Bron Afon is helping tenants and residents learn more about smart meters
Jonathan Hyde is leading Bron Afon’s work to promote the rollout of smart meters to its tenants.
We at Bron Afon offer a range of services to tenants and residents, however we are more than just a landlord and are determined to involve them in improving the communities in which they live.
We also like to keep tenants and residents informed on how they can save money and be more aware of the energy being used in their home at anytime.
That’s why we are supporting the campaign about the smart meter rollout across Britain.
At the forefront of it is Smart Energy GB, an independent organisation which was set up with the sole purpose of making sure everyone knows what is happening, as well as the benefits of having a smart meter.
Community Housing Cymru (CHC) is working with Smart Energy GB to make sure housing associations like us have all the information we need to tell tenants, residents and staff about smart meters. You can access leaflets, brochures, posters and videos on the CHC resource page,
CHC can also supply logos and information for social media posts.
By 2020 everyone in Britain will be offered a smart meter by their supplier as part of a national upgrade to our energy system. There is no additional cost for having a smart meter and there is one for electricity and another for gas (if you are on mains gas).
The biggest benefit of a smart meter is being able to see how much electricity and gas you are using and the cost in £s and p. The information about usage and cost is shown on an in-home display and allows tenants to take back control of their energy bills.
It will also bring about an end to estimated bills or strangers coming into your home to read the meter. It also does away with the need to keep a check on what your bill is likely to be, as the smart meter will do it automatically and inform your supplier via its own secure WIFI network.
Another plus is that a smart meter makes it easier to switch between energy suppliers, giving tenants greater flexibility to shop around. It can also be used with a pre-payment meter and again will help tenants who need to switch between different payment methods.
The in-home display also tells anyone with a pre-payment meter how much credit they have left and if it is getting low. Topping up will no longer involve putting a key or card into the meter. It can be done instead online, via a mobile phone app or in cash at a local store as usual.
There are benefits for housing associations as well. Tenants will have more control over their energy costs which will hopefully prevent them going into debt or under-heating their homes. It should also help protect their health and wellbeing as well as their homes from problems like condensation.
Like any voluntary rollout programme, it is sometimes difficult to persuade others to change over to something new – even when a smart meter won’t cost any extra.
This is why CHC has got involved and is promoting the benefits of a smart meter to tenants, their housing associations and members of staff. If you want to know more, be sure to check out the resources page or contact Adele Harries-Nicholas, CHC’s Member Services and Business Development Manager on 029 20 674803 or by emailing Adele-Harries-Nicholas@chcymru.org.uk