I was reading an article last week about how a journalist had had an epiphany with her Smart Meter. Like most of us she had thought that Smart Meters were over-rated until she received a bill for over £1,800 for a quarter’s worth of electricity and suddenly realised that maybe their Smart Meter could help them save some cash.
We know about the feeling, as we had an electricity bill, not for that amount of money but well over £800 and came to the same conclusion that we had to do something about it. We now know exactly how much it costs to boil a kettle with exactly the correct amount of water for a mug of tea or coffee, how much the light costs in each room, how much the laptop uses, how much the storage heater costs and so on.
Knowing all these costs has brought some reality to everyone and so we find that there are less lights left on in unused rooms, the TV is left on standby much less, computers and laptops are left on far less and even the fridge/freezer is turned right down. All these simple examples of day-to-day living have a marked effect on where our electricity goes and how much the bill is.
The thing is that we realise that we have had it far too easy for too long and now that the reality of Climate Change is beginning to be recognised, so much so that even politicians are taking note of COP 26 in Glasgow this November. Of course, there is the possibility that once it is over, it will all go back to normal but the recent increase of 36% rise in wholesale electricity is certainly food for thought for the millions of people in the UK and around the planet. So, if we can suggest to everyone, learn from your humble Smart Meter, save yourself some cash and do your bit towards reducing CO2 emissions.
