Community Housing Cymru partners with Smart Energy GB to spread the word about smart meters

Smart Energy GB, the voice of Britain’s smart meter rollout, has announced a partnership with Community Housing Cymru, the umbrella body for housing associations in Wales, to reach thousands of social housing tenants across Wales.

Ten per cent of the Welsh population lives in homes managed by Community Housing Cymru’s member organisations. This partnership will mobilise housing officers across Wales to share information on smart meters and their benefits with their tenants.

Every home in Wales and the rest of Great Britain will be offered a smart meter, at no additional cost, by 2020. Smart meters bring an end to estimated bills and show people how much energy they are using in pounds and pence, in near real time. They will also make prepayment for energy cheaper and more convenient.

Smart Energy GB and Community Housing Cymru will provide housing officers with the information they need to make sure their tenants are informed about smart meters through:

• Information in Community Housing Cymru newsletters and website posts, read by more than 30,000 housing officers
• Training sessions to equip housing officers to share information with their colleagues and tenants directly
• Conferences and events for housing association leaders and staff
• Information in key Welsh housing sector magazines

Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Smart Energy GB, said: “Smart meters will be offered to every household, including those who rent their homes, by 2020. We want to make sure that housing association tenants know that they can benefit from the rollout, along with private renters and homeowners. Through this partnership with Community Housing Cymru we’ll be able to help thousands of people in Wales to claim their smart meter and get their gas and electricity under control.”

Stuart Ropke, Chief Executive of Community Housing Cymru, said: “Our members are committed to delivering warm, affordable homes to their tenants and working with them on all aspects of their tenancies. We’re excited about being part of such a proactive partnership and we look forward to supporting members as smart meters are rolled out across Wales.”