18.30
Regen, Bradninch Court, Castle St, Exeter, EX4 3PL
(See on Google Maps)
RSVP to alastair@ecoe.org.uk

We at ECOE want you to shape an app to help people take control of their energy consumption by prioritising local, low-carbon or low-cost sources. We are running some focus groups on the 14th March in Exeter and are looking for interested members of the public to come along and give us their feedback on the app. Refreshments will be provided and there will be a draw for a lovely bottle of Prosecco as a thank you.

ECOE and technology developer Q-Bots have been working together on this smartphone app. It can show users the load on their local substation, the amount of renewables on the grid, the amount of local generation and the cost of electricity at that particular time. Users could then change the times they use energy depending on which factors are of interest to them.

You can get this device for free if you participate in the Open LV trial

You can get this device for free if you participate in the Open LV trial

We will be providing a FREE smart device that looks like a USB stick worth £50, which can remotely talk to your smart meter and provide valuable services including energy management based on cost of electricity during the day.

An interesting benefit of this could be that users prioritise locally-generated energy. So, if the sun is shining out of your window you might decide to increase your energy usage as you know the local solar farm is producing. And this might save you money too! As more solar energy goes into the electricity grid it can put a strain on the system. Increasing local consumption eases that strain. Using local solar electricity at peak times could therefore be cheaper, and it’s even possible that electricity companies might pay for this ‘assistance’.

The focus group is kindly hosted by Regen and is part of Western Power Distribution’s Open LV project. If you’re interested please email alastair@ecoe.org.uk and we’ll put you on the register. Act now – places are limited!